It’s hard to beat walking when you really want to explore a city. You’ll notice much more detail as you walk through the neighborhoods; little things and atmosphere that you would surely miss on a bus tour. It’s also easy to get off the main road and explore the side streets and stop and take pictures along the way without feeling rushed.
London is an ideal city to explore on foot. You can ride the subway to get to a neighborhood or district you want to explore, and then just start walking. Four interesting neighborhoods to explore in London are Westminster/Whitehall, Chelsea, Mayfair and Hampstead, although there are, of course, many others.
If you only have time for a walking tour while visiting London, I would suggest the Westminster/Whitehall district, as there are a wealth of historic sites and landmarks within this relatively small district. These include Trafalgar Square, the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, St. James’s Park, The Horse Guards Parade, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
Another nice walk is Hampstead, a district north of central London. Here you can explore not only the beautiful houses in this prestigious area, but also a large urban wilderness area called Hampstead Heath, where you’ll experience all kinds of natural beauty. As you explore Hampstead Heath, you can climb Parliament Hill for an exceptional view of London, especially on a clear day. There are also a couple of interesting little neighborhood museums to explore; Burgh House, an early 18th-century house displaying many paintings by John Constable, a noted landscape painter who lived in Hampstead, and The Keats House museum, once home to the famous poet John Keats.
A walk through the Chelsea neighborhood will introduce you to the historic homes of many prominent British figures who once lived there. Notable houses feature a blue plaque describing interesting information about the former residents. Other important features of this neighborhood are the Royal Hospital designed by renowned architect Christopher Wren in the late 1600s and also the Albert Bridge, which has its own interesting history.
A walk through Mayfair will take you past such notable sights as Piccadilly Circus, the Ritz Hotel, the house where Winston Churchill lived as a child, St. James’s Church-Piccadilly Street, and the Mews (rows of stables with dwellings above, most of which have now been converted into modern residences in the interior).
For more information on each of these London walking tours, including detailed directions, maps and walking distances, please visit our website at the link below.
