London Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This London walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa. The notes below group those stops into walkable routes and add the timing, transport, etiquette and free-entry details that make the day easier. For official events and visitor information, also check Visit London, the official visitor guide to London.

Route 1, museums to Westminster (stops 1 to 4). Start at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington with the Cromwell Road facade, the blue whale in Hintze Hall, the Dinosaurs gallery and the Earth galleries, then leave by Exhibition Road. Walk through Hyde Park and Green Park to Buckingham Palace for the Victoria Memorial, the East Front, the forecourt gates and Canada Gate, then follow Birdcage Walk to Westminster. Westminster Abbey’s videos cover the Great West Door, the nave, Poets’ Corner, the Henry VII Lady Chapel and the cloisters, and the Houses of Parliament stop finishes at Elizabeth Tower and Westminster Bridge.

Route 2, the South Bank (stops 5 and 6). Cross Westminster Bridge to the London Eye for the wheel base, boarding, the views east and back toward Parliament, then follow the riverside walk along the South Bank. It is one of the best stretches of any London walking tour, with street performers, book stalls and river views. At Tate Modern, the videos cover the Turbine Hall, the Blavatnik Building, the collection galleries and the free viewing level, and end on the Millennium Bridge.

Route 3, the City and the Tower (stops 7 to 9). Cross the Millennium Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral for the west steps, the nave and dome, the Whispering Gallery and the crypt. Walk east to the Tower of London for the Byward Tower, the White Tower, the Crown Jewels and Traitors’ Gate, and leave along the river toward Tower Bridge. Cross the bridge and walk the south bank to The Shard, where the videos cover the base plaza, the lifts and the views from the top.

Route 4, Bloomsbury (stop 10). Save the British Museum for a separate morning, when the Great Court is calm. The videos cover the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon galleries and the Enlightenment Gallery before you leave into Bloomsbury’s squares. If you only have one day, Routes 1 and 2 make the best free walking tour London offers on foot, from the museums to the river.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this London walking tour are Westminster Bridge for Elizabeth Tower, the Millennium Bridge looking up at St Paul’s, the Tate Modern viewing level and the riverside by City Hall, opposite the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Early morning is the best time at Buckingham Palace and in the Great Court of the British Museum.

A three-day London walking tour works well as Route 1 on day one, Route 2 that evening or the next morning, Route 3 on day two, and the British Museum on day three, with time left for Covent Garden or a West End show. If it rains, move the museums forward and save the South Bank and the bridges for a dry spell.

Start early at the museums and Buckingham Palace, and check the official Changing the Guard schedule if you want to see it, because it does not run every day. Westminster Abbey is open for worship only on Sundays, not for sightseeing, and St Paul’s Cathedral opens for sightseeing from Monday to Saturday, so plan Route 1 and Route 3 for weekdays or Saturdays. Late afternoon and dusk are lovely on the South Bank and from the top of The Shard.

London weather changes quickly, so carry a light waterproof whatever the forecast. Late spring and early autumn are often the best seasons for a London walking tour, with long days and fewer crowds than in high summer. Winter days are short, but the river lights look great after dark.

Tap a contactless bank card or an Oyster card on the Tube, buses and most trains; daily fares are capped, so you never pay more than the daily limit. Children under 11 travel free with a paying adult. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers runs river services between Westminster, the South Bank and Tower piers, which suits the river stops. On escalators, stand on the right and walk on the left. Many central stops are closer than they look on the Tube map, so walking is often the quickest way to link this London walking tour.

From Heathrow, the Piccadilly line runs direct to South Kensington, the station for the Natural History Museum and the first stop of this London walking tour; the Elizabeth line is faster into central London if you are staying further east. From Gatwick or St Pancras, start with Route 3 or the British Museum instead and walk the stops in a different order; every stop has its own map link, so the route is flexible.

Queue patiently, keep to the left on busy pavements where signs ask you to, and move to the side when you stop to check a map. Inside Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, speak quietly and follow the photography rules at each door. In pubs you order and pay at the bar and no tip is expected; in restaurants, check the bill, because a service charge of around 12.5% is often added already.

Good food stops sit right on the route. Borough Market, next to London Bridge and The Shard, is a classic London lunch with street-food stalls; Leadenhall Market is a short walk from the Tower; and the South Bank has cafés with river views. A picnic in St James’s Park or Hyde Park is a cheap break on a long London walking tour, and the city has a growing network of free public drinking fountains for refilling a bottle.

Keep your phone in your hand only when you need it, especially near the kerb, where phone thefts by passing cyclists and scooters happen. Watch your bag in crowds at Westminster, the London Eye and the Tower, and walk past the cup-and-ball gambling games on Westminster Bridge. Use licensed black cabs or booked minicabs at night.

London is the easiest city for a budget walk, because several stops on this London walking tour are free every day. The Natural History Museum, Tate Modern and the British Museum have free general entry, and only some special exhibitions charge. The Tate Modern viewing level is free, Changing the Guard is free to watch from the street, and you can watch debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords from the public galleries free of charge on sitting days.

Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral charge for sightseeing, but anyone can attend a service, such as Evensong, free of charge. The Tower of London, the London Eye and The Shard are paid; book online for the best prices. UK residents can arrange a free tour of Parliament through their MP, while other visitors can book paid tours on most Saturdays and on many weekdays when Parliament is in recess. Buckingham Palace State Rooms usually open only in summer, with paid tickets.

For discounts, compare a sightseeing pass with single tickets if you plan several paid entries. If you arrive by National Rail, look for 2-for-1 attraction offers with a valid rail ticket, and check each attraction’s website for family and online prices.

For accessibility, buses all have ramps and spaces for wheelchairs, the Elizabeth line is step-free, and TfL publishes a step-free Tube guide for the rest of the network. The big free museums have step-free entrances, and the London Eye capsules are wheelchair accessible. The Tower of London has cobbles and steep stairs in its older buildings, so check the access guide first. For the flattest London walking tour, follow Route 2 along the South Bank.

After this London walking tour, carry on with more free walks nearby: the Paris walking tour, which is an easy train ride away, the Edinburgh walking tour, the Dublin walking tour and the Amsterdam walking tour. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.