My fascination with the British royal family started when I was a little girl. I remember watching the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana and being completely fascinated by all of it—the royal family, the traditions, the history, and, of course, the palaces.
When I finally traveled to London, I had quite a few royal places on my bucket list. I was finally going to see some of the places I had been hearing about, reading about, and watching on TV for years. Of course, my London list didn’t stop with the royals. There were plenty of other places I had waited a long time to see, and I was determined to fit in as many as I could.
These were my 10 favorites.
1. Buckingham Palace
If there is one place most people associate with the British royal family, it's probably Buckingham Palace. Standing in front of it for the first time, it was pretty much everything I expected a palace to be—grand, gated, guarded, and covered in just enough gold to remind you that this is definitely not your average residence...and that was only from the outside.
Buckingham Palace is only open for public tours at certain times of the year. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open when I was there, so I had to settle for seeing it from the outside and watching the Changing of the Guard.
I’m glad I did it, but I’m not going to pretend it was perfect. It was crowded, it was raining, and there were a whole lot of umbrellas in the way. Still, watching the guards march in front of Buckingham Palace was pretty special.
If you have any interest at all in Britain's royal family—or if it's your first trip to London—I think Buckingham Palace deserves a spot on your list.
Would I go back? Absolutely—but next time, I'm checking the palace tour dates before I book my trip.
2. The Royal Mews
The Royal Mews wasn't originally on my London bucket list—mostly because I didn't really know what it was. If you're interested in the royal family, though, this is one of those places you might not think to visit and absolutely should.
Located at Buckingham Palace, the Royal Mews is where many of the royal carriages, coaches, and cars are kept—you know, the ones you see carrying members of the royal family during weddings, coronations, and other big celebrations. It's also home to some of the ceremonial horses, along with their stables and training facilities. There are even accommodations for some of the coachmen and chauffeurs who work for the Royal Household.
For me, one of the highlights was seeing the Glass Coach that carried Lady Diana Spencer to St. Paul's Cathedral for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981. Considering that wedding was what first sparked my fascination with the royal family as a little girl, seeing the carriage in person felt a little full circle.
Then there’s the Gold State Coach. It was built in the 1700s, and they certainly didn’t hold back on the gold. It’s huge, incredibly detailed, and much more impressive in person than I expected. Pictures really don’t do this one justice.
The Glass Coach that Princess Diana rode in, with her father, to her wedding.
The Royal Mews ended up being one of my unexpected London favorites. I went in knowing very little about it and came out thinking, How did I almost miss this?
Put this on your list if: You love royal history, horses, carriages, or simply want to see something a little different from London's better-known sights.
3. Westminster Abbey
Another royal stop that was high on my list was Westminster Abbey. It has had a front-row seat to centuries of British royal history.
Royal weddings, coronations and funerals have all taken place here. William the Conqueror was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1066, and nearly every British monarch since then has been crowned here, including King Charles III. It was also the setting for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in 2022. That's a lot of history that has passed through one building.
Even without the royal connection, Westminster Abbey is worth seeing. The Gothic architecture is beautiful, but it was the soaring arched ceilings that really caught my attention. You can't help but look up.
When you think about the kings, queens, world leaders and so many others who have walked through these doors over hundreds of years, it's one of those places where you don't just see London's history—you feel like you're standing right in the middle of it.
Put this on your list if: You love royal history, beautiful architecture, or places where you can actually stand where centuries of history happened.
4. St. Paul's Cathedral
For me, St. Paul's Cathedral will probably always be most closely associated with the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981. After seeing the carriage that carried Diana to the cathedral at the Royal Mews, it was pretty special to also stand inside the church where the wedding took place.
The inside is stunning. The woodwork, gold details, mosaics and that huge dome overhead make it hard to know where to look first. I spent a lot of time looking up.
If you have the time (and the legs for it!), you can climb 528 steps to the Golden Gallery for some pretty amazing views of London. After 257 steps, you can also stop at the Whispering Gallery and test out its famous acoustics. A whisper against the wall can be heard clear across the other side. We didn't get to try it, but I wish we had!
Put this on your list if: You love beautiful architecture, London history, royal connections—or you're willing to climb 528 steps for a great view.
5. Big Ben
Another iconic London landmark that had to be on my list was Big Ben. One thing I didn't know until planning our trip is that Big Ben is actually the nickname of the huge bell inside the clock tower, not the tower itself. The tower is officially called Elizabeth Tower.
Standing alongside the Houses of Parliament on the River Thames, it's one of those London sights you recognize immediately. We admired it from just about every angle—across the river, walking along the Thames and, of course, up close.
We also heard Big Ben's famous chimes several times during our stay. There's something pretty cool about walking around London and suddenly hearing those familiar chimes ringing out. It was a little reminder each time: Yep, we're definitely in London.
Put this on your list if: It's your first trip to London. Big Ben is simply one of those landmarks you have to see in person.
6. Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is one of London’s main gathering places and is within walking distance of several major sights. There always seems to be something going on, whether it’s a celebration, protest, holiday event or outdoor performance. Even when there isn’t an event happening, the square is usually full of people and activity.
The National Gallery sits right on the square, and here's the best part—it's free! Inside you'll find works by some of the world's most famous artists, including Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers and Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin of the Rocks. I'm not usually one to spend hours wandering through museums, but when you can walk in and see masterpieces like these for free, it's definitely worth a stop.
There's a lot to see just walking around Trafalgar Square—the fountains, statues, street performers and plenty of people. It's busy, a little chaotic and definitely feels like London.
7. Harrods
Harrods is one of the most famous luxury department stores in the world, and it's worth a stop even if you have no intention of buying anything.
Of course, they know people like me are going to walk in, look around and decide we need something from Harrods to take home. Luckily, there are a few things that don't require a luxury-shopping budget! I bought some English tea to bring home, which made the perfect London souvenir.
Harrods has pretty much everything. You'll find designer fashion, fine jewelry, toys, home goods, chocolates, gourmet foods, fresh seafood, teas, restaurants and cafés—all under one very fancy roof.
You can even have afternoon tea here, which seems like a fitting thing to do at Harrods. We didn't, but I'd definitely consider adding that to my list next time.
Even if shopping at Harrods isn't in the budget, wandering through it is an experience in itself. Just be prepared—you may go in planning to only look and come out carrying a Harrods bag anyway.
Put this on your list if: You like shopping, food, people-watching or just want to see how the other half shops.
8. Tower of London
If you want to see some seriously expensive jewels, this is the place to go. The Tower of London is home to the Crown Jewels, and naturally, I wasn’t leaving without seeing them.
My only disappointment? You can't stand there and gawk at the Crown Jewels for as long as you'd like. There's a moving walkway that takes you past the display, so when it's your turn, you keep moving. I understand why they do it, but I could have used a little more gawking time!
You'll need a timed-entry ticket to visit the Tower of London, but that doesn't mean you won't have to wait once you're inside. There's a separate line to see the Crown Jewels, and depending on how busy it is, you may spend more time waiting in that line than you actually spend looking at the jewels.
There's much more to the Tower than jewels, though. You can walk around the grounds, explore the different towers, and see the famous Yeoman Warders—better known as Beefeaters. We happened to meet a very friendly one who was happy to stop and take a picture with us.
Of course, the Tower also has a much longer, and sometimes pretty gruesome, history involving kings, queens, prisoners and executions. There’s a lot to see here, so give yourself plenty of time to look around.
Put this on your list if: You want to see the Crown Jewels, meet a Beefeater and experience one of London's most historic places. Just be prepared to wait in line—and gawk quickly when it's finally your turn.
9. Tower Bridge
Since you're already in the neighborhood visiting the Crown Jewels, you may as well take a look at one of London's most recognizable landmarks—Tower Bridge.
With its Gothic-style towers, Tower Bridge almost has a castle look to it. It's also the bridge many people picture when they think of London Bridge, but they're actually two different bridges. Tower Bridge is the impressive one. London Bridge is, well...a little more underwhelming.
We admired Tower Bridge from afar, but didn't actually make our way across it or tour the inside. You can go inside the towers, walk across the high-walkway and visit the Victorian engine rooms that once powered the bridge.
The part that would get me back there is the glass floor in the high walkways. You can look straight down at the cars and people crossing the bridge below. I'm not sure how brave I'll feel once I'm actually standing on it, but I'd definitely give it a try.
10. Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace has been home to members of the Royal Family for more than 300 years, including Princess Diana, who lived here for many years. I was surprised to learn that we could actually tour parts of the palace, since some areas are still used as royal residences and offices today. Obviously, we weren’t getting an invitation into any of those! The private areas are kept separate from the historic rooms that are open to visitors.
We were able to tour the King's and Queen's State Apartments, as well as the rooms where Queen Victoria was born and spent her childhood. I loved seeing the beautiful rooms and imagining all the royals who have called this place home over the years.
For me, Kensington Palace was a fitting way to round out my London favorites. My fascination with the royal family was a big reason so many of these places were on my bucket list in the first place. From watching royal weddings on TV as a little girl to actually walking through the places I had heard about for years, London gave me plenty of reasons to keep that fascination going.
Been There. Saw the palaces. Gawked at the Crown Jewels. Loved That.