London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [15]
Royal London’s basic layout can be divided into three distinct areas—Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, and Trafalgar Square—grouped at the corners of triangular St. James’s Park.
Trafalgar Square is the official center of London. To its north are two major museums, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. From Trafalgar Square two boulevards lead to the seats of very different ideas of governance: Whitehall leads to the Houses of Parliament, whereas the Mall, a wide, pink avenue beyond the stone curtain of Admiralty Arch, heads toward the Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace, the sovereign’s official residence. Halfway down Whitehall, the Queen’s Life Guards sit motionlessly on horses in front of Horse Guards Parade, adjacent to the glorious Banqueting House.
No. 10 Downing Street, diagonally opposite, is both the residence and the office of the prime minister. One of the most celebrated occupants, Winston Churchill, is commemorated in the Cabinet War Rooms & Churchill Museum, his underground wartime headquarters off Whitehall. Just down the road is the Cenotaph, which acts as a focal point for the annual remembrance of those lost in war, and at the end of Whitehall you’ll find Parliament Square and the neo-Gothic Houses of Parliament, where members of both Houses (Commons and Lords) hold debates and vote on pending legislation.
On Parliament Square’s west side is Westminster Abbey, a site of daily worship since the 10th century. Poets, political leaders, and 17 monarchs are buried in the 13th-century Gothic building. In its shadow is the 16th-century St. Margaret’s Church, Parliament’s “parish church.” Heading west along Birdcage Walk will bring you to Buckingham Palace. The building is open to the public only in summer, but you can see much of the royal art collection in the Queen’s Gallery and spectacular ceremonial coaches in the Royal Mews, both open all year. Finally, farther south toward Pimlico, Tate Britain focuses on prominent British artists from 1500 to today.
GETTING ORIENTED
TOP REASONS TO GO
Westminster Abbey: Steeped in history, this sublime Gothic church was not only the site of Prince William’s 2011 marriage but also saw 38 hallowed coronations, starting with William the Conqueror in 1066.
Buckingham Palace: Keep pace with the marching soldiers and bands, resplendent in red and black, as they enact the time-honored ceremony of the “Changing of the Guard” in front of the residence of Her Majesty.
Leonardo da Vinci and Co.: Leonardo, Raphael, Van Eyck, Rembrandt, and Rubens…you get the picture. Enjoy one of the world’s greatest collections of Old Master paintings in gorgously renovated rooms at the National Gallery.
Cabinet War Rooms: Listen to Churchill’s wartime radio addresses to the British people from this cavernous underground wartime hideout.
Hearing Big Ben’s Chimes: The 320-foot-high Clock Tower is as much a symbol of London as the Eiffel Tower is of Paris—hear its chimes from the Houses of Parliament to Trafalgar Square.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME
A lifetime of exploring may still be insufficient to cover this historically rich part of London. More practically, two to three days can take in the highlights. For royal pageantry begin with Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Queen’s Gallery, and the Guards Museum. For more constitutional sightseeing, there’s the Houses of Parliament and the Cabinet War Rooms. For art, the National Gallery and the Tate Britain head anyone’s list.
GETTING THERE
Trafalgar Square—easy to access and smack-dab in the center of the