Start at Covent Garden Station
Finish at Piccadilly Circus Station
THE EXPERIENCE
Westminster's Famous Landmarks - Discovery route
This 5 Km route takes you from Covent Garden to Piccadilly Circus via the South Bank, Westminster, Whitehall, and Leicester Square and contains some of London's most famous landmarks. It is a fantastic route for exploring the entertainment areas of Covent Garden and Leicester Square and some of the main sightseeing areas such as the Royal Festival Hall, the London Eye, Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St James Park and Trafalgar Square.
It is great for bright lights, great atmosphere, history, iconic sights, entertainment venues, crowds, transport links, theatres, spectacular river views, places of worship, government buildings, bridges, gardens and parks, art galleries, and lots of places to eat, drink, and be merry.
MUST SEE PLACES
What to See List
Areas to Eat, Drink and Be Merry
BEST TIME
Morning—This route is usually quite crowded, so the best time to do it is on weekends in the early morning when the lighting is at its best and few people are around.
Day - This route is usually quite crowded
Evenings - Quieter in some places, except for Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and the South Bank.
ROUTE OVERVIEW
This 5km route starts outside Covent Garden Station, then goes around Covent Garden Piazza, and then into the Aldwych by Somerset House before crossing Waterloo Bridge and dropping down onto the South Bank by the National Theatre. The route then heads east by the Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye before crossing Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It then goes to Westminster Abbey, St James's Park, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, and Trafalgar Square. The final section goes into Leicester Square before finishing off at Piccadilly Circus.
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DESCRIPTIVE PHOTO GALLERY
This gallery provides a descriptive and visual reference to many sights along this route. Use the Google Map above to find their location. Double-click to see the image in full size.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AREA
Click on the picture below to go on a 360 virtual tour of the shopping areas and have a look around.
Use the route to explore this location by looking around in 360, taking in the sights and sounds, listening to an audio recording about the area and going on a virtual tour.
HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS
Covent Garden and Long Acre
Around the Southbank
Around the Houses of Parliament
Around Whitehall
Around Leicester Square
This video gives you a short introduction to how the Central London Sightseeing area grew during the Tudors (1560) and the Victorians (1860)
6:30 mins
This is a brief overview of the history of the entertainment district in the West End of London.
This video gives you a short introduction to how the West End Shopping area grew during the Tudors (1560) and the Victorians (1860)
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