The best historical attractions and things to do in London

Buckingham Palace, London's most famous royal home, has sheltered British monarchs since 1837, with the late Queen Elizabeth II being its longest-serving resident to date. Nowadays, her son, King Charles III, resides within.

History buffs will want to catch the Changing of the Guard, a display of ceremonious pomp – all tomato-red tunics and bearskin hats – that’s been taking place in central London since the days of Charles II, way back in 1660. This tour will fill in a few more historical blanks and snag you some choice views along the famous route.

Afterwards, follow the crowds for a selfie in front of the palace’s famous gates, then slip into St James’s Park, where you can say hey to the resident pelican colony (if you can find them) and take in the view from the Blue Bridge. Surely one of the loveliest vistas in all of London, it frames Buckingham Palace in fairytale garden foliage and makes it look – if you squint a little – like its floating right on the lake. Magical.

Check out more of the best parks in London here.

That most regal venue for royal hatches, matches and dispatches, the hallowed halls of Westminster Abbey have witnessed the coronations, unions, baptisms and burials of England's monarchs for more than a millennium. In recent years, it hosted the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as King Charles III's coronation – you can even ogle the medieval chair that cushioned his regal derriere throughout the ceremony.

And, while it may look astounding from the outside, just wait until you go inside. The sheer scale and intricate detail of Westminster Abbey's interior – all soaring stained glass windows, towering gothic naves and beautifully preserved medieval mosaics – will leave you in awe. It's also the last resting place of historical figures like Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots and Charles Dickens, to name just a few. Why not see how many celebs of yore you can spot among the tombs and crypts for a fun, if slightly macabre, game?

Read our bluffer’s guide to the history of Westminster Abbey here.

The UK's answer to Congress and the Senate, the current Houses of Parliament (aka the Palace of Westminster) is a relatively recent addition to London's skyline, dating back only a couple of hundred years. Housed in a former royal residence, this grand neo-gothic confection is where laws are passed, government records are debated and prime ministers rise and (as inevitably as night follows day) fall.

As a former regal hangout, you can expect opulence all over the place. The grand artistry, decorative splendor, and surprising scale of the building's innards are nothing short of breathtaking.

Head inside and learn how the original Palace of Westminster, constructed in the 11th century, met a fiery fate, only to be replaced by the magnificent structure that stands today. Or take this tour for the full picture, which also takes in Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and more. Either way, be sure to set your watch by the chimes of Big Ben while you’re there.

The Tower of London is one of London's most imposing and longest-standing landmarks. Built back in the 11th Century, it has served innumerable different purposes throughout its near-1000-year history: stronghold, prison, armory, menagerie and now, in the 21st Century, crown-jewel depository, regal raven hangout and one of the finest historical attractions in London.

Here’s your chance to take a guided tour of the fortress with one of the iconic Yeoman Warders – Beefeaters to their friends – and say hello to the eight resident ravens that patrol the grounds. You’ll hear about disappearing princes, polar bears and more from the Tower’s torrid history. Heck, keep your eyes and ears to the (blood-soaked) ground and you might even spot the sad specter of Anne Boleyn hanging around the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, possibly in search of her errant head. Top it all off with a visit to the heavily protected crowns, scepters, diamonds and other royal regalia that comprise the Crown Jewels. Just don't get any ideas!

Meet the Tower of London’s ghosts and find out where to spot them.

Designed by London architect-in-chief Sir Christopher Wren and erected atop Ludgate Hill in 1711, St Paul's Cathedral is one of the city skyline’s most graceful (and recognizable) fixtures. From that iconic dome to the magnificent mosaics and murals inside, it's a feast for the eyes. And indeed the ears: the acoustic marvel that is the Whispering Gallery has to be heard to be believed. You can climb all the way to the top of the dome for aching quads and jaw-dropping views across London, or descend beneath the ground floor’s timeworn geometric tiles for a peek at the final resting places of London’s great and good. Tombs down here in the atmospheric Crypt include those of Admiral Lord Nelson, J.M.W. Turner and, of course, ol’ Chrissie Wren himself.

Wanna know which other dead famous historical figures are interred in the Crypt at St Paul’s?

Kensington Palace has been shaped by many generations of royal women – think queens Mary and Victoria and, more recently, princesses Diana and Kate. So, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s not quite as deadly as the Tower of London. Pop by this grand Jacobean Manor in Kensington Gardens for a visit to the sumptuous Sunken Garden, with its Insta-perfect pergolas and statue of the aforementioned Diana, Princess of Wales. Then step inside for a chance to ogle those uber-opulent interiors, including the King’s State Apartments – home of the slightly mad ‘Temple of the Four Great Monarchies of the World’ clock – and the lavish dining rooms and sweeping staircase of Queen Mary’s State Apartments. Don’t skip the chance to feast your magpie eyes on Queen Victoria’s glittering tiaras either. Truly dazzling stuff.

Greenwich is an absolute must-visit for any serious scholars of British history. Or, for that matter, anyone with even a passing interest in science, seafaring, parks, gardens and laidback village vibes. Find your sea legs at the National Maritime Museum then go full ship ahoy mode aboard the legendary Cutty Sark, the world’s last surviving tea clipper, built way back during the reign of tea-sippin’ monarch of yore, Queen Victoria.

And that’s not all. No siree! You should also hotfoot it to the Royal Observatory, where you can have your jaw well and truly dropped by a massive telescope, enter the stargazers’ sanctum in historic and hopscotch between the east and west hemispheres either side of the Prime Meridian Line, just for fun.

Sound like fun? You’re right, it is. Here’s our complete guide to visiting the Royal Observatory.

Did you know that the pitch-perfect recreation of William Shakespeare’s Elizabethan theater is the only building in London to have been allowed a thatched roof since the Great Fire? Well, now you do. You’ll hear many more fun tidbits like this one on a guided tour of Will’s fabulous open-air theater. As well as discovering what acting out Shakey’s plays at the original Globe might have been like, you’ll learn about London life in the Elizabethan era and the painstaking theater reconstruction project in the 1990s. You’ll even get the chance to bellow your best Shakespearean lines across the performance space. But will you plump for Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet? That… is the question.

Hampton Court Palace was the favorite pleasure palace of one Henry VIII, a man for whom bacchanalian banqueting, gout and guillotined wives were just normal parts of everyday life. But, even if pretty much everything the roly-poly serial monogamist ever did was in extremely poor taste, his fairytale palace is most decidedly not. All crenelated Tudor towers, ornamental brick chimneys and sprawling formal gardens, Hampton Court is a place of rare beauty indeed. To be fair though, that’s partly down to an extensive 17th-century remodeling under the supervision of our old pal Sir Christopher Wren, which is how much of the palace’s Versailles-inspired look came to be. 

There’s plenty for the history buff to see and do here, too. Get lost in the famous maze, check out the world’s oldest grapevine, check the time on the Astronomical Clock and ogle masterpieces by the likes of van Dyck and Gainsborough. You may even run into another of Henry’s famous exes here – there have been several reported sightings of Catherine Howard’s screaming ghost running along (what else?) the Haunted Corridor.