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London: Westminster Walking Tour & The Shard Viewing Gallery

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.21 (14 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/14

Duration5h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk Westminster's Royal Landmarks, Then Rise 244 Metres Above London

You walk Westminster's royal sights with a local guide for three hours — Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Changing of the Guard if timing works out. Afterward, you head to The Shard and ride the elevator to floor 68 for a 360-degree view across 40 miles of London, with the option to step onto the open-air platform on level 72. Entry to The Shard and the guide are included; the whole experience runs about four to five hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Meet guide at Green Park
Walk to Buckingham Palace
Watch Changing of the Guard
Stroll along the Royal Mall
Visit Trafalgar Square
See Horse Guards Parade arch
Explore Whitehall and Downing Street
View Parliament Square and Big Ben
Visit Westminster Abbey
Go to The Shard
Take elevator to 68th floor
Enjoy 360-degree city views
Optional: Visit open-air platform

The Experience

Your guide is already waiting in Green Park when you arrive, and the walk starts right away. Three hours on foot through the heart of Westminster — Buckingham Palace first, where you'll hear the actual history behind the building instead of just standing outside it. If you time it right (June and July it's daily, other months it's Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday), you catch the Changing of the Guard ceremony, and your guide knows where to position you so you're not stuck behind a crowd of phone cameras.

From there you move through Trafalgar Square, past Horse Guards Parade with its arch and clock, then Whitehall where Downing Street sits — the place British Prime Ministers have worked since 1735. Parliament Square comes next, and Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are right there, close enough to see the detail. Westminster Abbey is the last stop on the walking tour, over a thousand years old, where kings and queens get crowned. By the time you finish, you've covered the landmarks most people spend two days trying to find.

After the tour, your guide points you toward The Shard. You take the high-speed elevator to floor 68 and step out into a 360-degree view that stretches 40 miles across London. On a clear day you can pick out landmarks you just walked past from ground level, except now they're tiny. If you want it, there's an open-air platform on level 72 — no glass, just you and the wind and the whole city below. The Shard viewing gallery is almost double the height of any other platform in London, which is why the view actually feels different from other rooftop bars or observation decks you've done.

The whole thing takes about four to five hours total. You're not rushed through Westminster, and you're not standing in a queue at The Shard because your entry is already sorted. Wheelchair accessible throughout, and the elevator is fast enough that you're not waiting around.

What’s included

Local guide for the three-hour Westminster walking tour.
entry to The Shard Viewing Gallery on floor 68.
access to the open-air viewing platform on level 72.
stops at Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, Downing Street, Parliament Square, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey.
opportunity to see the Changing of the Guard on scheduled days.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Top Sights Tours Group LLC

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Westminster's major sights with someone who knows the stories, then get a view of the whole city from above without arranging two separate tickets or figuring out the logistics yourself — the guide handles the walking route and directs you to The Shard afterward, so you're not piecing it together on your own.