Why not explore London on foot with the some of these great walks in Central London.

London is well known for its world-class public transport system. The tube is an underground metro system that allows you to get between places quickly and easily. There’s no doubt you’ll use it as the primary method of getting around in London.

But if you only take the tube you’ll be missing out.

To truly get a sense of any city you should take the time to walk around it. In central London especially the distances between sights are small. So why not give the tube a break and take a little walk instead. Experience the life and soul of the city while passing iconic landmarks, beautiful architecture and hidden gems.

Here are some great walks to get you started in central London. Comfortable shoes are a must!

Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace Loop

Total walking time: 50 minutes

Distance: 2.4 miles

Highlights: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Horse Guards, St James Park, Buckingham Palace

This is a fantastic loop walk that covers some of the best sights of London. You can tailor this as much as you like, there are plenty of detours and side trips to do on this walk.

Start at Westminster tube station where three of the most iconic London landmarks are located – Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Travel tip: you also get a good view of the London Eye from Westminster Bridge.

From the Westminster/Big Ben area walk up Parliament Street until it turns into Whitehall. Whitehall is the seat of the UK government. On your left you will pass Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister. Continue walking up Whitehall until you reach the Horse Guards Parade. Stop here for a photo with the horse guards, then continue left and walk through the Horse Guards Parade and you will come out in a massive courtyard.

Turn right here, walking up Horse Guards Road until you reach The Mall. The Mall is the glorious wide street leading up to Buckingham Palace. On your right is St James Palace, a 16th century royal palace, sadly not open to the public. If you would prefer to do this as a one-way walk rather than a loop just walk through St James Park instead of The Mall until you reach the Palace.

Otherwise as you continue walking up The Mall you will see Buckingham Palace sitting resplendently at the top of the street. Spend some time at Buckingham Palace taking photos, and once you’re ready head into St James Park which is a beautiful royal park with fountains, views of the Palace, a children’s playground and plenty of benches if your feet need a rest.

At the end of St James Park is the Churchill War Rooms and you can then walk down Great George St to take you back to where you started at Westminster.

Covent Garden to Green Park

Total walking time: 25 minutes

Distance: 1 mile

Highlights: Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly, Green Park

This is a quick jaunt through London’s West End.

Start at the bustling hub of Covent Garden with its street performers and markets. Covent Garden should be high on the list of any London itinerary.

From Covent Garden tube station head west and walk down Long Acre. Side trip: If you take a left and walk down the tiny alley of Rose St you will stumble upon The Lamb and Flag, a little pub steeped in history which would be a good spot for a quick pint.

If you keep walking down Long Acre you will soon end up in the busy intersection at Leicester Square tube station. The walk between Covent Garden and Leicester Square is only 4 minutes, 0.2 miles. No need to even contemplate taking the tube for such a short journey.

Pass the tube station and keep heading west and you will walk through Leicester Square. Leicester Square is the heart of London’s entertainment district and very popular with tourists for bars, pubs, cinemas and theatres.

Walk through Leicester Square until you get to Coventry Street and keep going. You will end up in Piccadilly Circus. London’s equivalent of Times Square with its flashing billboards and massively busy intersection. This area will be teeming with people. Take note of the iconic Eros statue, worth a photo stop.

At Piccadilly Circus you have a couple of choices. You can take Regent Street, a beautifully curving Georgian street. If it’s shopping you’re after you can walk down Regent Street and you will eventually end up at Oxford Circus on Oxford Street, London’s main shopping hub. Don’t forget to stop at Hamley’s on Regent Street, one of the world’s great toy shops.

For the purposes of this walk from Piccadilly Circus we will admire Regent Street but choose to walk down Piccadilly. Also not a bad choice if you like shopping with a massive Waterstones for some book shopping, and not forgetting one of my favourite shops in London – Fortnum and Mason. Fortnums is the place to buy food gifts, and you will want to give yourself some time to peruse the massive selection of fancy teas, jams, chocolates and biscuits in the gift food hall. Don’t forget to go downstairs to the actual food hall where they have a plethora of interesting gourmet food to try.

As you continue walking down Piccadilly you will pass The Ritz on your left, London’s most luxurious hotel. A wonderful place for afternoon tea.

After The Ritz you will find yourself at Green Park tube station, the end of this particular walk. From here you can hop on the tube and carry on to your next London destination. Or you can extend the walk further by taking the steps down into Green Park, a beautiful royal park. If you walk all the way through Green Park you will end up at Buckingham Palace.

South Kensington to Knightsbridge

Total walking time: 30 minutes

Distance: 1.2 miles

Highlights: Natural History Museum, Harrods, Hyde Park

Starting from either Gloucester Road or South Kensington tube station you can walk all the way down Cromwell/Brompton Road to Knightsbridge.

From either tube station turn right and head east down Cromwell Road. You will pass the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum on your left. The Natural History Museum is one of the most beautiful buildings in London and well worth a look inside especially if you have kids. Travel tip: the Natural History Museum is free to enter but you will need to book a timed slot.

To take a side trip here turn left at Exhibition Road and you will reach the Royal Albert Hall, the striking home of British classical music.

Otherwise continue walking down Cromwell Road until it turns into Brompton Road. As you walk down Brompton Road take in the hustle and bustle of a typical busy London street with its black cabs, red buses and grand architecture. If you would like to escape the crowds duck down a side street for a much more peaceful side to London. There are some beautiful mews streets in this area such as Ennismore Gardens Mews and Rutland Mews which aren’t too much of a detour. Historically Mews streets were the the side and back entrances to grand houses where the horses would have been stabled. Now they are peaceful and pretty residential streets and very desirable places to live in their own right.

Getting back onto Brompton Road you will eventually reach Harrods on your right. You can’t miss it. Perhaps the world’s most famous and luxurious department store, Harrods is well worth a stop if only to potter around the food hall and walk among the handbags and luxury items that probably cost more than your entire trip.

Finishing up in Harrods you will have reached Knightsbridge, a busy intersection where you can hop back on the tube and go to your next destination. Alternatively to extend the walk just cross the road and head into Hyde Park and spend some time exploring this beautiful royal park.

These are just a few of the great walks that you can do in central London. If you have a favourite walk in London let us know in the comments!

We recently visited London as part of a month long UK road trip. Check out the full trip report here.