If you only had one day in the city this area, between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, is full of highlights and gives an insight into traditional, quintessential London.
This affluent area contains some of the city’s grandest architecture, leafiest squares and prettiest parks, as well as exclusive shopping opportunities. Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s official London residence, sits at the end of the grand, tree-lined processional Mall and is at the top of the list for many visitors, particularly for the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony. Not far away is the much older St James’s Palace and adjacent is Clarence House, London home of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
For a fun night out, nowhere bustles more than Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, in the heart of London’sTheatreland; Shaftesbury Avenue alone has six major theatres – quite a contrast with Piccadilly’s shops, the Royal Academy’s paintings or the peace of St James’s Park and Green Park. In Trafalgar Square – known worldwide for Nelson’s Column – is the National Gallery, home to the country’s premier art collection.
Banqueting House is the only surviving part of the grand Whitehall Palace, which burned down in 1698. Designed in classical style by Inigo Jones, it was completed in 1622 and is famous for its magnificent ceiling painting by Rubens. This huge work was commissioned by Charles I to celebrate the wisdom of the reign of the Stuart dynasty and depicts his father, James I. It was therefore to provide an ironic backdrop to the events of 30 January 1649 when Charles, defeated in the English Civil War, stepped out from a window of Banqueting House on to a scaffold to face the executioner’s axe. The vaulted undercroft (crypt), formerly the wine cellar of James I, is also open to the public.
Map Reference 15H 
Whitehall 
0844 482 7777 
Mon–Sat 10–5. Closed 24 Dec–1 Jan, Good Fri, all public hols and for functions at short notice 
Inexpensive 
Café in the Crypt, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square (£) 
Westminster, Embankment
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
World famous as the London home of the Queen, this vast, sprawling, 775-room house was built mostly between 1820 and 1837, although the familiar East Front public face of the palace was not added until 1913. Visitors get to view the State Rooms, which are furnished with some of the most important works of art from the Royal Collection – one of the largest and most valuable private-art collections in the world. There’s no chance of spotting any of the royal family, however, as they are always away when the palace is open. Around the corner, on Buckingham Palace Road, is the Queen’s Gallery, with regularly changing themed exhibitions of treasures from the Royal Collection. Alongside, the Royal Mews are still working stables, with fine horses and grand vehicles, including the Gold State Coach. Save money and time with a combined ticket for all three.
Changing the Guard is still the most popular reason for visiting the palace. The ceremony takes place daily from May to July and on alternate days the rest of the year (weather permitting). At around 11:15 the St James’s Palace part of the old guard marches down the Mall to meet the old guard of Buckingham Palace. There they await the arrival, at 11:30, of the new guard from Wellington Barracks, who are accompanied by a band. Keys are ceremonially handed from the old to the new guard while the band plays. When the sentries have been changed, at around 12:05, the old guard returns to Wellington Barracks and the new part of the St James’s Palace guard marches off to St James’s Palace. As it can be extremely busy, aim to get close to the railings well before 11, particularly in high summer.
www.royal.gov.uk; www.royalcollection.org.uk
Map Reference 9E 
The Mall 020 7766 7300
State Rooms
Buckingham Palace Tours daily late Jul–Sep 9:45–3:45 (last tour) Very expensive Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, St James’s Park, Victoria 
Timed tickets from Ticket Office, Visitor Entrance, Buckingham Palace Road on day of visit or in advance by credit card 020 7766 7300
Queen’s Gallery
Buckingham Palace Road 020 7766 7301 Daily 10–5:30 (last admission 4:30) Moderate
Royal Mews
Buckingham Palace Road 020 7766 7302 Late Mar–late Jul Sat–Thu 11–4 (last admission 3:15); late Jul–late Sep daily 10–5 (last admission 4:15); late Sep–late Oct Sat-Thu 11–4 (last admission 3:15) Expensive Hyde Park Corner, St James’s Park, Victoria, Green Park
CABINET WAR ROOMS AND CHURCHILL MUSEUM
This underground warren of rooms provided a secure home for the War Cabinet and their military advisers during World War II and was used by SirWinston Churchill on over 100 occasions. Today it is a time capsule, with the clocks stopped at 4:58pm on 15 October 1940 and the ghost of Churchill hanging heavy in the air. You can view his private kitchen, dining room and his wife’s bedroom. Many of his speeches were made from here and some are played to heighten the evocative atmosphere.
Map Reference 11E Clive Steps, King Charles Street 020 7930 6961 Daily 9:30–6 (last admission 5). Closed 24–26 Dec Expensive (under 16 free) Switchroom Café (£) Westminster Admission includes audio guide
JERMYN STREET
With elegant, Dickensian-looking shops dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, Jermyn Street is the essence of ’Gentleman’s London’. Order handmade shoes at Tricker’s (No 67) or a shirt at Hilditch & Key (Nos 73 and 37); taste traditional cheeses at Paxton & Whitfield (No 93).
Map Reference 14H Green Park, Piccadilly Circus
Best places to see.
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Founded in 1856 as a ’British Historical Portrait Gallery’, the gallery’s earliest contemporary portrait is that of Henry VII, from 1505.
If you want to see the exhibits in chronological order go up to the top floor and work your way down. The collection is too large to be displayed at one time so it changes periodically. The pictures least likely to change are the oldest, many of which are of great historical value. Those most likely to be rotated are the portraits of late 20th-century figures; the display of new additions tends to be dictated by current public interest.
Most visitors’ favourites are the very earliest (top floor), the most recent, the Victorian and the early 20th century galleries. Predictably, there are many images of royalty, and at opposite ends of the gallery is a wonderful contrast of styles featuring the likenesses of Elizabeth I and, some 400 years later, the present British queen, Elizabeth II. The ‘Coronation Portrait’ of Elizabeth I is an acclaimed masterpiece, while much more controversial is the colour screenprint, in signature fashion by Andy Warhol, of the current monarch. This also underlines the point that the gallery holds more than just conventional paintings; sculptures, photography, sketches, silhouettes, caricatures and other methods of portraiture are all featured. Among contemporary portraits you’ll find soccer star David Beckham, musician Sir Paul McCartney and actors Sir Ian McKellen and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Map Reference 15J St Martin’s Place, Orange Street 020 7306 0055 Daily 10–6 (Thu, Fri until 9). Closed 24–26 Dec Free (except special exhibitions) Rooftop restaurant (££), café (£) Leicester Square, Charing Cross Audio guides to over 170 portraits; frequent lectures and tours
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
This is a rendezvous for shoppers, theatregoers, clubbers and restaurant-goers. ‘Circus’ is an old-fashioned term for a road intersection; ‘Piccadilly’ refers to Pickadilly Hall, a 17th-century tailor’s shop that sold ‘pickadills’, lace collars. The so-called statue of Eros actually represents the Angel of Christian Charity, a tribute to the philanthropic Lord Shaftesbury. London’s virtual-reality adventure haven is the Trocadero and inside is Ripley’s Believe it or Not! ‘odditorium’, which has 800 weird and wonderful exhibits.
Map Reference 14J Piccadilly Circus
Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
1 Piccadilly Circus 020 3238 0022 Daily 10-midnight Expensive
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS
The RA is the country’s oldest fine arts society and regularly stages world-class art exhibitions, most famously the annual Summer Exhibition (in June). The elegant home of the RA, Burlington House, features some fine 18th-century ceiling paintings and has opened its Fine Rooms to provide a permanent display space. This includes major works by leading British artists from Reynolds to Hockney, plus Britain’s sole Michelangelo marble sculpture.
Map Reference 13J Burlington House, Piccadilly 020 7300 8000. Advance tickets 0844 209 1919 Daily during exhibition 10–6 (Fri until 10). Fine Rooms Tue-Fri 1–4:30; Sat, Sun 10–6. Closed 25 Dec Exhibitions moderate; Fine Rooms: free Café (£), buffet restaurant (££) Green Park, Piccadilly Circus
ST JAMES’S CHURCH
This ‘little piece of heaven in Piccadilly’ was built between 1676 and 1684 by Christopher Wren, though it was badly damaged in World War II and has been heavily restored. The main artistic interest of the church is the work of Grinling Gibbons, the greatest woodcarver in 17th-century England. However, the church’s popularity, particularly with local Londoners, lies in the numerous cultural activities it promotes, including an arts and crafts market, an antiques market and regular top-class concerts and recitals.
Map Reference 14J 197 Piccadilly 020 7734 4511 Daily 8–6:30 Free Café (£) Green Park, Piccadilly Circus Concerts, recitals: Mon, Wed, Fri at 1:10 (free). Evening concerts usually Thu, Fri, Sat 7:30 (expensive). Craft market Wed-Sat 11–6; antiques market Tue 10–6
ST JAMES’S PALACE
After the Palace of Whitehall was destroyed in 1698, the court moved to St James’s Palace, which remained the official royal London residence until 1837, when Queen Victoria decamped to Buckingham Palace. Now the palace is used for official receptions. To see inside the Chapel Royal or the Queen’s Chapel (across the street), you can attend a Sunday morning service. Adjacent to the palace is Clarence House, formerly home to the late Queen Mother, but now occupied by the Prince of Wales. It is open to the public during the summer.
Map Reference 10E Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace Open for Sun morning services only. Chapel Royal: Oct-Good Fri; Queen’s Chapel: Easter Sun-Jul Free Inn the Park (£–££) Green Park
Clarence House
020 7766 7303 Aug-late Sep daily 10–4 by pre-booked, timed guided tour only Moderate
ST JAMES’S PARK
The prettiest of central London’s royal parks, St James’s was established by Henry VIII in the 1530s. Don’t miss the magical views from the bridge in the centre of the lake, west to Buckingham Palace and east to the domes and towers of Whitehall.
Map Reference 11E Free St James’s Park
ST JAMES’S STREET
St James’s is ‘Clubland’ and here you will find four of its most distinguished ‘gentlemen’s clubs’: White’s (No 37–38), where Prince Charles held his stag party in 1981; Boodle’s (No 28), haunt of London’s chief 19th-century dandy, Beau Brummell; Brooks’s (No 60), once renowned for its gambling; and the Carlton (No 69), bastion of the Conservative party, whose male-only rules were bent for Mrs Thatcher when she was Prime Minister. Admission to all clubs is by membership only.
Of more general interest are three of London’s most intriguing small shops. John Lobb’s at No 9 was established in 1849 and has been ‘bootmakers to the Crown’ since 1863. Look inside the shop’s small museum case for historical items such as the wooden last that was used for Queen Victoria’s shoes. At No 6 is James Lock & Co, family-owned and run since 1676, which has provided headwear for national heroes such as Nelson and Wellington and where the bowler hat was invented. Established in 1698 and still family-run, wine merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd are at No 3, adjacent to a narrow alley leading to tiny Pickering Place where, between 1842 and 1845, the Republic of Texas kept a legation (diplomatic ministry). A plaque marks the spot.
Map Reference 13H Green Park
SPENCER HOUSE
Built between 1756 and 1766 for Earl Spencer (an ancestor of the late Diana, Princess of Wales), Spencer House is London’s finest surviving mid-18th century house. After being completely restored at a cost of £16 million, it was opened to visitors in 1990. The one-hour guided tour takes in eight rooms featuring elegant gilded decorations and period paintings and furniture.
Map Reference 13H 27 St James’s Place 020 7499 8620 Sun 10:30–5:45. Closed Jan, Aug. Access by 1-hour tour only Moderate Quaglino’s (£££) Green Park No children under 10
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
This is the geographical centre of London; all road distances are measured from here and at its heart is Nelson’s Column. The buildings of South Africa House, Canada House and the National Gallery line three sides of the square, while the fourth opens to Whitehall. The square takes its name from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, during which Admiral Nelson, Britain’s greatest naval hero, commanded his fleet to the famous victory against Franco-Spanish forces. Nelson was killed during the battle and the column, 51.5m (169ft) high, was erected between 1839 and 1843.
Topped by the elegant steeple copied worldwide, St Martin-in-the-Fields was designed by James Gibbs in 1726. The church is active for both worship and for 350 concerts a year. However, its crypt is renowned as a meeting place for visitors and locals alike. The new glass pavilion entrance on the north side of the church leads down to the revamped shop, the concert box office, the Brass Rubbing Centre and, under ancient arches, the vast Café in the Crypt.
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square General enquiries 020 7766 1100; concert enquiries 020 7766 1100 Church: Mon-Sat 8–6:30, Sun 8–7:30. Crypt brass rubbing centre: Mon-Wed 10–7, Thu-Sat 10–9, Sun 11:30–6. Concerts: Mon, Tue, Fri at 1pm. Candlelit concerts of baroque music: most Tue, Thu-Sat 7:30 Free. Lunchtime concerts donation, evening concerts expensive Café in the Crypt (£) Charing Cross, Leicester Square
WHITEHALL
Whitehall has been the country’s principal corridor of power since the early 18th century. The epicentre is Downing Street, home to the Prime Minister and to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, while north and south are various imposing buildings that house the country’s top civil servants and ministries.
Just south of Downing Street is the Cenotaph, the national memorial to the dead of the two World Wars. The street was named after Henry VIII’s Whitehall Palace, which burned down in 1698, leaving Banqueting House as the sole surviving building above ground. Opposite here is Horse Guards, the official entrance to the royal palaces, still guarded by two mounted troopers and a good place to watch one of London’s guard-changing ceremonies.
Map Reference 15H No public access to Downing Street Café in the Crypt (£) South end Westminster; north end Charing Cross Horse Guards guard changes Mon-Sat 11am, Sun 10am; ceremonial dismounting and inspection daily at 4. National Remembrance Service held at the Cenotaph at 11am on Sun nearest 11 Nov