The best historic sites in London in 2026 are the Tower of London for nearly a thousand years of royal history and the Crown Jewels, Hampton Court Palace for Henry VIII, Westminster Abbey for coronations and royal tombs, the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, and the Churchill War Rooms.
London's history runs from the Roman city to the Blitz, and many of its greatest sites are still working buildings: Westminster Abbey and St Paul's hold daily services, Parliament still sits, and the Tower is still guarded by the Yeoman Warders. Book timed tickets online for the big paid sites, which is usually cheaper than paying at the door, and check for closures on state and religious occasions.
A thousand-year-old fortress, home of the Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warders.
Begun by William the Conqueror, the Tower of London has been a royal palace, prison and place of execution. Today you can see the Crown Jewels, the White Tower's armour collection and the ravens, and join a tour led by a Yeoman Warder.
Allow at least three hours.
Good to know: Go straight to the Crown Jewels when it opens, before the queues build.
London EC3N 4AB
Henry VIII's palace, with Tudor kitchens, Wren's baroque wing and a famous maze.
Hampton Court Palace was Henry VIII's favourite palace, and its Great Hall, Tudor kitchens and chapel still evoke his court. Later Christopher Wren added a baroque palace for William III and Mary II, with formal gardens running down to the Thames.
The hedge maze and the gardens make it a full-day trip.
Good to know: Take the train from Waterloo to Hampton Court station, just across the bridge.
East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU
The coronation church, with royal tombs and Poets' Corner.
Westminster Abbey has hosted every coronation since 1066 and many royal weddings. Inside are the tombs of monarchs including Elizabeth I, the Coronation Chair, and Poets' Corner, where Chaucer and Dickens are buried.
It closes to sightseers on Sundays, when it is open for worship.
Good to know: Attend Evensong for free to hear the choir in the Abbey.
20 Dean's Yard, London SW1P 3PA
Wren's masterpiece, with a Whispering Gallery and views from the dome.
Christopher Wren's St Paul's Cathedral, completed in the early 18th century after the Great Fire, is crowned by one of the largest domes in the world. You can climb to the Whispering Gallery and the Golden Gallery for views over the City.
The crypt holds the tombs of Nelson and Wellington.
Good to know: Save energy for the climb: it is several hundred steps to the Golden Gallery.
St Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
Tour the Palace of Westminster and the chambers of the Commons and Lords.
The Palace of Westminster, rebuilt in Gothic Revival style after a fire in 1834, is home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Tours take you through Westminster Hall, which dates from the 11th century, and both chambers.
Tours run on Saturdays and during recesses.
Good to know: UK residents can ask their MP for a free tour, or watch debates from the public galleries.
Westminster, London SW1A 0AA
The secret bunker where Churchill ran the war.
The Churchill War Rooms preserve the underground bunker where Winston Churchill and his staff directed Britain's war effort, with the Map Room left as it was in 1945. A museum tells the story of Churchill's life.
It is one of London's most atmospheric museums.
Good to know: Book a timed ticket online; the queue without one can be long.
Clive Steps, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AQ
Queen Victoria's birthplace and a working royal residence in Kensington Gardens.
Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria was born and grew up, has state apartments and exhibitions on royal life and fashion. It is still home to members of the royal family.
The Sunken Garden and Kensington Gardens surround it.
Good to know: Combine it with the Diana Memorial Playground if you have children.
Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX
Wren's riverside masterpiece and 'Britain's Sistine Chapel'.
The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, designed by Christopher Wren, is one of Britain's finest baroque ensembles. Its Painted Hall, decorated by Sir James Thornhill over nearly two decades, is often called Britain's Sistine Chapel.
The grounds and chapel are free; the Painted Hall is ticketed.
Good to know: Lie on the daybeds in the Painted Hall to take in the ceiling.
King William Walk, London SE10 9NN
A 1930s Art Deco mansion beside a medieval royal great hall.
Eltham Palace combines the great hall of a medieval royal palace, where Henry VIII spent part of his childhood, with the glamorous Art Deco home the Courtauld family built beside it in the 1930s.
Run by English Heritage, it is a short train ride from central London.
Good to know: Check opening days before travelling; it does not open daily all year.
Court Yard, Eltham, London SE9 5QE
London's oldest Gothic church, next to Borough Market.
Southwark Cathedral has been a place of worship for more than a thousand years, and its Gothic building is the oldest of its kind in London. It has a memorial to Shakespeare, who worked nearby at the Globe.
Entry is free, and it is a peaceful break from Borough Market next door.
Good to know: Pop in for choral Evensong after a Borough Market lunch.
London Bridge, London SE1 9DA
The Bloomsbury house where Dickens wrote Oliver Twist.
Charles Dickens lived at 48 Doughty Street from 1837 to 1839, and wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby here. The house is furnished as it would have been, with his desk and manuscripts.
It is a small, atmospheric museum and especially good at Christmas.
Good to know: Visit in December for its Christmas events.
48 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LX
The White Tower at the Tower of London, begun by William the Conqueror in the 1070s, is London's oldest intact building. Fragments of the Roman city wall are older still.
Yes. Guided and audio tours run on Saturdays and on weekdays during parliamentary recesses, and UK residents can arrange free tours through their MP. Book through the UK Parliament website.
It is in East Molesey, on the Thames in the south-west of Greater London, about 35 minutes by train from Waterloo to Hampton Court station.
The Tower, Hampton Court and Westminster Abbey charge entry, but many sites are free, including the Old Royal Naval College grounds, Southwark Cathedral and attending services. See our free things to do guide.
The Tower of London, with its Yeoman Warders and Crown Jewels, and Hampton Court, with its maze and Tudor kitchens, are the most fun for children.