London Palaces & Castles Map 2026: 16 Palaces & Castles

11 places

Tower of London

Castles · 3 h

4.8

Trace two rings of walls and a moat around a fortress begun in 1066, then stand beneath the White Tower that gives it its name. Then see the Crown Jewels glittering behind glass.
Buckingham Palace

Palaces · 2 h 15 min

4.5

Step into the working headquarters of the British monarchy, where state occasions and royal hospitality unfold. Then watch scarlet-coated guards march past the gates, a scene you won't find anywhere else.
Palace of Westminster

Palaces · 1 h 30 min

4.5

Stand beneath Elizabeth Tower, where Big Ben rings out over the Thames, and feel the weight of centuries of lawmaking in the Gothic stone around you. Then walk the halls where the UK's political debates unfold.
Eltham Palace

Palaces · 1 h 30 min

4.4

Step from a medieval great hall with a soaring hammerbeam roof into a 1930s Art Deco house, then wander the gardens outside. Spend a slow afternoon moving between centuries in southeast London.
Kensington Palace

Palaces · 2 h

4.3

Walk through a royal residence still home to several members of the family, then wander the green paths of Kensington Gardens around it. Every room hints at London's royal story.
Hampton Court Palace

Palaces · 2 h

4.0

Wander Tudor courtyards and royal rooms, then step out into gardens that run down toward the Thames. Give yourself a full day, because the rooms, the grounds and the river views don't rush.
Kew Palace

Palaces · 2 h

4.0

Step inside the Dutch House, the surviving heart of a royal palace, then wander the green grounds of Kew Gardens along the Thames. Historic rooms and riverside paths make for a slow, rewarding afternoon.
Saint James's Palace

Palaces · 2 h

3.9

Stand before the most senior royal palace in London, where the Accession Council proclaims each new monarch. Its name still gives the Court of St James's its title, and several royals still call it home.
Clarence House

Palaces · 2 h

3.9

Glimpse a royal home from The Mall: built in 1825–1827 beside St James's Palace, it has been the London residence of Charles III and Queen Camilla since 2003. Walk past and feel London's royal history close at hand.
Lambeth Palace

Palaces · 2 h

3.9

Stand on the south bank of the Thames and look across at Parliament, just 400 yards away on the opposite shore. Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
White Tower

Castles · 3 h

3.9

Climb the stone stairs of William the Conqueror's keep, begun in the early 1080s, and wander through the Royal Armouries' collections. Then step into a Norman tower that once housed a royal chapel and a king's accommodation.