30 Things to See First

Thirty places to see first, in order, for somebody who has never been to London. Each says what it is, whether it is free, whether you must book, and whether the queue is worth it.

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Westminster Abbey

The church every English coronation has been held in since 1066, and the burial place of kings, Newton and Darwin. Ticketed, Monday to Saturday; on Sunday it goes back to being a church.

A west tower in the last of the sun.

Also in Performance venues and Royal London and Power & Politics and Sacred London.

Every coronation since 1066 has been held here, on the Coronation Chair, and the last hundred years have added the scenes the Crown audience knows by heart. Elizabeth married in 1947 in a dress bought with ration coupons, and was crowned here in 1953 in the first coronation shown on television. Elton John sang Candle in the Wind at Diana's funeral in 1997, and her brother gave the address. William and Catherine married in 2011 under an avenue of trees planted down the nave. The Queen's coffin came here in September 2022, and Charles III was crowned the following May.

Around all that is the church itself, Gothic and full of the dead: kings and queens, Newton, Darwin, Dickens, and the grave of the Unknown Warrior just inside the west door. Royal brides have laid their wedding bouquets on that grave since 1923, when the future Queen Mother left hers there on her way into the church.

Where
20 Dean's Yard, SW1P 3PA
Nearest station
Westminster · 3 min walk

On here now

Monday to Saturday from 09:00 or 09:30; last entry varies by day, £31

Free for services, including evensong most days.

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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