Find the Best Walks in London
Discover the best walks in London, get some exercise and learn more about this city’s ancient past. London is easily explored by foot and walking is a great way to experience the sights. Find historic buildings, waterways, woodland and more.
Walks around the city also offer you a great opportunity to learn more about London’s history and unlock the Capital’s many secrets. Pick out a walk below for your next adventure around the city..
1. London’s Gardens Walk in The City
This walk is perfect for unveiling some of the prettiest green spaces in the Square Mile. Starting and finishing at St Paul’s Tube station, the walk circles the northern part of the City of London and takes you past elegant gardens.
These gardens include:
- St Mary Aldermanbury
- Barbican Estate Lakeside Gardens
- David Hick’s 1995 knot garden by Salters’ Hall
- Postman’s Park
Best for: Hidden green spaces in the Square Mile
Distance: 2.4 km
Duration: 2 hours (depending on how long you spend in the gardens)
Route details: London’s Gardens Walk in The City (London Parks & Gardens Trust)
Map of the walk: London’s Gardens Walk in The City Route
Start & finish: St Paul’s Tube Station
Getting there: Central line, between Bank and Chancery Lane
Image: http://urbangreens.tumblr.com
2. London Wall Walk around the City
This walk was established by the Museum of London in 1984 and has markers along the way which provide historical descriptions (some now unfortunately missing). Discover traces of the Roman walls marked on this route around the City. This defensive wall was originally built by the Romans around Londinium.
Best for: Tracing the surviving remains of the Roman walls
Distance: 2.8km (1.75 miles)
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Map of the walk: London Wall Walk Route
Route details: London Wall Walk (london-footprints.co.uk)
Start: Underpass between Tower Hill tube station and the Tower of London
Finish: Aldersgate, City Gate
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
3. Regency London Walk in Mayfair
This walk was inspired by the historical novels of Georgette Heyer and explores Mayfair as described in her historical novels. This walk begins opposite the Athenaeum Club on Waterloo place. The walk explores places like St James’s Square, Berry Bros & Rudd (wine merchant), Pickering Place (place of the last public duel in England), Truefitt & Hill (selling razors since 1805) and White’s (gentlemen’s club).
Best for: A romantic novelist guiding your walk
Start: Opposite the Athenaeum Club on Waterloo place
Finish: Half Moon Street
Route details: Regency London Walk in Mayfair (Telegraph)
Where to take a break: The Only Running Footman (5 Charles St, Mayfair, London W1J 5DF)
Image: britainfromabove.org.uk
4. The Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Walk through Four Royal Parks
This walk was set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales in 2000 and covers four royal parks (St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The walk is charted by 90 plaques set in the grounds and takes you past famous locations associated with the Princess. The walk goes in a figure-eight pattern.
Best for: Remembering the life of Diana, Princess of Wales while exploring four beautiful parks
Distance: 11km (7 miles)
Map of the walk: Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk Route
Start: Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground
Finish: Peter Pan Statue
Getting there: Notting Hill Gate or Queensway Underground Stations
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
5. Legal London Walk from The Strand to Fleet Street
This walk focuses on architecture and was taken from Discovering London’s Buildings by John Bold and Tanis Hinchcliffe.
Stops include:
- the Royal Courts of Justice
- Middle Temple and Inner Temple
- Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Chapel
- the former Daily Telegraph Building (Fleet Street)
Best for: Exploring London’s architectural heritage
Duration: 3 hours
Map of the walk: Legal London Walk Route
Route details: Legal London Walk (Telegraph)
Start: The Royal Courts of Justice
Finish: The Law Society
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
6. Charles Dickens’s London Walk in Southwark
Walk in the path of Dickens through the streets of Southwark. He first came here in the traumatic days of his childhood, when his father was imprisoned for debt and he was left alone on Lant Street (near his father’s prison).
Many of the views along this walk are the same he would have known, such as from the Thames to Guy’s Hospital and also from Lant Street to White Hart Inn (both included in The Pickwick Papers).
Other great parts of this walk include:
- Location of the “dog and pot” sign he used to pass each day on his way to the blacking factory at Hungerford Stairs
- The Horsemonger Lane Gaol, where he saw Maria Manning hang (1849)
- The St George’s Circus obelisk featured in David Copperfield (still there)
Best for: Walking in the footsteps of Dickens
Distance: 3.2km (2 miles)
Duration: 2.25 hours
Map of the walk: Charles Diceken’s London Route (stragnell.com)
Route details: Charles Dickens’s London Walk(walksoflondon.co.uk)
Start: Monument Underground Station
Finish: Borough Underground Station
Image: britainfromabove.org.uk
7. The Thames Path Walk
This walk is a wonderful section of the Thames to explore, extending from Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge. The walk covers: the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe. The five miles from Tower Bridge to Greenwich includes great sights like Canary Wharf and the Cutty Sark.
Best for: A walk along London’s riverbank
Distance: 10 km (6 miles)
Map of the walk: The Thames Path Route (tfl.gov.uk)
Route details: The Thames Path (Telegraph)
Start: Albert Bridge
Finish: Tower Bridge
Getting there: London Bridge (Rail & Tube)
Image: stpauls.co.uk
8. Westminster and Whitehall Walk from Victoria to Trafalgar Square
This architectural walk (from Discovering London’s Buildings) features some of London’s most famous buildings such as:
- Westminster Cathedral
- the Houses of Parliament
- Westminster Abbey
- Whitehall
- Banqueting House
- Horse Guards
- Nelson’s Column
Best for: An architectural walk
Map of the walk: Westminster and Whitehall Route
Route details: Westminster and Whitehall (Telegraph)
Start: Victoria Underground Station
Finish: The National Gallery
Image: lostcityoflondon.co.uk
9. Samuel Pepys’s London Walk in The City
This circular route starts and finishes at St Paul’s station. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) was a Member of Parliament and civil servant. He is known for his secret diary, where he recorded his opinions of people and events he witnessed. He recorded first-hand accounts of the Great Fire and the Plague.
Best for: A walk based on the Diary of Samuel Pepys (1660s)
Distance: 5km (3 miles)
Duration: 3 to 4 hours
Route details: Samuel Pepys London Route
Start & finish: St Paul’s Underground (Exit 2)
Image: lastminute.com
Looking for a guided walk through London?
- Harry Potter Walking Tour of London – see the actual filming locations from Harry Potter movies (approx. 2 hours)
- Jack The Ripper’s Sinister London Walking Tour – both a coach and walking tour where you can explore the murder sites of Jack the Ripper (3 hours)
- The Beatles London Walk – visit Beatles-related locations in London on this walking tour (approx. 3 hours)
- Doctor Who Walking Tour of London– filming locations from the Dr Who series (approx. 2 hours)
