London, with all its charming alleyways and historical sights, has something not so wonderful: traffic.
Despite that, in one afternoon I managed to visit Regent’s Park, the London Zoo, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Paddington Station, St. James’s Park, Shakespeare’s Globe, Millennium Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London School of Economics, and Piccadilly Circus. Plus, some coffee stops along the way.
Although the tube might have sufficed as my mode of transport, it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and I didn’t want to spend a second of it underground. So, I ran.
Running is, in my opinion, the best way to sight-see while in a new city. You spend zero dollars on transportation, you get exercise, and it provides amazing opportunities to discover little shops and side streets you never would have found by metro or bus.
Here’s my London running tourist route that hits all the major sights.
The Route
Start in The Regent’s Park.
Run to the Open Air Theatre, and take a stroll through Queen Mary’s Rose Garden. Then take one of the paths that
Stop 1: The London Zoo
If you purchase a London Pass (buy here) you get free entry into the zoo. Without, it’s 24.30 Euros online, or 29.75 at the gate. If you’re traveling cheaply, it’s still fun to run around the zoo and sneak a view of the animals through the gates.
Stop 2: Paddington Station
Head southwest from the zoo, staying within the park. Once you hit the edge, keep going west. If you’re a sports fan, you should take a quick stop at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the home of several cricket clubs in London. From there, head due south, winding your way around the Lisson Grove neighborhood. B507 is the main street that cuts through, but some of the smaller streets are cute to run down as well. Once you hit A501, keep heading southwest and you’ll run into Paddington Station.
Stop 3: Kensington Palace
From Paddington Station, head south to run to Hyde Park. However, if you’d like to see the Marble Arch, run southeast so you can enter the park from the northeast corner. Once you enter the park, weave your way around the many walking (and running) paths, heading west, towards the park’s opposite end. Be sure to take a stop at Princess Diana’s Memorial Fountain, the Serpentine Gallery and slow down as you jog through Kensington Gardens and around the Round Pond.
Stop 4: Natural History Museum
From Kensington, run to the southern border of the park and head south on Queen’s Gate road. Just to the left are the Natural History Museum and Science Museum. Even if you don’t want to go in, the Natural History Museum’s exterior is worth snapping a photo. Both museums are free to enter. If you don’t stink too much, stop in for a brief respite from the outdoors. (Plus free facts!)
Stop 5: Buckingham Palace
From the museums, run east through the Knightsbridge and Belgravia neighborhoods, towards Buckingham Palace and Green Park. There is not a direct east-bound road to get you there, but that’s half the fun! If you started your run early enough, you might be catch part of the guard change, which happens at 10:45 am every day.
Stop 6: Westminster Cathedral
Just a couple blocks southeast of Buckingham Palace lies Westminster Cathedral. Run west down Victoria Street to see the nearby Westminster Abbey, which is right by the next stop!
Stop 7: Big Ben & Palace of Westminster
The whole Westminster area is full of awesome sights, one of the most iconic being Big Ben. If you find the right spot in Parliament Square Garden, you can capture a photo of both in one beautiful picture. (I snagged the London Eye in the background too.)
Stop 8: Shakespeare’s Globe
Head over the Westminster Bridge, stopping for multiple photos of the London Eye and the Thames River as you go over. Depending on the time of day, you may have to walk this one. The bridge has a dense pedestrian crowd on the weekends. Once you’ve crossed the bridge, turn left, following Belvedere Road all the way along the south bank of the river. It later turns into Upper Ground, and you’ll come to the Blackfriars Bridge. There are usually street performers and tables selling used books and crafts around and under the bridge. Shakespeare’s Globe – which hosts open-air Shakespearean performances – is right up ahead.
Stop 9: St. Paul’s Cathedral & the Millennium Bridge
From the Globe, cross the Thames River again over the very modern Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian footbridge with sweeping views of London. Look to the right and gaze upon the London Bridge and The Shard (the skyscraper that looks like an upside down ice cream cone with one bite missing). Once you cross, keep running straight and you’ll smack right into St. Paul’s Cathedral and the beautiful churchyard around it. This is also a bustling business district, as the London Stock Exchange is just a few blocks away.
Stop 10: Piccadilly Circus
From St. Paul’s, follow Ludgate Hill (which turns into Strand) back west. You’ll pass Temple Church, King’s College, and the Somerset House. If you’d like, you can veer north to stop at the Royal Opera House. Keep winding your way northwest through the theater district until you hit a main shopping area of London, the intersection of Piccadilly and Regent Street. A little bit like New York’s Times Square, there are flashing lights, street performers and a lot of jumbo advertisements.
Piccadilly Circus conveniently has access to all the major London metro lines, so if your legs are spent by this point, catch a train to your lodgings and take a well-deserved shower.
