Walking Famous London Sites - Tower Bridge - Westminster - Marble Arch - part 1

Taking place downtown, the area everyone goes for the tourist attractions and important looking statues, one can walk between the biggest attractions over the course of 1-2 days or spread out however you want. I totally recommend actually planning out these walks because my group did not. As a result, we ended up taking far more time on the walking part than the checking sites off our list part, and very very very tired.

Tower Bridge - Westminster - Marble Arch

Choose one end to start and make your way to the other end 

Tower Bridge - Westminster by far has the most stops to make. With everything from the Tower of London to walking the Victoria Embankment to the top of the Shard to St. Paul's Cathedral, there is a lot to do, but you can also just enjoy the walk along the 2.5 mile stretch from Big Ben to Tower Bridge.
Take the Circle line via Victoria down to Tower Station, you should be looking at The Tower of London and Tower Bridge. 
Your first step is to cross Tower Bridge. Photo nerds should know that you have the opportunity to take some optical photos - hanging from the tower or pulling the cables for example. At the center of the bridge, you can look both directions on the river, downriver is Greenwich, while upriver is the famous London skyline - the eye of London, Big Ben, Westminster, Victoria's Embankment, and the HMS Belfast.
(Totally staged the bridge, moon, and bus for this 😉)
If you want to spend the money and like the movie scene sites, head up the tower on Tower Bridge and walk across the glass tower connector. (ladies, careful with them skirts and dresses!) This is where Spider-Man was fighting with Mysterio in Spider-Man Far from Home. You can buy tickets here.
If you are planning on visiting the Tower of London, go back whence you came across the bridge. The whole tour takes around 2 hours at least and there is a LOT to see that is included in your admission.
If you are skipping a visit into the Tower, keep going across Tower Bridge to Albert's Embankment and head inland to the Shard. The Shard is currently the tallest building in Europe and towers over the rooftops of London. Most of the building is high-end restaurants and the Shangri-La Hotel, but you can take an exterior elevator up to the top every 30 minutes.
Head down to the River Bankside to board the fullscale model of the first English ship to circumnavigate the world: the Golden Hinde.
Follow the bankside a ways till you reach the Anchor Bankside restaurant, a good stop for lunch. You can get an array of British food but most especially on every foodie's list - fish n' chips.
After lunch, continue on your way down the Embankment. It's a beautiful walk just for fun but along the way you will see St. Paul's Cathedral (if you wish to stop there, cross one of the bridges and either walk or jump on the tube to St. Paul), Shakespeare's Globe, King's College, and Blackfriars Bridge.
If you are interested in art, the Two Temple Place art gallery is free and right across the river at Blackfriars Bridge.
On the Embankment upon leaving Two Temple, you will find the National Submarine War Memorial, erected in 1922 in memory of those Royal Navy Marines who died in World War 1 and World War 2. Past Waterloo the famous Cleopatra's Needle, one of three Egyptian Obelisks, presented by the ruler of Egypt to the United Kingdom in 1819 in commemoration of victories won by the UK at the Battle of the Nile (1798) and Battle of Alexandria (1801). The other two are located in New York and Paris.
Some ways down, there is Victoria Embankment Gardens and Whitehall Gardens, beautiful gardens to stroll through.
Time for pictures! You should now be perfectly stationed to take those picture-perfect selfies (or.... usies...???) with the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Castle in the background.
Finish off the day by attending 5:00 even song at Westminster Cathedral. A little known secret, you might not get as much time nor be allowed to take pictures (that really depends where you are) BUT if you attend mass or some form of adoration, or prayer that is open to the public and is still respectful of the religious, you can visit the church, basilica, or cathedral for free. It's like a promo to find out if you want to spend the money to go back and visit again.

Of course, there are many things worth seeing along the way and you can do all or none of the above mentioned. The Embankment on both sides is beautiful to walk at night and great for those Instagramable photos, but there is only so much time in the day. There are plenty of coffee shops a block or two away from the river to stop if you need a recharge, many memorials and tons of street performers to admire. If by chance you find yourself early for even prayer, there are hop on over the Westminster Bridge to the Imperial War Museum or the Garden Museum to kill some time.


I hope this helps give you a plan when hitting up your Instagram shots, famous stops and going for a lovely riverside walk. ~ Bella Vita


*If you invest in the London Pass for your trip, most of these sites will be free or have discounts.*

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