Westminster is where you’ll find the majority of the famous London landmarks and activities, all packed together within walking distance.
The area is strongly associated with royalty and the Mall (which rhymes with pal, not ball!) and surrounding areas are where events such as the coronation and platinum jubilee were held.
With an enormous range of densely packed attractions Westminster attracts large crowds of tourists, and so inevitably also attracts some people looking to take advantage of them.
An important tip is to avoid the pedicabs that congregate around Westminster Bridge: They have been known to charge hundreds of pounds to take tourists on very short rides.
Likewise while the area is generally very safe it is good to remember that pickpockets will operate around large crowds, for example those around Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace is the official London Residence of King Charles III.
The state rooms of the palace are open to the public during the summer months, while the royal mews - housing the magnificient gold state coach - are also open to be explored separately.
Gallery housing a wide selection of paintings, including works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
The Tate Britain is the older brother of the Tate Modern - it hosts a wide range of both classical and modern pieces by famous artists such as David Hockney.
There’s a boat you can take from the pier outside to whisk you straight to the Tate Modern after you’ve visited if you really want your day to be entirely art themed.
Developed during the early 1800s, Trafalgar Square is home to Nelson’s Column, which commemorates the Admiral’s victory against the French at Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars.
During the 20th century the square was notorious for being overrun by pigeons but in 2003 feeding them was banned and a new terrace was opened, linking the square to the National Gallery.
Hyde Park is enormous and seems to be mostly populated by well-to-do looking dog walkers and runners. The park actually consists of two areas, Hyde Park itself and Kensington Gardens, which is more formal.
My favourite Hyde Park memory is watching some tourists try to hand feed a crow. I wouldn’t advise trying that.
St James’s Park is the smallest of the parks in the area but I think the prettiest, featuring a large ornamental lake and lots of flower borders.
As well as the usual ducks and geese it is famously home to a small population of pelicans, a gift from the Russian Ambassador in 1664.
The Green Park (aren’t all parks green? - Ed) connects Buckingham Palace to Piccadilly. It doesn’t feature the ornamental borders of Hyde Park or the lakes of St James’s Park but with large areas of grass is a good place for a picnic.
