Royal organizations, parliament, and the royal court determined the appearance of Westminster for all: now it is still officiously-Royal district, where a lot of the royal property and – in comparison with other areas – little houses. But there are so many attractions.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey was founded in the 8th century, and most of its buildings were not preserved. But Westminster Cathedral has survived – it is the traditional place of coronation and burial of kings, a huge Gothic building of incredible beauty, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Be sure to go inside the cathedral.
All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.
Paul Fussell – Author of the book “American GIs in Europe”
Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster is located across from the cathedral. It’s the place of the British Parliament. The first palace on the site was built more than a thousand years ago, but only little of it remained: the building burned down in the early 19th century. Then on its place a new was built – what we can see now.
Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.
Many tourists are surprised that, but it’s a fact: the Gothic Parliament, topped with Big Ben, is a new building, created in the 19th century. It is just stylized the same like old, burned-out building. The majority of tourists come to Westminster to see the most famous sights of London: The Parliament, the Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral and Buckingham Palace, as well as the famous Royal Parks.
The area around them is filled with interesting buildings, but the rest of the area slightly to the side of the hiking trails are not too expressive and built up with basically the same official buildings. Big Ben rises above the palace. Generally, it is the nickname of the main bell of hours, but the tower entirely is often called so. The tower is also built in the 19th century.
For a trip 4 metro stations are suitable: “Westminster”, “Charing Cross”, “St. James” and “Green Park”. “Westminster” station is located directly opposite the Big Ben, and for going to Buckingham Palace, the best station is “Green Park”. There are a lot of tourists, the subway is always crowded, sidewalks, streets, cafes and parks – as well. There are not many cafes in Westminster, restaurants even less, and they are concentrated mainly where many tourists.