Westminster Abbey

It’s the seat of power for the church of England, the location of royal coronations and weddings alike, and the burial place of many a famous writer and scientists. Across the river from the London Eye, across the street from the Parliament Building and Big Ben, and best of all shockingly easy to get to. If you’re going to London, Westminster Abbey should definitely be on your list.

Taking the tube is by far the easiest way to get there. You can take either the Circle and District line, or the Jubilee line. Hop off at the station that bears the Abbey’s name, Westminster!

You’ll come out of the station pretty much directly in front of Big Ben, which as a tourist is super, super cool. Take a right, and walk until you come to a set of lights. You’ll have to cross somewhere here, but have a look at the flow of traffic to get a better idea of which way you want to head. Either way, if you look straight and slightly left, you’ll see the towers of Westminster Abbey.

There is a little church in front of it, but that’s not the one you’re after. Go past it, and you should see either a set of large doors, or a long line of people waiting. Covid has changed their entry policy somewhat since I’ve been, and now visitors are required to book their visit online and in advance. For an adult it’s £18, for children it’s £7. You can find booking times and other information on their website. They are open for worship on certain days, though I never went. I figured it would be wrong of me to take a place away from someone who visits regularly, especially when what I really wanted was to wander around. I would expect that if you were touristing your way around while the mass was being said you might be asked to leave.

Go on the proper day and you can have all the time in the world to explore. You’ll find the memorials for many famous people here, including Jane Austen, Martin Luther King Jr, Robert Burns, Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa), and the Brontë Sisters. You’ll also find the graves of British royalty and other important figures including Sir Isaac Newton, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and most recently Stephen Hawking. Yes, he is English. Yes, seriously. His voice synthesizer was engineered by an American named Dennis Klatt, who used his own voice as the base for the synthesizer’s. The two were friends!

You could probably spend a lifetime and a half looking around the ancient tombs, but be sure to look up at the stained glass windows, and the soaring pillars supporting the vaulted ceilings. Don’t forget to look down, either. Many of the grave are inlaid right into the stone flooring, some of them have been walked on so much that you won’t be able to read them, though there is a paper guide at the front desk to let you know who is where. The guide will also tell you who the stained glass windows are in memoriam of, and if you go with a guide they’ll also point out the places damage was done during the Blitz. They’ve done an excellent job of hiding them, so you’ll have to look carefully!

Bring sunscreen or an umbrella in case you arrive a little early and be sure to check out park next to it with various statues of British historical figures, or take a few pictures of Ben and the parliament buildings. There’s so much to do around the Abbey and so much to see inside, you won’t regret adding it to your list of things to visit in England!