London Borough of City of Westminster Tourist Information

Location:

The London Borough of Westminster is actually allowed by royal charter to use the title "City of Westminster" and you will see it on almost every street sign and official building. It is at the heart of Central London, to the west of The City (London's Business and Financial district) and right on the north bank of the River Thames.

Facts and Figures:

The City of Westminster covers an area of 22 kmē and is the 8th smallest borough in London with 181,200 residents, of whom 73% are ethnically White.

It has many claims to fame including having the oldest surviving English Heritage blue plaque which marks the home of Napoleon III in King Street and was placed there in 1875. In fact Westminster has 11,000 listed buildings of architectural or historical interest so you need to allow plenty of time to explore this world-famous borough.

Description:

The area most people think of as London is in fact the City of Westminster. It incorporates Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Oxford Street, Soho and most of the West End and is Britain's seat of power.

Apart from the Queen and the Prime Minister, its most famous resident is probably the fictional character Sherlock Holmes, who supposedly lived on Baker Street in Westminster.

This central borough of London is home to the headquarters of many global companies who want to be associated with this prestigious address. It has ten universities and colleges including the London School of Economics, part of the Imperial College campus and the Royal Academy of Music.

The borough has five main parks including Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James' Park and part of Regent's Park, which it shares with the neighbouring London Borough of Camden.

Borough Attractions:

Westminster has more landmarks per square mile than anywhere else in London. It is visited by 28.5 million tourists every year.

Trafalgar Square is at the centre of Westminster and acts as the main hub of the borough. It has a host of famous and not-so-famous attractions including Buckingham Palace, which is open to the public for a few weeks each summer. The Houses of Parliament, the Royal Albert Hall, Westminster Abbey, Lord's Cricket Ground and Hyde Park can all be found in Westminster, providing plenty of cultural, historic and sporting activities.

The borough has exclusive and unique shopping in Covent Garden, Carnaby Street, Soho and Mayfair as well as along Bond Street and Oxford Street. After dark, London's West End comes alive with dozens of theatre venues, outnumbered only by the area's restaurants and bars.

Getting There:

The City of Westminster is easy to get to using the London Underground. It has 27 Tube stations and all the lines run through the borough except the East London line and the Waterloo and City line.