7 Best Sights in Westminster, London

Anyone with even a passing interest in art will want to put this near the top of their to-do list while visiting London, for it is truly one of the world's great art museums. More than 2,300 masterpieces are on show here, including works by Michelangelo, Leonardo, Turner, Monet, van Gogh, Picasso, and more. Enter through the grand portico overlooking the north side of Trafalgar Square to delve headlong into the highlights of the collection, although the Sainsbury Wing (the modern building immediately to the left), which focuses mainly on medieval art, is invariably less crowded.

You could easily spend all day discovering what The National Gallery has to offer, but among the best-known highlights are The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein (1497–1543), a portrait of two wealthy visitors from France, surrounded by objects laden with enough symbolism to fill a book—including, most beguilingly, a giant skull at the base, which only takes shape when viewed from an angle; The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck (1390–1441), in which a solemn couple holds hands, the fish-eye mirror behind them mysteriously illuminating what can't be seen from the front view; The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), a magnificently sculpted altarpiece commissioned in 1480; and Rain, Steam, and Speed—The Great Western Railway by J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851), which seems, in its mad whirl of rain, steam, and mist, to embody the mystical dynamism of the steam age (spot the fleeing hare).

Special exhibitions, of which there are several every year, tend to be major events. Generally they're ticketed, so booking is advisable if it's a big name. The permanent collection, however, is always free. Guided tours of the collection and curator’s talks take place regularly, both in the gallery and online; check the website for details. Audio guides can be purchased (£5) to play on your own smartphone.

The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1856 with a single aim: to gather together portraits of famous (and infamous) Britons throughout history. More than 150 years and 200,000 portraits later, it is an essential stop for all history and literature buffs, especially following a major renovation that has reconfigured the interior to allow for more light and modern gallery spaces, as well as an impressive public forecourt and cast bronze entrance gates by the artist Tracey Emin. If you visit with kids, swing by the new Learning Centre to take part in family activities. 

Galleries are arranged clearly and chronologically, from Tudor times to contemporary Britain—take the lift to the third floor and work your way down. Look out for treasures such as the enormous portrait of Elizabeth I—bejeweled and literally astride the world in a powerful display of imperial intent—plus portraits of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh. More of the photography collection is on display since the rehang, though expect these exhibits to change regularly. On the top floor, the Portrait Restaurant has one of the best views in London—a panoramic vista of Nelson's Column and the backdrop along Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament.

First opened in 1897, and funded by the sugar magnate Sir Henry Tate, this stately neoclassical institution may not be as ambitious as its Bankside sibling, Tate Modern, but its bright galleries lure only a fraction of the Modern's overwhelming crowds and are a great place to explore British art from 1500 to the present. The museum includes a couple of galleries staging temporary exhibitions, and a permanent collection on the upper floors. And what a collection it is—with classic works by John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, Francis Bacon, and an outstanding display from J. M. W. Turner in the Clore Gallery. Sumptuous Pre-Raphaelite pieces are a major draw, while more recent art historical periods are represented with works by artists such as Rachel Whiteread, L. S. Lowry, Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Barbara Hepworth, and David Hockney. Tate Britain also sometimes hosts the Turner Prize exhibition, with its accompanying furor over the state of contemporary art. When taking place in London, as opposed to other cities around the U.K., you'll find it here from about October to January.

The café is a good spot for a reviving cup of tea and a cake. Look out for semiregular Late at Tate Friday evening events, when the gallery is open late for talks or performances; check the website for details.

Craving more art? Head down the river on the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers ( £10.90 one-way) to Tate Modern; it runs between the two museums every 20–40 minutes during museum open hours.

It was from this small warren of underground rooms—beneath the vast government buildings of the Treasury—that Winston Churchill and his team directed troops in World War II. Designed to be bombproof, the whole complex has been preserved almost exactly as it was when the last light was turned off at the end of the war. Every clock shows almost 5 pm, and the furniture, fittings, and paraphernalia of a busy, round-the-clock war office are still in situ, down to the colored map pins.

During air raids, the leading government ministers met here, and the Cabinet Room is arranged as if a meeting were about to convene. In the Map Room, the Allied campaign is charted on wall-to-wall maps with a rash of pinholes showing the movements of convoys. In the hub of the room, a bank of differently colored phones known as the "Beauty Chorus" linked the War Rooms to control rooms around the nation. Spot the desk from which the PM made his morale-boosting broadcasts; the Transatlantic Telephone Room (a converted broom cupboard) has his hotline to FDR. You can also see the restored rooms that the PM used for dining and sleeping. Telephonists (switchboard operators) and clerks who worked 16-hour shifts slept in lesser quarters in unenviable conditions.

An excellent addition to the War Rooms is the Churchill Museum, a tribute to the great wartime leader himself.

Once the tiltyard for jousting tournaments, Horse Guards Parade is best known for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, in which the King takes the salute on his official birthday, on a Saturday in June. (Though it's called a birthday, it's actually just a ceremonial event—his real birthday is November 14.) It's a must-see if you're around, with marching bands and throngs of onlookers. Throughout the rest of the year, the changing of two mounted sentries, known as the King's Life Guard, at the Whitehall facade of Horse Guards provides what may be London's most popular photo opportunity. The ceremony takes place daily from April to July, and on alternate days from August to March (usually odd-numbered days, but check the monthly schedule at  www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-calendar). It starts at 10:30 am at St. James's Palace, where the guard begins its march to Buckingham Palace, and the new guards take up their posts in a ceremony at 11. (It's sometimes canceled in bad weather.)

At 4 pm daily is the dismounting ceremony, aka the 4 O'Clock Parade, during which sentries are posted and horses are returned to their stables. It began in 1894, when Queen Victoria discovered the guards on duty drinking and gambling. As a punishment she decreed that the regiment should be inspected every day at 4 pm for the next 100 years—by the time 1994 swung around, they decided to continue the tradition indefinitely.

Hang around Horse Guards for even a short time and you'll see a member of the Household Cavalry on guard, or trotting past on horseback, resplendent in a bright crimson uniform with polished brass armor. Made up of soldiers from the British Army's most senior regiments, the Life Guard and the Blues and Royals, membership is considered a great honor; they act as the King's official bodyguards and play a key role in state occasions (they also perform the famed Changing the Guard ceremony).

Housed in the cavalry's original 17th-century stables, the museum has displays of uniforms and weapons going back to 1661 as well as interactive exhibits on the regiments' current operational roles. In the tack room you can handle saddles and bridles, and try on a trooper's uniform, including a distinctive brass helmet with horsehair plume. You can also observe the working horses being tended to in their stable block behind a glass wall.

One of London's best-loved and most welcoming of churches is more than just a place of worship. Named after St. Martin of Tours, known for the help he gave to beggars, this parish has long been a welcome sight for the homeless, who have been given soup and shelter at the church since 1914. The church is also a haven for music lovers; the internationally known Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble was founded here, and a popular program of concerts continues today (many of the shows are free, although some do charge an entry fee). The crypt is a hive of activity, with a popular café and shop. Here you can also make your own life-size souvenir knight, lady, or monarch from replica tomb brasses, with metallic waxes, paper, and instructions.