Westminster Abbey is the great Gothic church beside the Houses of Parliament where English and British monarchs have been crowned since 1066. It is also a working church, a royal burial place and the resting place or memorial of thousands of notable people, from kings and queens to poets, scientists and the Unknown Warrior. A visit takes you through almost a thousand years of national history in one building.
Why visit Westminster Abbey
A Benedictine monastery stood on the site long before the current church. Edward the Confessor built a large abbey here in the 11th century, and Henry III began rebuilding it in the Gothic style in 1245, which is largely the building you see today. The western towers were completed much later, in the 18th century.
Coronations, royal weddings and state funerals are held here, so the abbey is familiar from television around the world. Inside, the tombs, chapels and monuments are packed so closely that it can feel more like a historic museum than a church, but services take place every day.
Because space is tight and every visitor follows the same one-way route, the abbey is best seen at an unhurried pace. Look up as well as down: the nave is one of the tallest Gothic vaults in England, and many of the most interesting memorials are on the walls and floors around you.
Getting to Westminster Abbey by Tube
The nearest station is Westminster, on the Jubilee, District and Circle lines. Come up by Big Ben and Parliament Square and walk across the square to the abbey, which takes about five minutes.
St James's Park on the District and Circle lines is a similar distance on the other side, via Tothill Street. Both stations are busy at peak times, and Westminster in particular is crowded around Parliament. Contactless cards and Oyster cards work on all lines.
Westminster Abbey tickets and opening hours
Sightseeing visits require a ticket, and booking online through the official Westminster Abbey website is the best way to save time and sometimes money. A multimedia guide is usually included. Under-fives have been admitted free, and there are reduced prices for children and families.
The abbey is a place of worship first. It is normally closed to sightseeing visitors on Sundays, when you can attend services instead, and it can close at short notice for special services and state events. Opening hours vary, so always check the official website before you go.
A free alternative is to attend a service. Choral Evensong, sung by the abbey choir on most days, is a beautiful way to experience the building, though you stay in the area set aside for the service rather than touring.
Best time to visit
Arrive at opening time on a weekday for the calmest visit. Late morning and early afternoon, especially in summer and school holidays, are the busiest. Allow around two hours to follow the route at a steady pace, and more if you add the galleries.
Highlights inside Westminster Abbey
The Coronation Chair
The oak chair made around 1300 for Edward I, used at coronations for centuries.
The Lady Chapel
Henry VII's chapel at the east end, with a spectacular fan-vaulted stone ceiling and the banners of the Knights of the Order of the Bath. Elizabeth I and Mary I are buried nearby in the north aisle.
Poets' Corner
The south transept where Geoffrey Chaucer is buried, surrounded by graves and memorials to writers such as Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and many more.
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
Near the west door, the grave of an unidentified soldier from the First World War. It is the only tomb in the abbey that visitors are asked not to walk over.
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries
Galleries high in the triforium with treasures from the abbey's collection and long views down the nave. Entry has required an extra timed ticket.
Nearby on the same stop
- The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben: directly across Parliament Square.
- St Margaret's Church: the small parish church beside the abbey.
- Churchill War Rooms: the underground wartime headquarters, a short walk north on King Charles Street.
- Westminster Bridge and the South Bank: cross the river to the London Eye.
- Buckingham Palace: about 15 minutes on foot through St James's Park.
For more around this station, open Westminster Abbey on Around the Metro, or browse every station on the London Tube map.