Neighborhood 48H guide
Westminster & St James’s: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Westminster Abbey, Parliament and the Churchill War Rooms.
Westminster is royal and political London: the Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall and St James’s Park, with Buckingham Palace at the far end.
Photo gallery
Photo: Rob enwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jordiferrer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Walk to the Abbey, Parliament and the royal parks.
Who it's for: History lovers and first-timers.
Pros
- Major landmarks
- Royal parks
- Quiet at night
Cons
- Few restaurants
- Tour-group crowds
- Pricey
48H in Westminster
Abbey, war rooms, parks.
09:30 – Westminster Abbey
Weekdays and Saturdays; Sunday is for services only. Check the day’s times.
13:00 – Churchill War Rooms
Open daily 9:30–18:00; book ahead.
16:00 – St James’s Park
Walk to Buckingham Palace.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
See / do
See / do
Westminster Abbey
Parliament Square
The coronation church, with royal tombs.
Photo: Rob enwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Churchill War Rooms
King Charles St
The underground WWII command bunker.
Photo: Jordiferrer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
St. James’ Court, A Taj Hotel
Buckingham Gate
Large hotel near Buckingham Palace, with a spa and several restaurants.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Westminster & St James’s.
In London, whole homes can usually be let short-term for up to 90 nights a year without planning permission. Check the listing’s availability and house rules.
Browse vacation rentals in Westminster & St James’s on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in London
- Covent Garden & Soho — The market piazza, Seven Dials, theatres and the British Museum nearby.
- South Bank & Bankside — Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge and Borough Market.
- Tower of London & Tower Bridge — The Crown Jewels and the bridge walkways.
- Shoreditch & Spitalfields — Street art, Columbia Road flowers and Spitalfields Market.
- King’s Cross — Coal Drops Yard, the British Library and the Eurostar.
- Marylebone — The Wallace Collection and Marylebone High Street.
- South Kensington — The V&A and the Natural History Museum.
- Notting Hill — Portobello Road and pastel terraces.
- Greenwich — The Prime Meridian and the Cutty Sark.