Cathedral · Westminster · London

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a Gothic abbey church. Within the built-up area of Westminster, it is one of the places to visit. Its status is a Grade I listed building.

Photo: Westminster Abbey, Σπάρτακος (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Where

In Westminster

inside the built-up area

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 1%

#4 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

May–Sep

highs of 19–24°C

In brief

Cathedral in Westminster

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#4 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (91 Wikipedias). About ↓

Inside Westminster

Westminster Abbey is inside Westminster’s built-up area, with 392 more places to visit within 5 km. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Grade I listed building

On the official list of protected heritage; Westminster has 3,887 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

How the seasons run

Afternoons in Westminster peak at 19–24°C, May to September.

Jan9° / 3°60 mm

Feb9° / 3°45 mm

Mar12° / 4°38 mm

Apr15° / 6°44 mm

May19° / 9°46 mm

Jun21° / 12°51 mm

Jul24° / 14°46 mm

Aug23° / 14°56 mm

Sep20° / 12°53 mm

Oct16° / 9°68 mm

Nov12° / 6°68 mm

Dec9° / 3°60 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Westminster, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Westminster. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Westminster’s full climate →

About

Westminster Abbey

It is cared for by English Heritage. Wikipedia covers it in 91 languages. A short trip away is Elizabeth Tower, 200 m off, the first of 609 within 15 km.

Westminster’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Cathedral
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Grade I listed building
Wikipedias: Covered in 91 languages
Town: in Westminster
Official site: westminster-abbey.org

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Westminster Abbey at a glance

Use the numbers to match each place near Westminster Abbey with the list.

Towns near it

Towns near Westminster Abbey

The largest of the 8 towns is Wandsworth, with 326,725 people. Closest first, each of these towns names it on its page.

1 · It’s in town

Westminster

203,571 people · 461 places to visit

2 · 400 m south of it

Lambeth

317,108 people · 450 places to visit

3 · 1.2 km southeast of it

Southwark

307,076 people · 471 places to visit

4 · 1.5 km northwest of it

Camden

209,342 people · 458 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Westminster Abbey is	People	Places to visit
Westminster	It’s in town	203,571	461
Lambeth	400 m south of it	317,108	450
Southwark	1.2 km southeast of it	307,076	471
Camden	1.5 km northwest of it	209,342	458
Wandsworth	1.6 km southwest of it	326,725	442
City of London	1.7 km northeast of it	7,820	432
Kensington and Chelsea	2 km west of it	143,348	399
Islington	2.7 km north of it	216,309	425

Make a day of it

While you are near Westminster Abbey

2 attractions, 2 art galleries and a museum are among the 609 within 15 km.

AttractionElizabeth Tower200 m away 2

Big drawMuseumBritish Museum2.2 km away · 5.8M visitors a year (2023)3

Historic houseBuckingham Palace1.1 km away 4

AttractionLondon Eye700 m away 5

Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery1.1 km away · 709K visitors a year (2021)6

Big drawCastleTower of London3.7 km away · 2.7M visitors a year (2016)7

Big drawArt galleryTate Modern2.1 km away · 1.2M visitors a year (2021)8

CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral2.6 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Westminster Abbey: common questions

Where is Westminster Abbey?

Westminster Abbey is in Westminster, London, inside the town’s built-up area.

What is Westminster Abbey?

Gothic abbey church in London, England, UK.

Who runs Westminster Abbey?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Westminster Abbey?

May to September are the warmest months in Westminster, with afternoon highs of 19–24°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Westminster Abbey a listed building?

Yes: Grade I listed building.

What else is there to see near Westminster Abbey?

Within 15 km: Elizabeth Tower (200 m), British Museum (2.2 km), Buckingham Palace (1.1 km) and London Eye (700 m).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (9)

Westminster Abbey: Σπάρτακος, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth Tower: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
British Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Buckingham Palace: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
London Eye: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
National Gallery: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tower of London: Bob Collowan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tate Modern: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
St Paul's Cathedral: Mark Fosh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.