Gallery
There was one bobby in front of the Prime Minister's residence in 1968. His main job was probably posing for photographs by tourists. Nowadays you cannot take a photo like this. All of Downing Street is blocked off by a huge iron gate and l
Roger Wollstadt · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The Prime Minister's gate. One photo, then the cavalry or the Abbey. Next is Horse Guards Parade — do not also stack the Palace State Rooms the same day.
Analysis
Downing Street is not a facade you glance at. The gate is visible all day; nothing inside is open to visitors. The quiet hour is the first after opening. A service may close the nave. Leave via Westminster.
Best time
Weekday morning
How to go
Westminster, north along Whitehall
Transit
Tap at Westminster. If a service closes Downing Street, do not leave the last train until after the service ends.
Season window
Christmas and Easter change the hours at Downing Street. In winter stay indoors. In summer the steps bake at noon — move to shade or a side aisle.
Tips
- · Tickets: Free, and only from outside the gate. Plan about 10 minutes.
- · You cannot pass the gate
- · Keep voices down inside Downing Street. There are stone steps; wet soles slip. Bags come off the shoulder.
Next stop
Where this line goes next
Walk or one Tube ride to the next stop. Do not rebound.
Horse Guards Parade
Walk · 8min
Walk
Next is Horse Guards Parade — do not also stack the Tower, the South Ken museums, or Regent Street shopping the same day.
Churchill War Rooms
Walk · 6min
Walk
Next is Churchill War Rooms — do not also stack the Tower, the South Ken museums, or Regent Street shopping the same day.
Visit moments
Short member lines. Private moments stay private; public ones appear here and are never separately indexed.
- No public moments yet.