This area is the most touristic in London. With its white stone buildings, it's the centre of the political life in England : you can find Westminster palace in wich seat the Lords and the Commons since 1512 (but the present palace was built in 1834 after a fire). Above a tower of the palace is Big Ben, the great bell, wich sounds every hour. One place in the palace was part of the original construction and so dates from 1097 : the Westminster hall.

In front of Westminster palace, you'll see three magnificient buildings : Westminster Abbey, Saint Margaret's Church and the tower of the treasure. Westminster Abbey is a great witness of the medieval architecture, with its impressive western façade and the Lady chapel. Saint Margaret's Church is a nice church but eclipsed by the Abbey. It was during a long time the place of the best weddings, like Churchill's wedding. The tower of the treasure was built in 1366 to contain the wardrobe and the jewels of Edouard VII. Now, it exposes the history of the ancient palace and parliement.

A little northern, you can visit Cabinet War Rooms. Under the Governement Office Building, there are some appartments where the governement met in case of aerial attacks on London. Not far from here is the official house of the prime minister : Downing street, 10-12.

If you go up the Whitehall street, you will see a statue of Earl Haig in the middle of the street, and, on its right, the Banqueting House, wich was built by Inigo Jones. The ceiling of this building was painted by Rubens. Across the road, the horse guards parade takes place every day.

In the south of the area, Saint John's church is a nice baroque church thought by Thomas Archer. In the southern, the Tate Britain owns the biggest collection of britannic art in the world, from XVI th century until today. Some of the major paintings of great painters like Bacon, Whistler, or Constable.