Timeline
15:25
Grab a coffee and a pastry at The Wolseley. The Art Deco café is open daily from 7AM, so it is fully open and ready for a pre-sunset snack.
15:45
Walk four minutes from St James's Palace to The Mall. This is your viewing spot. Stand on the ceremonial route and look west. The Mall runs between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, offering a clear, unobstructed line to the horizon.
16:20
Watch the sun set toward the SW. The golden light begins around 15:23, but the main event is the sunset at 16:20. The Mall provides a classic, wide-angle view of the sky changing colour over the city.
16:45
End the evening with a stroll through Burlington Arcade. This Regency-era shopping arcade is open until 19:00 on weekdays, giving you plenty of time to browse the luxury boutiques after dark.
Local tip
The Mall is a public roadway, so you can view the sunset from anywhere along the path. For the best photo, stand near the center of the route. St James's Palace itself is not open to the public, but the exterior is visible from the street.
Check before you go
- The Wolseley is open daily from 7AM to 9:30PM.
- Burlington Arcade is open Mo-Sa 09:30-19:00.
Built from places in the Wikivoyage guide to London (CC BY-SA 4.0), with open map data from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).