Best spots to photograph Big Ben in London: a local photographer's guide

The best places to photograph Big Ben in London are the midpoint of Westminster Bridge, the tunnel under Westminster Bridge on the South Bank, the South Bank pedestrian walk heading west, St Thomas' Hospital gardens, the area around County Hall near the London Eye, and the red phone booth near Parliament Square. Morning before 9am gives the best light and thinnest crowds across all locations.

If you're visiting London, you want a photo with Big Ben. Of course you do. It is one of the most recognisable buildings in the world and it looks absolutely incredible in photographs. The problem is that most tourists come home with a blurry, crowded snapshot that doesn't do it justice at all. It doesn't have to be that way.

I've spent years shooting around Westminster with visitors from all over the world. Finding the angles that actually work, the quieter spots most people never discover, and the times of day that make Big Ben look its absolute best. In this guide I'm sharing all of it. Whether you're planning a professional photo shoot in London or just want to explore with your own camera, you'll know exactly where to go and what to expect.

One quick note before we start. The name "Big Ben" is everywhere but technically it refers to the great bell inside the tower, not the tower itself. The tower is officially called Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Before that it was simply known as the Clock Tower. The Palace of Westminster, the grand Gothic building it sits on, is where the Houses of Parliament meet. So when people say Big Ben they usually mean the whole thing: the tower, the clock faces and the bell. Everyone does it, including me, and we all know what we mean. Big Ben it is throughout this guide.

How to photograph all the best Big Ben angles in about one hour

You do not need a full day to get incredible Big Ben photos. If you have an hour you can cover the best angles in a single loop starting and ending at Westminster tube station.

Start at Westminster tube station and walk straight onto Westminster Bridge. Spend about ten minutes here. Cross to the other side of the river and take the stairs down (St Thomas' Hospital side) to find the tunnel running underneath the bridge. Allow another ten minutes here, longer if there is a queue. From the tunnel, take some picture on the river walkway. This stretch gives you the most iconic open view of Big Ben, river Thames and the full Palace of Westminster. Walk down the street to St Thomas' Hospital gardens for a quieter, more hidden angle that most tourists don’t know about. Allow around fifteen to twenty minutes for this whole stretch. Then cross back over Westminster Bridge towards London Eye, and spend a few minutes there before looping back towards Westminster station. Once by the station, head straight down for the red phone booth near Parliament Square for a bonus shot with two British icons in one frame.

That is the full loop. You do not need to do every single angle below. Pick two or three that appeal to you and you will still come away with photos that look nothing like the standard tourist snapshot.

Right under Big Ben

1. Westminster Bridge, but be sure to move down the middle a bit

Westminster Bridge is the obvious place to start and it absolutely delivers. But most visitors make the same mistake. They stop right at the beginning of the bridge as they come out of Westminster tube station, where it is completely packed with tourists and you can barely fit the whole tower in the frame.

Walk further. Head towards the middle of the bridge and shoot from there. The full Elizabeth Tower fits beautifully in the frame, the crowds thin out significantly, and the composition is so much stronger. If you are shooting on your phone, try the 2x or 3x lens from this distance. It brings Big Ben much closer and the compression looks really great.

Morning is the best time here in terms of crowds. On a sunny morning the light is direct and beautiful but by 9am on a weekend you will already find other photographers setting up. Side light between 10am and midday still produces lovely results. From around 2 to 3pm Big Ben becomes backlit from this side, so bear that in mind when planning your visit.

One day in autumn

Morning light in the summer

A perfectly grey day in London

Afternoon light in the summer

2. The tunnel framing next to Westminster Bridge

Under the archway

This is the shot you have seen everywhere on Instagram and Pinterest. Walk down from the South Bank path to the walkway running underneath Westminster Bridge and you get Big Ben perfectly framed inside the arch of the bridge. It is one of the most recognisable and most requested Big Ben photo spots in the whole city, and it genuinely looks as good in person as it does in photographs.

A couple of things worth knowing before you head down there. It does get busy and there can be a short queue of people waiting for their turn. The passage is narrow and there is a slight and constant whiff of the Thames in the underpass. But the image you come away with is absolutely worth it. Plus you will be standing out by the river in the fresh air. I will be the one in the underpass, so don't worry about it.

Get there early. Before 9am on a weekday you can often have it almost to yourself. By mid-morning the queue builds and the magic slightly fades.

Next to the arch by Westminster bridge

3. The most iconic Big Ben view in London

Cross Westminster Bridge to the south side of the river and you have one of the most beautiful and most photographed views of Big Ben anywhere in the city. The full Palace of Westminster stretching along the opposite bank, the Thames in the foreground, and Big Ben rising above it all. This is the shot most people picture when they think of photographing Big Ben in London, and it absolutely delivers.

The path stretches out for quite some time heading west from the bridge, which works in your favour. Right by the bridge it is busy with tourists, as you would expect for one of the most iconic photo spots in the city. But walk further along and the crowds thin out significantly while the view stays just as beautiful. There is always a quiet patch if you are willing to walk a little.

A few practical things worth knowing before you go. In summer, trees along the path can hang over and create shadows in your frame, particularly if you walk further out. Keep an eye on your composition and move along until you find a clean gap. On a sunny morning the light hits the stonework directly and the results can be spectacular, but it can also be quite harsh on a bright summer day. Bring sunglasses. On a cloudy day this stretch works absolutely perfectly, soft even light with no shadow problems at all.

4. St Thomas' Hospital gardens — London's most overlooked Big Ben viewpoint

St Thomas’s Gardens

This is one of my personal favourites around Westminster and most visitors have absolutely no idea it exists. As you head west along the South Bank towards St Thomas' Hospital, the gardens are on your right as you approach. Find your way to the riverside edge and you have one of the cleanest, most beautiful and most direct views of Big Ben anywhere in the city.

It is quieter than almost anywhere else on this list. The garden setting adds a softness to the surroundings that you simply do not get standing on a busy pavement. The view is completely unobstructed. On a clear morning with good light this spot is genuinely magical, and the fact that most tourists never find it makes it all the more special.

If you are visiting London with a photographer, this is the kind of hidden location that produces images people genuinely cannot believe were taken in the middle of one of the world's busiest cities.

5. County Hall and the east side stairs next to London Eye

Once you have covered the Southbank walk and the hospital gardens, cross over Westminster Bridge towards the London Eye. The area around County Hall produces beautiful images with Big Ben across the water from a wider, slightly different perspective than you get from the bridge above.

The view of the Westminster bridge with Big Ben is lovely from this angle and the atmosphere is much more relaxed than the bridge. It is a great Big Ben photo location for families and groups who need a little more space to move around. One thing to be aware of: this stretch of path gets a steady flow of pedestrians so be patient, wait for a natural gap in the crowds, and you will get a clean shot.

A night time photoshoot on the Southbank

A summer day from the Southbank

6. This view gives you a chance to get two British icons in one London photo

On your way back towards Westminster station, make a small detour to Parliament Square near Churchill's statue. This is where you will find one of the most photographed compositions around Big Ben. A classic red phone booth with Elizabeth Tower rising directly behind it. Two of the most iconic British symbols in a single frame. Big Ben, a red phone booth, black cabs passing in the background. It is London in one photograph and visitors absolutely love it.

A few practical things worth knowing. The lighting here works best in the morning to early afternoon. Later in the afternoon the light shifts and Big Ben can become quite harshly lit from this angle. There can also be a queue for the phone booth itself, sometimes you will find yourself waiting a few minutes for your turn. Worth it though.

Morning sunlight

Same phone booth, but the view towards St James’s Park

Looking for a red phone booth without the queue? There is another red phone booth further east along the north bank, heading down towards the Embankment from Westminster station. From here you cannot get Big Ben in the frame. The trees and distance make that tricky, especially in summer. But in winter when the leaves are down you can get the phone booth with the London Eye sitting beautifully in the background instead. A lovely and slightly less expected London shot, and a great alternative if the Parliament Square booth has a queue.

When is the best time to photograph Big Ben in London

There is genuinely no bad time to photograph Big Ben. With this many angles across both banks of the river, this much variety of light throughout the day, and a landmark that looks spectacular illuminated against the night sky, you can arrive at almost any hour and find something worth shooting.

That said, a few things are worth knowing before you plan your visit.

Early morning before 9am gives you the softest, most flattering light and the thinnest crowds. If you want the tunnel shot or the Westminster Bridge midpoint without queuing, this is your window. The city feels calm, the light is golden, and Big Ben photographs beautifully. If you are planning a London vacation photo shoot around Westminster, morning is almost always the right call.

Midday is when the most popular spots get busiest. But walk a few minutes from the obvious locations and you will always find a quieter angle that works just as well. Big Ben is a remarkably versatile subject and photographs well in most conditions. Worth checking the weather forecast the day before as harsh midday sun can be tricky at certain spots, particularly on Westminster Bridge itself.

Late afternoon and sunset are stunning from the South Bank. The sky behind the tower can be extraordinary on a clear evening and the light on the river adds real atmosphere to every shot.

Blue hour just after sunset is one of the best times of all. Big Ben is illuminated against a deep blue sky, the crowds have thinned significantly, and the whole scene feels genuinely cinematic. If you have any flexibility in your London itinerary this is absolutely worth planning around.

The bottom line: build your Big Ben photo shoot around what else you have planned that day. Whatever time you arrive, there is a spot and an angle here that will work.

Want these Big Ben photo spots photographed with you actually in them?

Exploring these spots with your own camera is absolutely worth doing. But if you want someone local to handle the photography while you actually enjoy being in London, that is exactly what I do.

I'm Kate, a London vacation photographer and tourist photographer specialising in shoots for visitors from the US, Europe and beyond. Westminster is one of my most regular shooting areas and I genuinely love it here. But I shoot across the whole city too, from the pastel streets of Notting Hill to the South Bank, Kensington, Shoreditch and everywhere in between.

Whether you are a couple on an anniversary trip, a family visiting London for the first time, a solo traveller who wants more than a selfie, or a group of friends making the most of your time here, I would love to be your London vacation photographer for the day.

For more inspiration have a read of some recent shoots on the journal, including a couples vacation photo shoot through the streets of Notting Hill and a high school senior portrait session in Kensington.

Planning a London photo shoot around Westminster and Big Ben? Check availability and book your session here.