Sights · Our pick in London
Banqueting House
Rubens’s painted ceiling
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © VirtuallyLondonBecky · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Banqueting House
Banqueting House, completed in 1622 to designs by Inigo Jones, is the last surviving part of the great Palace of Whitehall, most of which burned down in 1698. Its main hall is crowned by a ceiling painted by Peter Paul Rubens for Charles I, who was executed outside the building in 1649. It is run by Historic Royal Palaces; check opening days.
Why it's on our list
- Rubens ceiling
- Inigo Jones design
- Execution of Charles I
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Banqueting House before you go.
Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to Banqueting House, as the crow flies.
- Raffles London at The OWO0.1 mi1 min walk
- Corinthia London0.2 mi3 min walk
- The Londoner0.4 mi9 min walk
- The Savoy0.5 mi9 min walk
- Conrad London St. James0.5 mi10 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from Banqueting House are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations
- WestminsterDistrictCircleJubilee0.2 mi5 min walk
- Charing CrossBakerlooNorthernNational Rail0.2 mi5 min walk
- EmbankmentDistrictBakerlooNorthernCircle0.2 mi5 min walk
Nearest taxi ranks
- Taxi rank, Hungerford Lane0.3 mi5 min walk
- Taxi rank, Whitcomb Street0.4 mi9 min walk
Black cabs can also be hailed in the street: a lit yellow TAXI sign means the cab is available.
Key sights
- Trafalgar Square0.3 miWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- London Eye0.3 miWalk 6 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- Westminster Abbey0.4 miWalk 7 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Leicester Square0.4 miWalk 9 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 6 min
- Covent Garden0.5 miWalk 11 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Buckingham Palace0.8 miWalk 15 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 9 min
- The British Museum1.0 miWalk 21 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Harrods1.6 miWalk 33 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 15 min
- The Shard1.7 miWalk 34 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Tower of London2.2 miWalk 44 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 19 min
Main rail terminals
- Charing Cross0.2 miWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- Waterloo0.5 miWalk 11 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Victoria0.9 miWalk 19 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Euston1.7 miWalk 34 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 15 min
- London Bridge1.8 miWalk 35 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 16 min
- King’s Cross St Pancras1.8 miWalk 36 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 16 min
- St Pancras International (Eurostar)1.9 miWalk 38 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Liverpool Street2.1 miWalk 42 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Paddington2.3 miWalk 45 minCycle 15 minCar or taxi 20 min