Britain’s most popular tourist attractions have been named, and the Queen pulls in a bigger crowd than the Beatles

Instagram data has been used to find the most popular British tourist attractions, and it’s clear the Queen is popular amongst all generations

Buckingham Palace is one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions
(Image credit: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Millions of holidaymakers head to the United Kingdom each year to take in the history and the iconic landmarks. Now, new research which uses data from Instagram shows that royal residences are a bigger attraction than the likes of Abbey Road, where the Beatles recorded their albums and took the iconic pedestrian crossing photo.


After 70 years on the throne, it’s refreshing to know that Her Majesty is still a source of great admiration and fascination for people around the globe.

New research from Bidwells has found that Buckingham Palace is one of the top tourist attractions in Britain.

The data uses Instagram to find where people have tagged and taken photos, and royal adjacent landmarks take up numerous spots in the top 10.

Buckingham Palace was the official residence of the Queen until early in 2022, when she moved to Windsor

(Image credit: Getty)

While the top attraction was Big Ben, Buckingham Palace comes in third place, outperforming the likes of Abbey Road, most famously associated with the Beatles, Brighton Pier and even Stonehenge, one of the wonders of the world and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe.

Buckingham Palace, set near London’s Green Park, is one of the world's most recognizable landmarks—known across the globe for its glamour and history and, up until earlier this year, was the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen.

The Queen left Buckingham Palace – and London – for good, deciding to settle in Windsor Castle, where she spent happy times with the late Prince Philip. 

Buckingham Palace played a massive part in the historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations this year, with a huge party in the park taking place, with the likes of Diana Ross performing for crowds of thousands.

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In fact, as the top 10 tourist attractions reveal, the royals continue to drive a huge chunk of tourism.

The Queen’s new full-time residence, Windsor Castle, is the ninth most visited attraction.

The top 10 attractions were

  • Big Ben
  • Tower Bridge
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Stonehenge
  • Abbey Road
  • Edinburgh Castle
  • St Paul’s Cathedral
  • Loch Ness
  • Windsor Castle
  • Brighton Pier
Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.

Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.