Westminster itself refers to those areas by the River Thames around the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) and Westminster Abbey. The city has also lent its name, however, to the London borough that covers much of central London (the West End) to the north and west - so don't get confused! For the traveller, it is important to remember that Westminster in the narrow, traditional sense (that used in Wikitravel) is bounded to the north by Trafalgar Square and Soho, to the east by Covent Garden, and so on.
The Palace of Westminster came to be the principal royal residence after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and later housed the developing Parliament and law courts of England. The neighbouring Westminster Abbey became the traditional venue of the coronation of the kings of England.
The monarchy later moved to other palaces elsewhere in the city, and the law courts have since moved to the Royal Courts of Justice, close to the border of the City of London, so today "Westminster" is often used as shorthand for Parliament and the political community (including the elected Government) of the United Kingdom generally. The civil service is similarly referred to by the area it inhabits, Whitehall, where there was also once a royal palace. "Westminster" is consequently also used in reference to the Westminster System, the parliamentary model of democratic government that has evolved in the United Kingdom. The Westminster System is used with some adaptation in many other nations, particularly in the Commonwealth of Nations and other parts of the former British Empire.
The nearest mainline train stations are '''London Waterloo''' (approximately 15 minutes walk) and '''London Victoria''' (approximately 20 minutes walk). It is worth taking the tube from these two stations to arrive at Westminster.
Most of the attractions in Westminster are arranged broadly north-south along the line of '''Whitehall''' and the adjoining '''Parliament Square''':