London travel guide
Tours, attractions, events and places to stay, picked by people who know the city.
- Currency
- Pound sterling (£)
- Main airports
- Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted
- Time zone
- GMT, BST in summer
- Paying for transport
- Oyster or contactless
Two thousand years of history, free world-class museums, and a different city in every neighbourhood. Start with the river and work outwards.
Most-booked tours
Ratings and prices from verified bookings.
Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath from London
Three of England’s best-known sights in one coach day, with time inside Windsor Castle and an afternoon in Georgian Bath.
11 hoursFrom £71.10
Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour with Transport from London
7 hoursFrom £91
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace Guided Tour
3.5 hoursFrom £79
Tower of London and Crown Jewels Day Ticket
24 hoursFrom £38
Small-Group Cotswolds Tour from London
9.5 hoursFrom £84
Ultimate Jack the Ripper Guided Tour
2 hoursFrom £22
Westminster to Greenwich Thames Sightseeing Cruise
1 hourFrom £17.20
The London Eye Entry Ticket
30 minutesFrom £29
Top London attractions
The sights most visitors build a trip around.
British MuseumFree
Two million years of human history, free to enter
Tower of London
Crown Jewels, Beefeaters and 1,000 years of history
Tickets from £38Buckingham Palace
State Rooms open in summer; Changing the Guard most mornings
Westminster Abbey
Coronation church since 1066
Tickets from £32The Shard
The highest viewing platform in London
Tickets from £32Natural History MuseumFree
Dinosaurs and the blue whale in Hintze Hall, free to enter
More attraction tickets
- London Cable Car: Roundtrip Ticket4.4 (399)From £13.50
- Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio London: Entry + Transfer from London4.5 (924)From £125
- Madame Tussauds London4.7 (2,189)From £27
- Hampton Court Palace, Gardens & Maze4.7 (412)From £30
- London Zoo4.5 (3,463)From £27.70
- London Transport Museum4.5 (534)From £27
- Arsenal FC: Emirates Stadium Tour4.6 (369)From £36
- Thames Cruise: Westminster to Greenwich4.4 (472)From £17.20
Tickets via Tiqets. Prices checked at each build.
What's on
Tickets via Ticketmaster and Tiqets. Updated nightly.
Where to stay
Pick a neighbourhood first. Each one suits a different kind of trip.
Westminster
First-time visitors and the big sights13 places we rate
South Bank
Theatres, river walks and the London Eye13 places we rate
Covent Garden
West End shows and restaurants14 places we rate
Shoreditch
Nightlife, street food and street art10 places we rate
Kensington
Museums, Hyde Park and quieter streets13 places we rate
Local guides
Plans and tips for getting the most out of London.
First time in London: a three-day plan
Three days, the big sights in a sensible order, and time left over for a pint by the river.
Read the guide · 7 minFree things to do in London
World-class museums, royal ceremony, skyline views and markets, without paying a penny for entry.
Read the guide · 6 minChristmas in London 2026: lights, markets and Winter Wonderland
When the lights go on, when Winter Wonderland opens, and how to see it all in one evening walk.
Read the guide · 6 minHarry Potter in London: the studio tour and the filming spots
How to visit the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and the free film locations you can see in the city.
Read the guide · 6 minDay trips from London
Easy days out by train or coach.
Getting around
Oyster and contactless
Tap in and out with a contactless card or phone, or an Oyster card. Fares are the same and cap automatically each day, so you never pay more than a day ticket.
The Tube
Eleven lines cover most of the city from early morning to around midnight. Some lines run all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Stand on the right on escalators.
Airport transfers
Heathrow: the Elizabeth line or Piccadilly line, or the faster Heathrow Express to Paddington.
Gatwick: Gatwick Express to Victoria, or Thameslink through the centre.
Stansted: Stansted Express to Liverpool Street.