London

London spreads its attractions across a wide centre, and the ones that need booking are not always the ones you’d expect. The Tower of London and the London Eye run on timed entry, while several of the city’s best museums cost nothing at all.

This page compares live ticket prices and availability for London attractions across our booking partners.

When to visit London

May to September offers the longest days and the warmest weather, though “warm” in London means high teens to low twenties. This is peak season and prices reflect it.

April and October are good value. Fewer crowds, mild enough for walking, and attraction queues are noticeably shorter.

November to March is cold and dark by four in the afternoon, but hotel rates drop and the museums are at their most pleasant. December brings Christmas markets and a corresponding price spike.

Rain is possible in any month. Plan indoor options for every day rather than hoping.

Free museums — the thing visitors miss

London’s national museums charge nothing for permanent collections. This includes the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the V&A and Tate Modern.

Temporary exhibitions are ticketed and often excellent, but you can spend days in these buildings without paying anything.

Some now ask you to reserve a free timed slot in advance, particularly the Natural History Museum on weekends and school holidays. Booking is free but the slots do run out.

Tower of London

The Tower is the most popular paid attraction in the city and the queue reflects it.

Entry includes the Crown Jewels, the White Tower and the Yeoman Warder tours, which are included and genuinely worth catching — they run roughly every half hour and are led by resident warders.

The Crown Jewels queue is longest between 11am and 2pm. Going straight there on arrival, before anything else, saves the most time.

Allow three hours minimum. Two is not enough.

Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament

Westminster Abbey charges for entry and is closed to sightseers on Sundays, when it holds services — you can attend a service free, but you can’t tour.

The Houses of Parliament offer paid tours on Saturdays and during parliamentary recess. UK residents can request free tours through their MP, but overseas visitors pay.

Big Ben’s tower can be climbed by UK residents only, booked months ahead.

Booking ahead vs walking up

The Harry Potter Studio Tour is the outlier. It sits outside London, requires a separate train or coach transfer, and sells out months ahead in school holidays. If it matters to your trip, book it before you book anything else.

Getting around

The Underground is the fastest way across London. Contactless card or phone works directly at the gates — no need for a paper ticket or Oyster card, and daily capping applies automatically.

Buses are slower but cheaper and better for seeing the city. The same contactless payment applies.

Central London is more walkable than the tube map suggests. Covent Garden to Leicester Square is a three-minute walk despite being separate stations.

A first-timer’s three days

Day one — Westminster. Westminster Abbey, walk past Parliament and Big Ben, along the river to the London Eye. Afternoon in St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace from outside.

Day two — the City and the Tower. Tower of London first thing, Tower Bridge, then walk to St Paul’s. Evening at Borough Market or the South Bank.

Day three — museums. British Museum in the morning, then either the V&A and Natural History Museum in South Kensington, or Tate Modern and a walk across the Millennium Bridge.