London is huge, but most of what visitors come for sits in a band along the Thames from Westminster to the Tower, with the big museums in South Kensington and Bloomsbury and the royal palaces and gardens a train ride upriver. The Tower of London, the British Museum, Parliament, the London Eye, Borough Market, the street art of Shoreditch, the Golden Gallery of St Paul's and tea at the Ritz are on the United Kingdom page; this page is the rest of the city, plus Kew and Hampton Court.
Two habits make London easier. The national museums and galleries are free, so you can see them in short visits instead of one exhausting day, while the paid sights sell their tickets online, often cheaper or with a guaranteed slot. And the river is a route as well as a view: boats run from Westminster to Greenwich on the same contactless card you use on the Tube.
Walk under the blue whale at the Natural History Museum
South Kensington
Free
Stand under a blue whale skeleton in a Romanesque great nave, then beat the queue to an animatronic T. rex.
What it is
Alfred Waterhouse's Romanesque palace on Cromwell Road opened in 1881, and like the other national museums it charges no admission, so the only cost is the queue: it counted more than seven million visitors in 2025. The Cromwell Road entrance leads into Hintze Hall, the great nave, where the skeleton of a blue whale nicknamed Hope has hung since 2017 in place of the old Dippy cast. The Exhibition Road entrance opens into the Earth Galleries, where an escalator rises through a giant model of the Earth.
How to do it
From South Kensington station, take the pedestrian subway signed for the museums, which comes up on Exhibition Road and saves the crowded pavements. Check the day's hours on the museum's website.
Good to know
Go to the Dinosaurs gallery in the Blue Zone first, because its full-size animatronic T. rex draws the longest lines.
See Van Eyck, Turner and Van Gogh free at the National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
Free
See the Arnolfini Portrait, the Hay Wain and Van Gogh's Sunflowers for free on Trafalgar Square.
What it is
The National Gallery fills the north side of Trafalgar Square, and its collection of more than a thousand paintings, from Uccello and Van Eyck to Turner and Van Gogh, is free. Build the visit around a short list: Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait, Velázquez's Rokeby Venus, Constable's Hay Wain, Turner's Fighting Temeraire and Van Gogh's Sunflowers.
How to do it
It opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00, until 21:00 on Fridays. Everyone enters through the Sainsbury Wing, at the corner of Pall Mall and Whitcomb Street, past metal detectors, so leave large bags behind; a free online ticket gives fast-track entry. Charing Cross station is a few minutes away.
Good to know
Building work has closed some rooms and moved some paintings, so check the website if one picture is your reason for going.
Take in Tate Modern, then the free view from level 10
Bankside
Free
Walk down the Turbine Hall ramp into a former power station, then ride to level 10 for a free view to St Paul's.
What it is
Tate Modern is the former Bankside power station facing St Paul's across the Millennium Bridge, and its collection displays are free with no time slot, with Picasso, Matisse and Kusama among the artists on show. A new installation fills the Turbine Hall every year, and only the big exhibitions are paid, such as Frida: The Making of an Icon, until 3 January 2027.
How to do it
It opens 10:00 to 18:00 from Sunday to Thursday and until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Come in down the Turbine Hall ramp, then take the lift in the Blavatnik Building to the level 10 café for a free view over the Thames to St Paul's. Southwark (Jubilee line) and Blackfriars are the nearest stations.
Enter the bunker where Churchill's government ran the war, its Map Room kept as it was when the lights went off in 1945.
What it is
Beneath the Treasury building in Whitehall, the bunker from which Churchill's government ran the Second World War was abandoned in August 1945: the day after Japan surrendered, the lights in the Map Room were simply switched off. The Cabinet Room, the Map Room, the Transatlantic Telephone Room and Churchill's bedroom were kept as they were left, and the Imperial War Museum opened them to the public in 1984; the Churchill Museum on his 90-year life followed in 2005.
How to do it
The entrance is at the foot of Clive Steps on King Charles Street, near Westminster station. Opening hours and prices change through the year, so check them and book a slot online before you go.
Good to know
There is no cloakroom, and suitcases are not allowed.
Watch the old guard march down the Mall and the new one leave its barracks behind a band, free outside the palace railings.
What it is
This is the free ceremony outside the railings, not the paid State Rooms tour. The old guard's detachment marches down the Mall from St James's Palace, and the new guard leaves Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk behind a band: those marches are where you see the soldiers close up, while the handover happens on the forecourt. It lasts about 45 minutes.
How to do it
At Buckingham Palace the King's Guard changes at 11:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the autumn 2026 schedule; other days bring only a short inspection at 15:00, or a parade at 10:00 on Sundays. The old guard sets off shortly after 10:30 and the new guard at about 10:57. The Household Division posts the calendar month by month.
Good to know
Wet weather can cancel the ceremony as late as 10:45. Watch your bag in the crowd.
Time needed
About 45 minutes from 11:00
Best time
Monday, Wednesday or Friday, arriving well before 10:45
Take the river boat to Greenwich for the Painted Hall
Greenwich
Half a dayNo booking needed
Ride a river boat down the Thames to the Cutty Sark, then look up at Thornhill's painted ceiling in the Painted Hall.
What it is
You step off the boat beside the Cutty Sark, the tea clipper kept in dry dock on the riverfront. At the Old Royal Naval College, Sir James Thornhill painted the walls and ceiling of the Painted Hall between 1707 and 1726; the grounds are free, as are the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House behind.
How to do it
Arrive on the water. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers runs east from Westminster, Embankment and Tower piers to Greenwich Pier; from Tower it takes about 23 minutes, and you touch in and out with a contactless card as on the Tube. The Painted Hall opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00.
Good to know
Plan around one change: the Royal Observatory and its Prime Meridian close from 2 November 2026, and the Meridian Courtyard is due to reopen in summer 2027.
Walk 132 hectares of gardens to a curved iron and glass Palm House that Kew plans to close for five years from 2027.
What it is
The Royal Botanic Gardens cover 132 hectares beside the Thames in south-west London and have been a World Heritage Site since 2003. The Palm House is the curved iron and glass house Decimus Burton and Richard Turner built between 1844 and 1848. The Temperate House is twice its size, the Treetop Walkway runs 18 metres up in the canopy, and the 50-metre Great Pagoda, finished in 1762, stands in the south-east corner.
How to do it
Buy tickets ahead and check the day's opening and closing times, which follow the season and the daylight. Kew Gardens station, on the District line and the Overground, is 400 metres from Victoria Gate. Start at the Palm House, then walk to the Temperate House and climb the Treetop Walkway.
Good to know
See the Palm House while you can: Kew plans to close it for a five-year renovation from 2027. Kew is far bigger than it looks on the map.
Walk Henry VIII's Hampton Court, from the kitchens to the maze
Hampton Court
A full day with the gardensBook ahead
See two palaces in one visit, from Henry VIII's kitchens and Great Hall to a baroque wing, and end in the maze.
What it is
Cardinal Wolsey began the palace in 1514 and gave it to Henry VIII in 1529; William III and Mary II added a baroque wing in the 1690s, so one visit covers two palaces.
How to do it
Trains leave London Waterloo every 30 minutes for Hampton Court station, in zone 6 with Oyster and contactless accepted, five minutes' walk from Trophy Gate on the A308. Pre-booking is recommended: an adult ticket cost £29 at peak times in 2026, less off-peak. Give the Tudor side most of your time, with the Great Hall, the Haunted Gallery and Henry VIII's kitchens, then finish in the maze and the gardens.
Good to know
The palace closes on Tuesdays, and on Mondays too in winter, when it shuts at 16:00, so check the calendar first.
Stand on the glass floor of Tower Bridge during a lift
Tower Bridge
Book ahead
Stand on a glass floor 42 metres above the Thames while the bridge lifts beneath you for a passing vessel.
What it is
Tower Bridge, completed in 1894, carries two high-level walkways 42 metres above the Thames, and both have glass floor panels that look straight down on the traffic and the river. The visit climbs the North Tower, crosses the walkways, comes down the South Tower and follows the Blue Line to the Victorian Engine Rooms that powered the lifts for more than 80 years. The bridge lifts about 500 times a year.
How to do it
The entrance is on the west side of the North Tower. It opens daily from 09:30 to 18:00, last entry 17:00, and tickets can be booked up to six weeks ahead. Tower Hill station is seven minutes away.
Good to know
The website lists each lift with the time and the vessel: plan to be on the glass for one. The queue is outdoors.
Book a free slot at the Sky Garden on top of the Walkie-Talkie
City of London
1 hour, the ticket's limitTimed entry
Look over the Thames to the Shard from planted terraces under a glass roof, free with a timed ticket.
What it is
The Sky Garden fills the top three storeys of 20 Fenchurch Street, the City tower nicknamed the Walkie-Talkie, with planted terraces under a glass roof and a balcony looking over the Thames to the Shard.
How to do it
Entry is free, but you need a timed ticket from the official website, bookable up to three weeks ahead. Public hours are 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 11:00 to 21:00 at weekends, and a ticket allows one hour from entry. A booking at one of its restaurants includes access even when the free tickets are gone. Monument station is a short walk away.
Good to know
Weekends are the busiest. Walk-ins get in when there is space, never after 17:00 on weekdays. Carry photo ID if you are over 18 but could look under 25.
Catch a West End show with same-day seats from Leicester Square
Leicester Square
No booking needed
Buy same-day West End seats from a not-for-profit booth selling straight from the theatre box offices.
What it is
The way to see a West End show without paying full price is the Official London Theatre Ticket Booth, the not-for-profit booth long known as TKTS, run by the Society of London Theatre and in Leicester Square since 1980. It stands in the clock tower building on the south side of the square and sells on-the-day tickets straight from the theatre box offices.
How to do it
It opens Monday to Saturday from 10:30 to 18:00 and Sunday from 11:00 to 16:00. Shows and prices change through the day and the same tickets are sold on its website, so check the list on your phone before you queue.
Good to know
A booking fee is included and there are no student or senior rates. If your show is sold out there, try the theatre's own box office.
Walk the Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden Lock
Little Venice to Camden
Free
Walk a free towpath past moored narrowboats, London Zoo and the bridge where a gunpowder barge exploded in 1874.
What it is
The Regent's Canal, completed in 1820, runs from Little Venice, where it meets the Grand Union Canal by Paddington, round to Camden and on to the Thames at Limehouse, and its towpath makes a free walk through a side of London few visitors see. Along the north edge of Regent's Park it runs through a wooded cutting, past London Zoo and Macclesfield Bridge, nicknamed Blow Up Bridge since a gunpowder barge exploded under it in 1874, to the locks at Camden.
How to do it
Start at the pool of Little Venice, near Warwick Avenue station, and head east past moored narrowboats. The London Waterbus covers the same route in about 45 minutes, from £17.
Good to know
The Maida Hill Tunnel was built without a towpath, so follow Aberdeen Place above it and drop back to the water further on.
See the Crown Jewels and join a Yeoman Warder tour
London
3 hoursBook ahead
Let a Yeoman Warder show you round the Tower on a tour your ticket already covers, then go and see the Crown Jewels.
What it is
The Yeoman Warder tours are included in the ticket and leave from the entrance through the day, with the last one at 15:15 in summer and 14:30 in winter.
How to do it
The Tower usually opens at 09:00 from Tuesday to Saturday and at 10:00 on Sunday and Monday. Allow about three hours. See the Crown Jewels and then the White Tower, and look for the ravens on the green. Book online to choose your date. Tower Hill Underground station is a few minutes' walk away, and Fenchurch Street and London Bridge are close too.
Good to know
Historic Royal Palaces says it is quieter after midday, which goes against the usual rush for the first slot. On gun salute days the 13:00 tour is cancelled.
Settle in for afternoon tea at The Ritz, with scones and pastries refilled on request and cakes wheeled to your table on a trolley.
What it is
Service is continuous, with sandwiches, scones with Cornish clotted cream and pastries refilled on request, a choice of about 20 loose-leaf teas and cakes served from a trolley at the table. The hotel's own page currently places the tea in the rooms of the 18th-century William Kent House rather than the Palm Court.
How to do it
There are five sittings every day, at 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30 and 19:30, and prices start at £95 per adult and £73 per child, plus a 12.5% discretionary service charge. Book online or on +44 20 7300 2345, and ask when booking if the room matters to you. Green Park station is next door.
Good to know
The dress code is strict: gentlemen need a jacket and tie, and jeans and sportswear are not allowed for anyone; children under 16 are exempt.
Best time
The 11:30 or 13:30 sitting if you want dinner later
Walk through the Commons and Lords chambers, then climb more than 300 steps up the Elizabeth Tower to see Big Ben.
What it is
The 90-minute guided tour in English takes in the Commons and Lords chambers; the self-guided multimedia tour is in ten languages. The Elizabeth Tower tour to see Big Ben is for ages 11 and up and climbs more than 300 steps. On sitting days you can also watch debates free from the public galleries by queuing at the Cromwell Green entrance.
How to do it
Paid tours of the Palace run on Saturdays all year and on weekdays when Parliament is in recess, so check the dates first. The guided tour starts from £40, the self-guided one from £31 with one child free, and the Elizabeth Tower tour costs £55. Book online or at the ticket office in Portcullis House on Victoria Embankment.
Good to know
Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday at noon is ticketed and effectively for UK residents. Security is airport-style, so arrive early.
Find the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon at the British Museum
London
Free
Walk in free, head for the Rosetta Stone in the Egyptian sculpture gallery, then go on to the Parthenon sculptures.
What it is
Entry to the permanent collection is free. Special exhibitions are ticketed separately: the big one is the Bayeux Tapestry, on show from September 2026 to July 2027.
How to do it
It opens every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and until 20:30 on Fridays. You can book a free timed ticket online for priority entry when it is busy. Head first to Room 4, the Egyptian sculpture gallery on the ground floor, for the Rosetta Stone, then Room 18 for the Parthenon sculptures. The main entrance is on Great Russell Street, a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station.
Good to know
Friday evening is the quietest. Walk-ups are let in every day but may wait longer at peak times, especially at weekends. Check the list of open galleries before you go, as some rooms close for works.
Walk the street art lanes around Brick Lane and Shoreditch
Shoreditch, London
2 hours on footFree
Shoreditch's murals are painted over so often that no map stays right for long; walk a loop and see what is up now.
What it is
The murals here are painted over constantly, which is the best argument for a guided street art walk or for simply walking a loop. Some of the largest walls are on Hanbury Street.
How to do it
Start at Shoreditch High Street station, then work through Redchurch Street, Sclater Street and Ebor Street, cross to Brick Lane and finish on Hanbury Street.
Good to know
Sunday is the day to come: the Brick Lane Sunday market, which dates back to a 19th-century dispensation for the area's Jewish community, fills the streets around Cheshire Street with stalls and food. Look up as well as along: many pieces sit high on gable ends and shop shutters, and some of the best only show when the shops are closed.
30 minutes in the capsule, plus queueingBook ahead
Time your slot to reach the top of the 135-metre wheel in the last light, with Parliament across the river.
What it is
The wheel is 135 metres tall and a full rotation takes about 30 minutes. The Eye stands on the South Bank opposite the Houses of Parliament, and it pairs well with a walk across Westminster Bridge afterwards.
How to do it
For sunset, book a time slot that starts roughly half an hour before the sun goes down and you reach the top in the last light. Tickets are timed, and buying online is cheaper than at the desk, with standard tickets from £29; Fast Track tickets use a separate queue. The Eye is a short walk from Waterloo station.
Good to know
In busy periods expect a 20 to 30 minute wait even with a standard ticket. Opening hours change through the year, so check the closing time for your date before choosing a late slot.
Graze through Borough Market under the railway arches
Southwark, London
1 to 2 hoursFree
Come at 9:00 on a Saturday and eat your way through Borough Market's halls before the lunchtime crush.
What it is
Entry is free. The cheese, bread, oyster and hot food stalls are spread across several halls and lanes around Bedale Street and Stoney Street, and Southwark Cathedral sits right beside the market if you need somewhere quiet to eat.
How to do it
The market is closed on Mondays and opens Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00, with different hours over Christmas and bank holidays. Walk the whole market once before you buy. London Bridge station is a two-minute walk.
Good to know
Saturday is the only day it opens at 9:00, and that first hour is the time to shop and eat before the lunchtime crush; a weekday late morning is calmer.
Time needed
1 to 2 hours
Best time
Saturday at 9:00, the only day it opens before 10:00
Climb 528 steps to the Golden Gallery of St Paul's
London
Book ahead
Climb 528 steps through the Whispering Gallery and out into the open air, to the Golden Gallery at the top of the dome.
What it is
The climb is stairs only: 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery, 376 to the Stone Gallery outside and 528 in total to the Golden Gallery at the top of the dome. The ticket also covers the cathedral floor, the crypt and a multimedia guide.
How to do it
St Paul's opens for sightseeing from 8:30 Monday to Saturday, with last entry usually at 16:00; the dome galleries open at 9:30 and take last entry at 16:15. St Paul's Underground station is a minute's walk away.
Good to know
On Sundays the cathedral is for worship, although in some seasons the dome galleries also open on Sunday afternoons; check the cathedral's calendar before planning a Sunday climb. The cathedral advises against the climb if you have mobility problems or worry about heights or confined spaces.
Heathrow is linked to Paddington by the Heathrow Express, every 15 minutes in 15 minutes, and to central London by the slower and cheaper Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line. Gatwick, Stansted and Luton all have trains into the centre. Eurostar trains from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam arrive at St Pancras International, next to King's Cross, which is also where trains from the north of England and Scotland come in.
Getting around
Tap a contactless bank card or phone on the yellow readers to pay as you go on the Tube, buses, the DLR, the Elizabeth line, the Overground and the Uber Boat river services, and keep to the same card all day, because pay as you go fares are capped. A bus ride costs £1.75 in 2026, and that fare covers unlimited bus and tram journeys for an hour after you touch in. In the centre, walking often beats changing lines: Trafalgar Square to Leicester Square is a few minutes on foot.
How many days
In must30's view, four full days is the minimum: one for Westminster, Changing the Guard and the War Rooms, one for the South Kensington museums and a West End show, one for the City, St Paul's, the Tower and Tower Bridge with the South Bank, and one for Greenwich by river. Kew and Hampton Court sit far out to the south-west and each deserves its own day, which makes a week comfortable.
When to go
Late spring and early autumn are the best months for walking, and in June it stays light until after 21:00. Summer brings the longest queues at the paid sights and crowded museums at weekends. Winter is quieter and the free museums make wet days easy, but Kew and Hampton Court close in mid-afternoon. One change for this winter: the Royal Observatory in Greenwich closes on 2 November 2026 for refurbishment and is expected back in summer 2027.
Where to base yourself
The South Bank and Bankside put you on the river walk between Westminster and Tower Bridge, with Waterloo and London Bridge stations close by. Covent Garden, Soho and Bloomsbury are within walking distance of the West End theatres, the British Museum and Trafalgar Square. South Kensington is calmer, next to the museums and on the Piccadilly line to Heathrow. King's Cross is the practical choice if you arrive by Eurostar or plan day trips to Oxford, Cambridge or York.
Questions travellers ask
Which London museums are free?
The national museums and galleries are free for their permanent collections, among them the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern, the British Museum and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Some suggest a free timed ticket at busy times, which gets you in faster. Special exhibitions are paid.
Do I need to book the Sky Garden?
In practice, yes. Entry is free but works on timed tickets from the official website, bookable up to three weeks ahead, and weekend slots go first. Walk-ins are accepted only when there is space, and never after 17:00 on weekdays.
When is Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace?
In the autumn 2026 schedule the King's Guard changes at 11:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the ceremony lasts about 45 minutes. The Household Division publishes the calendar month by month on its website, and wet weather can cancel it on the morning itself. Watching is free.
Is the Royal Observatory in Greenwich open?
Not this winter. The Royal Observatory closes from 2 November 2026 for a refurbishment, and the Meridian Courtyard, with the Prime Meridian line, is due to reopen in summer 2027. The Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House are open daily, as is the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College.
How do I pay for the Tube?
Tap a contactless bank card or phone on the yellow reader when you enter and leave each station, and the fare is worked out and capped for the day. Use the same card throughout, and remember that each traveller needs their own card. It works the same way on buses and the river boats.
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