9.9Exceptional1,459 reviews
- Breakfast included
- Parking
- Gym
England · United Kingdom
London
London does not have a centre so much as a dozen competing ones. The great museums are free, the parks are enormous, and the food is now genuinely world-class.
Stays from €155 a night
The place
What London is actually like
London grew by swallowing villages, and it shows: Hampstead, Greenwich, Richmond and Spitalfields still feel like separate places with separate characters. This is why the city rewards picking a base and radiating out rather than trying to do a linear itinerary.
The national museums — the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tates, the V&A, the Natural History Museum — are all free to enter, which is unusual among major capitals and quietly transforms what a rainy day costs.
Eating in London has changed beyond recognition since the 2010s. The city's strength is breadth rather than a single tradition: Sichuan in Soho, Nigerian in Peckham, Bangladeshi in Whitechapel, and a generation of small British restaurants doing serious things with unfashionable ingredients.
Timing
When to visit
Honest seasonality — including the months we would not recommend.
- Busiest
May – Jun
Best overall
Long evenings, parks at their peak, and the weather is as good as it gets.
- Busiest
Jul – Aug
Peak and busy
Warmest and most crowded. Hotel rates climb sharply through August.
- Balanced
Sep – Oct
Quietly excellent
Mild, less crowded, and the cultural season restarts in September.
- Quietest
Nov – Mar
Dark but cheap
Sunset before 4pm in December. Best hotel value and the museums are empty.
Neighbourhoods
Where to stay in London
Each area suits a different trip. Pick the one that matches yours.
South Bank
Riverside walk, Tate Modern, and every theatre within reach
- Culture
- First visits
- Views
Shoreditch
The city's best independent food and drink, and the liveliest nights
- Nightlife
- Food
- Design hotels
Marylebone
Village high street in Zone 1 — calm, central and genuinely lovely
- Couples
- Shopping
- Quiet
Kensington
Museums on the doorstep, Hyde Park at the end of the road
- Families
- Luxury
- Green space
Stays
Popular hotels in London
Live prices from our accommodation partners for a sample three-night stay.
Things to do
What to do in London
- The British Museum early, entering by the Montague Place door to skip the main queue
- Walk Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden, then on to Victoria Park
- Borough Market on a weekday morning, before the weekend crush
- Sir John Soane's Museum — free, tiny, and the strangest house in London
- A play at the National or the Bridge, booked from the day-seat release
- Hampstead Heath and the view from Parliament Hill
Eating and drinking
- A proper Sunday roast in a pub with a fire, booked in advance
- Salt beef bagel on Brick Lane at an unreasonable hour
- Sichuan or Cantonese in Chinatown, then dessert somewhere in Soho
- Modern British small plates — St. John's influence is now everywhere
Book ahead
Tours, tickets and day trips
Practicalities
Things worth knowing
Tap in with a contactless card
No Oyster card needed. Contactless and phone payments cap automatically at the best daily fare.
The big museums are free but ticketed
Entry costs nothing, but timed slots are still worth reserving for the British Museum and the V&A in summer.
Book theatre through the venue
Day seats and returns released each morning by the theatre itself beat every resale site.
Zone 1 hotels are small
A central London double is often under 15 m². Filter by room size if that matters.
Orientation
London at a glance
Questions
London FAQ
How many days should I spend in London?
Four nights covers the major museums and two or three neighbourhoods. London easily absorbs a week without repeating itself.
Which London airport is best?
Heathrow has the widest network and the Elizabeth line reaches the centre in about 35 minutes. London City is fastest for short-haul business routes; Stansted and Luton are cheapest and furthest.
Is London expensive?
Hotels and transport are, food and culture need not be. The free national museums and the enormous parks mean a very good day can cost almost nothing.
Do I need to tip?
A discretionary service charge of 12.5% is usually added in restaurants — check the bill before adding more. Tipping is not expected in pubs or taxis.
Elsewhere
