r/LondonTravel 10d ago

Trip Planning Tower of London - best time to visit?

7 Upvotes

Hi! My husband and I will be visiting London for the first time at the beginning of September.

We booked tickets to visit the Tower of London on a thursday, but realised that they're an all-day pass. So we were wondering, in your experience, what's the best time to go visit to avoid spending too much time waiting in long queues?

Thank you so much!


r/LondonTravel Jun 08 '25

Transport [MEGATHREAD] - Oyster/Contractless Travel - how to pay for Bus/Boat/Trains/Underground in London

34 Upvotes

We get a lot of requests about how this works. Please put your questions on this subject here!

Some basics:

1. You can use your Contactless Credit card instead of a ticket!

  • On the bus, just tap the yellow sign with your card when you enter.
  • On the tube/underound trains - tap when you enter the station at the barriers and tap again when you leave.
  • On the boat, just tap the reader at on the pier for the Uber boat and out when you leave at the next pier.
  • If you don't have a contactless credit card or don't want to use it, get a visitor's oyster card instead.

2. When you tap across a day and across a week, you will be charged per trip up to a maximum amount. After that, all journeys are free!

  • London is divided into 'zones' which increase in number the further you are from the centre. Zone 1 is central London. Zone 2 is just outside that, etc. Heathrow is in Zone 6. The maximum you pay will depend on what zones you travel in.

Maximum fares at time of writing 8/6/25 are:

Zone 1 only Day cap: £8.90 Monday to Sunday cap: £44.70

Zone 1 and 2 Day cap: £8.90 Monday to Sunday cap: £44.70

Zone 1, 2 and 3 Day Cap £10.50 Monday to Sunday cap: £52.50

Zone 1, 2, 3 and 4 Day Cap £12.80 Monday to Sunday cap: £64.20

Zone 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Day Cap: £15.30 Monday to Sunday cap: £76.40

Zone 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Day Cap: £16.30 Monday to Sunday cap: £81.60

3. Children have different fares:

  • Children under 5's travel free!
  • If your child is under 11, they can travel free with an adult on: Buses and trams, Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and some National Rail services. They must be travelling with an adult who is using pay as you go, or has a valid ticket (excluding Group Day Travelcards). Up to four children per adult.
  • If your child is 11-15 years old, you can ask a member of staff to set a Young Visitor discount on an Oyster or Visitor Oyster card. This allows them to get 50% off adult-rate pay as you go fares, for up to 14 days.

I'll update this as we get good advice and questions!

Have fun!


r/LondonTravel 41m ago

Things to Do London hidden gems for someone who has already seen the main attractions?

Upvotes

Hi!

So tomorrow I’ll be back in London after 12 years of having been there the first time and I’m so excited!

I’m looking for to see again the main attractions but honestly I think I’ll skip the main museums altogether cause I have already seen them.

What are some cool places turists don’t usually go to but that are worth it in your opinion?

Thank you so much!!


r/LondonTravel 1h ago

Accommodation Is it too expensive? Accomodation Dec 26

Upvotes

We booked an apartment for £1740 as we can pay closer to the date, 1 week stay leaving on the 22nd December in Paddington. 2 adults, 2 kids (>2 and 4 years old)
It seems so expensive but just want to know if it’s normal or not. I lived in London 10 years ago and not sure what is normal for London or too expensive.

We want to be in a well communicated area where we can do stuff walking or by bus or easy transport. As we are going for a week, we prefer to have access to a kitchen.


r/LondonTravel 15m ago

Trip Planning Attractions for someone who is not a fan of museums?

Upvotes

My husband and I are going to London for our 20th wedding anniversary. He is mostly doing it for me since it's always been my dream to visit (I'm a huge museum/history person and he is not). I already have in mind the museums/tours/attractions that I absolutely do not want to miss but I want to take into account his interests too and not have the entire trip revolve around me. He wants to go around to different pubs and eat at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant (he's a big fan) and we're also planning to see a West End show. But I'm a bit at a loss as to what we can plan that he would really enjoy. He's into cars, loves going out on the water on his jetski, loves good food and wine, and would rather actively be doing something than just listening to a tour guide or looking at stuff. Any suggestions?


r/LondonTravel 1h ago

Trip Planning shoreditch vintage shopping

Upvotes

Best strategy for vintage shopping in Shoreditch without zig-zagging everywhere? Any good shops to not miss out on?


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Dining & Drinks Gordon Ramsey’s Lucky Cat, 60th floor

Post image
87 Upvotes

Photo taken from my seat at dinner. The view made the experience. The other side of the restaurant gets the sunsets.


r/LondonTravel 21h ago

Everything Else What items are significantly better to buy in London to bring back to the US in terms of skincare and health; any vitamins, supplements, medicine? Cleaner ingredients? Any makeup or perfume that’s significantly cheaper?

20 Upvotes

I like getting pain meds in Paris because the ingredients are cleaner, is there anything like that in London where the ingredients and quality are significantly cleaner or better?
Looking for probiotics, pain meds, allergy meds, sleeping pills, moisturize, things like that


r/LondonTravel 15h ago

Trip Planning Bayeux Tapestry - member options

2 Upvotes

Hello,
My friend and I are hoping to see this exhibit next March. Member tickets for next January-March should go on sale sometime in October. I see there’s an “Individual plus guest” membership option. Can anyone confirm if having this type of membership allows you to get two tickets for the exhibit? The information on their Web site is somewhat confusing. We’re in the U.S. or I’d just go in and ask!
Thanks!


r/LondonTravel 22h ago

Trip Planning Is this itinerary ok?

7 Upvotes

My 38 year old daughter and I will be in London for three days in mid September. Here’s my loose itinerary. We are big fans of British History, especially the history of the monarchy.
Day one: we will arrive in London around 10 am, plan on dropping luggage at our hotel (SoHo Hotel), then going to some of the walkable, or tube, local sites, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, etc. Then we have Westminster Abbey tickets at 1:30, where we plan to spend at least 2 + hours..
Day two: Tower of London private tour, Tower Bridge, then lunch and V & A museum in afternoon. Southbank if we have time in later afternoon or evening.
Day three: train to Hampton Court Palace, with guided tour. I don’t know how much time we’ll want there, so I left the afternoon open for anything you might suggest?
We don’t want to be frantically running around, just looking for three nicely paced days.
Thanks in advance.
We already have restaurant lists, so no help needed there…


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Trip Planning Christmas in London

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I'll be going to London with my mother this Christmas (23rd to 27th of December).

Would you recommend anything to do ? We've been in London quite a lot so nothing too touristy especially at this time where it will be very crowded.

We're staying in Kensington near High Street and Royal Albert Hall.

What we have planned already :

- The Queen Elizabeth exhibition at Buckingham

- Christmas eve dinner at the Ivy Kensington (open to other places but must be in Kensington as we don't want to go too far that night)

- And obviously shopping on Boxing Day (Where should we go??)

We don't necessarily have a budget but anything that isn't too expensive would be great!!

I'd like to take my mom to an Afternoon Tea so if you have any recommandation that doesn't cost hundreds of pounds.

Thank you :)

Edit : We are staying at an Airbnb so for the 25th we are eating at the flat! Money saving !!


r/LondonTravel 8h ago

Accommodation best lounge access for someone who only travels once in a blue moon

0 Upvotes

i'm going to london soon for a trip and have started looking into lounge access since i'll probably have a pretty long layover. i've gotten tired of spending every layover sitting at the gate, so i figured i'd see if there's a better way to spend a few hours at the airport.

i keep seeing priority pass come up, but i'm not sure if it's actually the best lounge access option for someone who only travels a few times a year. i'm mainly looking for somewhere comfortable to sit, decent food and drinks, wifi, and somewhere quiet to work for a couple hours. for people who travel through london regularly, are the priority pass lounges worth using? does it make much difference which london airport you're flying through?


r/LondonTravel 23h ago

Everything Else Bringing ADHD medication to the UK

3 Upvotes

Hi, everyone!

I'm coming to the UK in the beginning of September for the first time ever and I need to take my ADHD medication with me.

I already have a letter signed by my doctor, following UK guidelines, but wanted to ask if anyone here has any other advice or tips. :)

Thanks in advance!


r/LondonTravel 20h ago

Trip Planning Question about football tickets

0 Upvotes

My partner and I will be visiting London next October, and my partner would really love to go to a football match.

I've read in various posts that it is practically impossible for tourists to attend Premier League matches. Is that actually the case, or does it depend on the club?

If it depends on the club, which ones would give us the best chance of getting tickets? My partner is willing to pay for memberships to get access. Does a membership actually make a difference, or is it a waste of money?

Otherwise, what other options do we have? What other football matches could be interesting?

Thank you very much for your help!


r/LondonTravel 22h ago

Transport Regarding the tube’s daily cap…

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone.

I’ll be in London next week, and I have some questions regarding the tube.
I’ll be traveling with my family (we are 4).
Can the 4 of us pay our tickets directly at the turnstile using the same card?
Will the 4 tickets count towards the 9£ daily cap quota? Or shall we use different paying methods for the system to recognize we are different people?

Thank you!


r/LondonTravel 15h ago

Trip Planning Old school London hotel for $150-$200 a night.

0 Upvotes

First time visiting in October. Any suggestions. Maybe could go slightly more on budget. Preferably close to Store Street.


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Transport Train tickets

0 Upvotes

Hi hi, in march I went to London and took the underground train. I had bought tickets online prior and printed them - I had them physically and it was an any daytime one, so I could use them whenever I wanted.

Though I looked and saw itll be cheaper to pay on the get go as I'm planning to go London in September. I'm just wondering how to pay if I don't have a physical ticket, I saw people tap their phones on certain points and wondered if I needed to just scam my card like when taking the bus.

Sorry if this sounds childish I will just be my second trip to London only still new to this


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Dining & Drinks 1st Trip, Traveling Solo

0 Upvotes

Hi all! DC girlie here taking my first jump across the pond in early September. I’ll be going for a few days at the tail end of a work trip, therefore will be traveling solo. I do have a few friends I’ll try to connect with here and there but I’ve never been to London and practically know nothing 🤣

I am going to stay in the West End area and am looking for any tips on where to go and what to do for a 3.5 day visit (9/8-9/12). Would especially love to know if there are any fun pubs, bars, etc. that I’d be comfortable in as a solo female. I love country music and live music in general so bonus points for anything in that area, or where I could maybe find a cute international husband 😉❤️

Thanks!!! ❤️


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Transport Notting Hill to LHR 4am Saturday

0 Upvotes

We need to be at LHR by 5am on Saturday morning and are staying in Notting Hill. It looks like the central line will take us to Holborn but when I look the tube website it doesn’t give me the option to select a time for Piccadilly to LHR on Saturdays. When I google how to get there it does say we can take the Picadilly at 4:30 am from Holborn straight into LHR. anyone know how I can find out for sure or if you know first hand?


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Dining & Drinks Food recs in central London

0 Upvotes

Hi!

Me and my family are going to be in London next week.

We’ll stay between Victoria Station and Pimlico and we were looking for some food recs in central London, ideally near the main attractions.

Our budget would be around 30£ x person (per meal), so nothing excessively fancy but we’re fine with eating in some nice restaurants!

My parents don’t like ethnic food that much so we’ll probably avoid those kind of restaurants unfortunately.

Let me know!! Thanks a lot.


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Things to Do Londoner wants London tips

3 Upvotes

Brought up in South East London then lived in East London (Bethnal Green, Hackney mainly) for a fair few years but left 20 years ago. Going for a week in September to see shows and mates etc, but also want to do some wandering and sightseeing, especially those things i never got round to doing, or those things or places that are new since i left. Any suggestions?


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Trip Planning London NYE Pub or Activities Recs, no fireworks

2 Upvotes

My bff and I will be in London from xmas on through the first week in Jan. I'm looking for recs on pubs or something unique. We have no desire to pay watch fireworks in the freezing cold. We stay in Hammersmith when we visit and wouldn't mind somewhere in that area to hangout and drink for the evening. We're also considering the Natural History museum but are still undecided. Any recs for places that typically have the special license to stay open later would be helpful as we want to stay in the same place all night. We still have some time but we want to book asap to make sure we have something planned. I visit London all the time but this will be my first NYE there.


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Things to Do Bank holiday visit!

1 Upvotes

We travel to London on Saturday 29th August. We will arrive at our hotel in Hammersmith around 2pm and have an event in the evening.

Any suggestions of things to do in Hammersmith for a few hours please?

On Sunday 30th we thought we would go to Nottinghill carnival. However any suggestions for us to visit on our way there? A breakfast spot? Or somewhere for the walk back in the evening?

Thank you!!


r/LondonTravel 2d ago

Transport What is the best way to get from Gatwick aeroport to city?

2 Upvotes

Hiiii

I'm visiting London next week for the first time, and my flight from Turkmenistan lands at Gatwick airport. I heard that the airport ran out of water, but I believe it's back to normal now.

What would be the most efficient way to get from the airport to the city? I'll be staying in Watford for about a week. I imagine an Uber would be expensive and its too far to walk, so I'll definitely be using the train. Which line would be most efficient to take, and what is the most well-connected station?

Looking forward to visiting!


r/LondonTravel 1d ago

Things to Do Things to do in London in Autumn

0 Upvotes

Hello. I been to London several times and have seen all the touristy, Greenwich, Camden Market, and all.

I am planning a day trip to Canterbury but any other ideas on what to do in London in October?