A first visit to London

The short version

If you read nothing else: sort these before you land and the rest of the trip looks after itself.

• Check whether you need a visa or an ETA at gov.uk, not through a third party.
• Bring a contactless bank card you know the PIN for. That is your Tube ticket.
• Save your hotel's full address and postcode offline.
• Check your phone plan actually includes the UK; "European roaming" often does not.
• Book the big free museums anyway - the British Museum and the National Gallery ask you to.
• Pick your airport train by where you are staying, not by which is fastest to "central London".
• Keep your phone in your hand, not held out at the kerb.
• Pack a light waterproof and shoes you can walk five miles in.

Before you arrive

Check your entry requirements

Whether you need a visa, an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or neither depends on your nationality and immigration status. Use the UK government's entry requirements checker rather than assuming that permission to visit another European country also covers the UK. gov.uk

Many visitors who do not need a visa still need an ETA before travelling. It currently costs £20. Apply through the official government ETA service, not an intermediary charging a fee on top, and arrange it before setting off for the airport. An ETA is permission to travel, not a guarantee of admission. gov.uk

Keep your accommodation address, booking confirmation and onward travel details somewhere you can read them offline. Save the full address and postcode, not just the hotel name: similarly named properties can be in very different parts of the city.

Choose accommodation by journey, not by distance

Before booking, check the journey from the property to several of the places you expect to visit. A hotel beside a useful rail line will often suit you better than one that looks closer on a map but needs awkward changes.

Check the route from your arrival airport too, especially with luggage or a late landing. Compare the total cost of the stay including transport, rather than the room rate alone.

Time and seasons

London is on Greenwich Mean Time in winter and one hour ahead of it, British Summer Time, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In midsummer it is light until after nine; in December it is dark by four.

Money, cards and cash machines

Currency

The currency is pound sterling, written £ or GBP, with 100 pence in a pound. Euros and US dollars are not widely accepted.

Bank of England notes come in £5, £10, £20 and £50. Current notes are polymer, and notes carrying either Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles III circulate alongside each other. bankofengland.co.uk

How much cash to carry

Plan to pay mainly by card, with a modest amount of cash as a backup rather than a holiday cash budget. Bring a physical card and know its PIN even if you normally pay with a phone or watch, and keep a second payment method somewhere separate.

Before travelling, check your bank's charges for foreign purchases and withdrawals. A card that works abroad is not the same as a card that is free to use abroad.

When a payment terminal offers a choice, choose GBP rather than your home currency. Choosing your home currency lets the merchant's conversion service set the exchange rate, usually to your cost. Paying in pounds leaves the conversion to your card issuer, which may still charge its own foreign transaction fee. visa.co.uk

ATMs and cashpoints

ATMs are also called cash machines or cashpoints. The LINK cash locator finds one and tells you whether it is free to use or charging. Prefer a machine in or attached to a bank, or somewhere well lit; cover your PIN and decline any unsolicited help. link.co.uk

There can be several separate costs: a charge from the machine, a withdrawal fee from your bank, and currency conversion. A machine described as "free to use" does not necessarily mean an overseas card can withdraw without any charge at all. Read the screen before confirming. link.co.uk

As with purchases, withdraw in GBP without the machine's own conversion. If you exchange cash elsewhere, compare the final amount you would receive: "commission-free" says nothing about whether the rate is any good. visa.co.uk

Getting around London

Understanding the network

The Underground, always called the Tube, is only part of the network. You will also use the Elizabeth line, the London Overground, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), buses and National Rail trains, and a useful journey often combines several of them. Do not plan around the Tube alone. tfl.gov.uk

The TfL journey planner and the TfL Go app give routes and live service information. Enter your actual destination address rather than guessing the nearest station, and check again on the day: engineering work at weekends can change your route. tfl.gov.uk

Compare walking with public transport for short journeys. Getting down to a platform, waiting and changing can make a short-looking Tube trip slower than the walk. Central London is more compact than the Tube map suggests - Leicester Square to Covent Garden is four minutes on foot and two stations by train.

Santander Cycles are the hire bikes docked on street corners across central London. You pay by card at the dock or through the app, by the half hour; there is no need to register in advance.

Contactless or Oyster?

For most adults on a short visit, a contactless bank card or a phone wallet is the simplest way to pay. You do not need to buy a separate travel card before making ordinary pay-as-you-go journeys. Most overseas contactless cards work, though your bank may charge a foreign transaction fee on each day's total. tfl.gov.uk

Oyster is TfL's reusable travel smartcard: you load credit onto it and fares are deducted as you travel. It is useful when your bank card is unsuitable, when you want a separate travel budget, or when you qualify for a discount that cannot be applied to a bank card. tfl.gov.uk

A standard Oyster card currently costs £10.50, plus travel credit, and the card fee is not refunded. They are sold at every Tube station, most Overground and Elizabeth line stations, and at Oyster Ticket Stops in shops. tfl.gov.uk

A Visitor Oyster card can be bought before you travel, but it is not compulsory for tourists. Do not order one because the name suggests visitors need a special version of the system. tfl.gov.uk

The rules that matter

On the Tube, Elizabeth line, Overground, DLR and most National Rail services in London, touch in at the start and touch out at the end, even when the gates are open. At stations without barriers, look for a standalone yellow reader. On buses and trams, touch in only. tfl.gov.uk

Use the same card or device for the whole of a journey and for the whole of a day. Your physical card, the same card in your phone and the same card in your watch count as three separate payment methods. Touching in with one and out with another gives you two incomplete journeys instead of one fare. nationalrail.co.uk

Everyone paying a fare needs their own card, device or ticket; one card cannot be tapped again for the next person. Take the card out of your wallet so another card is not read by mistake, and keep your phone charged if the phone is your ticket. nationalrail.co.uk

If you have bought a separate train ticket, use that ticket at the barriers rather than also touching a bank card.

Fares and daily caps

Fares depend on the zones you travel through and, on some routes, the time of day. Zone 1 is the centre; the numbers rise outwards.

With pay as you go, capping limits what you spend in a day within a set of zones. You pay for the journeys you make until you reach the cap and nothing after that; the cap is not a charge in itself. Current adult examples are £8.90 for Zones 1-2 and £16.30 for Zones 1-6. tfl.gov.uk

The fare day runs from 04:30 to 04:29 the following morning. Weekly capping runs Monday to Sunday, not for seven days from whenever you arrive. Airport journeys and premium services are separate: "contactless accepted" does not mean a journey is inside the central cap. Check TfL's capping page against your own pattern. tfl.gov.uk

For a longer stay spanning two fare weeks, compare pay as you go with a seven-day Travelcard, which can start on any day. Do not buy a pass before you have thought about how much you will actually travel. tfl.gov.uk

Buses

Buses are good for getting around and better for understanding how the neighbourhoods fit together, and they spare you stairs and long interchanges.

London buses are cashless. The adult fare is £1.75, with a £5.25 daily cap for bus and tram travel on its own. The Hopper fare lets you take further buses or trams within an hour of your first touch-in at no extra charge. Use the same card or device and touch in every time you board. tfl.gov.uk

Check the destination on the front, put your arm out clearly as the bus approaches, and press the bell before the stop you want.

Travelling with children

Children under 11 travel free on buses and trams, and a fare-paying adult can take up to four under-11s free on the Tube, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line. National Rail and journeys further out can have different rules, so do not assume the airport train is free for them. tfl.gov.uk

For children aged 11-15, ask station staff about the Young Visitor discount on an Oyster or Visitor Oyster card: half the adult pay-as-you-go fares and caps for up to 14 days. Bring the child with you when you set it up. Using an ordinary bank card for a child charges adult fares. tfl.gov.uk

Late nights and step-free travel

The network does not run all night. The Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines, with limits on some branches. Check the whole of your late journey home, including the last connection, not just the first train. tfl.gov.uk

For step-free travel, use TfL's accessibility filters and check that the lifts are working that day. Step-free from street to platform is not the same as step-free onto the train - there may still be a gap, a step or a ramp. This matters for wheelchair users, and it catches pushchairs and heavy luggage too. tfl.gov.uk

Let people off before you board, stand on the right on escalators, keep luggage out of the passageways, and give up a priority seat to anyone who needs it.

Airports: choosing the right transfer

Choose your transfer by where you are staying, not by the advertised speed to "central London". Arriving at a terminus quickly is no help if you then face a complicated journey with luggage.

The times below are train times, not aircraft-to-hotel times. Allow separately for immigration, baggage, waiting and the last leg.

Heathrow - LHR

Three rail options. The Piccadilly line is the cheap one, about 50 minutes to the centre. The Elizabeth line runs to Paddington and on through central London, which can save a change. Check the route to your own address before paying for an express. heathrow.com

The Heathrow Express reaches Paddington in about 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3. Unless you are heading for somewhere near Paddington it may not be the fastest way to your door. It takes Oyster and contactless but charges its own premium fares, outside the ordinary zones and Travelcards - accepting an Oyster card does not make it a Tube fare. heathrowexpress.com

Follow the signs for the right service and terminal. Heathrow's rail page sets out all of it. heathrow.com

Gatwick - LGW

Thameslink serves London Bridge, Blackfriars and St Pancras. Southern and the Gatwick Express serve Victoria. Pick the London station nearest your accommodation rather than assuming the Express is the right train.

Oyster and contactless are accepted, but the fares differ and the Express is the premium option. Gatwick is outside the central zones. The station is at the South Terminal, with a free shuttle to the North. Gatwick's train page has the detail. gatwickairport.com

Stansted - STN

The Stansted Express runs to Liverpool Street; Tottenham Hale on the way is the change for the Victoria line.

Contactless is accepted; Oyster is not. Advance or promotional tickets can be cheaper than touching in, so compare on the Stansted Express site, and look at ticket validity and the early and late services. stanstedexpress.com

Luton - LTN

Trains run between London and Luton Airport Parkway, where you change to the Luton DART shuttle for the terminal. London stops include St Pancras and other Thameslink stations.

Contactless works for the mainline to Parkway; Oyster does not. The DART is a separate fare unless your ticket includes it: when buying a through ticket choose "Luton Airport", not "Luton Airport Parkway". lutonairportexpress.co.uk

The DART runs round the clock; the mainline trains do not. Check both halves of the journey. lutondart.com

London City - LCY

The airport has its own DLR station, about 21 minutes to Bank. Oyster and contactless are accepted, and for most destinations the DLR and a connecting train beat a taxi. londoncityairport.com

Southend - SEN

Greater Anglia trains run to Stratford and Liverpool Street, about an hour to the latter.

Contactless is accepted; Oyster is not. Contactless reached Southend and Stansted in March 2026, so older advice that neither takes bank cards is out of date. Check Greater Anglia's airport page before you travel. greateranglia.co.uk

Coaches and overnight arrivals

Airport coaches are worth comparing with the train for a very early departure or a late arrival. National Express runs airport and intercity services; check the exact London stop, the luggage allowance and the timetable before booking. nationalexpress.com

Allow a generous buffer by road, and be wary of booking a train or coach with a fixed departure too soon after your flight lands.

Train terminals and journeys beyond London

London has several major railway terminals, not one central station, and your destination decides which one you need.

King's Cross and St Pancras are next door to each other and are separate stations. They share an Underground station name, which is not proof that they are one terminal; allow time to find the right concourse. eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

Victoria Coach Station is a separate building from Victoria railway and Underground station, a few minutes' walk away. Follow the signs for the coach station, not for "Victoria". tfl.gov.uk

A rail ticket marked "London Terminals" does not let you use any London station or travel across the city. It is a validity grouping, and which terminals it covers depends on your route. National Rail explains it. nationalrail.co.uk

Buying tickets

For journeys beyond the contactless area, buy a valid ticket before boarding. Advance tickets tie you to one particular train; Off-Peak and Anytime carry different restrictions. A cheaper ticket does not mean any departure or any operator. nationalrail.co.uk

Contactless reaches beyond London on some routes but nothing like all of them. Check that both your starting station and your destination accept it. For children, groups and Railcard holders, a paper ticket may be cheaper than an undiscounted contactless fare. nationalrail.co.uk

Eurostar

Eurostar leaves from St Pancras International, not Waterloo. There are passport and luggage checks before boarding, so it is not a train to arrive at with minutes to spare.

Eurostar currently asks Standard and Plus passengers to arrive 75 minutes before departure at St Pancras, but the time printed on your ticket takes precedence. Read Eurostar's arrival guidance, especially if you need assistance. eurostar.com

Taxis and ride-hailing

Black cabs

London's licensed taxis are called black cabs, though not all of them are black. They can be hailed in the street when the orange light is on, taken from a rank or booked.

They are metered, wheelchair accessible, and must take card and contactless without a surcharge. For a longer trip, ask what the fare and journey time are likely to be before setting off. tfl.gov.uk

Private hire and apps

Uber and Bolt operate in London, and Freenow books black cabs. Compare the vehicle, the quoted price, the luggage space and the pick-up point rather than assuming the apps are interchangeable. uber.com

Private-hire cars, usually called minicabs, must be booked in advance through a licensed operator or app. A driver who approaches you in the street cannot lawfully take you. Before you get in, check the registration and the driver's details against your booking; at airports, use the official ranks or your operator's designated pick-up point. tfl.gov.uk

For a pedicab, agree the whole price before getting in, and whether it is per person, per journey or by time. It is not a metered taxi. tfl.gov.uk

Should you hire a car?

For a London holiday, no. Parking, traffic, the Congestion Charge and the Ultra Low Emission Zone all add cost and complication that public transport avoids. Anyone who does drive should check the vehicle and the route on TfL's driving pages first. tfl.gov.uk

Mobile data, roaming and SIM cards

Check your roaming before you leave

Do not assume a plan with "European roaming" covers the UK. The UK is outside the EU's roam-like-at-home rules, and although some providers include it anyway, many do not. Check the country list, the data allowance, the fair-use terms and the charges for calls as well as data. europa.eu

If your existing plan does include a sensible UK allowance, using it is simpler than buying anything.

Local SIM or travel eSIM?

A UK pay-as-you-go SIM or short bundle makes sense for a longer stay or heavy data use. As one reference point, giffgaff currently sells a £10 one-month plan with 15GB, which shows a contract is not needed. Compare allowances and check what renews automatically. giffgaff.com

An eSIM installs digitally on a compatible, unlocked phone; a physical SIM is the alternative. Before buying, check compatibility, when the plan starts, whether tethering is allowed, and whether it includes calls and texts or is data-only. Data-only is fine for maps and messaging and will not give you a UK number. support.apple.com

On a dual-SIM phone, choose which line carries data and check the home SIM's roaming setting. Keeping your home number reachable for verification texts is not the same as letting it use roaming data. Some travel eSIMs need roaming switched on for the travel line itself; follow the provider's instructions. support.apple.com

Save addresses and tickets offline, and carry a power bank when the phone is also your map, your wallet and your train ticket.

Safety and getting help

Phones and belongings

Treat your phone with the same care as your wallet. Phone snatching, often from bicycles and mopeds, has been a real problem in recent years, and the Metropolitan Police warn about it. Do not stand at the kerb with your phone held out; step back from the road before you look at the map. met.police.uk

Keep bags closed and in sight in crowds and busy cafes, and do not leave a phone on an outside table. Set a strong screen lock and turn on the device's find-and-lock features before you travel. If a phone is snatched, your safety comes first; then lock the accounts. met.police.uk

At night, know your route home before you leave, stay on lit streets, and take a licensed taxi or a properly booked minicab when that is the more comfortable choice.

Crossing the road

Traffic drives on the left, but "look right" is not a complete rule. One-way streets, cycle lanes and bus lanes all produce traffic from unexpected directions. Look both ways, use the crossings, and keep looking as you cross. gov.uk

Emergency numbers

The 61016 text service is for the railways, not for buses. If a short number does not work from an overseas SIM, ask staff or use the alternative number. btp.police.uk

Healthcare and travel insurance

For a minor illness or a question about over-the-counter medicine, a pharmacy is the right first stop. For urgent advice when you are not sure what you need, use NHS 111. Call 999 for anything life-threatening. eastamb.nhs.uk

The NHS is not automatically free for overseas visitors. Treatment in an accident and emergency department is generally exempt from charges, but admission to hospital and any treatment after that may be charged unless an exemption applies. Walking in through A&E does not make the whole course of treatment free. guysandstthomas.nhs.uk

Bring travel insurance and any healthcare entitlement you hold. An EHIC or another reciprocal arrangement may cover eligible visitors for some care, but it does not replace insurance for repatriation and the rest. The NHS page for visitors from abroad has the current position. nhs.uk

Bring enough of any regular medication for the trip, keep it in its labelled packaging, and carry a copy of the prescription.

Eating, drinking and everyday etiquette

Tipping and service charges

Read the bill before adding anything. A service charge may already be on it; where it is described as discretionary it is optional and you can ask for it to be taken off. There is no need to add a second tip because the card terminal offers one. gov.uk

Where no service charge is included, 10-15% is a reasonable thank-you for good table service - a courtesy, not an obligation. Nobody tips a percentage on a coffee or a counter order.

Ask for the bill when you want it; it will not come unasked. In a pub, order and pay at the bar unless a sign or the staff say otherwise. You must be 18 to buy alcohol, and staff will ask anyone who looks under 25 for identification, so carry some.

Tap water

London's tap water is safe and tastes fine. Ask for tap water in any restaurant if you do not want to buy bottled, and carry a bottle to refill. The only exception is a tap with a sign saying it is not for drinking. thameswater.co.uk

Allergies and dietary requirements

Tell the staff about an allergy before ordering, even when the menu looks clear. Food businesses must give information about specified allergens, but a symbol on a menu does not answer every question about preparation. Say what you need and ask them to check rather than guess. gov.uk

For any restaurant booking, read the cancellation policy and cancel promptly if plans change. Small places holding a table for you feel a no-show.

Toilets, luggage, plugs and other useful details

Toilets

The major stations run by Network Rail have free toilets. Elsewhere it varies, and a toilet marked on a transport map may be inside the barriers or open only at certain hours. TfL's station maps show where they are. networkrail.co.uk

Build a stop into every museum, cafe and station visit rather than expecting a public toilet wherever you happen to be. Museums and department stores are the reliable ones.

Luggage

Ask your accommodation whether it will hold bags before check-in and after check-out. Some big stations have staffed left-luggage counters; check the hours, the price and what you need to collect. Euston, for one, lists a left-luggage service on its station page. networkrail.co.uk

Check an attraction's bag policy before turning up with a suitcase. The National Gallery, for example, publishes limits on what can be brought in. nationalgallery.org.uk

Plugs and voltage

The UK uses Type G three-pin plugs at 230 volts, 50Hz. A travel adaptor changes the shape of the plug; it does not change the voltage. Check the input rating on chargers and appliances, particularly anything from a country on a lower supply. electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk

Weather and clothing

Pack comfortable walking shoes, layers and a light waterproof. Check the Met Office forecast for London just before you travel and again during the stay, rather than packing for the permanent drizzle of reputation. weather.metoffice.gov.uk

Sundays and public holidays

Large shops in England have restricted Sunday hours - six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm - with exceptions for some premises; small shops have different rules. Do not leave an essential purchase to Sunday evening without checking. gov.uk

On Christmas Day almost everything shuts, including public transport. For Easter and the other bank holidays, check the transport timetable and each venue's hours for that specific date.

Shopping and tax

Prices include VAT where it applies. There is no general VAT refund for goods bought in London and carried home in your luggage. A shop may offer a different arrangement for goods shipped directly abroad, but do not budget for a refund at the airport on ordinary holiday shopping. gov.uk

Booking attractions and making the most of your time

Free entry may still mean booking

The big collections are free - the British Museum and the National Gallery among them - but special exhibitions carry a charge, and both recommend booking a free ticket for general admission. Check the venue's own site; "free" does not mean "turn up whenever". britishmuseum.org

Book through the attraction, the theatre or an official box office wherever you can, and know what you are buying: general admission, an exhibition, a guided tour and a reseller's package are different things. For theatre, book with the theatre itself or the show's own site; the official TKTS booth in Leicester Square sells discounted same-week seats.

Before paying for a sightseeing pass, list the attractions you genuinely intend to visit and compare their direct prices with the pass, counting opening days, booking requirements and the time to get between them. A saving on paper is no use if achieving it means a rushed week.

Plan by area, not by checklist

Choose one or two substantial things for a day and leave room for what is around them. The neighbourhoods on this site are built for exactly that: pick a neighbourhood and see what else is within a few streets. Check the walk between stops and allow time for meals, queues and the unplanned.

Above all, do not turn every day into a sequence of timed appointments. The practical arrangements are there to support the visit, not to become it. Sort out how you will pay, know your route home, book the things that matter - and then leave yourself time to sit on a bench, watch the city go past, and understand it a little.