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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
London
London is a tube-and-walk city: book one timed entry, do two or three sights a day, take the tube between clusters, and cross roads looking right first.
London's sights are far apart and the crowds are constant, so the trips that go wrong try to cram Westminster, the museums, the City and a show into one day. Five walking clusters cover a first visit; the tube and the Elizabeth line move the bags. Book the Abbey or a big exhibition ahead, and leave the free museums for the afternoon.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Stay
- 2 days: Westminster morning + Bloomsbury and Covent Garden
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Contactless cards and phones work almost everywhere, including the tube and buses; some places are card-only. Keep a small amount of cash for markets.
- Daily spend
- Budget £40–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–130 excl. bed · High £130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a SIM in arrivals or a phone shop.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard, mountain rescue 999 · European emergency number 112 · NHS non-urgent medical advice 111 · Police non-emergency 101
- Plugs
- 230 V; British three-pin type G sockets. Bring an adapter.
- Tipping
- Check the bill: 12.5% service is often added in restaurants. Round up for taxis; not expected in pubs.
- Water
- Tap water is safe to drink; ask for tap water in restaurants.
- Toilets
- Stations, museums, cafés and shopping centres; a few charge a coin.
Get in
By air
- London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
- LGW to central London: one train to Victoria, about 30–40 minutes — the risk is the last train after a late landing and a rail strike day.
- London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
- LHR to central London: the Elizabeth line, about 35–40 minutes to Tottenham Court Road — the risk is not the ride but the last train and a long border queue on a late landing.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; tube, Elizabeth line or bus between clusters.
- Passes
- Tap in and out with the same contactless card: the daily cap makes a separate pass unnecessary for most visitors.
- Late at night
- The tube stops around midnight on most lines (some run all night on Fri–Sat); night buses run all night.
See and do
01British Museum
Free entry; do three galleries by theme, not the whole building; go at opening or late afternoon.
02Westminster Abbey
Book the first timed entry on the official site; go straight to the coronation chair and the Poets' Corner before the tour groups.
03National Gallery
Free entry to one of Europe's big painting collections: pick two rooms by era and leave; do it on a rainy afternoon.
04St Paul's Cathedral
Go on a weekday morning: the nave, the Whispering Gallery and the dome climb; closed to sightseeing on Sundays for services.
05Victoria and Albert MuseumV&A
Free design museum with a warm café: pick the fashion, jewellery or Medieval and Renaissance galleries and spend two hours; good for rain.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford | Train from Paddington, about 1 h | Full day |
| Windsor | Train from Paddington or Waterloo, about 1 h | Half or full day |
| Cambridge | Train from King's Cross, about 1 h | Full day |
| Brighton | Train from Victoria or London Bridge, about 1 h | Full day |
Eat
- Dishoom Covent Garden
- Bombay café dishes in a busy room: no bookings for small parties at peak times, so walk in at 17:30 or after 21:00.
- Gordon's Wine Bar
- A candlelit cellar wine bar by Embankment station: go before 18:00 or after 21:00 to avoid the queue; cash and cards.
Sleep
- Bloomsbury
- First-timers: a 15-minute walk to Covent Garden, the British Museum at the door, and King's Cross/St Pancras for trains; choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk and a lift.
- Victoria and Pimlico
- Quieter nights and a train hub for Gatwick; 20 minutes' walk to Westminster; many mid-range hotels with a 24-hour desk.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Helloheh-loh |
| Thank you | Cheerscheerz |
| The bill, please | Could we have the bill, please?kud wee hav the bil pleez |
| Which platform? | Which platform is it?which plat-form iz it |
| A pint, please | A pint, pleasea pynt pleez |
| Excuse me | Excuse meex-kyooz mee |
| To this address, please | To this address, pleasetoo this ad-dress pleez |
| I am vegetarian | I'm vegetarianime vej-eh-tair-ee-an |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Red lines
- Abbey and cathedral: quiet inside, covered shoulders.
- Stand on the right on escalators; walk on the left.
- Do not photograph the guards at the palaces or the police close up.
Scams and watch-outs
- Unlicensed minicab drivers offering rides at airports and stations: use the black-cab rank or an app.
- Street 'friendship bracelet' and petition tricks near tourist sights: walk on.
- Ticket touts outside theatres: buy from the box office or an official seller.
- Card-only tourist traps with high cover charges: check the menu before you sit.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Westminster at opening, a 13:00 lunch table
- 08:30parliament square
- Westminster Abbey
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Covent Garden)
- Afternoon: the National Gallery, then Soho and Covent Garden streets after 16:00.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Westminster at opening, a 13:00 lunch table
- 08:30parliament square
- Westminster Abbey
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (Covent Garden)
- Afternoon: the National Gallery, then Soho and Covent Garden streets after 16:00.
Day 2 — British Museum, the National Gallery and a Dishoom dinner
- 09:30British Museum
- National Gallery (optional)
- Dishoom Covent Garden
- Late: a glass at Gordon's Wine Bar near Embankment.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit London (official): www.visitlondon.com/
- UK government — ETA: www.gov.uk/eta
- Transport for London (official): tfl.gov.uk/
- Wikivoyage — London: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/London
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/london). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.