This blog post is about London travel tips.
London is one of the world’s best cities in my opinion, with a perfect mix of royal history, modern architecture, and amazing culture!
It’s high on a lot of people’s bucket lists, and once you’ll visit, you’ll totally understand why!
Though for first-time visitors, London can also feel overwhelming, expensive, and confusing, AT FIRST. Though it doesn’t have to be!
This blog post covers 27 London travel tips you need to know before your trip, that will help you navigate the city easily, save money, and experience the best of what London has to offer!
Whether you’re visiting for a weekend, a few days, or even longer than that – here are practical London travel tips that will help you travel smarter and smoother, and to truly enjoy this amazing city.
Let’s get started!
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London Travel Tips
Table of Contents
What to know before traveling to London?
Here are the TOP 5 London travel tips from this post you must know:
- Book Accommodation in Advance.
- Skip the Paper Ticket/Day Travelcard.
- You DON’T HAVE TO Stay at The City Center
- Group Activities. Geographically
- Get CHEAP West End Show Tickets.
Getting Around in London Travel Tips:
1. Use Contactless Payment or Mobile Pay
The easiest and cheapest way to pay for all types of transportation in London is to use contactless payment or mobile pay.
It automatically calculates the best fare and caps your daily spending.
2. Skip the Paper Ticket/Day Travelcard
Speaking of contactless payment, you should know it is always cheaper to use than buying a single paper ticket or a paper Day Travelcard. So the biggest travel tip will definitely be to use contactless payment or Mobile Pay for public transportation to save time and lots of money!
3. On Escalators - Stand Right, Walk Left
This is definitely one of the most important London travel tips to know if you want to match London’s locals rules and behaviors.
So, the golden rule of the Tube is to STAND on the RIGHT SIDE of the escalator, leaving the left side clear for people in a rush who want to quickly go up or down.
4. Avoid Peak Rush Hour
When visiting a big city and using it’s Metro/Tube/Subway, it’s important to know what are the peak rush hours, and avoid them.
Try to travel outside of the weekday peak times, that are 6:30 am – 9:30am and 4:00pm – 7:00pm.
Trains are extremely crowded, fares can be higher, and you’ll probably won’t have much space in the train or bus and you’ll definitely have to stand during the whole ride.
5. Plan Your Airport Transfer
Before arriving in London, plan your airport transfer to your hotel.
There are three airports in London – Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, and Luton Airport.
Make sure to check what is the best way to get to your hotel/apartment from the airport you are landing at, according to your arrival time, and plan accordingly.
Money-Saving & Booking Travel Tips:
6. Book Accommodation in Advance
London isn’t cheap at all, but your trip doesn’t have to be super expensive either!
In London, it’s all about planning in advance, booking in advance, and knowing little London travel tips and hacks that will lower the costs of your trip.
So, the first tip we should discuss, is booking your accommodation in advance!
ESPECIALY if you are visiting during the summer months, or doing December which is also another peak touristy season for Christmas.
I love using Booking.com or Agoda for finding great hotels for great deals, and I highly recommend booking your accommodation at least 2-3 months before your trip (4-5 months is also a great way to get better deals on hotels/apartments).
7. You DON'T HAVE TO Stay at The City Center
Although it’s always recommended to stay in the city center of a large city, it’s also usually the most expensive option.
From my experience, after visiting London for the first time and NOT staying in the city center, I can tell you that I totally felt like I fully experienced London, even when not staying in a central location.
I saved up A LOT of money by booking accommodation in Stratford, which is definitely not a central location in London, and it was the best decision every.
So, unless you have the budget and want to fully experience London day to night, and don’t mind splurging a bit on your hotel, you can definitely sleep outside the central areas and still enjoy the city and fully experience it.
8. Bring a Fee-Free Card
A fee-free card can be a HUGE money saver that will save you A LOT of money on transaction fees.
Use a credit or debit card that waives foreign transaction fees, as you will use it all the time for transportation, bookings, shopping, restaurants, etc. Cash is rarely needed in London.
9. Book Paid Attractions Online & In Advance
A HUGE money saver tip will be to book attractions and tours ONLINE and in advance! You can easily save 10%-20%, and sometimes even more on attractions and activities, by booking your tickets online and securing a time slot for major attractions.
This applies to any city you are visiting, but it’s even more important in London, as this is such a touristy city that famous places get crowded, especially during the summer.
For regular tickets to places like the Tower of London or the London Eye you can book days or weeks ahead, but if you have any special tours you want to go on, I recommend booking them weeks ahead if not more than that.
10. Check for the Service Charge
In sit-down restaurants, check your bill for a “discretionary service charge” (usually 12.5%). If it’s included, you don’t need to add an extra tip.
11. Take Advantage of "Meal Deals"
Another great way to save money is to NOT eat at a nice restaurant 3 times a day.
What me and my now husband did when we visited, is ate something small from the groceries store in the morning, for lunch we bought “Meal Deals” or got something from the different food markets, and then for dinner we ate at a nice restaurant.
Meal Deals are quick lunches that you can grab at groceries store.
Usually, they include a sandwich/salad, a snack, and a drink.
12. Visit London's Free Museums
Did you know there are quite a few world-class museums in London that are completely free to visit?!
Take advantage of that, and explore these famous museums like the British Museum, the National Gallery, the V&A Museum, and more!
Admission is completely free as I said, and you can save a lot of money, while enjoying these interesting museums.
Sightseeing & Itinerary London Travel Tips:
13. Group Activities Geographically
London is a HUGE city, so you want to be strategic when planning your London travel itinerary.
Plan your days by neighborhoods and areas to minimize long travel time and to make the most out of your days.
14. Don't Over-Schedule
This travel tip with save your time, energy, and potential frustration. DON’T over schedule your days.
Limit yourself to 2-3 major activities per day, plus walking and enjoying parks/the area.
It’s not fun to run everywhere and feel like you are just marking things off your bucket list instead of actually enjoying them and absorbing London’s truly amazing atmosphere.
15. Consider a Travel Pass
If you are panning on visiting many paid attractions like the Tower of London, The View From The Shard, Westminster Abbey, etc, passes like The London Pass might save you A LOT of money by offering a fixed price on unlimited attractions and tours.
Do the math based on what you actually plan to see to ensure it’s worth the upfront cost!
16. Start Early at Major Sights
Get to popular places like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, etc – right when they open to enjoy them before hundreds of people will join you 😉
17. Check the Changing of the Guard Schedule
From what I know and from what I see online, the Changing of The Guards Ceremony takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
It starts at 11:00am and takes around 45 minutes.
But make sure to double check everything before your visit, and plan accordingly.
18. Arrive 40-50 minutes early to Buckingham Palace
Another one of the more practical London travel tips I can give you regarding Buckingham Palace and the Changing of The Guards Ceremony, is to arrive 40-50 minutes EARLY to secure a good spot near the palace’s gate.
We arrived 30 minutes early, and the whole area was pretty packed already with tourists saving spots.
19. Visit INSIDE The Buckingham Palace
Last thing about the Buckingham Palace is for those who are visiting in the summer.
Don’t miss out on visiting INSIDE the Buckingham Palace!
In the summer months, between early June-late September, the Buckingham Palace opens to the public. You can book an interesting tour of 19 State Rooms, that are used for official entertaining and ceremonial occasions.
You can also walk through a part of the famous Palace Gardens, and get a little sneak peak into the British royal life!
20. Get CHEAP West End Show Tickets
You can’t miss out on a West End Show in London!
They are like NYC’s Broadways shows, and are a MUST when visiting London. No matter if it’s your first, third, or 40th time in the city.
Though tickets can get expensive, you don’t have to pay their full price if you follow one of the best London travel tips – getting discounted West End Shows tickets!
All you need to do is to download the TodayTix app, and look for great seats for popular shows at cheap prices every morning at 10am.
If you couldn’t find anything that matches your budget, don’t worry, and be spontaneous.
You can swing by the official TKTS booth in Leicester Square for HUGE discounted same-day tickets for the same day’s shows!
Culture & Manners London Travel Tips:
21. Look Right Before Crossing
Let’s start with a safety tip 😉 ALWAYS look right before crossing.
Especially if you are coming from countries that drive on the right, and you are not used to this, but in the UK traffic drives on the left.
So always look right before crossing, and be extremely careful when crossing the street and follow the pavement signs.
22. Order at the Pub Bar
In most pubs, you must go to the bar to order all drinks and food.
So, unless the staff says otherwise, don’t wait at the table for service.
23. Do Not Tip in Pubs
Tipping for drinks at the bar isn’t expected.
If you had great bar service, you can offer to buy the bartender a drink, or unless they have a tipping cup at the bar you can throw in a few coins, but I didn’t see many bars that have these options.
24. Don't Be Afraid of the Rain
London is known for sudden, light rain showers.
Don’t let it ruin your day, because it won’t. It’s just a short rain that will end soon.
But, if prevent being soaked by packing a small, collapsible umbrella that you can easily throw in your purse or bag.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this collapsible umbrella from Amazon.
It’s lightweight, collapsible, and is perfect for any sized bag!
25. The Queue is Sacred
ALWAYS find the end of the line, no matter how messy it is.
Queue-jumping is considered very rude, and you don’t want to be a rude traveler 😉
26. Step Aside to Check Your Map
If you need to stop to look at your phone or map, immediately step out of the flow or foot traffic (this is a huge tip for big cities in general where people are busy and walking).
27. Don't Forget Your Travel Adapter
The UK uses the Type G plug, which is different from other countries like the US for example.
Ensure you have a good travel adapter to charge all your devices.
The UK voltage is 230V, so most phones/laptop chargers will work fine, but you need an adapter plug.
I highly recommend this travel adapter from Amazon.
That’s it for today! I hope you found some beautiful and interesting travel destinations to add to your bucket list!
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This blog post was about London travel tips.
