Things to do · London · United Kingdom
20 best things to do in London
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
The essential sights in London are British Museum, Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. Of the 20 picks below, 12 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- British Museum
- Free sights
- 12
- Good on a rainy day
- British Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Museum | Bloomsbury | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Tower of London | Tower Hill | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Westminster Abbey | Westminster | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Houses of Parliament and Big Ben | Westminster | 1–2 hours with a tour | Free |
| Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard | St James's | 1–2 hours | Free |
| National Gallery | Trafalgar Square | 2 hours | Free |
| St Paul's Cathedral | City of London | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| London Eye | South Bank | 1 hour including queues | Mid-priced |
| Natural History Museum | South Kensington | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Tower Bridge | Tower Hill | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Tate Modern | Bankside | 2 hours | Free |
| Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) | South Kensington | 2 hours | Free |
| Borough Market | London Bridge | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens | Hyde Park | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park | Greenwich | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Kew Gardens | Kew | Half a day to a full day | Mid-priced |
| Churchill War Rooms | Westminster | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Sir John Soane's Museum | Holborn | 1 hour | Free |
| Sky Garden | City of London | 1 hour | Free |
| Hampstead Heath and Kenwood | Hampstead | Half a day | Free |
The 20 best things to do
Museum · Bloomsbury
1.British Museum
Two million years of human history fill the British Museum, from the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies to the Parthenon sculptures and the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo helmet. Entry to the permanent collection is free, and the glass-roofed Great Court, opened in 2000, makes a dramatic entrance hall.
Pick three or four galleries — Egypt, the Parthenon sculptures and Sutton Hoo are the classics — rather than trying to see everything in one visit.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Entry is free, but booking a free timed slot online helps at busy times such as school holidays.
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Castle · Tower Hill
2.Tower of London
William the Conqueror's White Tower, begun in the 1070s, stands at the centre of a fortress that has served as royal palace, prison and execution site. The Crown Jewels, including the Imperial State Crown, are displayed in the Jewel House, and Yeoman Warders ('Beefeaters') lead lively tours included with entry. The resident ravens are tied to the legend that the kingdom will fall if they leave.
Head to the Crown Jewels first thing before the queue builds, then join a Yeoman Warder tour from near the main entrance.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Tickets bought online in advance are usually cheaper than at the gate and secure entry on busy summer days.
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Religious site · Westminster
3.Westminster Abbey
Coronations have taken place in this Gothic abbey since 1066, most recently that of King Charles III in 2023. Inside are the tombs of Elizabeth I and Mary I, Poets' Corner with memorials to Chaucer, Dickens and Shakespeare, and the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, high in the triforium, look down into the nave.
To experience the abbey without a sightseeing ticket, attend Choral Evensong, which is free and open to everyone.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed sightseeing tickets bought online save queuing in summer.
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Landmark · Westminster
4.Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
The Palace of Westminster, rebuilt in Gothic Revival style after a fire in 1834, houses the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Big Ben is the great bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, whose clock faces were restored in a five-year conservation project. Visitors can watch debates from the public galleries free of charge or join paid guided tours, usually run on Saturdays and during parliamentary recesses.
The classic photo is from Westminster Bridge or the riverside path across the Thames; for a closer look, walk through Victoria Tower Gardens beside the palace.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours with a tour
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Guided tours sell out at peak times; book them on the UK Parliament website.
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
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Palace · St James's
5.Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard
The monarch's official London residence faces the Victoria Memorial at the end of The Mall. The Changing the Guard ceremony takes place on the forecourt on set days each week, with military bands and guards in red tunics and bearskin hats, and watching it is free. The State Rooms, hung with paintings from the Royal Collection, usually open to ticketed visitors for about ten weeks in summer.
Arrive at least 45 minutes early and stand on the Victoria Memorial steps, or watch the guards march along The Mall where crowds are thinner.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Check the official schedule for Changing the Guard days, and book State Rooms tickets ahead for summer visits.
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- History
Gallery · Trafalgar Square
6.National Gallery
Western European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century hangs in the National Gallery on the north side of Trafalgar Square: Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, Constable's The Hay Wain, Velázquez's Rokeby Venus and Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait among them. The permanent collection is free.
Start with the early Italian rooms in the Sainsbury Wing, then finish on the portico steps looking over Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Iconic
- Rainy day
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Religious site · City of London
7.St Paul's Cathedral
Christopher Wren's cathedral, completed in the early 18th century after the Great Fire of 1666, has one of the largest domes in the world. Visitors climb 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery, where a whisper carries around the dome, and can continue to the outdoor Stone and Golden Galleries — 528 steps in all — for views across the City.
Sightseeing entry is paid, but services including Choral Evensong are free; arrive early to sit in the quire.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- History
Viewpoint · South Bank
8.London Eye
The 135-metre observation wheel on the South Bank turns slowly enough that a full rotation in one of its 32 glass capsules takes about 30 minutes. On a clear day the view stretches about 40 km, taking in Parliament directly across the river, Buckingham Palace and the towers of the City.
Book a time slot online for a lower price than on the day, and in winter aim for late afternoon to watch the city lights come on.
- Time needed
- 1 hour including queues
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets are cheaper online, and fast-track tickets help on summer weekends.
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Iconic
- After dark
Museum · South Kensington
1.Natural History Museum
Alfred Waterhouse's terracotta building, decorated with carved animals and plants, holds some 80 million specimens. A 25-metre blue whale skeleton named Hope hangs in Hintze Hall, the Dinosaurs gallery has a moving T. rex model, and an escalator rises through a giant globe into the Earth galleries. Entry is free.
Use the Exhibition Road entrance and visit the Dinosaurs gallery first, as its queue grows through the morning.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Free entry, but booking a timed slot online is advised during school holidays.
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Nature
Landmark · Tower Hill
2.Tower Bridge
Opened in 1894, the bascule bridge beside the Tower of London is one of the city's defining images. Its paid exhibition leads along the high-level walkways 42 metres above the Thames, partly over glass floors, and down to the Victorian engine rooms that once powered the lifting roadway.
Check the bridge-lift times on the official website; watching the roadway rise from the riverside path costs nothing.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Gallery · Bankside
3.Tate Modern
Britain's national museum of modern and contemporary art fills the former Bankside Power Station, with its 99-metre chimney and a vast Turbine Hall used for large-scale commissions. The free collection displays include work by Picasso, Rothko, Warhol and Louise Bourgeois, and the Millennium Bridge outside leads straight across the Thames to St Paul's Cathedral.
Begin in the Turbine Hall, then walk across the Millennium Bridge for the framed view of St Paul's dome.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · South Kensington
4.Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
The V&A covers 5,000 years of art and design: fashion from the 17th century to today, the Cast Courts with full-size plaster copies of Trajan's Column and Michelangelo's David, Raphael's tapestry cartoons and rooms of jewellery and silver. The permanent collection is free, and the museum's original 1860s refreshment rooms are still used as its café.
Have a coffee in the tiled Victorian café rooms, then rest by the oval pool in the John Madejski Garden.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Market · London Bridge
5.Borough Market
Beneath the railway arches beside Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market gathers British cheesemakers, butchers, fishmongers, bakers and street-food traders selling everything from scotch eggs to raclette and oysters. A market has traded on or near this site for centuries, and it is the best single place to taste British produce.
Come hungry on a weekday morning to graze before the lunchtime crush, and walk to nearby Maltby Street for more stalls at weekends.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
Park · Hyde Park
6.Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
Together the two royal parks cover about 250 hectares of central London. Highlights include boating on the Serpentine in summer, Speakers' Corner, the Diana Memorial Playground with its wooden pirate ship, the Italian Gardens and Kensington Palace on the western edge. In winter the park hosts the Winter Wonderland fair.
Enter at Marble Arch and walk west along the Serpentine to Kensington Palace — about an hour at a gentle pace with stops.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
Historic site · Greenwich
7.Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park
On the hill above Greenwich Park, the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian, longitude 0°, where visitors stand with a foot in each hemisphere. Below are the Cutty Sark tea clipper and the free National Maritime Museum, and the hilltop gives one of London's widest views, over the Queen's House to Canary Wharf.
Arrive by river boat from Westminster or London Eye pier for a scenic approach, and return on the DLR.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Kids
- Outdoors
Garden · Kew
8.Kew Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in south-west London, hold one of the world's great plant collections across about 130 hectares. The Victorian Palm House, the restored Temperate House, a treetop walkway 18 metres above the ground and the Great Pagoda easily fill a day.
Reach Kew Gardens station on the District line or the Overground, or take a seasonal river boat from Westminster for the slow route.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Couples
- Photo spot
Museum · Westminster
9.Churchill War Rooms
Beneath Whitehall, the bunker from which Winston Churchill and his staff directed the Second World War is preserved much as it was left in 1945, including the Map Room with its pinned charts and the Cabinet Room. The attached Churchill Museum traces his life through documents, film and personal objects.
Book the first slot of the day; the narrow corridors become congested by late morning.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets often sell out in summer and school holidays; book online in advance.
- History
- Rainy day
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Museum · Holborn
10.Sir John Soane's Museum
The architect Sir John Soane arranged for his house on Lincoln's Inn Fields to be kept as he left it, and it has barely changed since his death in 1837. Rooms are crammed with classical fragments, Hogarth's A Rake's Progress paintings, Canaletto views and the alabaster sarcophagus of the pharaoh Seti I. Entry is free.
Stay for a demonstration in the Picture Room, where staff open hinged wall panels to reveal more paintings behind.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
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Viewpoint · City of London
11.Sky Garden
At the top of 20 Fenchurch Street, the 'Walkie-Talkie' tower, three floors of landscaped gardens sit under a glass roof more than 150 metres up, with an open-air terrace facing the Shard, Tower Bridge and St Paul's. Entry is free, but tickets must be booked online.
If the free slots are gone, a reservation at one of the Sky Garden's bars or restaurants also gets you in.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Free tickets are released online in advance and go quickly, especially around sunset.
- Free
- Views
- Architecture
- After dark
Park · Hampstead
12.Hampstead Heath and Kenwood
North London's wild heath covers about 320 hectares of meadows, woods and ponds. The protected view from Parliament Hill takes in the skyline from the Shard to St Paul's, the bathing ponds are used for open-air swimming, and Kenwood House at the northern edge displays paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer free of charge.
Combine a heath walk with lunch in Hampstead village on the Northern line, or arrive by Overground at Hampstead Heath station.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum and Tate Modern |
| History | British Museum, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament and Big Ben |
| Views | St Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, Tower Bridge and Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Natural History Museum, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park and Kew Gardens |
| Food and markets | Borough Market |
| After dark | London Eye and Sky Garden |
| With children | Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard, London Eye and Natural History Museum |
| On a rainy day | British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern and Natural History Museum |
What to book ahead
- British Museum: Entry is free, but booking a free timed slot online helps at busy times such as school holidays.
- Tower of London: Tickets bought online in advance are usually cheaper than at the gate and secure entry on busy summer days.
- Westminster Abbey: Timed sightseeing tickets bought online save queuing in summer.
- Houses of Parliament and Big Ben: Guided tours sell out at peak times; book them on the UK Parliament website.
- Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard: Check the official schedule for Changing the Guard days, and book State Rooms tickets ahead for summer visits.
- London Eye: Timed tickets are cheaper online, and fast-track tickets help on summer weekends.
- Natural History Museum: Free entry, but booking a timed slot online is advised during school holidays.
- Churchill War Rooms: Timed tickets often sell out in summer and school holidays; book online in advance.
- Sky Garden: Free tickets are released online in advance and go quickly, especially around sunset.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in London?
British Museum. Two million years of human history fill the British Museum, from the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies to the Parthenon sculptures and the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo helmet.
+What can you do for free in London?
British Museum, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard, National Gallery and Natural History Museum. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in London when it rains?
Head indoors to British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern and Natural History Museum.
+What is there to do in London at night?
London Eye and Sky Garden are best after dark.