London, ticket by ticket.
The Crown Jewels without the three-hour queue. The day trip that fits Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath into one. The walk where the Ripper actually stalked. Every London tour, reviewed and ranked.
The London every first trip is built around.
The Tower and its jewels, the Abbey, the wheel on the South Bank, the guard at the palace gates, the studio where they built Hogwarts. The handful of days most London trips are planned around, and the best way to book each.
Leave London by nine, stand in a castle by ten.
All 286 day trips from London →
Windsor before the coaches, Stonehenge at opening, Bath for lunch, Oxford’s colleges, the honey-stone Cotswolds. These three carry the most travellers — the full list sorts the rest by how far you want to go.
Windsor Castle, the oldest lived-in castle on earth
The monarch’s weekend home, St George’s Chapel and the Long Walk under the oaks. The best-value days pair it with Stonehenge and Bath in one long, early loop.
Stonehenge, and the Salisbury Plain around it
Five thousand years old and still unexplained. Standard tickets are timed at the hour you choose; the special-access slots inside the circle are a tiny release booked months ahead.
Oxford, the Cotswolds and Shakespeare’s Stratford
Dreaming spires and college quads, then the honey-stone villages of the Cotswolds. The longer coaches add Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle to the run.
The London tours that never stop selling.
Every review →More travellers book these than anything else in London — the Eye, the Tower, the studio train to Hogwarts. Here is what each one is actually like.
1
The London Eye Entry Ticket
London Eye entry ticket for the 135-meter observation wheel over the Thames. 30-minute ride in 32 glass pods, with standard or fast-track.
From · $39
Read our review →
2
Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour
from $117
3
Magical London: Harry Potter Guided Walking Tour
from $20
4
Madame Tussauds London
from $36
5
Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Bath from London
from $111
6
Warner Bros. Studio Tour with Transfers
from $144
7
Tower Bridge Entry Ticket
from $21
8
Westminster Abbey Entrance Ticket
from $41
Where the crown still lives.
The Crown Jewels behind Tower glass, the guard changing at Buckingham, the State Rooms open for a few summer weeks, Windsor an hour up the river. Royal London books out first — reserve before you land.
The London of Harry Potter, Holmes and the Ripper.
The wizarding studio out at Leavesden, Baker Street in the fog, Whitechapel after dark, Bond’s riverside and Downton’s Highclere. London’s stories all have their own tours — and the best ones sell out.
All 63 Harry Potter tours →
London eats better than its reputation.
Borough Market at opening, a Camden street-food crawl, afternoon tea under the chandeliers, a lock-in at a Victorian gin palace. The city’s best tables and bars take booking — here are the ones worth it.
- 1London Small Group Tour of Historical Pubsfrom $40
- 2Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath with Pub Lunch in Lacockfrom $123
- 3Afternoon Tea Bus Tour – 1960s Routemaster Busfrom $87
London, priced up front.
Every tour on the site, sorted by what it actually costs. A proper London day starts at the price of a pub lunch.
Walking tours, market crawls, museum extras and skip-the-line entry — the everyday best of London.
- 1The London Eye Entry Ticketfrom $39
- 2Magical London: Harry Potter Guided Walking Tourfrom $20
- 3Madame Tussauds Londonfrom $36
The classic day out: Windsor and Stonehenge runs, river cruises, the studio tour, afternoon tea.
Private black-cab days, chauffeured county tours and the once-a-trip splurges that earn the price.
You could only be in London.
Castles and museums you can find across Europe. The Guard at the gates, a Ripper walk through Whitechapel and tea at four belong to London alone.
The Changing of the Guard
The Foot Guards in their bearskins hand over the watch at Buckingham Palace to a regimental band, and it is free, packed and gone in an hour. The days and start time shift with the season and the weather. The tours that work get you a place on the rail and explain what is actually happening before the crowd swallows the forecourt.
- 1Buckingham Palace & Changing of the Guard Experience★★★★★★★★★★ 4.3 · 2,971 reviews
- 2London Sightseeing Tour: Guard Change with Tower of London Option★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 2,672 reviews
- 3Changing of The Guard Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 2,510 reviews
A Ripper Walk After Dark
Five murders, no conviction, and a corner of the East End that still keeps the shape of its old alleys. The good guides are historians, not showmen: they walk you the Whitechapel cobbles at dusk, lay out the evidence and the suspects, and let the dark do the rest.
- 1The Original Jack the Ripper Walking Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 7,833 reviews
- 2London Jack the Ripper Guided Tour with Ripper-Vision★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 4,840 reviews
- 3Jack the Ripper Small Group Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 3,159 reviews
The Afternoon Tea Ritual
Loose-leaf poured at the table, a tower of finger sandwiches, and warm scones with clotted cream and jam — the argument over which goes on first is half the point. London does it in palace hotels and on open-top buses alike, and the sittings that matter book out a week ahead.
- 1Afternoon Tea Bus Tour – 1960s Routemaster Bus★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 2,032 reviews
- 2Afternoon Tea Bus with a Glass of Prosecco★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · 1,853 reviews
- 3The Kensington Palace Gardens Royal High Tea★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 934 reviews
London is a different city once the lights come on.
All after-dark tours →
Ghost, Ghouls and Gallows Tour : Guided Tour with Boat Ride
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The London tickets that sell out first.
Most of London you can book from the hotel the night before. Not these — they run on timed slots, seasonal openings and releases that do not care when your flight lands.
- 01Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio TourEntry to the studio is timed and sells out weeks ahead. There is no ticket desk at the gate out in Leavesden.
- 02Buckingham Palace: The State Rooms Entrance TicketThe palace State Rooms open only for a few weeks each summer; the dates are released in spring and the good slots go first.
- 03Stonehenge Inner Circle Private Tour from London with Bath VisitStandard entry is timed at the hour you pick; the special-access slots inside the stones are a separate, tiny release booked months out.
- 04Tower of London and Crown Jewels Exhibition TicketThe Tower opens at nine and the Crown Jewels queue builds fast — an early timed ticket is the difference between ten minutes and ninety.
When London turns grey, go indoors and go big.
London does rain about a third of the year, and it barely matters. The best wet-weather answers sit under a roof the size of a cathedral: the British Museum, the studio out at Leavesden, a war bunker under Whitehall, tea and a Victorian pub. Weather cancels none of them.
By day trip — how far will you go?
Windsor40 tours- Stonehenge69 tours
- Bath79 tours
Oxford58 tours
Cambridge35 tours
The Cotswolds49 tours
Brighton36 tours- All day trips from London →
Three days in London, in the right order.
The Tower
Westminster
The Thames
Harry Potter
The PalaceLatest London tour reviews.
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Harry Potter Walking Tour and River Thames Cruise
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Harry Potter Tour, River Cruise & The London Dungeon
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Harry Potter Walking Tour and Tower Bridge Ticket
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Harry Potter Tour and London Bridge Tombs Experience
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Harry Potter Tour & London Eye w/ Fast Track Tickets
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Harry Potter Sights and Shrek’s Adventure Combo Tour
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Harry Potter Walk, Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour & Cruise
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Harry Potter Studio Ticket & Tour of London Film Locations
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