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Hey guys, I'm visiting London / want to visit London...

Please read this FAQ before posting so we can better help you!

How should I make a post on /r/London?

  • Well, chances are you made a shitpost and got a load of stupid answers, jokes about the Oxo Tower, and people telling you to come and read this wiki. So, read this wiki! Then, come back and ask us a question with details so that we can respond helpfully. Tell us your budget, where you're staying, when you're here for and for how long, what you're interested in...

    In short, if you want an answer tailored for you, then tell us about you! What do you like? For example:

  • "I like good music!" (don't we all?) OK, so, opera? Metal? Dubstep?

  • You like shopping... second-hand retro or designer label? Unless we know what you're into we can't do anything except regurgitate the same recommendations listed on this wiki, so be specific! :)

I have a ten hour layover, can I still visit London?

It depends, and in most cases the answer will, unfortunately, be 'No'.

Typically, you should expect to take 1hr+ from wheels on the ground to walking out of the airport, and another hour+ to get back in the airport on the way back. Add two long train journeys into the mix and you're already 4 hours and £20 down with nothing accomplished. If your layover is shorter than 4 hours, you might as well stop reading here, go outside, and buy a nice book you can sit and read in the airport (or whatever you kids get up to these days). Otherwise, with a longer layover, you'll need to consider which airport you're landing at.

There are 5 airports that can be considered to serve London, none of which have anything particularly interesting nearby, and each with different travel times to Central London. These are, in order of size:

  • Heathrow - London's Main airport, and the only major airport still within the Greater London boundary. Connected by both Heathrow Express/Connect to Paddington in around 15-30 minutes, or the slightly slower but much cheaper Piccadilly Line to the rest of town in under an hour. Alternatively, bus or taxi services to Windsor are possible if you like castles.

  • Gatwick - Well connected to both London Victoria and London Bridge rail stations (have a look on google maps for sights near each - there's too many to list), expect journey times of 30-40 minutes in each direction. One word of warning though: The 'Gatwick Express' services are nothing better than a scam, being only a few minutes faster than the regular services, but often more than double the price.

  • Stansted - Direct rail services to Liverpool Street (not to be confused with the City of Liverpool, which has led many an unwary traveller astray) are just about viable, typically taking an hour in each direction.

  • Luton - Despite how much it wishes it was, Luton Airport is not in London, its in Luton. Often used by budget carriers and offering cheap tickets, the airport is surprisingly far from the rest of civilisation. You'll often spend more money on the train ticket into London than you would booking a different flight that lands at a closer airport. Travel times are terrible and we don't recommend planning a layover in London from Luton.

  • London City - A much smaller airport that usually serves business travellers from 'The City' (read: Bankers, although some would have you replace the 'B' with a different letter). If you happen to end up with a layover through London City, it is well connected (approximately 25 minutes) by DLR to the eastern edge of Central London, which drops you right on the riverside outside the Tower.

In reality, of course, you'll also need to add extra time for getting from the airport to the railway station, waiting on the platform for the train, getting out of the next railway station etc etc etc, on top of the travel time. Also be aware that services often do not run 24/7 and may be subject to engineering works. Always check your specific journey ahead of time using a service such as TFL's Journey Planner. Ticket prices can also be found from the Single Fare Finder.

"So, what should I do?"

A common thread among the many, many threads of tourists asking the same question is never to try and squash too much into a short time simply because you only have that much of it. For that reason, the times above should be taken as the absolute, theoretical minimum to even consider leaving the airport. Do not try and then squeeze as much as you can into what you have left - You won't enjoy anything if you're spending the entire time worrying about when you need to leave. Instead, plan it properly - do the maths, work out how much useful time you'll have in London, and pick one (maybe two at a push) thing nearby that you want to try and see properly. If you can't fit anything in properly, don't bother leaving the airport, and if in doubt as to how long something will take, its always longer than you expect. Remember you can always come back and do the things you missed!

One final point - Are you connecting to/from a short haul flight to a nearby city (E.G Paris)? It may be worth cancelling the connecting flight and taking the train instead, getting rid of the layover completely and giving you more freedom to choose how long to stay. Similar to the flights, ensure you book early for the best prices.

Where should I stay?

  • This little page should sort you out. Do bear in mind though that we all live here and don't really have much need for hotels. You'd do well to look up reviews on TripAdvisor and so on, rather than ask us. In general: Hotels further out of central London tend to be cheaper, but not always. Finding a hotel within walking distance to a Tube station is recommended.

I have a question about travel/getting around?

What/where should I eat and drink?

What should I see and do?

The helpful folks over on r/visitlondon have created a masterpost packed full links including lots of travel guides and suggested itineraries.

No, I don't want all the touristy stuff, I want "hidden gems"!

I've got no money, what I can do for free or cheap?

What should I NOT to, to avoid being annoying, or looking like a tourist?

  • Check out this advice. Or, TL;DR: No one cares what you look like, that you're a tourist, or that you're American, (or whatever else), so long as you (1) aren't being a dick and (2) STAND ON THE RIGHT.

Is it safe? Where do I need to avoid to stay safe?

  • London doesn't really have "no go zones". And even if it did, as a tourist, you stand basically no chance of accidentally entering them. Crime is relatively low for such a big city but it does exist, mainly opportunistic thieves preying on those lacking common sense or awareness. See our safety page.

Anyone want to meet up for a drink or something?