Why this guide: about 27,100 people a month search Google for “things to do in london” (US, DataForSEO Labs, September 2026). This is the answer we would give a client, written to be booked from.
The short answer
- Do firstThe Tower of London at opening, the South Bank walk from Westminster to Tower Bridge, and the British Museum
- FreeThe British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the royal parks, Changing the Guard, Sky Garden (booked)
- SkipMadame Tussauds and the London Dungeon; paying for a view when Sky Garden is free
Royal and ancient
The Tower of London at 9 a.m. for the Crown Jewels before the queue; Tower Bridge's glass walkway next door. Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, then St James's Park to Buckingham Palace for Changing the Guard (check the schedule) and the State Rooms in summer. St Paul's Cathedral's dome climb; Kensington Palace and Hampton Court (by train) for the Tudor and Georgian courts.
Museums, all free
The British Museum (Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon marbles, the Great Court), the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, the Tate Modern's turbine hall and the Tate Britain's Turners, the V&A, the Natural History and Science museums in South Kensington. Timed entry is free but book ahead for the big ones. The Sky Garden atop 20 Fenchurch Street is the free view; the Shard is the paid one.
The South Bank and the West End
Walk the Thames from Westminster Bridge past the London Eye, the Southbank Centre, the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe to Borough Market (lunch) and Tower Bridge. The West End: a play or musical at half price from the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, Covent Garden's street performers, Soho's restaurants, Chinatown, and Carnaby Street. The Globe's summer season and the National Theatre's discounted tickets are the theatre bargains.
The villages
Notting Hill and Portobello Road market on Saturday; Camden Market and the Regent's Canal walk to Little Venice; Hampstead Heath's Parliament Hill view and the ponds; Greenwich by riverboat — the Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory and the meridian line, the market; Shoreditch and Brick Lane for street art, curry and Sunday markets; Richmond for the park's deer and Kew Gardens; Dulwich and Peckham for the south.
Day trips, eat, and get there
Windsor Castle (40 minutes), Oxford or Cambridge (an hour), Bath and Stonehenge (a long day), Brighton for the sea. Eat: a full English, a pie at Borough, Dishoom's bacon naan, a Sunday roast in a pub, Brick Lane curry, and one Michelin room in Mayfair. Heathrow (LHR) is 60–75 minutes from the centre by car, City (LCY) 20 minutes to the City; the engine's London page pairs hotels with Heathrow. See our Tower of London guide and the best time to visit London.
Three things to get right
- Book the free museums' timed slots and the Sky Garden a few weeks ahead.
- TKTS booth at Leicester Square for same-day West End seats.
- Greenwich by Thames Clipper is the best-value boat ride in the city.
Book it
Featured destination: London — hotels, airport and activities on one engine page.
