London travel tips for a relaxed city trip to London
London is one of the top destinations for city breaks in Europe. We have summarised London's most famous sights (with attractions) here. The British capital is beautiful, colourful and often quirky. As London attracts more than 30 million visitors every year, there are a few things to bear in mind. After all, queuing for hours or not getting a ticket for an attraction at all is not an option.
However, any well-planned trip must also include a comfortable stay. And that's where choosing the right hotel comes in. There are a plethora to choose from, but to make your search easier, here is a list of some of the best http://www.hotels-of-london.com/en/type/hotels-12/ to give you a delightful experience.
We love the English capital on the Thames with all our hearts. That's why we've written down everything you need to know before travelling here:
Getting there
Climate and weather: ideal time to visit
Everything you need to know about money and currency
Which neighbourhood to book a hotel in?
How do I get from the airport to the city?
How do I get from A to B?
Is the Oyster Card worthwhile for tourists?
Tips for saving money in London
Food and drink
Facts and figures
and much more
We spent five days in the British capital on our last visit to London. This time we stayed in Shoreditch. Three days in London is ideal, preferably five to seven days. As you visit London again and again, it's no problem if you can't visit all of our tips.
If it's your first time in London, you won't know where to go first. To help you avoid travelling from A to B without a plan, we have put together these travel tips for London. This is the best way to recognise what you can see in one day and which highlights are close to each other. London is a big city and many sights can be reached by bike, underground, overground, bus, boat or on foot.
For an overview, you'll find a map at the end showing all the TOP sights and the places we visited with restaurant tips at a glance. You can find alternative city tours and activities for London in this report.
Enjoy reading our tips for your city trip to London!
Facts and figures about London
Before we get started, we have summarised a few interesting facts about London.
The national language is English, 13% of all UK residents live in London.
The official currency is the British pound (£). £1 is equivalent to around €1.18.
The capital of London has 8.6 million inhabitants. This makes London the 2nd largest city in Europe (after Paris).
They say about London "Sometimes it rains and sometimes it always rains". The fact is: It rains more often in Rome than in London (just not in summer).
At 156 years old, the underground railway is the oldest in the world.
The longest underground line is the Central Line at 74 kilometres.
The official currency in England is the pound (£ - Pound Sterling). One pound is roughly equivalent to 1.15 euros. However, you can pay almost everywhere by credit card and don't need much cash.
London and Brexit
Since 1 October 2021, you need a passport to enter the UK. Only if your place of residence is in England can you still travel with an identity card.
Check with your mobile phone provider whether roaming is still included in your contract. I can tell you that Vodafone and Telekom will definitely stick to free roaming after Brexit.
Save money and buy tickets in advance
Make a plan for sightseeing
Before travelling, think about which London attractions you definitely want to visit. Buy tickets online in advance. They are cheaper then. Alternatively, you should check whether one of the London Passes (links for detailed comparison, see point 4 for brief information).
You can visit a city like London without a precise plan. You shouldn't do this in London. If you are visiting London for the first time and want to visit many sights, it can not only be expensive but also time-consuming. Queues at the main attractions are long.
Waiting times take away valuable time to see more of the city.
For most tours and sights in London, you can get tickets cheaper if you buy them online in advance before travelling. Or you can buy one of the London Passes.
These passes include all the sights. You can really save a lot of money and time.
Read the detailed experience report in the London Pass comparison
We tested the London Pass here: see the results
London sights you should have seen
Tickets for musicals and Premier League football
Tickets for musicals, Premier League football matches of Arsenal London or Chelsea FC, popular attractions and tours should be booked or purchased at least three months before your trip.
For popular restaurants, you also need to book a table three months before travelling. Even with "normal" restaurants, we have found that eating out without a table reservation is hardly possible, as in many other European cities. You can find tips on this further down in the article.
Warner Bros. Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour spontaneously? Not a chance.
You absolutely must book tickets in advance for the Harry Potter Studios. The studios are very popular and tickets are often booked out weeks in advance. You need to plan 3-4 hours for the studio tour.
You can read more about our visit to the Harry Potter Studios in London here.
Save money on sightseeing with a London Pass
There are currently three good London Passes (comparison)with which you can visit sights and attractions. You also get many discounts and queue-free access to some sights. Buying one of these passes in advance can be really worthwhile.
A City Card is not always worth it. That's why I'll give you tips on how to check whether a pass is worthwhile for you or not.
4.1 Think in advance about which sights you want to see
Before travelling, think about which sights you would like to visit during your visit to London.
4.2 Make a list of entrance fees and compare
Make a rough list of how much admission to these attractions would cost. Compare the prices with the London Passes.
→ My experience and comparison of the passes: Best London City Pass comparison (German)
Which pass makes sense depends on the length of your stay and your choice of attractions. For us, the London Pass and the London City Pass (Turbopass) were the most worthwhile (we tested both).
With the London Pass gives you free entry to over 80 attractions. You also get many discounts (Harry Potter tour at Warner Bros. film studios with transfer or on a helicopter flight). Thanks to London City Pass you can visit the London Eye for free.
4.3 Buy your chosen pass before travelling and save money
Passes are always cheaper online. There are almost always discount campaigns for the London Pass. You pay more on site.
Read the article now for the honest &best London Pass comparison
Cheap sightseeing with the one red bus
The RV1 bus route runs between Covent Garden and Tower Gateway. This journey takes you over Tower Bridge. You will then pass all the sights in London along the South Bank: London Eye Ferris wheel, Tate Gallery, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Borough Market.
Line 3 runs along Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
A trip on the hop-on hop-off bus is ideal for a first impression and historical background. Book a hotel with a good location
You can save time if you book accommodation in an ideal location (for example Soho) in the centre of London. These are often incredibly expensive. Alternatively, if you stay in one of the popular neighbourhoods for going out (East End, for example Spitalfields or Shoreditch), you will have the opportunity to eat out like the locals in the evening and visit great bars and cafés.
If you're not just travelling as a couple, but in a group, it's worth booking a flat with Airbnb to rent. There were 5 of us and we rented an ideally located flat.
You have to reckon with the following costs for hotels:
Low budget: Dorm room: 10 - 32 £
Medium standard: Double room: £90 - £160
4-5 star hotel / boutique hotel: Double room: £200
HOTEL WANTED? ????
To find a good hotel, we recommend the platform Booking.com. We always book our accommodation on this platform or directly with American Express, as we receive additional discounts with the American Express Platinum credit card (see details here, only worthwhile for frequent travellers).
Order Visitor Oyster Card for public transport
Nothing is more convenient than contactless payment. In London, the cheapest way to travel on the tube, bus, Overground and trains is to buy a Visitor Oyster Card before you travel.
We've written down why here: Why the Visitor Oyster Card is worth it in London!
Another tip to save money in London:
In 2023, the best credit cards are the GenialCard from Hanseatic Bankthe VISA Card of the DKB Bank (as an active customer) and the awa 7 credit card (???? "Green" product from Hanseatic Bank). With these cards, you can withdraw money from ATMs free of charge and pay locally without paying foreign currency fees abroad! With both credit cards you can make contactless payments and use Apple Pay and Google Pay. Here you can find all tips on the best travel credit card 2023 with comparison.
Best time to travel to London
The weather and therefore the best time to travel is during the summer months: May - September/October. We like travelling in the months that are less frequented by tourists. We therefore chose the beginning of April.
The temperatures are then between 0 and 18 degrees. It can always rain, hail or snow. We had it all in one day.
If it does rain, there are still plenty of activities you can do in London: Tate Modern Gallery, musicals (Hamilton!), Natural History Museum, Jack the Ripper Museum, just to name a few options.
Our hotel tips
Hotels in London are generally a lot more expensive than a private flat via Airbnb to rent.
In general, the question you always ask yourself at the beginning is: Which district of London should we stay in?
Shoreditch: Hipster neighbourhood with lots of bars, pubs and restaurants
West End (Soho): Centrally located for the first visit to London
As there were five of us in London on our last visit, we looked for a flat in Shoreditch. The location was perfect, but unfortunately the heating broke down every 5 days in winter.
On our last visit, Philip stayed not far from our flat in the chic Citizen M Hotel in Shoreditch not far from our flat.
Also in Shoreditch is the The Corner London City Hotel. Located directly on Brick Lane, the accommodation is just as ideal as the Citizen M.
Best travel guide for London
We have several recommendations for London. Both in German and English, because unfortunately not all guides are available in German.
500 Hidden Secrets London. An ingenious travel guide for people looking for special tips. From the top markets to the best market stalls, the best views, bars and insider tips.
DuMont direct travel guide London. We buy the DuMont direkt for every city. Thanks to this guide, you know in a nutshell where the places are that you should visit on a short trip to London. Buying tip! View here.
We also bought 2 illustrated books with tips: Merian London and Dumont Bildatlas London. The perfect complement to the first two travel guides mentioned.
Travelling costs for London
Low budget travelling in London is possible. There are plenty of cheap flights or trains to London. There are also hostels or cheap accommodation outside the city centre.
There were 5 of us travelling here from Stuttgart, Cologne and Berlin. Flights therefore cost very differently depending on the airline.
Flight to London:
Düsseldorf - London -Düsseldorf (Eurowings): 207 euros
Stuttgart - London - Stuttgart (Eurowings): 227 euros
Berlin - London - Berlin (British Airways): 213 Euro
(Note: We all travelled with normal luggage - not just hand luggage - as we all had cameras with us)
Accommodation in London:
Airbnb in Shoreditch with three bedrooms: €1279 for 5 nights (approx. €51 per person/night)
Note: As the heating didn't work for five days, we asked for and received 400 euros back.
Costs for entrance fees and sightseeing:
Hamilton Musical: €170 per person
London Eye Fast Track: £10 surcharge with London City Pass, £40 on site (cheaper in advance)
LondonPass 3 days: £125
London City Pass 3 days: £132, £90 including Oyster Card (£20 credit)
Street Art Tour: £20
Free Tours by Foot (Jack the Ripper and Rock'n'Roll): you pay as much as you think
Harry Potter Studio Tour: £43
Transfer station - Warner Bros Studio Harry Potter Tour: £2.50 (return)
How much time should you plan for London?
Most tourists travel to London for a weekend. This often means travelling there on Friday after work and back on Sunday evening. We like to spend longer travelling and turn it into a short trip that lasts 5 days.
That's why we advise you to spend at least 4-5 days in London. We were in London from Tuesday late afternoon until Sunday lunchtime. Despite our heavy workload, we were nowhere near able to see everything we had planned. Thanks to the short distance, we already know: We'll be back.
Arrival
If you are travelling to London, you can land at one of the five airports that you can fly to from Germany: London Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Luton and London City.
Flights are really cheap, but travelling by train is better for climate protection. From Cologne you can travel directly to London St. Pancras via Brussels on the Eurostar. The train journey takes exactly 5.15 hours and costs from €120. Great for anyone living in this region. I find travelling by train really stress-free compared to flying.
Travelling from southern Germany would take me almost a day, which is not worth it for a short trip.
Money and credit card
14.1 Withdrawing money in London or changing money at home?
Preparing for your trip to London also involves clarifying questions such as:
Where do I change my money?
How much cash do I take with me?
How can I pay in London?
Can I withdraw money with my debit card or should I use a credit card?
Change money in Germany? I never do that.
I get off the plane, collect my luggage and then go straight to the ATM. Thanks to the Visa card from DKB Bank I can withdraw pounds without having to pay any fees. Nowhere else in the world. Isn't that great?
14.2 Check your credit card/EC card limit for abroad
Many banks have now introduced restrictions to prevent misuse abroad. Check how much money you have set as a limit per day/week/month.
Some cards must be authorised/activated before they can be used abroad. Friends have had this experience, especially with traditional banks (savings banks and Raiffeisen banks). It is best to call your bank before travelling and inform your contact person about your trip.
My tip: Use a credit card with which you can pay abroad free of charge and withdraw money from ATMs. Shortcoming: This is only possible with DKB Bank or the Hanseatic Bank credit card.
14.3 How much cash should I take with me?
There are many ATMs (automatic teller machines) in London. You hardly need any cash. On my first trip, I withdrew about £150 in cash. That was enough for a few days. You can really pay everywhere with credit card everywhere.
I only withdrew a small amount of around £50-100 for tips directly at the airport in London on arrival.
You have to pay fees when changing money at the bank before travelling. You also often get a worse exchange rate. If you have a good travel credit card, you can withdraw money from an ATM without having to pay any fees.
Does that sound great to you? Then you might be interested in this article:
My best free travel credit cards
Transfer from the airport to the centre of London
As every airport has different connections, we will write a separate article about this. Because sometimes the train is faster and sometimes the bus is faster.
If you land at Heathrow, the London Heathrow Express trainwill take you to Paddington Station in 15 minutes. It takes a lot longer on the underground. The return ticket costs £42. If you have a London Pass, you will receive a discount when booking (only after purchase of the London Pass via the app or via a link at London Concierge) you get a 20% discount on the tickets.
You can book your London Heathrow Express here before travelling
If you are arriving at Stansted or Luton, you should book the Easybus well in advance. This bus is the quickest and most comfortable way to get to your accommodation. The bus even stopped much closer to our flat, so those travelling from these airports had the most convenient and cheapest journey. If you book early enough, you can sometimes even get tickets for £2.
Buy your Standsted Express ticket here
First impression and orientation
A hop on hop off bus tour is the ideal start to your visit
To get a first impression of London, we recommend starting with the hop-on hop-off bus tour. You'll see all of London's famous landmarks in a short space of time.
The London Pass and London City Pass include the bus tours from Big Bus. This provider also has the most routes (4 plus 1 night trip and Themsen boat trip). Thanks to the audio guide (also in German) or live audio guide, you will learn a lot of historical and other useful background information about buildings or famous people.
Alternatively, we recommend a FreeTours by Foot tour (various themed tours are offered here. Payment is at your own discretion) or a bike tour. A Thames cruise will also take you past many of the sights. This is included in the London Pass and London City Pass.
Click here for the London Pass comparison
⚠️ We have a discount deal for the London Pass! When booking via this link in the discount code VIELUNTERWEGSLP (capitalise everything) and save 10% on the purchase of a 3, 6 and 10-day pass. Read my London all-inclusive pass test here.
A trip on the hop-on hop-off bus is ideal for a first impression and historical background. Travelling in London
London has a very well-functioning public transport system. It consists of trains, the Underground, the Overground, the red double-decker buses and the famous black taxis. Of course, London also has UBER, which we prefer to black cabs).
The city centre and main sights are located in such a way that you could explore everything on foot. Some distances are a little further, so a ticket for public transport is definitely worthwhile.
Our tip: Order the Visitor Oyster Card before travelling. You can read all the tips about the Visitor Oyster Card here.
The Oyster Visitor Card for London is great!
Tips for travelling by public transport
Getting around London is very easy. All you have to do is hold your Oyster Card on the yellow areas at the entrances to the buses, Overground or Underground when getting on and off. You are then checked in or out. When travelling by bus, it's even enough to check in, as the journeys cost a flat rate of £1.50. Brilliantly simple, isn't it?
We especially enjoyed travelling by bus in the evenings. Even if the modern red double-decker buses don't look quite as cool as the old ones. After all, they are hybrid buses.
We also enjoyed travelling by train. One even arrived 1 minute early. Is there such a thing in Germany? The Oyster Card. We find this system very practical and simple.
Children under 11 travel free of charge
Travelling with children under the age of 11? Great, because they travel for free when accompanied by an adult who has the Oyster Card. Up to 4 children under the age of 11 can travel for free per adult. However, children aged 11 and over must buy a regular Oyster Card.
Internet and telephone
Before travelling, check whether your provider still offers roaming in England after Brexit. Otherwise it will be expensive. If you have a German mobile phone contract with Telekom and Vodafone, you can continue to make calls and surf the internet. I cannot provide any information for other providers.
What are the best places to visit in London?
We are a fan of the top sights in London such as the London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge. But we also love unusual tours like the Jack the Ripper city tour. We enjoy discovering street art and Katrin in particular likes the musical Hamilton, which is performed in London.
You can find our London sights here with a list
We can highly recommend these 7 city tours!
What to do when it rains?
As we all know, it can often rain in London. We also had hail and snow. Nevertheless, we went on a street art tour in Shoreditch and a rock'n'roll tour.
Our tips for London in the rain? Go to museums or visit the Warner Bros. Making of Harry Potter Studios.
These museums are excellent:
Tate Modern Museum London
Natural History Museum London
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is also dry, as are the Churchill War Rooms. A friend raved about Churchill's bunkers. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to do either.
Tours that we can recommend to you
Jack the Ripper Tour (Sinead was so brilliant at telling the story that we just kept researching and wanted to know more).
Rock'n'Roll Tour. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, ... the list of famous bands and musicians in London is endless. That's why we went on this tour.
Shoreditch Street Art Tour. A great tour that also takes a closer look at small and barely visible street art. Of course there are a few original Banksys to see. You'll also pass ROA and other well-known artists. Great tour
As these tours were damn good, we have published this article: We highly recommend these 7 city tours!
Best photo locations in London
The impressive old buildings in London are particularly photogenic:
Big Ben (when the scaffolding is removed again sometime in 2021)
Westminster Palace
St Paul's Cathedral
Buckingham Palace
Tower Bridge
The London Eye, the new City Hall and views from "The Shard", Duck & Waffles and of course the London Eye are particularly beautiful on the banks of the Thames.
You can take great photos of Tower Bridge from the walls of the Tower of London. We were lucky and the bridge opened just as we were visiting.
Big Ben London still hidden in the scaffolding Eating out in London
Food and England, can that be good? Yes, it can now. I still remember my first visit to London in 1996: the breakfast was subterranean, there was only fish & chips and the best and cheapest was fast food.
Of course, that has now come to an end: you can eat excellently in every part of London. The only problem is that you now often have to book tables if you want to eat at your favourite restaurant.
Here are our tips for London (detailed article to follow):
Pub: The Ten Bells, The John Snow Pub (Soho)
Snacks: Bagel Bake (roast beef)
Fast food: Shake Shack Covent Garden or Five Guys (both popular burger chains from the USA)
Food: Boxpark Shoreditch has lots of different dishes,
Breakfast: The Breakfast Club, Duck & Waffle (with a view, but be sure to book)
Fish & chips: Poppies Shoreditch
Bars: Lounge Bohemia (by appointment only, an absolute happening and very special and damn good)
Here is our detailed guide to good and cheap food in London
How much money for a week in London?
5 days in London costs around 850 - 900 euros per person for accommodation in a good location, eating out and sightseeing. Plus flights or travelling by train or ferry. You should plan on spending between 150 and 170 euros per day. As a low-budget traveller, you can also stay in hostels for less. Here are some tips on how you can save money in London.
London city break checklist
At least 2-3 months in advance:
Buy travel guides, research travel blogs and use the Trip Advisor App for London on your smartphone.
Book a flight or train ticket well in advance! Tips on how to book cheap flights.
Bookaccommodation. London is a popular destination for city breaks, especially in the summer months.
Booktables in popular restaurants.
Booktickets for musicals (especially Hamilton) or Premier League football matches.
One month in advance:
Check what you want to see and buy one of the London Sightseeing passes to save money on sightseeing. Book the Oyster Visitor Card.
Booktickets for the Warner Bros. Making of Harry Potter Tour.
Visitor Oyster Card if you don't have a Citypass.
One week before (or on site):
Book tours online. I often look for special tours with private guides. My favourite sites are Rent-a-Guide or Get your guide.
Pack: A rain jacket should definitely be in your luggage. The weather in London can be very changeable and windy. You should also pack comfortable shoes and leave everything else at home. In London, we always walked about 12 - 20 kilometres a day.
Book a ticket for the airport transfer.