These days, a new Ottolenghi restaurant opening or a new show at the Tate Modern is reason enough to book a last-minute trip. While you're there, we recommend balancing museum hopping with pub crawling, and hitting up as many markets as must-book restaurants.
Getty
London Travel Guide
Plan Your London Trip
Featured
5 Best Day Trips from London
These spots are perfect for a quick getaway.
5 Downton Abbey Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit
Downton Abbey's location manager shares how he found the best of the English countryside.
On Location: How 'It's a Sin' Recreated Iconic '80s London Nightclubs
Lifting the curtain on the destinations behind the season’s most exciting new releases.
36 Best Hotels in London Right Now
Oh boy, do you have options.
Editor Hotel Recommendations
- $$$
NoMad London
New York swagger meets punchy period drama in one of the city’s most characterful new openingsRead full review - $$$
The Connaught
A genteel and top-notch property in the heart of tony Mayfair, with dependable elegance and refinement.Read full review - $$$
The Langham, London
Five-star hotels don’t come more luxurious—or better located—than this.Read full review - $$
Sea Containers London
Much like a chic cruise ship marooned on the South Bank, Sea Containers is slick and shiny.Read full review - $$
Dukes London
If you’re really into the fantasy London of cobblestone streets and red phone boxes, this hotel fills the bill perfectly.Read full review - $$$
Corinthia London
A plush choice in the center of London for uncompromising fans of luxury.Read full review - $
The Standard, London
This is the hippest place to sleep in a newly cool part of town. (Tip: Bring earplugs.)Read full review - $$$
The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel
It looks like the city home of a modern, stylish aristocrat—one who dabbles in modern art.Read full review
.jpg)
The Best Things to Do in London
25 Best Things to Do in London
Our list of what to do in the U.K. city that has everything.15 Best Walking Tours in London
Lace up those sneakers—here are London's best walking tours for your next visit.15 Best Museums in London
Whatever you're into, London's got a museum for it.London's Top Free Attractions
Yes, London is an expensive city to visit, but there's no need to spend wildly on admission tickets or booking tours when so much of the city's best experiences come free of charge. Whether you’re looking for history, art, music, food, or children’s activities, these 12 suggestions will round out any visit to London.London’s 10 Best Small Museums
There are more than 200 museums in London, catering to every imaginable interest and field of study—dentistry! The Tube! Dungeons! Even people who live in London may only visit a fraction of these museums, so it feels extra intimidating as a visitor who wants to branch out from the V&A. Here are ten of our favorite small museums, which pack plenty of history into manageable boundaries.
Editor Recommendations
- Gallery
Royal Academy of Arts
The R.A., as it's more fondly known, has been around for 250 years, run by artists, and is home to an incredible collection of global art.Read full review - Museum
Churchill War Rooms
This underground lair is where Churchill spent endless hours plotting Allied victory during the Second World War.Read full review - Landmark
King's Cross
Abandoned railroad totally transformed into a shopping and gallery experience.Read full review - Museum
Sir John Soane's Museum
The former home of architect and collector Sir John Soane, this is the most atmospheric museum in London.Read full review - Museum
Tower of London
Home to England's crown jewels as well as some grizzly events in the past.Read full review - Theater
Wilton's Music Hall
Hidden down a tiny back alley in East London, it's the last intact survivor of Britain’s grand music hall era.Read full review - Parks & Gardens
London's Lidos
These outdoor pools substitute for seaside resorts on sunny days, and serve the needs of fitness nuts on wintry ones.Read full review - Museum
London Transport Museum
Okay, stay with us—this one is much more entertaining than it sounds. In what used to part of the Covent Garden market, you’ll find the story of London’s public transport came to be, with buses and chunks of trains on show.Read full review - Museum
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Horniman looks a bit like a very ornate train station and is surrounded by 16 acres of garden. Within, you’ll find large natural history and anthropology galleries, as well as an aquarium, carefully curated wild-looking gardens, and a beautiful Victorian conservatory.Read full review - Museum
Charles Dickens Museum
Charles Dickens’ novels come to life inside this elegant Georgian townhouse where the author lived for a handful of years. Spend an hour or two seeing more than 100,000 objects that give insight into the author's life.Read full review - Museum
Science Museum
The Science Museum offers countless mind-bending exhibits, many of which are interactive, are arranged in a minefield of galleries across seven floors, and kids with eyes the size of dinner plates are scattered throughout.Read full review - activity
Barbican Centre
- activity
Kensington Gardens
15 Best Boutique Hotels in London
There's more to London's hotel scene than big players.
The Best Places to Eat and Drink in London
30 Best Restaurants in London
From elegant to offal and everything in between.15 Best Places for Afternoon Tea in London
Is there anything more British?19 Best Bars in London
The best places to drink in the capital, from speakeasy-inspired hideaways to high-gloss, high-profile spots. There's even a proper pub, of course.15 Best Indian Restaurants in London
Brits love a curry more than they love their traditional fish and chips. These are our picks of London’s best South Asian eateries.
Editor Restaurant and Bar Recommendations
- Restaurant
Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
Picture afternoon tea in London and this café encapsulates it perfectly. - Restaurant
Tayyabs
Appropriately famous, BYOB Punjabi diner in Whitechapel serving fabulous lamb chops and soft tender chunks of chicken tikka. - Restaurant
Scully St James's
This bold restaurant hops between flavors and cultures; think pastrami with butterscotch horseradish, or broccoli with salted egg-yolk sauce. - Restaurant
Ikoyi
The Michelin starred newcomer uses West African ingredients as a jumping off point, but the food is truly impossible to categorize. - Restaurant
Flor
This Borough Market spot comes with serious credentials; after all, it's the long-awaited little sister to the Michelin-starred Lyle’s. - Restaurant
Brat
Tomas Parry's kitchens throw a bit of smoke and char on to everything thanks to the wood-fired ovens and grills. - Restaurant
Gloria
Gloria is audacious but impossible to resist: a pastiche of a '50s trattoria transplanted to a Shoreditch street corner. - Restaurant
Darjeeling Express
Asma Khan's one-time pop-up supper club recreates the Indian favorites of her childhood. - Restaurant
The Wolseley
Restaurant impresarios Chris Corbin and Jeremy King made their name with this grand all-day brasserie. - Restaurant
The River Cafe
This iconic, deeply glamorous yet charmingly informal Thames-side restaurant offers a menu truly evocative of a sunny summer day in Tuscany. - Restaurant
The Barbary
Come to the Barbary for a globetrotting drink list, a menu inspired by the Barbary Coast, and noisy good times (set to an electro-pop soundtrack). - Restaurant
St. JOHN
Join chefs and foodies at Fergus Henderson' iconic flagship for nose-to-tail eating.
.jpg)
Innovators: Kit Kemp on Designing Hotels That Are Purposefully Eccentric
The British designer and hotelier believes hotels should have a point of view.
More from London
%2520Getty%2520Images_CNT%2520UK_Sophie%2520Knight.jpeg)
Inspiration
A Local’s Guide to London, U.K.
Two London florists, Romy St Clair and Iona Mathieson, on their favorite neighborhood in the city.
Style & Culture
25 Movies Set in London to Tide You Over Until Your Next Trip
Grit, glamour, and Hugh Grant.
News & Advice
London's Mayor Wants to Cap the Number of Uber Drivers in the City
So Londoners can "breathe better air and live in a less congested city."
More Destinations
Venice Travel Guide
Trust us, you'll want to get lostRome Travel Guide
The world's greatest outdoor museumMadrid Travel Guide
Barcelona’s big rival has its mojo backLisbon Travel Guide
Tiles, tiles, tilesFlorence Travel Guide
There's a new renaissance in townEdinburgh Travel Guide
More than just FringeDublin Travel Guide
One river—one thousand pubsCopenhagen Travel Guide
A Michelin-starred fairytale
