London: know before you go

London has six airports. Heathrow, the busiest, is 14 miles west of the centre. Gatwick sits south, London City is the closest to the financial district, and Stansted and Luton are farther out to the northeast and north. All have rail links. The Tube, Elizabeth line, and express trains serve Heathrow; Gatwick has the Gatwick Express and Thameslink; London City connects via the DLR. Avoid unbooked minicabs at the airport; use the official taxi rank or a pre-booked ride.

The Tube is the fastest way across the centre. Buses are slower but give you a view of the city and fill the gaps the Tube misses. Tap the same contactless card or device for every trip; the system caps your daily and weekly spend automatically. You never need a paper ticket. The bus Hopper fare lets you make unlimited bus and tram transfers within an hour for a single £1.75 charge. The Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, and Victoria lines.

London does not yet charge a tourist tax. The UK government proposed giving the mayor the power to introduce a levy on overnight stays in late 2025, but no rate or date has been set. The city's great financial gift to visitors is its museums: the permanent collections at the British Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery, V&A, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Imperial War Museum are all free.

London is broadly safe. The most common crimes affecting visitors are phone snatches and pickpocketing in busy spots like Oxford Street, Leicester Square, and on the Tube. Keep your phone out of sight near open Tube doors. At night, use a black cab or a pre-booked minicab; unbooked minicabs are illegal and uninsured. TfL funds thousands of police and enforcement officers across the transport network. Report any incident on the Tube or rail by texting the British Transport Police on 61016.

Free Wi-Fi is available at every Tube station, most London Overground stations, and all Elizabeth line stations under central London. Your device connects automatically if your SIM is with a UK network; otherwise you can join the public Wi-Fi manually. Mobile coverage is spreading through tunnels on the Tube, with 4G and 5G now live on sections of the Central, Northern, Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Victoria, and Jubilee lines and the entire Elizabeth line.

Stand on the right on Tube escalators so people can walk up on the left. Let passengers off the train before you board. Queue in an orderly line for buses; pushing in is a genuine social offence. On the Tube, avoid loud phone conversations, eating hot food, and taking up more than one seat. Londoners are reserved in public but helpful when asked directly.

TfL has made steady progress on step-free access. All London buses are wheelchair accessible and can be lowered to the kerb. Black cabs can take a wheelchair. The TfL website publishes a step-free Tube and rail map and a journey planner that filters for step-free routes. Many but not all Tube stations have lifts from street to platform; check before you travel. Staffed stations have personnel who can assist with ramps and boarding.

Book the London Eye, the Tower of London, and the Sky Garden ahead; the Sky Garden is free but books out weeks in advance. Buckingham Palace opens its State Rooms for about 10 weeks each summer and tickets sell out fast. West End shows can be bought on the day from the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, but booking ahead secures better seats. Free museums do not need a ticket for the permanent collections, though weekend queues at popular entrances can be long. A river cruise on the Thames or an Uber Boat ride can be booked on the day but is cheaper online.