Know before you go.
Most landmark guides tell you what a place is. Ours tell you which ticket is actually worth buying, what costs nothing, and the rule that will catch you out at the gate.
Start with London Watch on YouTubeThe guides
Buckingham Palace
What the ticket really covers, why the balcony is a separate tour, and why the Royal Mews is the better answer for most of the year. Changing the Guard is free either way.
Read the guide ›Westminster Abbey
Closed to sightseers on Sundays, no cloakroom, and a one-hour route through 700 years of coronations — plus the free Evensong most visitors miss.
Read the guide ›London Eye
Your ticket time is when you join the queue, not when you board. It takes about 90 minutes, not 30 — and two bridges give you the view of the Eye for free.
Read the guide ›Tower Bridge
Crossing is free, the inside is ticketed, and every bridge lift is published in advance. How to plan around one and watch it from the glass floor.
Read the guide ›St Paul's Cathedral
528 steps to the Golden Gallery, free tours you can only book at a desk inside, and a free rooftop view of the dome across the road.
Read the guide ›Natural History Museum
Free to walk in, but book the free slot anyway. Which entrance to use, when to see the dinosaurs, and what actually costs money.
Read the guide ›Eiffel Tower
Second floor or the summit? You choose when you pay and can't change it afterwards — and the stairs are no longer a walk-up option.
Read the guide ›Palace of Versailles
Every palace ticket has a time on it, and that time gets you into the queue, not past it. The route inside, the day to avoid, and how far the Trianon really is.
Read the guide ›How these guides are made
Cities
- LondonBuckingham Palace · Westminster Abbey · London Eye · Tower Bridge · St Paul's Cathedral · Natural History Museum
- ParisEiffel Tower
What to take
Day bags that pass the size checks, rain layers that aren't umbrellas, and enough battery for a day of phone tickets and audio tours.