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London
Most "things to know about London" lists tell you to stand on the right on the escalator. Ours tell you which attractions need booking, which will turn you away for a bag, and which have a free way in. Every guide states the date it was checked.
Watch the London guides
Six attraction guides, each under six minutes. Every one has a page here with the current prices and the map pins.
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 ›London: things to know before you go
The overview the rest of these guides hang off: which sights need booking, which refuse luggage, which sell out.
Subscribe to catch it ›British Museum
Free, worth booking — and it will refuse a suitcase at the door.
Subscribe to catch it ›Tower of London
Sells out on summer days and needs longer than people allow.
Subscribe to catch it ›Free views in London
Each link opens the spot in Google Maps.
- Blue Bridge, St James's ParkBuckingham Palace across the lake
- Westminster BridgeParliament, Big Ben and the London Eye
- Golden Jubilee BridgesThe Eye side-on, from a raised walkway
- One New Change roof terraceLevel with the dome of St Paul's
- Potters Fields ParkTower Bridge with the City behind
- Sky GardenThe free high view — book up to three weeks ahead
Book direct, not through a look-alike
Several sites with names close to the real thing rank well for London attraction searches and aren't the operator. Start at the attraction's own website, not a search result — every guide here links the official operator and nothing else.
What to take
London is strict about bags: St Paul's and Tower Bridge set size limits, Westminster Abbey has no cloakroom, and the London Eye won't take a large bag on board.