London

The city where the world’s best museums — the British Museum, V&A, Tate — are free every day.

Local time: 14:41
Now: 22°CPartly cloudy…
per day: ~$110 · hotel / night ~$170
Best time: May–September

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About London

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.14 million people in 2025. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.4 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the site of the national government and parliament for centuries. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split among the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire. Since 1965 it has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London, governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.

Read more on Wikipedia·Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

About London

Free city guide

Your free first day

Day 1 · Royal London

09:00Westminster, Big Ben and the Changing of the Guard (11am, alternate days) free
12:30Fish & chips at Poppies (Soho) $18
14:30Westminster Abbey $34
17:30Sky Garden — free, but book a week ahead! free
20:00Pub dinner at The Churchill Arms (Kensington) $24

The rest of your trip

Day 2 · Museums and the City · Day 3 · Notting Hill and the parks

More days, booking links, a rain plan and prices for your exact dates come in the personal plan.

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7-day forecast

Sunrise 06:35 · Sunset 19:15

Partly cloudy · 22°C, feels like 20°C

Today23°17°
Wed19°14°40%
Thu20°14°75%
Fri19°12°
Sat22°16°28%
Sun23°18°
Mon24°18°

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

7-day forecast

When to go to London

Average day and night temperatures and rainy days per month over the last 10 years.

8°
2°Jan12d
9°
3°Feb11d
11°
4°Mar13d
14°
5°Apr10d
18°
9°May11d
21°
12°Jun11d
23°
14°Jul10d
23°
14°Aug9d
20°
12°Sep11d
16°
9°Oct12d
11°
5°Nov12d
9°
4°Dec12d

bestrainy days

Climate: Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis

When to go to London

Top places in the centre

Live from OpenStreetMap — tap a place to open it on the map.

Horse Guards Parade
Sights · 0.3 km
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Museums · 2.8 kmMo-Su 09:30-18:00Website
Douglas Haig
Sights · 0.3 km
Former Whitehall Palace Steps
Sights · 0.4 km
Robert Raikes
Sights · 0.6 km
The Mall
Sights · 0.6 km
The London Dungeon
Sights · 0.8 km10:00-17:00; Th 11:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-18:00Website
London Aquarium
Sights · 0.8 kmWebsite
Shrek's Adventure
Sights · 0.8 kmWebsite
The Courtauld Gallery
Museums · 0.8 kmMo-Su 10:00-18:00Website
Topolski Century
Museums · 0.9 kmWebsite
The Guards Museum
Museums · 1 kmMo-Su 10:00-16:00Website
Messum's
Museums · 1 kmWebsite
The Florence Nightingale Museum
Museums · 1.1 kmTu-Su 10:00-17:00; "Last Th of month close at 20:00"Website
The Fine Art Society
Museums · 1.2 kmWebsite
Hunterian Museum
Museums · 1.2 kmTu-Sa 10:00-17:00Website
Red Lion Square Gardens
Parks · 1.5 km
Novelty Automation
Sights · 1.6 kmTu,We,Fr,Sa 11:00-18:00; Th 12:00-20:00; Su 12:00-18:00Website
Russell Square
Parks · 1.6 km
Simón Bolívar
Sights · 1.9 km

Top places in the centre

Air and sea right now

Air quality: 26; fair
UV index: 3.3

Air quality and sea: Open-Meteo

Getting around

London has one of the most comprehensive public transport systems in the world. Despite residents' perpetual (and sometimes justified) grumbling about unreliability, public transport is often the best option for getting anywhere for visitors and residents alike. In central London use a combination of the transport options listed below - and check your map: in many cases, you can easily walk from one place to another or use the buses. Public transportation shuts down early on Christmas Eve, and all day on Christmas Day.

Read more on Wikivoyage·Text: Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0

Staying safe

In an emergency, telephone 999 or 112 . This number connects to police, ambulance and fire & rescue services as well as the coastguard for incidents on the river. You will be asked which of these services you require before being connected to the relevant operator.

London has two of the oldest police forces in the world. The Metropolitan Police ( The Met ) is responsible for policing London except the tiny City of London , which is the responsibility of the City of London Police . In addition to these, the Tube and other railways are patrolled by the British Transport Police .

Read more on Wikivoyage·Text: Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0

Practical info

Currency: British Pound (GBP)
Languages: English
Local time: 14:41 GMT+1
Plug types: G
Calling code: +44
Traffic: Drives on the left
Entry · Russian passport: Visa required
Entry · EU passport: e-Visa / on arrival

Upcoming public holidays

Fri, Dec 25Christmas Day
Mon, Dec 28Boxing DaySt. Stephen's Day
Fri, Mar 26Good Friday
Mon, May 3Early May Bank Holiday
Mon, May 31Spring Bank Holiday

Holidays: Nager.Date

Currency converter

British Pound£85.6
US Dollar$115.5
Russian RubleRUB 9,726

Rates as of September 14, 2026 · Rates: ECB via Frankfurter · ExchangeRate-API

Practical info

Personal trip plan

Your dates, your budget. A ready plan within 24 hours

Most trips lose a day to queues, closed museums and fully booked restaurants. We check opening hours, events and prices for your exact dates and send a PDF you can follow offline.

Hour-by-hour plan for your dates
Booking links for tickets and tables
Line-item budget before you fly
Rain plan + one free revision

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PDF in 24 hours · works offline · one free revision

Relocation

Loved London? Find out how to move here

Relocation is what One Way Ticket does every day: residence permits, visas, banking and housing — in United Kingdom and 100+ other countries.

Relocation to United Kingdom See relocation routes

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Flights to London

Live data: Open-Meteo · Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia · OpenStreetMap · ECB · Nager.Date