Decisions to make before you fly
- Do you need an ETA? Most visitors who do not need a visa, including EU, US and Australian citizens, need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation before travelling. It costs £20 since 8 April 2026, lasts two years or until the passport expires, and decisions can take up to three working days (GOV.UK, checked 9 October 2026). Irish citizens do not need one. Apply only through the official app or the GOV.UK website. UK ETA: Who Needs One covers exemptions and transit.
- Which landmarks cost money? The British Museum is free (daily 10:00–17:00, Fridays to 20:30), and so are the Natural History Museum, V&A and Science Museum in South Kensington, although the Science Museum asks you to pre-book a free ticket. The Tower of London costs £38 per adult with the Crown Jewels included, Westminster Abbey £32, St Paul's Cathedral £27 with the dome galleries included, and Tower Bridge £18 for the glass-floor walkways and Engine Rooms (checked 12 October 2026).
- Want a view from above? The Tower Bridge ticket includes the high-level walkways with their glass floors, and the St Paul's ticket includes the dome galleries, so you do not need a separate viewpoint ticket for either.
- Which days close to sightseers? Westminster Abbey and St Paul's are open for sightseeing Monday to Saturday only; on Sundays they are open for services, which are free.
- Want the Prime Meridian at Greenwich? Go on or before 1 November 2026: Royal Museums Greenwich lists the whole Royal Observatory site as closed from 2 November 2026 for refurbishment, with the Meridian Courtyard due to reopen in summer 2027 (closures and transformation pages, checked 12 October 2026). After that, a Greenwich day is Cutty Sark (£22 per adult) plus the free National Maritime Museum and Queen's House.
- Watching the guard change? At Buckingham Palace it takes place at 11:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and can be cancelled in wet weather as late as 10:45.
Your planning order
Compare the landmark tickets
| Landmark | Adult price (checked 9 or 12 October 2026) | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Tower of London | £38 | Last entry 16:30; no luggage storage |
| Westminster Abbey | £32 | No sightseeing on Sundays |
| St Paul's Cathedral | £27, dome included | No sightseeing on Sundays; no cloakroom |
| London Eye | Standard from £29 online, £39 walk-up | January maintenance closure |
| Tower Bridge | £18 | Last entry 17:00; booking is not a fast track |
| Windsor Castle | £32 in advance, £36 on the day | Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays |
| Royal Observatory, Greenwich | £24 (Day Pass with Cutty Sark £38) | Whole site closed from 2 November 2026 |
| Cutty Sark, Greenwich | £22 | Last entry 16:15 |
| British Museum | Free | No wheeled cases |
| South Kensington museums | Free | Science Museum free ticket; paid exhibitions extra |
Day trips by train
Windsor Castle is the shortest royal day trip: GWR from Paddington with a change at Slough takes about 35 minutes to Windsor & Eton Central, or South Western Railway runs direct from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside in about 55 minutes. Kew Gardens is a Tube ride on the District line, £25 per adult online until 31 October and £17 from 1 November, but last entry drops to 14:30 from 12 November (checked 12 October 2026).
Stonehenge is a direct train from London Waterloo to Salisbury (about 1 hour 25 minutes), then the Stonehenge Tour bus; English Heritage tickets are valid all day. The Studio Tour is about 20 minutes by train from Euston to Watford Junction, then a shuttle that is included in the £58.50 adult ticket.
If this is your situation
Arrival, checkout and family days
The additions in this section were checked on 31 October 2026; the older landmark and day-trip sections retain their own source dates. Start with the three-day London route, which groups Westminster and the South Bank, Bloomsbury and Trafalgar Square, and the Tower and City. Its walking allowances are planning estimates, and its transport budget assumes qualifying adult journeys stay within the stated zones.
| Your situation | Decide first | Continue with |
|---|---|---|
| Before check-in | Can your accommodation hold bags before you return to sleep? | London luggage storage |
| After checkout | Where can you collect bags on the way to your departure? | Storage rates, host hours and the Thursday Victoria deadline in that guide |
| A museum day with children | One main collection; paid experiences only if wanted | South Kensington museum choices |
| Avoiding stairs | A usable station, street route and actual entrance | Knightsbridge alternative and venue entrance directions in the museum guide |
Do not confuse free entry with a reserved space: the Science Museum offers free bookings, with walk-ups depending on capacity. On 30 October–1 November 2026 the Natural History Museum's directions report South Kensington as exit-only during the day and the Museum Subway closed. Use the street route and plan a different return station or bus during that dated disruption.
For checkout day, price the whole party's storage and the collection detour before choosing the afternoon's sightseeing. A locker or cloakroom inside a museum is useful only if it fits your bag, has space, and stays open until you return.
What to recheck on the day
Prices and hours here are as published on 9 or 12 October 2026. Guard-change calendars, Studio Tour hours and Stonehenge bus times are published a month or a season at a time, so open the operator page for your date.
