Touristy things to do in London include seeing Buckingham Palace, riding the London Eye, and exploring Trafalgar Square. Experiencing touristy things to do in London offers classic city highlights, providing iconic sights, cultural landmarks, and memorable moments in the heart of England.
👀 At a Glance:
- 🗓️ Best time: April-May or September-October for smaller crowds and mild weather
- 💰 Budget range: Free museums balance pricey attractions (£20-30 each)
- ✈️ Getting there: Heathrow Express reaches Central London in 15 minutes
- ⏰ Duration recommendation: Spend at least 4-5 days to cover top sights
- 🎯 Must-see attraction: Tower of London for Crown Jewels and 1,000 years of history
🏰 Touristy Things to do in London: Tower of London and Westminster Abbey
Tower of London Attraction
This fortress has stood on the Thames since 1066 watching over the city. It’s where you’ll see the Crown Jewels up close with their stunning sparkle. The collection includes over 23,000 gemstones and the 530-carat Cullinan I diamond shining bright.
Yeoman Warders lead guided tours every 30 minutes throughout the day consistently. They’re actual military veterans who live on site full time with families. Their stories about royal prisoners make this one of the top touristy things to do in London.
Plan for 3-4 hours here minimum if you want to visit this essential place. Get there before 10am or after 2pm to avoid hour-long queues snaking around. This ranks among the most popular touristy things to do in London year-round.
Westminster Abbey
The coronation church has hosted every monarch’s crowning since 1066 without fail. You’re walking on graves of 17 monarchs and 3,300 notable Britons here. Charles Dickens and Isaac Newton rest right under your feet in this building.
The Lady Chapel ceiling looks like frozen lace carved in stone above you. The sound of choir practice echoes through the halls during afternoon rehearsals beautifully. Poets’ Corner houses literary giants making this essential for planning a trip to London.
Services happen daily and they’re free to attend if you time your visit right. Tourist visits run Monday-Saturday from 9:30am for exploring the abbey thoroughly. Allow 90 minutes to see the city without rushing through this landmark at all.
👑 Things to do in London: Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace
Buckingham Palace
The Changing of the Guard happens at 11am most days from April through July. It’s free to watch but arrive 45 minutes early for good spots near railings. The sound of military bands fills the air during this traditional ceremony perfectly.
State Rooms open to visitors each summer from July to September only sadly. You’ll see the Throne Room and halls where actual state dinners happen today. Tickets sell out weeks ahead so book early for this iconic attraction everyone wants.
The palace has 775 rooms total though visitors see about 19 of them. The Picture Gallery holds works by Rembrandt and Vermeer worth millions of pounds. This experience ranks among the most memorable touristy things to do in London today.
Kensington Palace
Princess Diana lived here and you can tour her former apartments today freely. The exhibition shows her actual dresses and personal items throughout the ornate rooms. It feels more intimate than other royal sights in London around town definitely.
Queen Victoria was born in this palace and lived here until becoming queen. The State Apartments display royal fashion through 300 years of British history beautifully. The Sunken Garden outside blooms with tulips in April and roses in June.
Tickets cost about £17 for adults and include access to the beautiful gardens outside. The Orangery serves afternoon tea in a less formal setting than the Ritz. Allow 2-3 hours to explore this attraction worth a visit for certain.
🎨 Top Touristy Things to do in London: British Museum and Natural History Museum
British Museum
The British Museum draws over 6 million visitors each year to Central London easily. It’s completely free to enter which makes it perfect for budget travellers everywhere. You’ll find Egyptian mummies and artefacts from human history spanning 2 million years.
The Rosetta Stone sits in the main hall where people crowd around it daily. Local tip: visit right when doors open at 10am to photograph it without crowds. The museum in London covers 8 miles of galleries if you walked them all.
Focus on 2-3 sections per visit instead of trying to see everything at once. The Egyptian rooms are most popular for visitors planning their trip to London. This museum ranks among the best touristy things to do in London for first-time visitors.
Natural History Museum
The dinosaur gallery features a moving T-Rex that roars at visitors every few minutes. Kids love it but the real treasures are fossils from creatures that lived. Free entry means you can pop in for an hour anytime you fancy.
The blue whale skeleton suspended in the main hall measures 25 metres long. This museum in London replaced the diplodocus display back in 2017 with something bigger. The marble floors echo with footsteps as thousands walk through each day regularly.
Regular tours show you collection areas most visitors never see during their stay here. The spirit collection includes creatures preserved in alcohol for over 100 years now. This attraction is great for families exploring London sights with children in tow.
🌉 Must-See Touristy Things to do in London: London Eye and Tower Bridge
London Eye
This observation wheel gives you a view of London from 135 metres above. Each rotation takes 30 minutes on clear days when you can see forever. You’ll spot 40 kilometres in every direction including Windsor Castle beyond the city.
Capsules hold 25 people but they rarely fill up completely during quieter weekday times. Book online to save 15% and skip queuing time at this popular attraction. Sunset slots cost more but watching London light up makes it worth visiting.
The Eye opened in 2000 as temporary structure for millennium celebrations across the city. It became so popular they made it permanent for tourists to enjoy daily. The wheel moves so slowly you barely feel it rotating beneath your feet.
Tower Bridge
The bridge raises its bascules about 800 times yearly for tall ships passing through. You can check the lifting schedule online before your visit to London today. The glass floor walkway lets you watch traffic moving 42 metres below your feet.
Victorian engine rooms show the original steam-powered machinery from 1894 that worked perfectly then. The engines ran until 1976 when they switched to electric power instead finally. You can still smell the oil and metal in these historic chambers below.
Cross on the lower level anytime for free views of the Thames and skyline. The paid exhibition includes the high-level walkways and engine rooms worth exploring thoroughly. Combine it with Borough Market since they’re only 10 minutes apart on foot.
⛪ Big Ben and St. Paul’s Cathedral
Big Ben at Westminster
The clock tower stands 96 metres tall and keeps time for the whole city. Big Ben is actually the bell’s name, not the tower itself surprisingly. It weighs 13 tonnes and has rung almost every hour since 1859 consistently.
Tours inside the Houses of Parliament run year-round on Saturdays and weekdays during breaks. You’ll see the House of Commons where debates happen and the ornate Lords chamber. Book months ahead for summer if you want to visit in London during season.
The tower’s restoration wrapped up in 2022 after five years of careful skilled work. The clock face shines brighter now and the bell sounds clearer than before. Stand on Westminster Bridge for perfect photos of this iconic attraction to see.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
The dome dominates the skyline and you can climb 528 steps to reach the top. The Whispering Gallery sits partway up where sound travels around the circular wall mysteriously. Say something facing the wall and people hear it clearly across the dome.
Christopher Wren designed this masterpiece after the Great Fire of London destroyed it completely. It took 35 years to build and opened in 1710 for worship services. The crypt holds tombs of national heroes including Admiral Nelson who served Britain.
Services are free to attend if you time in London matches morning prayers perfectly. Tourist entry costs £25 but includes access to all levels and crypts below. The view from the Golden Gallery beats other London sights for seeing historic buildings.
🌳 Hyde Park, Notting Hill and Covent Garden
Hyde Park
This green space covers 350 acres right in Central London near major attractions everywhere. You can rent paddle boats on the Serpentine lake or sprawl on grass. Free concerts happen at British Summer Time festival each July for music lovers.
Speaker’s Corner near Marble Arch has hosted public debates since 1872 in this area. Anyone can show up Sunday mornings and voice their opinions about anything freely. This is where Karl Marx and George Orwell once spoke to passionate crowds.
The park connects to Kensington Gardens making one giant green area to explore freely. Walk from Lancaster Gate to the palace in about 30 minutes through nature. This remains one of the most relaxing touristy things to do in London today.
Notting Hill
The colourful houses you’ve seen in movies are real and even more vibrant. Saturday’s antique market fills Portobello Road with vendors selling everything from vintage jewellery. This neighbourhood in West London transforms completely during Carnival weekend each August yearly.
Two million people flood the streets in London for Europe’s largest street party here. Steel drums and jerk chicken smoke fill the air for two wild days. The London markets here operate daily but Saturday brings the full shopping experience completely.
Get there before 11am for serious shopping before tourists arrive in bigger crowds throughout. Local tip: grab a flat white from Granger & Co before hitting the stalls. This is one place to see authentic London beyond typical attraction circuits entirely.
Covent Garden
The cobblestone piazza fills with world-class street performers every single day year-round consistently always. Magicians, opera singers, and acrobats audition for performing spots in this area regularly. The entertainment rivals many paid shows around London for pure talent and skill.
Apple Market inside sells handmade crafts from British makers selling unique gifts exclusively here. The shops surrounding the piazza range from high-end brands to quirky boutiques everywhere. It’s a great way to see the city without entering any paid attractions.
The London Transport Museum sits right in the piazza if you need a break. Vintage Underground trains show how Londoners got around for 150 years historically speaking. Kids love climbing on actual vehicles from different eras of city history here.
🎭 Walking Tours and Touristy Things to do in London’s East End
Jack the Ripper Tours in East London
Jack the Ripper tours take you through Whitechapel area after dark for mystery lovers. Guides share gruesome Victorian murder details whilst you walk actual crime scene streets here. These guided tours sell out fast during October when interest peaks across the city.
Free Walking Tours
Free walking tours operate on a tip-based system throughout London for budget travellers everywhere. Guides work for gratuities so they try harder to make tours entertaining always. Tours cover everything from street art to the Great Fire of London history.
These walks rank among the most affordable touristy things to do in London available. You set your own price based on the experience you received from guides. Most people tip £10-15 per person for a quality two-hour walking tour.
City of London Tour
The City offers completely different architecture than Westminster areas of London with medieval charm. Medieval streets hide Roman walls and Christopher Wren churches worth discovering always here. Visit the City Information Centre for maps and guidance on exploring this historic area.
🍽️ Food Markets, London Pubs and Day Trips
Borough Market
This food market has operated for 1,000 years in some form near London Bridge. Today’s version sells everything from Scottish oysters to Venezuelan arepas to British pies. The smell of fresh bread and roasting coffee fills the air constantly here.
The market runs Wednesday through Saturday with Saturday being the busiest day obviously here. Thursdays offer the best balance of full vendor selection without overwhelming crowds everywhere around. Local tip: grab coffee at Monmouth Coffee before 9am to skip the queue.
Street food stalls cluster near the main entrance under the railway arches overhead above. A scotch egg from one vendor became my breakfast three days straight running. Sampling street food here ranks among the tastiest touristy things to do in London.
Traditional London Pubs and Afternoon Tea
Historic pubs dot every neighbourhood and many date back 300-400 years ago easily now. The Prospect of Whitby claims to be the city’s oldest riverside pub from 1520. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese has served patrons since 1667 after surviving the Great Fire.
Sunday roast is the meal to try in any proper London pub here. Roasted meat, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, and gravy fill your plate for reasonable prices. The wooden tables are worn smooth from centuries of elbows resting on them.
Traditional afternoon tea includes finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and tiny cakes. The Ritz offers the fanciest versions for £55-70 per person in elegant settings. Budget options at smaller hotels cost £25-30 and taste good enough. For information on London attractions and official London tourism planning, check resources.
Greenwich Day Trip
The Prime Meridian line marks zero degrees longitude and you can stand with feet in each. The Royal Observatory sits on a hill with views across the Thames River. You can see Canary Wharf’s modern towers from this historic viewpoint clearly today.
The Cutty Sark clipper ship docked here in 1954 after sailing the world’s oceans. You can walk beneath the ship’s copper hull and explore the decks above easily. The ship once carried 10,000 miles of rigging rope stretched across its masts.
Greenwich takes 20 minutes from Central London by DLR train which runs frequently daily. You can catch a Thames Clipper boat for a scenic way to see the city. Plan 4-5 hours to visit Greenwich and see the observatory, ship, and wander the park.
Warner Bros Studio Tour
The actual sets from Harry Potter films sit 20 miles outside London in Watford. You’ll walk through the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, and other locations where they filmed. Butterbeer tastes like butterscotch cream soda and it’s worth trying during your visit.
Advance tickets are required and they sell out weeks ahead during school holidays completely. The visit takes 3-4 hours minimum because there’s so much to see here. The costume department used 588 different wands throughout the eight films surprisingly enough.
Shuttle buses run from Watford Junction station which connects to London Euston in 20 minutes. Package deals include train and bus for about £75 total per person visiting. This day trip ranks among the most magical touristy things to do in London.
