How Many Days in London? — Trip Planner

What first-timers get wrong in London

Do not buy a paper travelcard. Tap a contactless card or phone and the daily cap handles it: 8.90 pounds across zones 1 and 2, or 44.70 pounds weekly if you use the same card all week. Tap in and out on the Tube but only in on buses. Stand on the right on escalators. Tipping runs around 10 percent, and many restaurants already add service to the bill.

What's actually worth your time in London

The best things here cost nothing: the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, V&A, Natural History Museum and Science Museum are all permanently free, with donations merely suggested. Among paid tickets, the Tower of London earns it for the Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warder tour included in the price, as does Westminster Abbey. The London Eye is dear for what it is, while the Sky Garden viewing deck is free but books out weeks ahead.

London's museums, and which one to pick

Free entry removes any reason to rush. The British Museum's Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures draw the crowds, though Room 41's Sutton Hoo helmet is the better object. The V&A opens late on Fridays. Sir John Soane's Museum, the architect's own house on Lincoln's Inn Fields preserved as he left it in 1837, is free, small and needs booking for candlelit evenings. The Wallace Collection is free and rarely busy.

London with kids, realistically

Nearly every major museum is free and built with children in mind, from the Science Museum's Wonderlab to the Natural History Museum's blue whale and the Horniman's aquarium in Forest Hill. Buses beat the Tube with a pushchair, since all are low-floor, and under-11s travel free on both bus and Tube. Only some Tube stations have step-free access, marked on the map. The Diana Memorial Playground fills an afternoon.

When the weather turns in London

This is the city with the most indoor options per square mile, and rain is simply the default assumption. Beyond the free national museums, the Barbican Conservatory opens on selected days, Leadenhall Market and the Royal Arcade are covered, Sir John Soane's fills a dry hour, and Kew's Temperate House is glass throughout. An umbrella matters less than a hood, because the rain here arrives sideways.

When to go to London

The month to avoid is January — around 8°C (46°F) with roughly 11 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: August is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.

Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, A packable rain shell or compact umbrella earns its space, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.

Where to base yourself in London

• South Bank — Riverside walk, Tate Modern, the National Theatre, Borough Market.
• Shoreditch — Street art, indie coffee, late-night bars.
• Notting Hill — Pastel houses, Portobello Market on Saturdays.
• Camden — Market, music venues, the alt-culture heart.