Guides
Practical answers for a London visit: what to tip, what a dress code actually requires, and which Tube lines run all night. Each one checked at the source.
London Travel Tips That Are Not Wear Comfortable Shoes
Every tip here was read from a venue, transport authority or police force's own published information: the fare caps, the last orders gap, the booking windows, the cash-only exception and what the Met actually advises.
A London Itinerary for Three Days That Does Not Cross the City Four Times
One part of London per day, walkable within itself, with every venue and price checked at source. Most of it is free, and it answers how many days you actually need.
Is the London Pass Worth It? Go City’s Savings Are Measured Against Walk-Up Prices
The pass works out at 32 pounds an attraction at two choices and 24 at seven, and the advertised saving is against walk-up prices almost nobody pays. The arithmetic, and what London's best things actually cost.
The Best Time to Visit London, According to Thirty Years of Met Office Data
London's driest month is March, February is drier than August, and the wettest is November. The rain barely varies across the year. What collapses in winter is sunshine, by a factor of four.
Is London Safe? What the Met Actually Tells Visitors, Including One Warning About Soho
The Metropolitan Police call London one of the world's safest cities, and their visitor advice is almost entirely about property. Their published guidance on phones, hotel lobbies, fake officers and the Soho bars they name specifically.
Plan Your Evening in London
Build an evening out of the venues in this guide: pick the shape, pick a neighbourhood, and get two moves in the right order. No event listings, no bookings, no commission.
London Airports: How Many, and Which to Fly Into
London has six airports and four of them are not in London. Where each one actually is, what it costs you in time, and the arithmetic that decides whether a cheap flight into Luton is cheap.
How Much Is the Tube in London: The Cap Is the Answer
Nobody can quote you a single tube fare, because TfL prices by route, direction, time and day. The number that governs what you spend is the cap: 8.90 pounds a day inside Zone 1, whatever you do.
The Night Tube: Getting Home After Midnight
Six lines run all night on Friday and Saturday, and three of them do not run to the end. The branches that close, what it costs, and the other five nights.
London Dress Codes: What Smart Casual Actually Means
The handful of London rooms that genuinely enforce a code, quoted from the venues themselves, and the famous hotels that publish none at all.
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Questions we get asked
How much should you tip in London?
Check the bill first. Nearly every London restaurant above the casual end adds a discretionary service charge of 12.5 per cent, and some add 15. Where it is already on the bill you do not tip on top: that is not generous, it is paying twice, and no member of staff expects it.
What does smart casual mean in London?
No sportswear, no shorts, no ripped denim, no beachwear. Beyond that you have latitude. A collared shirt or fine knit, trousers or dark unripped jeans, and shoes that are not running trainers will clear every door that uses the phrase.
Does the Night Tube run every night?
No. Friday and Saturday nights only, on six lines: Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria and Windrush. Assuming otherwise is the most common way to end up paying for a long taxi.