London visitor guide

Getting online at the airports and on the Tube

Heathrow says free Wi-Fi is available in every terminal. You select Heathrow Wi-Fi on your device, follow the on-screen instructions and register to start, and Customer Care can be reached on 0808 189 1365. The network is certified by Friendly WiFi, which means filters block unsuitable content. Free internet kiosks are in every terminal for anyone without a device. Heathrow's UK SIMs page says various UK operators offer SIM cards and mentions a free eSIM from Sim Local, and the Sim Local shop page says its stores also stock mobile phone handsets. We did not read the terms of the eSIM offer, so check them before relying on it.

Gatwick offers free, unlimited Wi-Fi at up to 50 Mbps. You choose 'Free Gatwick Wi-Fi Vinci Airports', pick 'Free Superfast Wi-Fi' and enter a valid email address. A faster 100 Mbps tier is free if you sign up to myGatwick, or can be bought as Premium Wi-Fi for £5 for 24 hours, with longer packages available.

Transport for London says it is extending mobile coverage across the Tube, Elizabeth line, DLR and Overground, working with Boldyn Networks and the four main operators: Three, EE, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2. At the time of checking, it listed 4G and 5G coverage in stations and tunnels on sections of the Circle, District, Central, Jubilee, Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Victoria and Northern lines, and across the whole Elizabeth line. It also says it continues to offer a free Wi-Fi network across the Tube. Coverage is not complete, so download tickets and maps beforehand.

Contactless, Oyster and the Visitor Oyster card

Transport for London says you can pay as you go with a contactless card or device, an Oyster card or a Visitor Oyster card, and that pay as you go is cheaper than buying single tickets, with daily and weekly capping. Use the same card or device to touch in and out, and touch in only on buses and trams. Overseas transaction fees may apply to non-UK cards.

A Visitor Oyster card costs £10.50 plus postage at the time of checking, and you can load £10, £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40 or £50 of credit. It can only be bought before you arrive in London. Unused credit of up to £10 can be refunded at most Tube station ticket machines or Visitor Centres, but the card fee is not refunded. On buses and trams, an adult single fare is £1.75 with a daily cap of £5.25, and cash is not accepted on buses.

Peak fares apply Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, from 06:30 to 09:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00. Tube and Elizabeth line journeys to and from Heathrow are charged peak fares if they start, end or pass through Zone 1. Children under five travel free with a fare-paying adult, and children under 11 can travel free with an adult on the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line and some National Rail services, up to four per adult. For ages 11 to 15, staff can add a Young Visitor discount, which gives half the adult pay as you go fare for up to 14 days. TfL Visitor Centres are listed at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3, King's Cross and St Pancras, Liverpool Street, Piccadilly Circus and Victoria. The page lists them as open 09:00 to 16:30 Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays except King's Cross and St Pancras, which opens 09:00 to 16:30 on Sundays.

Tickets from the sights' own sites

For the Tower of London, Historic Royal Palaces says you can book in advance online or buy at the ticket office on the day. It is an independent charity and asks for an optional 10 percent donation at checkout. In its section on £1 tickets for people receiving certain benefits, the page says tickets must be booked online in advance because visitor numbers are limited and many dates and time slots sell out. It also lists early-entry experiences and an official river tour.

Westminster Abbey asks visitors to book entry or tour tickets in advance and recommends this to guarantee entry in busy periods. It lists daily opening from 9:30am to 4:30pm with last entry at 3:30pm, and gives Saturday separately as 9:00am to 4:00pm, with Sunday open for services. Bags larger than 55cm by 40cm by 20cm are not permitted, and the page points to a left luggage facility at Victoria station.

The British Museum offers free entry and advises visitors to book a free ticket in advance for key information and updates and for priority entry during busy periods. Without a free pre-booked ticket, entry depends on capacity and queues are expected at busier times. All visitors pass through a security check and bag search, and wheeled suitcases and larger bags are not permitted.

Climate averages

The Met Office publishes 1991 to 2020 averages for its Heathrow station. Average daily highs run from 8.4°C in January to 23.9°C in July, and average lows from 2.7°C in January to 14.2°C in July. January has about seven days of air frost.

Rainfall is spread through the year. March is the driest month at 38.8 mm, and November is the wettest at 66.6 mm, with October close behind at 65.1 mm. The annual total is 615 mm over about 112 days with at least 1 mm of rain. Sunshine ranges from 55 hours in December to 218 hours in July. We did not find an official page listing events that change crowd levels.

Emergency numbers and where to ask for help

The NHS says 999 is for life-threatening emergencies such as serious road accidents, strokes and heart attacks. NHS 111 can check symptoms and advise what to do. A call to 999 does not always mean an ambulance is sent, and the caller may be told to make their own way to A&E.

Transport for London says crimes and antisocial behaviour on the transport system should be reported to the police as soon as possible, because CCTV images are kept only for a limited time. It has an online reporting tool, and says staff are present at all Tube, Elizabeth line and London Overground stations whenever services run. Help points across the network connect you to staff for information or in an emergency. Most DLR and tram stops are unstaffed, though staff are on the train or tram. For tickets and travel advice in person, use one of the five TfL Visitor Centres listed above.

Official sites you will use in London

Each link goes to the operator, authority or tourist board itself, not to a reseller. Check the page for the current price, timetable or rule before you rely on it.