Planning your trip to London
The good news is London is a city that has something to offer for everyone (except Mongolian Goatherders), the bad news is it has so much to offer you can’t see everything in a few days. This means it is worth planning your trip to make the most of your visit here.
Planning your trip ahead will enable you to save money, see and do all things you want to do and are unlikely to miss out on things that you need to pre book e.g sports/music events, dining experiences etc.
Important note: If travelling to London on a long haul flight factor in jet lag. Don’t look to be too active in an evening if you have only arrived in the morning.
Useful Planning Tools for Tourists:
The links below provide excellent information when planning your trip to London.
Things to book before you arrive
Sporting events in London
Access to sporting event tickets will vary depending on the particular sport, with some requiring you to register and apply for tickets well in advance. To get an idea of how to get tickets and sports in London go to our watching sports page.
Music Concerts and Festivals
Some of the music festivals sell out tickets well in advance. Glastonbury being the classic example. For a guide to the music scene in London try our music page.
Restaurants
Many of the restaurants we recommend are highly popular and may require pre booking. Check out our Stranger recommends for ideas of some of the restaurants that may interest you.
West End Theatre Tickets
If you have a particular show that you want to see on the West End it can be well worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment. Check these three websites out to ensure you get the West End show you want at the best price London Theatre Direct, Compare Theatre Tickets and Theatre Tickets Direct.
Tourist Attractions in London
Most tourist attractions won’t require you to pre-book although purchasing tickets beforehand has two advantages firstly you will save money and secondly you can be fast tracked in queues with more time to enjoy the sights rather than standing still in a line. There are two websites worth researching to help plan your trip and time. London Pass and Discount London.
Travel around UK and Europe
If you plan to travel across Europe and throughout the UK it is well worth booking in advance to save considerable money but also ensure you secure the transport you require. For UK Bus travel try Megabus and National Express, looking to travel by bus across Europe try National Express Eurolines For UK train travel try The Trainline or Rail Easy. For train travel across Europe try Rail Europe. For flights try Skyscanner.
