London

TripAdvisor's No. 1 destination worldwide for 2025: the British Museum, West End musicals and Buckingham Palace, a world capital welcoming 22.7 million international visitors.

London is the capital of the United Kingdom, in southeast England on the lower Thames. Greater London comprises the City of London and 32 boroughs, with a population of about 9 million, making it one of Europe's largest cities, and it was TripAdvisor's No. 1 destination worldwide for 2025. Heathrow (LHR) is about 25 km west of the city center, with direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hong Kong (about 11–13 hours); the Piccadilly line of the Tube takes about 50 minutes into town, or the Heathrow Express 15 minutes. Gatwick (LGW) mostly serves European budget airlines. Chinese citizens must apply in advance for a UK Standard Visitor visa (6-month multiple-entry, about 3 weeks to process). The climate is mild and rainy. May–September is the best season, with long days (almost 17 hours of daylight at the summer solstice) and temperatures of 15–25°C. November–February is gray and damp, with darkness falling by 4 p.m., but Christmas lights and the winter sales are a draw. It can rain at any time of year, so bring an umbrella and a waterproof jacket. Core areas: first, Westminster (Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St James's Park); second, Soho and Covent Garden (National Gallery, West End theaters, Chinatown); third, the City of London and the South Bank (St Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London and Tower Bridge, Tate Modern, Borough Market, the London Eye); fourth, South Kensington and Knightsbridge (V&A, Natural History Museum, Harrods); fifth, distinctive neighborhoods such as Notting Hill in the west and Shoreditch and Camden in the east. Further out are Greenwich, the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and day trips to Windsor, Oxford, Cambridge and Bath. We recommend staying 5–7 days. Getting around: use an Oyster card or simply tap a UnionPay/Visa contactless card on the Tube and buses, with daily fare caps; in Zones 1–2 of central London, walking plus the Tube is enough, and the front seats on the upper deck of a red double-decker bus are great for sightseeing. Notes: permanent exhibitions at national museums such as the British Museum and the National Gallery are free but require a timed-slot reservation; tickets for the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the like must be bought in advance on their official websites; for West End musicals, you can snag discounted same-day tickets at the TKTS booth or online; restaurant bills often include a 12.5% service charge; beware of pickpockets on the Tube and phone snatchers on mopeds; tax refunds for tourists have been abolished; shops have shorter opening hours on Sundays.

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