These are the websites, companies and tools we, as London experts, recommend using when planning your trip. They’re tried and tested, highly rated by our past community members, or are considered the “best of the best” in their industry. We are proud to recommend these brands.
Full disclosure: some of the links below are affiliated which means if you book or buy after clicking, we get a small bit of compensation. This helps us to continue to create all of our free content on Love and London and to help our business to keep growing to other destinations. Thanks in advance for your support!
London airport transfers and taxi services
Welcome Pickups
If you want to pre-book a taxi to or from anywhere in London, we recommend Welcome Pickups. They are especially great for airport transfers as they will track your flight and your driver will wait for you in the terminal with a sign with your name, so you don’t have to stress about trying to find them. You pay a flat fee no matter how much time your trip takes. They also operate in Paris and over 100 cities around the world.
Luggage Storage
Nannybag
We always recommend Nannybag for luggage storage, they have thousands of places around the city where you can store luggage affordably and safely. They’re also in Paris and many other cities around the world.
London Accommodation Bookings
Booking.com
We like Booking.com because they have a TON of filters so you can easily find exactly what you want and need.
Expedia
Expedia is quite similar to Booking.com, and we know those of you from the US really trust them, as do we.
Hostelworld
The go-to platform for booking hostels in London and around the world, with decades of trust behind them. Be sure to always check the rating before choosing a hostel.
UK Train and Coach Tickets
Omio
We love Omio for two reasons. First, you can use their search to find not only trains but also to see coach and plane options, which might be better or cheaper. You can also book journeys using multiple different companies in one go, and if you’re doing a Euro trip, you can book all of your travel for the entire continent on this site (and in your own currency!)
Trainline
This is the most popular train ticket app in the UK, and they have started selling tickets for other parts of Europe as well. The app works great too and it can issue you e-tickets. We think Omio is more user-friendly for non-UK travellers, though.
London Photographer
Ewa
A really nice souvenir of a London trip is photos from a professional photo shoot, great to share on social media and they last FOREVER. We’ve been sending our followers to a photographer we love for YEARS now and they’ve always been super happy, and if you mention us when you book you’ll get 10% extra photos.
Virtual Private Network
Surfshark
If you plan on using different wifi networks while you’re travelling, a VPN will keep your data and browsing history secure from hackers and intruders. VPNs also let you change your “browsing location” so if you want to seem like you’re in the USA when you’re actually in the UK, to maybe watch a USA sports team or get certain titles on Netflix, SurfShark helps you do all of that.
Travel-friendly Credit and Debit Cards
Wise (Worldwide)
Our founder Jess has been a Wise (formerly Transferwise) user for over ten years, and they have a fantastic travel-friendly debit card that’s great for travelling abroad. Exchange rates are reasonable and you won’t be hit with any unexpected fees.
Preferred Tour Operators
Our favourite London tour companies. FYI, booking direct generally means you’ll get a better price. We have worked with some of these companies in the past on paid partnerships.
Walks
If you want to book tours of the major sights like the Tower of London, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and more we always recommend Walks. They have top-notch guides, most of whom are Blue Badge Certified, and usually include things like “skip the line”. We ESPECIALLY recommend their VIP Ceremony of the Keys nighttime tour of the Tower of London, it’s a very unique and special London experience. They also have tours around Europe and the US.
Devour Tours
Our go-to food tour specialists for London and Europe. We especially love their Traditional Pub Food and Drink tour and their Borough Market food tour. A fun and delicious way to experience London and hear about its history.
TallyHo Vintage Bike Tours
We love any tour that’s done in a bit of a different way, and that’s what TallyHo does. They run vintage bike tours around the city, with guides dressed in vintage garb as well. They also do kid-friendly private tours and a boozy gin safari in the summer. Use code LOVEBIKES24 for a 10% discount.
Women of London
Typical walking tours often are very focused on the MEN of London but there are so many women who made a HUGE impact on the city that are often left out. Well Becky, historian and founder of Women of London, wanted to change that, so she started her company that does walking tours highlighting incredible women who have walked the same streets as you. We love her and her team!
Rebel Tours
Another female-run small tour business we love. Ellie and her team take you around the city to teach you about the rebels that made an imprint on London, for better or for worse. They do an ethical version of a Jack the Ripper tour which we LOVE, and there’s even a super tasty and affordable vegan food tour, the only one you’ll find in London.
E-Sims and Insurance
WorldNomad
It is SO SO SO important to have good travel insurance to save you money in case of emergencies and to cover replacements when cash or your stuff gets lost or stolen. WorldNomads is known internationally as being one of the best, most reliable insurance companies for travellers.
Airalo
If you can’t use your phone plan while in the UK due to high roaming charges, you can opt for an E-SIM and skip the old school SIMs that are so hard to install and so easy to lose. Instead you can easily install an e-Sim on your phone and start using your phone in the UK or anywhere you buy your e-SIM for ASAP. Airalo is a reliable and affordable option for this.
London Travel Guides and Books
London Itineraries
If you don’t have days and days of your life free to spend researching and planning your multi-day visit to London, and would rather someone who knows London REALLY well just did it for you, have a look at our London itineraries. Ranging from 3-6 days long, they give you tons of options along a daily route so you can choose what you want to do based on your interests, budget and desired travel pace. We take you to the classic London sights while also introducing you to nearby hidden gems you’d otherwise miss. Thousands of travellers have used our itineraries already and the reviews tell you all you need to know.
Casual Tourist Guides
If you’ve already done London before, or you’re just not the type of traveller that wants to do the main touristy bits and bobs, but prefers a slower paced, more local type of exploration, have a look at our Casual Tourist Guides. We made these specifically for the casual traveller, with London experts giving you a curated selection of the best things to do, cafes to sip coffee in, restaurants to book, and other things around the city that Londoners LOVE. And each Casual Tourist Guide covers one area, making it easy to plan your days.
London Transport Guide
Made for the future London visitor who is confused about all things London and UK transport, we take the overwhelm off your shoulders and tell you absolutely everything you need to know about taking tubes, buses, trains, and a lot more. With topics covering day trips, accessibility, kids, rail strikes, and more, you’ll be a pro before you even set foot in London.
London Spending Guide
Trying to make a budget for your trip but not even sure where to start? Our London Spending Guide gives you cost estimations, tells you what you’ll likely forget to include in your budget, recommendations for things to do within every budget (including hotels we love), and it even includes a ready-made budgeting tool that hooks up to Google Sheets so you can pop in a few numbers and have your trip budget done in seconds.
London Packing Guide
Confused by the crazy London weather forecast? Not sure what you should buy for your trip or what to wear so you fit in and are weather-proof? Need a ready-to-use packing list? Grab our London Packing Guide.
Language Learning and Culture
Lingoda
If English isn’t your first language and you want to brush up before you get to the UK, taking a few group online classes is an easy, effective and also affordable way to do that. We love Lingoda, our founder Jess has done quite a few of their French classes and found doing classes with qualified teachers to be the best way to learn. With our link, you can get 20 EUR (or 25 USD) off when signing up.
A Really British Guide to English
Our friend Tom, the English teacher behind the YouTube channel Eat Sleep Dream English, has a really fun guide to British English language and culture. Learn things like “What Brits say and what they actually mean”, British vs American vs Australian English differences, Cockney rhyming slang (VERY London!) and more. There’s even some quizzes to test your knowledge. Get the digital or print version, and there’s an additional course you can add on too. Use code LOVEANDLONDON for a 10% discount.
City Sightseeing Passes
GoCity
If you want to be a super tourist and see a ton of the major sights, you will most likely save yourself a good chunk of money with the London Pass from GoCity. Get a certain amount of days (3+ is the best value) and you’ll get free entrance to a select group of attractions around London. They also have the Paris Pass. Savings do get to be a LOT the more you see and the more people you have in your travel group.
