Most of preparing for London comes down to five things: your documents, your money setup, your packing, your phone, and knowing roughly what to expect once you land. None of it is complicated on its own, but it’s easy to leave one piece until the last minute — usually the ETA or a bank notification — and have it cause a genuinely stressful moment at the airport. Here’s the full checklist, in the order it’s worth tackling it.

Documents & Entry Requirements

Checked against UK Home Office guidance, 3 September 2026.

• Passport. Check the expiry date and any validity requirement for your nationality well before booking — leaving this until the week of travel is the single most common cause of last-minute panic.
• UK ETA. Since 25 February 2026, most visitors who don’t hold a British or Irish passport and don’t already have UK immigration permission need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before boarding — this includes visitors from the US, Canada, Australia and all EU countries. It costs £20, is usually approved within minutes to a few working days, and lasts two years. Apply as soon as you book rather than the night before; a small number of applications need manual review.
• Visa. Most short-stay tourist visits don’t need a separate visa on top of the ETA, but requirements vary by nationality and purpose of visit. Our full breakdown covers exactly what applies to your passport.
• Travel insurance. Not a legal requirement, but worth arranging before you fly — visitors aren’t covered by the NHS for most treatment and are billed at overseas rates if something goes wrong.

For the full detail on who needs what, see Do You Need a Visa to Visit London?

Money & Payments

• Tell your bank you’re travelling. A quick call or app notification before you fly prevents your card being blocked for suspicious activity the moment you land.
• Contactless is your main payment method. London is heavily card-friendly — transport, restaurants and most shops all expect tap-to-pay. You genuinely don’t need much cash, though a small amount is worth carrying as backup.
• Decide Oyster or contactless for transport before you land, since both are capped at the same daily and weekly maximums — it comes down to whether you’d rather use your own card directly or a dedicated travel card.
• Always choose GBP when a card machine offers to charge you in your home currency instead — the conversion rate offered that way is reliably worse than your own bank’s.

For the full picture, see Do You Need Cash in London? and Oyster Card vs. Contactless.

What to Pack

London weather is genuinely changeable regardless of season, so layers and a compact umbrella earn their space in any suitcase. Beyond clothing, three practical items are easy to forget:

• A UK plug adapter (Type G). The UK uses a unique three-pin plug found almost nowhere else, so European, American and Asian chargers all need one. Most modern phone and laptop chargers are dual-voltage (look for “INPUT: 100–240V” on the brick), so a simple shape adapter is usually all you need — not a voltage converter.
• Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes. London covers a lot of ground on foot and via Tube stairs; this matters more than almost anything else you pack.
• A physical or digital copy of key documents — passport photo page, ETA confirmation, travel insurance policy — stored separately from the originals.

For what the weather is actually like month by month, see Best Time to Visit London.

Phone & Connectivity

Check your mobile provider’s roaming policy before you fly — many plans from the EU, US and elsewhere now include UK roaming at no extra cost, but it’s worth confirming rather than assuming. If your plan doesn’t cover the UK, a local or travel eSIM is usually the simplest option to set up before you land, since it avoids hunting for a physical SIM once you’re already there. Free WiFi is widely available across cafés, major attractions and much of the Underground network, so connectivity is rarely a real problem even without mobile data.

Getting Around Once You Land

Decide your route from the airport before you arrive rather than figuring it out jet-lagged at the terminal — the options and costs vary a lot depending on which airport you’re flying into and how much luggage you’re carrying.

See Heathrow to Central London: Every Way to Get There for a full breakdown, and The Perfect 3-Day London Itinerary if you haven’t mapped out your first days yet.

A Few Local Customs Worth Knowing

Tipping in London is more restrained than in the US — restaurants often add a service charge automatically, and it’s not expected at a pub bar or café counter. Queuing etiquette is taken seriously, and standing on the right of Underground escalators (keeping the left clear for people walking) avoids the most common visitor faux pas.

For the full rundown, see Is Tipping Expected in London? and 5 Local Etiquette Rules Every Visitor to London Should Know.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to do before going to London?

Check your passport validity, apply for a UK ETA if you need one, notify your bank you’re travelling, and pack a UK plug adapter. Everything else — transport cards, itinerary, packing specifics — can be sorted closer to your trip.

What documents do I need to travel to London?

A valid passport, and in most cases a UK ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) if you’re not a British or Irish citizen. Some nationalities need a full visa instead — check what applies to your passport before booking.

How much money do I need for a trip to London?

This varies enormously by travel style, but budgeting roughly £120–£180 a day covers food, local transport, paid attractions and the occasional taxi at a comfortable, non-luxury level. Accommodation is separate and varies widely by area and season.

Do I need a UK ETA if I’m just transiting through London?

If you stay airside on a single connecting flight and don’t go through UK passport control, you generally don’t need one. If you have to clear passport control — to collect and recheck bags, change terminals landside, or stay overnight — you do.

Is it a good idea to travel to London without any advance planning?

For documents and entry requirements, no — an ETA or visa refusal at check-in isn’t something you can fix on the spot. For day-to-day logistics like transport and restaurants, London is easy to navigate without much advance planning, since contactless payment and widely available WiFi cover most situations as they come up.

Once the essentials are sorted, the rest of planning a London trip is genuinely the fun part — deciding what to actually go and see. Our England guides are a good place to start browsing.