London vs New York: Which City Fits Your Trip

Sights and history: London vs New York

London is the better pick for royal history, because it holds sights that no other city has, such as the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. The Tower is a medieval fortress, and its ticket includes the Crown Jewels exhibition and a public Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tour. New York has its own list of famous places, but we did not look at them, so this guide does not rank them. No official page ranks the food of the two cities either, so we make no food pick; for what each city does publish on restaurant hygiene, see the FAQ below.

You can do the Tower on your own. The Tower of London and Crown Jewels ticket is the official entry ticket, listed from €45 per person and rated 4.6 from 33,257 reviews. Historic Royal Palaces runs it, and it has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It meets at the Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, and the page says it is wheelchair accessible, that under-5s are free and that large bags are not allowed. It also warns of long queues for the Crown Jewels at peak times. The ticket does not include an audio guide, food and drinks or skip-the-line entry. It lists no group size.

A guide is worth paying for if you want stories more than a quick look. The Tower of London guided tour with a Thames cruise is listed from €79 per person and rated 4.6 from 752 reviews. The tour guy runs it, and it comes in English or Spanish. The ticket includes a 30-minute river cruise ticket and has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The tour page says it is not suitable for wheelchair users, and the guide briefs you before the White Tower and Jewel House rather than leading you inside. It has two meeting points depending on the option you choose, and the page gives no address or group size. It excludes tips, a guided tour of the Crown Jewels and a guide on the boat. The tour page lists a length of 1.5 to 7 hours, so check the time slot you pick. It also says private or small-group options exist, it has a security check at entry, and you can add Westminster Abbey. Both tickets carry a 4.6 rating and free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so the choice is about style, not trust. The entry ticket already has a public Beefeater tour every 45 minutes, so the guide adds stories and the boat adds a river view. Choose the entry ticket if you want the lower price and your own pace; choose the guided tour if a guide's stories and a boat ride are worth the extra €34.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24.

In October 2026, Things to Do in London's count of GetYourGuide listings found five tours and tickets with the Tower of London in the title.

Pro Tip Do the Tower early in your London days, because the Crown Jewels are the part of the visit where the ticket page warns of long queues at peak times.

Getting around: London vs New York

Both cities cap what you pay for transport, but London caps by the day and New York by the week. In 2026, Transport for London's adult caps stop Zones 1 and 2 at £8.90 a day and £44.70 from Monday to Sunday with contactless or Oyster. The MTA's fare page says a subway or local bus ride is $3, and you will not spend more than $35 a week on subway and local bus fares.

On size, Transport for London lists 11 Tube lines and 272 stations over 402 km of route. The MTA lists 472 subway stations on 25 routes along 665 miles of track, and says the subway runs 24 hours a day, every day. The two figures count differently (route km against track miles), so read them as a rough sense of scale. New York's network has more stations and routes, and it never closes.

The currencies differ, so we do not convert them. What matters is the shape. In London you tap a card and the bill stops each day. In New York the bill stops each week, so a long stay costs less per ride. For London's zones, lines and bus fares, read the getting around guide.

Entry rules: London vs New York

Most visitors need an online permission for either city, and which one depends on your passport. To visit the UK, many visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The UK government says it costs £20, lasts up to 2 years and lets you stay up to 6 months. British and Irish passport holders do not need one.

For the United States, the Visa Waiver Program lets eligible travellers stay 90 days or less. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says an ESTA approval is typically granted for two years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner. We left out the ESTA fee, because we could not confirm the current amount. Check the official site for your own nationality before you book anything. Entry rules say nothing about safety. On homicides, the Metropolitan Police put London's 2025 rate at 1.1 per 100,000 people and New York's at 2.8, but the Met published that comparison itself and it does not measure risk to tourists. The UK government's advice for the USA says violent crime and gun crime rarely affect tourists, but take care in unfamiliar areas, and avoid walking alone through quiet areas at night. That advice covers the whole country, not New York alone.

Weather and season: London vs New York

London has mild weather with some rain in every month, and we only have its numbers. At Heathrow, the Met Office averages for 1991 to 2020 give a July high of 23.9 °C and a January high of 8.4 °C. Rain falls every month, from 39 mm in March to 67 mm in November.

We did not check New York's climate, so we make no claim about which city has the better weather. Use the official weather service for New York dates, and see the best time to visit London for the London side.

Money and museums: London vs New York

London is easy to do cheaply if you use its free museums. The National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, Tate Modern and Tate Britain are free to enter, and the British Museum lists free entry too. Some special exhibitions are charged. Our list of free attractions in London has more.

We cannot say that New York is cheaper or dearer overall. The one price we checked in both cities is transport: London's Zones 1 to 2 stop at £8.90 a day and New York's subway and local bus fares at $35 a week. We did not check its hotels or meals. For museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art charges adults $30, seniors $22 and students $17, and children 12 and under are free, according to the museum. New York State residents pay what they wish, and the ticket covers same-day entry to both Met sites. So we do not rank the art, but on entry price London's national museums above need no ticket, which is a real saving if you plan several museum days. For the sights we priced, London costs €45 for the Tower entry ticket, €79 for the guided visit and €310 for the Paris day trip, all per person. Money often decides this choice, so start with the budget guide, whether you want 2 for 1 London offers or just a trip total.

Key Takeaway In London the Tube is capped at £8.90 a day in Zones 1 and 2, while New York's subway and local bus fares stop at $35 a week.

Trip length: London vs New York

Give London at least three days if it is your main stop, and think of a long weekend as a first taste. London is spread across many areas, and the big sights take hours each. Our guide to how many days in London shows how to split them up.

We have no length guide for New York, so we only advise on London. If you have only a few days, pick the city where your top three sights are close together, and check that on a map.

Paris and Edinburgh: what this guide can say

Things to Do in London covers London only, so it cannot compare London with Edinburgh. For Paris, you can add it to a London trip instead of choosing. The Paris day trip from London is listed from €310 per person and rated 4.6 from 225 reviews. Premium Tours runs it. The day lasts 14.5 hours, meets at St Pancras International and has free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The tour does not include admission to attractions, meals or Louvre entry.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-10-24.

A 14.5-hour day suits a traveller who is already in London for several days. The trip is the wrong choice if you want to see Paris properly, because it gives you a tour, not time to explore. For other trips out of town, see day trips from London.

How to choose between London and New York

Choose London if your reasons are royal history, free museums and an easy way to add another European city. Choose New York if its sights are the ones on your list. For a first trip we lean to London on three facts we can show: free national museums, a daily transport cap, and a lower homicide rate (1.1 against 2.8 per 100,000, per the Met). We do not call it a winner, because we only have London's numbers for sights, weather and trip length, so let your top sights decide. If your list is mostly museums on a tight budget, London's free entry saves money; the Met alone costs an adult $30. For a first trip to London, the Tower of London is the clearest single choice, and the entry ticket (from €45) or the guided visit (from €79) both carry free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

The only reason to pick London over New York for a first trip is that you want what London has. If that is the history, Tower London tours are where to start. Pick another city if the one thing you want is not here.

A city is worth the trip when it holds the things you came for.