- Published
- 19 August 2026
- Reading
- 4 min read
- Where
- London, England
- Prices checked
- 15. Sep 2026.
A London weekend's bill isn't made by the city but by what's paid before you leave. In London itself almost everything has an upper limit.
A London weekend for two doesn't cost what the tickets add up to, but what gets paid before you leave. Depending on your passport, the first line is an ETA or a visa at €157 a head, which isn't refunded even when the answer is no; after it come the flight and the room, which have no upper limit. Everything paid in the city itself has a ceiling, and that is the whole bill.
The first line, and the one not refunded
Most visitors need either the Electronic Travel Authorisation, at €23, or a visa; which one depends on the passport, so check GOV.UK before booking. Nationals on the UK visa list need a Standard Visitor visa: the form is filled in online, €157 a head is paid, then fingerprints and a photo are taken at a visa centre. A decision usually arrives within three weeks, and the fee isn't refunded if the visa is refused or granted for less than asked.
The lines with no ceiling
The flight is the one line you can't predict, only catch early: it depends on where you fly from, and the fare moves daily. The room is the biggest line, and the neighbourhood sets its price — the closer to the river and the centre, the dearer, and the further out, the more time on the Tube every morning. Both decisions are made at home, and more rides on them than on anything done in the city.
A ceiling per day
Nothing in the city is bought in advance. Tap in with a contactless card or a phone, and once the day's total for zones 1–2 reaches €10, everything after that is free; the bus has its own cap of €6.10. The weekly cap, €52, runs Monday to Sunday and a three-day weekend never comes near it — so a weekly ticket makes no sense for a weekend.
The ceiling is zero
The permanent collections of the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum and the V&A have charged no admission since December 2001. A weekend built around them costs what the room, the transport and the food cost — and the only paid ticket in this plan is the Tower, at €43 a head.
A ceiling for those who wait
The same West End show doesn't have one price. The official TKTS booth on the south side of Leicester Square sells same-day seats, discounted and full price, Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm, longer in summer; online, the same seats at the same prices go up at 00:01. Know the show and the date in advance and you pay full price; stay flexible and you choose from what's left that day.
Three lines with no ceiling
No ceiling — entry, flight and room — all before you leave. Food and a show are left out: they depend on choice, not on the city.
Anyone who already holds a valid visa, or whose passport needs only the ETA, can shrink the first line. Anyone after a smaller bill won't find it in the city — the ceilings there are already set — but in the flight date and the neighbourhood of the room.
England, in brief
What now
If this sounds like your trip, start here.
- Paperwork first, ticket second: some passports need the £20 ETA, others the £135 Standard Visitor visa, which is not refunded if the answer is no.
- If you need a visa, don't buy the flight until it is in the passport — otherwise you risk losing twice instead of once.
- The ETA is not open to every passport; check on GOV.UK which of the two applies to yours before you apply.
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