Updated January 5, 2023
When touring London, useful apps can make or break your experience. The best and most useful provide up-to-the-minute information for all sorts of things.
- events and venues details
- restaurant and museum openings, closings and reviews
- transportation times and options
- currency converters
- equitably dividing expenses such as meals and hotel rooms
The apps listed in this post are all mentioned in out travel book Texans Touring LONDON (nope, you don’t have to be from Texas to enjoy the tome).
Useful London Tourism Apps
Visit London app
Official tourism app for London, Visit London app and website are excellent resources for finding all the fun the city has to offer.
You can create personalized maps and itineraries simply by saving the things you’d like to see and do in the app. This useful tool can be used off-line as well as on.
And find discounts galore when you book experiences through the app, like riding the London Eye or taking a tour of Westminster Abbey.
Available for iOS and Android
AccessAble app
Primo accessibility guide for the UK and Ireland.
The AccessAble app provides information on wheelchair friendly venues and disabled facilities across the UK.
Available for iOS and Android
Google Maps app
This useful app is already so widely used we almost didn’t include it on the list, but it is such a great resource we had to.
Our favorite thing about Google Maps is when you zoom way in on a spot on the map, Google Maps reveals so many other locations we probably would have overlooked or missed. For example, if you type in Tower of London and zoom in, you’ll see the individual attractions that make up the Tower. You’ll also see nearby attractions, restaurants and highlights.
Another superb use of Google Maps is using the street view to virtually walk a street before you arrive. We’ve used this view to check out neighborhoods around hotels before booking a room.
Available for iOS and Android
Harrods app
An immersive app for a world famous shopping destination.
“The Harrods name is synonymous with excellence; expect an exemplary level of care, outstanding personal service and a truly unique sense of magic.” It says so right on their webpage.
Harrods, in the Knightsbridge area of London, covers one million square feet and carries over 5000 brands. In addition to high end shopping, there are restaurants (including Tea Rooms), a spectacular food hall and spas. Treatments, meals and personal shoppers can be reached through the app and maps guide you to where you’re going.
Available for iOS and Android
London Theatre District app
London’s West End is thriving with so many live shows. The London Theatre Direct app finds the best and least expensive seats to your choice of plays, musicals, operas and comedies.
Purchase theater tickets on the app with no booking fees. Useful venue information is easy to find and the app is integrated with Google Maps to guide you through the streets of London with ease.
Available on iOS and Android
Open Table app
Explore thousands of restaurants, pubs and eateries. View their menus through the app and book tables directly.
Available on iOS and Android
Pret a Manger app
“You’re just a tap away from your freshly made faves. Download the new Pret app to order ahead, enjoy Club Pret, and unlock rewards and promos through Pret Perks.”
Great coffee, tea and food stop for early in your day.
Available on iOS and Android
GetYourGuide app
GetYourGuide is a booking app for extras, all around the world, like tours and adventures.
A resource of mind boggling variety on discounted touristy options like Hop On Hop Off buses and tours of castles. Book before you leave or last minute on the GetYourGuide app (links to apps in the website footer). Flexible payment options available or pay in the app with PayPal.
Available on iOS and Android
VoiceMap Audio Tours app
Downloadable audio tours that are GPS prompted so the audio tour talks to you at the appropriate time.
Led by locals like Sir Ian McKellen, listen as you wander around sights like London’s West End theater district. Other tours include, but are not limited to For Your Ears Only: James Bond’s London, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens: Royalty, Relaxation and Rebellion and A Greenwich Tour: Where Time Began.
The app is free; at a quick glance, London tours range from free to $9.99, with most tours charging around $4.99 a download.
There are also bundles available, such as Off the Beaten Track with Steve Matthews. This 5 tour bundle saves you $4.60 over purchasing each tour individually.
I haven’t tried this one, but I’m gonna when I go back! We listened to a similar deal driving around Big Bend National Park and it was amazing.
Available on iOS and Android
Museums
It appears most of the state owned museums do not offer official apps. There are some third-party apps.
Should you find a museum app you’d recommend, please leave a comment below!
Useful London Transportation Apps
TfL Go app
Transportation for London (TfL) operates London’s public transit system. Their official app provides schedules, routes and mapping for the entire system.
We used this app EVERYDAY in London.
When you open the app, “Where to?” is at the bottom of the screen. Open that. Enter your desired destination and the app will map your best route using public transportation – buses, trams, trains, the Underground and river buses. The estimated arrival time includes time spent walking.
Biggest con, it calculates routes from where you are at the moment. Which is usually exactly what you need.
However, there were times we wanted to figure out routes for the next day, but the estimated timing received was realtime and from wherever we happened to be.
Available for iOS and Android
TfL Oyster and contactless app
The Transportation for London Oyster card is a prepaid, electronic smartcards that offers tourists discounted rates.
Each passenger (11 years old and older) on the Tube, bus, riverboat, tram or train must have their own Oyster card, paper ticket or contactless payment method to ride.
Once you have an Oyster card account, you can use this app to top off (or as the British say “top up”) the money you have available in your account.
Available for iOS and Android
Santander Cycles app
Santander Cycles are part of Transportation of London.
If you fancy renting yourself a bicycle to pedal around London, the Santander Cycle app will give you access to their fleet of more than 12,000 bikes from one of their 800 docking stations.
Use the app to reserve and pay for your bicycle.
Available for iOS and Android
Trainline app
Europe’s leading coach and train app.
Trainline ticketing network reaches across 45 countries and 270 train and coach operators.
You can purchase tickets through the app which gives you digital tickets you can access with your phone. The app also works in realtime and can provide discounts.
If you’re taking a train out of London, it matters that you first travel to the right station.
Available for iOS and Android
Uber app
Known for ride sharing around the world, Uber won’t leave you stranded while you’re in London.
Our research found it’s generally cheaper to take an Uber than the iconic Black Cabs, except during surges.
Additionally, the Uber app is useful for booking passage along the River Thames. Uber Boats by Thames Clipper are comfortable and safe transport through London with stop at 24 piers along the Thames.
These boats are not on demand like an Uber car, but your seat on the boat is guaranteed when booked through the app.
Available for iOS and Android
London Useful Money Apps
Currency app
The free download Currency app is a quick and easy way to calculate the conversion rate on the go.
When you open the app, a Currency window pops open that you can edit to show the currencies you want to track. There are oodles to choose; eight are visible without scrolling. For a trip to London, the GBP (the British Pound) and the US dollar are shown by default.
Say you’d like to buy a souvenir for £10, touch the GBP bar. You’ll be prompted to enter the amount to convert. Click the CONVERT bar. You’ll be returned to the home screen where the app will have provided the exchange in all the currencies listed.
There is also a chart that shows the exchange rates.
Available for iOS and Android
SplitWise app
Useful app for sharing expenses among members of your party.
SplitWise is a nice digital gizmo for tracking balances of who owes who, organizing expenses, running a tab between buds and settling up.
So, if you are traveling with a companion or eight, this app is a great way to keep track of who paid for what so it’s easier to come out even and retain your friendships.
Available for iOS and Android
TrabeePocket app
Similar but different from SplitWise, Trabee Pocket is a travel expense tracker for one.
Whether you’re traveling solo or you’re managing your family’s expenses, Trabee Pocket provides a clean, crisp layout that organizes your finances using photos and notes to stay on fiscal track, using customizable categories and multiple currencies.
Available for iOS and Android
We hope this cheatsheet of useful London apps helps in your travels!
Cheerio, y’all!
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