Best Apps for Visiting London

A handful of apps make a real, practical difference to getting around and getting the most from London. Here's the shortlist worth downloading before you arrive.

Transport

TfL Go (official Transport for London app) — live Tube and bus times, step-free journey planning, real-time disruption information. The most useful single app for getting around London. Free. Citymapper — excellent for multi-modal route planning including walking legs and bus options the TfL app sometimes underweights. Free.

Food & Restaurants

OpenTable / Resy — restaurant booking at most London restaurants. Google Maps reviews — still one of the most reliable restaurant quality signals for a specific location. Deliveroo / Uber Eats — for delivery, but also useful for browsing what's open in an unfamiliar area.

Events & Listings

Time Out London app — current events, restaurant reviews and what's on. Dice — best app for gig tickets with a face-value resale feature that genuinely helps. TodayTix — theatre tickets including rush and lottery options.

Navigation & Offline Maps

Google Maps — download the London map for offline use before arrival in case of patchy signal. Citymapper also has partial offline functionality.

Tips

• Download TfL Go before you arrive — the most practically useful single app for London.
• Download Google Maps London offline — signal on the Underground is improving but still patchy.
• TodayTix for theatre rush tickets — set notifications for shows you want to see.