If you have been before, here is what has changed, and if you have not, here are the additions worth fitting in
New London Attractions in 2026: What Has Changed for Visitors
London does not stand still, which is both its charm and the reason your guidebook is out of date. For returning visitors, and for first-timers who would like to see something their friends have not, here is what is different this year.
One travel guide lists what changed for 2026 in a single sentence: the reopened London Museum at Smithfield, the Horizon 22 free viewing deck, now the City’s tallest free view, an expanded immersive art venue, and the Elizabeth line bringing the east of the city closer in. To that I would add one more, which arrives at the end of this month.
The London Museum
The museum of the city’s own history closed its old home near the Barbican a few years ago to move to a new one in the historic market buildings at Smithfield. For centuries Smithfield was London’s meat market, and before that a place of fairs, jousts and executions. The Victorian market halls are handsome iron and glass structures.
The guide I have quoted describes the museum as reopened. As with any major new building, opening has been phased, so check the museum’s website for what is accessible when you visit and whether booking is needed.
If you want to understand the city you are walking around, this is the place to begin. It tells the story from prehistory through Roman Londinium, the Great Fire, the Victorian metropolis and the Blitz to the present day.
A Free View
Views of London usually cost money. The Shard charges. The London Eye charges. So it is worth knowing about the free ones.
Horizon 22 is a viewing gallery near the top of a tower at 22 Bishopsgate in the City. Entry is free, and the guide notes it is the City’s tallest free view. You need to book a timed ticket in advance through its website. Slots are released periodically and go quickly, so plan ahead.
The older free option is the Sky Garden, a planted viewing space at the top of the building nicknamed the Walkie Talkie, which also requires booking. And there is a free public roof terrace at a shopping centre beside St Paul’s Cathedral that needs no ticket at all and gives a fine close view of the dome.
The Elizabeth Line
This is not new this year, but many returning visitors have not yet used it, and it has changed how the city fits together. The Elizabeth line is a railway running east to west under central London in large, air-conditioned trains.
For visitors its main uses are these. It connects Heathrow directly to Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street, without changing. It is quicker and more comfortable than the Tube from the airport, and cheaper than the express. It also makes east London, including Canary Wharf and Stratford, much easier to reach.
You pay with contactless in the usual way.
Oxford Street Without Traffic
The newest change of all. London’s main shopping street has for generations been a slow river of buses and taxis. That is ending. Trade press reported at the end of September that Oxford Street will become free from cars from 26 October, with the Mayor saying it will be mostly pedestrianised from that date.
For visitors, this should make the street a good deal more pleasant. You will be able to cross where you like and look at the buildings.
Some practical notes. Buses that used to run along the street are being diverted to parallel roads, so check a journey planner. The Tube stations along it, Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road, are unaffected. The street is long, about a mile and a quarter end to end, so wear comfortable shoes. And expect it to be busy, especially in the weeks before Christmas, when the lights are on.
Immersive Art
The guide mentions an expanded immersive art venue near Marble Arch, where famous paintings are projected at huge scale around you. These are ticketed. Opinion is divided between those who find them thrilling and those who would rather look at an actual painting, for free, at the National Gallery. Children tend to enjoy them.
What Has Not Changed
It is worth saying what remains constant, since it is why people come. The same guide names the things that still make the city affordable to get around: the contactless daily cap on transport and the free national museums.
The parks are as they were. The Thames still runs through the middle. The pubs still close earlier than you expect.
Things That Are Shut
A caution in the other direction. Large parts of Buckingham Palace have been undergoing long-term renovation, though the summer opening of the State Rooms has continued. The Palace of Westminster is perpetually under repair. Museums rotate gallery closures for refurbishment. If there is one thing you particularly want to see, check that it is open before you build a day around it.
How to Use This
If it is your first visit, do not let the new displace the essential. See the things you came for. Then add one of these.
If you have been before, a day that takes in the London Museum, a walk through Smithfield and the City, and a free view from a tower would show you a London you have not seen.
For Lighter Reading
New buildings and attractions seldom escape the attention of humourists. The London Prat obliges in its English satirical news on new attractions and UK satirical news about viewing platforms. Bohiney Magazine covers what is new in American cities.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/
