Edinburgh
-15%€51median tour
€25middle half of tours€81
- 50% under €50
- #17 cheapest of 50
Europe · 17 cities
Things to Do in United Kingdom
Seventeen British destinations in one place: what has to be booked and what is free, how far the famous day trips really go, and what a guided day costs in London and Edinburgh.
9,500 tours listed by Viator 17 cities we cover Median tour €51–€55 Free cancellation
Where to go
Cities of United Kingdom
In the order Viator’s own catalogue puts them — most-booked first, not alphabetical.
Full list
All cities, by region
Grouped by region using Viator’s own map of the country. The first block is the places it files directly under United Kingdom.
What it costs
What tours cost in United Kingdom
From our own price index — 2,400 tours across 50 cities, collected August 2026. Medians, not averages: a couple of multi-day packages drag an average into fiction.
London
-8%€55median tour
€24middle half of tours€102
- 48% under €50
- #22 cheapest of 50
Vertical line is the global median, €60. Full table for all 50 cities in the Tour Price Index.
Practical info
Know before you book
The things that change a decision — not a retelling of the guidebook.
The great museums are free, the castles are not
The British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum cost nothing and need no ticket. The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Windsor and Edinburgh Castle all use timed entry and sell out in summer. Knowing which is which is most of planning a London week.
Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds are one long day
The classic tour out of London runs ten to twelve hours for three stops. It is good value and it is not a gentle morning. The alternative — train to Salisbury and a shuttle to the stones — is perfectly doable and rarely cheaper once two people are travelling.
Train fares are cheap early and brutal late
Advance fares on the same London to Edinburgh train can differ fivefold depending on when you bought them. Tickets go on sale roughly twelve weeks ahead. Buying at the station on the day is the most expensive way to travel in Britain.
August in Edinburgh is a different city
The festivals roughly double the population and multiply accommodation prices. It is wonderful and it has to be booked the previous year. If you want the castle and the Old Town rather than the Fringe, come in a different month.
The weather is fine, the daylight is the problem
Rain is overstated; December daylight is not. The sun sets in Scotland around half past three in midwinter, so a Highlands day tour is genuinely short on sightseeing hours. The honest operators say so in the description.
Highland distances are not English distances
Edinburgh to Loch Ness and back in a day is around nine hours on a coach for a couple of hours at the water. Plenty of people are glad they did it; plenty wish they had given the Highlands two days. Read the itinerary rather than the title.
When to visit
United Kingdom through the seasons
What is open, how busy it gets, and when to book ahead.
Spring
Mar–May
- Best for
- Gardens, the Cotswolds, long days arriving without the summer prices.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Easter and the two May bank holidays fill everything — check where your dates fall.
Summer
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- Scotland and the islands, festivals, daylight until ten at night.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Book Edinburgh in August a year out, or go elsewhere in Scotland that month.
Autumn
Sep–Oct
- Best for
- Highland colour, cities back to normal, the best value of the year.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- September is the best month for Scotland: midges gone, weather still workable.
Winter
Nov–Feb
- Best for
- London at Christmas, museums with room to move, pubs doing what they are for.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Daylight is short — book outdoor tours for the middle of the day, not the end of it.
Frequently asked
United Kingdom: common questions
How many days do you need in the UK?
Four or five days for London alone, and it will not be enough. A week gives London plus one day trip and a night in Bath, Oxford or Cambridge. Ten days lets you add Edinburgh, which is four and a half hours by train and worth every minute of it.
What does a tour in the UK cost?
From our index of 50 cities: a median of €55 in London and €51 in Edinburgh, against a global median of €60. Both sit slightly below the world average, which surprises people — the competition in London is enormous and the headline museums cost nothing.
Do I need a car in the UK?
Not in London, where it is actively a problem: congestion and emissions charges apply daily and parking is punitive. For the Cotswolds, the Highlands and the Lake District a car helps a great deal — which is exactly why the coach tours to those places exist and are so well developed.
When is the best time to visit?
May, June and September. Long days, everything running, and neither the August crowds nor the winter darkness. For Scotland specifically, September is the pick: the midges have gone and the light is at its best.
Which attractions really need booking ahead?
The Warner Bros Studio Tour for Harry Potter — weeks ahead and it does sell out entirely. Then the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge and Edinburgh Castle in summer. Everything free can be walked into, though the British Museum asks for a free timed slot at busy periods.
