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Time Out
a day ago
- Time Out
It's official: England's most-visited attraction is in London
It's no secret that London is every tourist's favourite English destination. We've got fantastic food, incredible culture and hundreds of buildings that house centuries and centuries of fascinating history. So, it's not surprising that England's most visited attraction in 2024, as revealed by VisitEngland, can be found here in the capital. The British Museum saw 6.5 million visitors in 2024, making it the most popular free attraction in all of England and the most visited attraction in the country overall. That figure is up 11 percent compared 2023. If you're not one of those millions and millions of people who have already seen the British Museum for themselves, check out our guide to it here. If you've not got long, Time Out' s contributing writer Alex Sims advises that 'a great way to see all the big hitters and get a feel for the place is by picking up one of the great museum maps that give you timed routes around the labyrinthine institution. The hour-long route is a great whistle-stop tour around the museum's best-known objects.' Looking forward, the museum has big plans to build on its immense popularity last year. Its Western Galleries are getting a huge makeover and it will apparently start undergoing the 'biggest transformation of any museum in the world'. Nine out of England's top ten most visited free attractions for 2024 belong to London. The Natural History Museum came in second place with a total of 5.9m visitors (you can find everything you need to know about that here) and the Tate Modern earned third place with 4.6 mill, which was down three percent compared to the year before (we've got an in depth guide to that, too). As for the English attractions that charge an entry fee, London landmarks still came out on top. The Tower of London was the most visited paid-for attraction in 2024 with 2.9m people checking it out and Kew Gardens was the runner-up with 2.3m (an impressive 15 percent increase on its 2023 headcount). Overall, VisitEngland discovered that attractions across England enjoyed a 1.4 percent increase in footfall from 2023 to 2024. But visitor levels are still a whopping 27 percent less than what they were in 2019. The top 10 most visited attractions in England in 2024 British Museum National History Museum Tate Modern Brighton Pier V&A National Gallery Somerset House Science Museum, London Royal Museums Greenwich National Portrait Gallery
RNZ News
12-06-2025
- RNZ News
How technology can help improve access to justice
Could we use technology to improve access to justice? Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Tech commentator Alex Sims discusses access to justice, and how technology might improve it. She'll look at how the legal process can be lengthy and costly, and provide global examples of tools that have been created to help guide people through processes - like how to challenge parking tickets, or file the relevant files with the right court. Alex Sims is a Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland Business School and an expert on blockchain technology, copyright law and consumer law.
Time Out
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The best tourist attraction in London
It's not difficult to see why tourists flock to London in their millions each and every year. Steeped in centuries of history and teeming with all sorts of culture, London isn't short on things to do or see. Some people may come here for the food, others for the history, some for the architecture, others for the art, music and nightlife. But there are several sights in the city that are considered unmissable for anyone popping their London cherry. To find out which of them are the most popular, researchers budget hotel chain, Travelodge, quizzed 13,500 people on their favourite London tourist attraction. The votes were counted and (drumroll please) the Tower of London came out on top. Attracting more than three million people a year, the tower houses 900 years worth of British history, from Henry VIII's codpiece to medieval torture tools to the dazzling Crown Jewels. If you have plans to visit the Tower, we recommend joining a tour led by one of the costumed Yeoman Warders (aka Beefeaters) who live and work there. Time Out contributing writer Alex Sims said: 'They're a fun bunch, filling their talks full of jokes and fun jibes, as well as nitty gritty details you won't find in the guidebook.' Covent Garden, synonymous with theatre, shopping, street entertainment and fine dining, was the second most popular place, according to Travelodge's survey. It's got the spectacular Royal Opera House, the iconic central piazza that hosts Covent Garden market and a bunch of Time Out-approved restaurants, like Savoy Grill, Tandoor Chop House and Parsons. In third place was royal HQ, Buckingham Palace. While much of the palace is private, there's still plenty for non blue-bloods to check out. Tourists can wander around the King's Gallery, take guided tours and watch the changing of the guard, which happens every morning at 10.45am. Other must-see London landmarks to make the top 10 were Big Ben, Borough Market, Camden Market and the Natural History Museum. A Travelodge spokesperson said: 'It's no surprise that the top spots were taken by iconic, historic classics like the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, but it's also great to see people rate newer attractions such as Battersea Power Station and Sky Garden too.' If we're looking at actual visitor numbers though, data from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions recently revealed that the British Museum was the most visited attraction in not only London, but the whole of the UK for 2024. The top 20 attractions in London, according to Travelodge Tower of London Covent Garden Buckingham Palace Natural History Museum Camden Market Big Ben Borough Market The London Eye British Museum Tower Bridge Victoria and Albert Museum Imperial War Museum Battersea Power Station Harry Potter Studio Tour Science Museum Sky Garden Hyde Park Hampton Court Palace St Paul's Cathedral Tate Modern See Time Out's guide to London's 50 best attractions here and a list of our favourite alternative attractions here.
