Covers London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Central Europe, where the ghost walks are old and the summer nights are short.
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London's night tours are mostly about murder. Of the ten that cleared our bar, three are Jack the Ripper walks in Whitechapel and three more are ghost walks through the City and Southwark. The review counts tell you this is what people come for: the biggest Ripper listing has 8,940 of them.
Good. They're cheap.
The top-ranked walk is $20 (€17.90) on sale for two hours with a guide, and these walks earn their evening slot, because once the office workers have gone home the lanes around Aldgate and Spitalfields go quiet and the streetlamps do half the storytelling. By day the same route reads as a modern office district.
Where London is thin: night food (one tour, and it starts at 4:45 p.m.) and river cruises. The Thames evening cruise with bubbly we looked at didn't make the cut, and neither did the comedy ghost bus. The one thing nobody else can sell you is the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower, and you can get in for a fraction of the tour price if you book on the right day.
At a glance
Best overall
Jack the Ripper Evening Walking Tour (Meet the Street), 8.1
Best ghost walk
The Cloak and Dagger Tour, Southwark, 7.9
Cheapest good one
The 8.1 Ripper walk at $20 (€17.90) on sale
Only after-hours sight
Tower of London after hours with the Ceremony of the Keys
Skip
The comedy ghost bus and the bubbly Thames cruise: neither made the list
When it gets dark
4:32 p.m. in December, 10:06 p.m. in June
On this page
The 10 best night tours in London, ranked
Every tour we scored in London that cleared our bar (rated 4.4 or more from 50+ reviews), in Night Score order. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
It wins on price. At $20 (€17.90) today, marked down from $27 (€24), it's the cheapest guided two hours on this page, and a 4.9 rating from 1,544 reviews says you aren't trading down to get it. Meet the Street Tours starts at Aldgate Underground station and works through Whitechapel and Spitalfields, with moderate walking. The catch is that sale prices move. If it goes back to full price, the Original walk below costs about the same and has nearly six times the reviews. Big groups, so stand near the front.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.4
Review countData · 10%8.2
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour Ripper walk through Whitechapel and Spitalfields run by Meet the Street Tours, starting at Aldgate Underground station.
Good to know: Shown today at $20, struck through from $27. Guide and tips are included; moderate walking. The same operator sells a 90-minute version on Viator (4.9, 403 reviews, $34) that we did not record.
After dark: Sold and run as an evening walk, so the murder sites are seen under streetlight as the case files describe them.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The only walk here south of the river, and the one with a proper ending. It starts and finishes at the George Inn on Borough High Street, a 17th-century coaching inn, where the night closes with a staged recreation of a murder. In between: London Bridge, Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral. It's rated 4.9 from 932 reviews and sits second only because it costs a bit more than the winner. Meet two minutes from London Bridge station, Borough Market exit. Minimum age 13, up to 35 people per group.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.1
Review countData · 10%7.5
Price per hourData · 20%9.5
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: An interactive dark-history walk around London Bridge, Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral, starting and ending at the George Inn on Borough High Street.
Good to know: Meet at the George Inn, two minutes from London Bridge station (Borough Market exit); up to 35 per group. Not recommended for children aged 12 and under.
After dark: A night walk along the South Bank's darkest history that finishes with a staged recreation of a murder inside a 17th-century coaching inn.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Ghost stories rather than one murder case, on a route that suits them: from All Hallows by the Tower church, through City lanes that empty once the offices shut, to the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. It leaves at 8:00 p.m. Same operator as the number one and the same 4.9 rating, but at $34 (€30) it costs more, and that's what drops it to third. Groups go up to 40. Not wheelchair accessible. It ends at St Paul's, not back at the start, so sort out your way home before you go.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.1
Review countData · 10%7.5
Price per hourData · 20%8.7
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour ghost-story walk by Meet the Street Tours from All Hallows by the Tower church to the steps of St Paul's Cathedral.
Good to know: Up to 40 per group; moderate walking, not wheelchair accessible. Ends outside St Paul's, so plan your own way home. Also sold on GetYourGuide (t56795, 4.9, 810 reviews); we kept this listing for its review count.
After dark: An 8 p.m. walk from the Tower to St Paul's through City lanes that empty out once the offices close.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The big one: 8,940 reviews, more than any other London tour we ranked. Its 4.7 rating is a shade below the three above it, which is the only reason it sits fourth. See Your City runs it with a Ripperologist guide from the iron arch gate of Altab Ali Park near Aldgate East, and it finishes at the Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields. You get a digital case file afterwards. Under-12s aren't allowed because of the graphic content. It also runs in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese, which none of the others on this page offer.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.4
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%9.3
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A two-hour walk past the 1888 murder sites with a Ripperologist guide, run by See Your City from Altab Ali Park near Aldgate East.
Good to know: Meet at the iron arch gate of Altab Ali Park (Aldgate East); ends at the Ten Bells pub in Spitalfields. Includes a digital case file unlocked after the tour; not suitable for under-12s because of graphic content. Also runs in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.
After dark: Whitechapel's alleys after dark are the closest you can get to the streets of 1888; by day the same route reads as a modern office district.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
London Jack the Ripper Guided Tour with Ripper-Vision
Ghost tours
7.1/10Night Score
From $27 (€24)
1 hour 45 minutes
Starts: 7:30 p.m.
Large group
4.6 (5,086 reviews)
The gimmick is real and it's the reason to pick this one. The guide projects period photographs of victims, suspects and old Whitechapel onto the walls at the murder sites, which only works in the dark, so it gets the highest after-dark score of the three Ripper walks. A 4.6 rating across 5,086 reviews is solid but a step below the top three, hence fifth. Starts at 7:30 p.m. outside Whitechapel Gallery at exit 3 of Aldgate East. Not Aldgate. Two stations, nearly the same name. It runs in all weather, up to 35 per group.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%9.0
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 1 hour 45 minute Ripper walk by Secret Chamber Tours with hand-held projections of victims, suspects and old Whitechapel.
Good to know: Meet outside Whitechapel Gallery at exit 3 of Aldgate East (not Aldgate) and finish near Spitalfields Market; up to 35 per group, runs in all weather. The GetYourGuide listing of the same tour (t104249, 4.5, 1,919 reviews) was dropped.
After dark: The guide projects period photographs onto the walls of the murder sites, which only works once it is dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Ghosts, Ghouls and Gallows: The Ultimate London Ghost Walk
Ghost tours
6.8/10Night Score
From $30 (€27)
2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: After dark; time chosen at booking
Large group
4.6 (3,336 reviews)
The longest ghost walk here at 2.5 hours, and it covers the most ground, from the Diana fountain at Green Park's south exit all the way east to Tower Hill, past execution and plague sites that look like nothing much by day. A 4.6 rating from 3,336 reviews keeps it mid-table. Some listing titles mention a boat ride. There isn't one in the itinerary, so don't book it for that. Child discounts make it a decent family pick if your kids can handle the distance. See Your City runs it, up to 35 per group.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%9.4
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A 2.5-hour ghost walk by See Your City from the Diana fountain at Green Park's south exit to Tower Hill.
Good to know: Up to 35 per group; child discounts. Despite some listing titles mentioning a boat ride, the itinerary does not include one. GetYourGuide sells it as t96390 (4.5, 1,353 reviews); we kept the Viator listing.
After dark: The route is walked 'under the cover of darkness' from Green Park to Tower Hill, past execution and plague sites that look ordinary in daylight.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Eating London: Twilight Soho Food Tour with Drinks
Night food tours
6.5/10Night Score
From $167 (€149)
about 3.5 hours
Starts: 4:45 p.m.
Small group, 18+
4.9 (866 reviews)
The only London night food tour that cleared our bar, and it's a good one: 4.9 from 866 reviews, 12 guests at most, signature cocktails included. Price is what sinks it to seventh. At $167 (€149) for about 3.5 hours it's the second most expensive thing on this page. And 'twilight' is generous. It starts at 4:45 p.m. at the Spice of Life pub on Moor Street, so in summer most of it happens in daylight. Book it between November and January, when Soho is dark almost from the first stop. Adults only, and not for severe food allergies.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.0
Review countData · 10%7.4
Price per hourData · 20%4.6
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A small-group Soho food and cocktail walk by Eating Europe's London Food Tours, from the Spice of Life pub on Moor Street to Broadwick Street.
Good to know: Maximum 12 guests, 18 and over only. Signature cocktails are included; extra drinks are not. Starts at 4:45 p.m., so in summer most of it is in daylight. Not for severe food allergies.
After dark: Starts at dusk and moves through Soho's bars and restaurants as the West End lights come on.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Floodlit postcard London in 90 minutes without walking: an open top deck past Big Ben, the London Eye, St Paul's, Tower Bridge and Piccadilly Circus, with a live guide, then back to Green Park next to the Ritz. The route was picked for the lights, which is why it scores high on our dark scale. The 4.5 rating from 6,116 reviews holds it at eighth. Today it's $33 (€29), struck through from $41 (€37). The operator itself warns that in May, June and July the earlier departures are still in daylight. Take the last one.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%7.6
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 90-minute open-top bus loop with a live English-speaking guide by See London By Night, from Green Park station next to the Ritz.
Good to know: Shown today at $33, struck through from $41. Passes Big Ben, the London Eye, St Paul's, Tower Bridge and Piccadilly Circus and returns to Green Park. In May, June and July the earlier departures can still be in daylight, so pick a late one.
After dark: An open top deck through floodlit Westminster, the South Bank and Tower Bridge, a route chosen for the illuminations.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Tower of London After Hours with Beefeater and Keys Ceremony
After-dark entry
5.9/10Night Score
From $213 (€190)
1.5 hours
Starts: Evening
Small group
4.9 (79 reviews)
The only perfect 10 on our after-dark scale in London, because no day ticket gets you this: the Tower's outer grounds after closing with a Yeoman Warder, then the 9:30 p.m. Ceremony of the Keys. Price is the problem. $213 (€190) for 90 minutes drags it to ninth, and you watch the ceremony beside people who paid Historic Royal Palaces a suggested $40 (€36; £30). No Crown Jewels, no interiors, rated 4.9 from only 79 reviews. Up to 20 guests, meet at the West Gate, no strollers or high heels. Dates are scarce. Book it when the official tickets for your month are gone.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%4.3
Review countData · 10%3.7
Price per hourData · 20%1.0
After darkEditors · 40%10.0
What it is: A guided after-closing walk of the Tower of London's outer grounds with a Yeoman Warder, finishing at the Ceremony of the Keys, sold by Walks.
Good to know: Guaranteed Ceremony of the Keys access is included, but you watch it alongside the public ticket holders; no Crown Jewels or building interiors. Up to 20 guests; meet at the West Gate. No strollers or high heels. The page marks it 'usually unavailable', so dates are scarce.
After dark: After-hours access to the Tower grounds with a Yeoman Warder, then the nightly locking-up ceremony, which no day ticket includes.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Six hours, five bars and clubs around Soho, Leicester Square and Piccadilly, with free entry to all of them and a free shot at each. At $34 (€30) the value is fine. The 4.4 rating from 1,485 reviews is the lowest on this page, and that's why it's last. It meets at Zoo Bar near Leicester Square, and the hosts wear orange lanyards. Bring photo ID, it's 18+. On a weeknight the Night Tube won't be running when you're done, so it's a night bus or a black cab home.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%0.2
Review countData · 10%8.2
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A six-hour hosted crawl of five bars and clubs by London Party Pub Crawl, meeting at Zoo Bar near Leicester Square.
Good to know: Includes free entry to all five venues (the page says it saves up to 50 GBP), a free shot at each venue and drink discounts. 18+ with photo ID; hosts wear orange lanyards.
After dark: A hosted night out through Soho, Leicester Square and Piccadilly that only exists after dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on GetYourGuide on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Reserve links go to GetYourGuide or Viator. Booking through them can earn us a commission at no cost to you; it never changes a score or a rank. How we make money
What a London night is actually like
London splits in two once the offices close. The City, the old square mile between St Paul's and the Tower, empties out. Office lobbies go dim, the lanes behind Cheapside go silent, and that's exactly why the ghost walks use it. Further west, the West End goes the other way: the theatres let out and Soho fills up.
The river is the best-lit thing in town. Illuminated River, a single lighting artwork, now runs across nine central London bridges, so a walk along the South Bank after dark looks deliberate rather than accidental.
Most museums close at teatime. The British Museum is the exception worth knowing about: it stays open until 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and the permanent collection is free. In December that's over four hours of museum after sunset.
Ripper walk, ghost walk, bus or food: how to pick
If you only do one, do a Ripper walk. It's the thing London does that nowhere else can, and the three we ranked are all decent. Which one depends on what you care about.
Cheapest: Meet the Street's evening walk, from Aldgate station.
Most expert: See Your City's Original walk, with a Ripperologist and a case file afterwards. No under-12s.
Most theatrical: Ripper-Vision, with photographs projected onto the walls at 7:30 p.m.
Not a Ripper fan: the Cloak and Dagger walk in Southwark, or the 8 p.m. Ghastly Ghost walk from the Tower to St Paul's.
The bus is for people who don't want to walk, or who have one evening and want the lit-up landmarks in a single loop. It's fine. It isn't the reason to come to London at night. The food tour is lovely and expensive, and only really a night tour in winter.
Kids? Ghosts, Ghouls and Gallows has child discounts, the bus is easy, and the Meet the Street Ripper walk has no stated minimum age. The Original Ripper walk turns away under-12s and Cloak and Dagger wants 13 and up. More on this in our family night tours list.
The free version: a self-guided South Bank night walk
You don't need a ticket to see London lit up. Start at Westminster Bridge, with the Elizabeth Tower clock face behind you, and walk east on the south bank of the Thames. Past the London Eye. Under Waterloo Bridge. On past the Tate Modern chimney and Shakespeare's Globe, over to Southwark Cathedral, then along to Tower Bridge.
Westminster, Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges are all part of the Illuminated River artwork, and the Tower of London sits across the water at the end with its walls floodlit. It's roughly the bus tour's best stretch, on foot, at your own pace, and you can stop for a pint in Borough on the way.
Doing the Ripper route alone is possible but, honestly, pointless. By day or night, without someone telling the story, the sites are just street corners in an office district. The guide is the tour.
Getting back late: Night Tube, night buses, cabs
The Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights only, on the Victoria, Jubilee, Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines, from around midnight to 5:30 a.m. Trains come every 10 to 20 minutes depending on the line. Fares are standard off-peak, and you pay by contactless, Oyster or Travelcard. Cash isn't accepted.
Sunday to Thursday, it's buses. Routes with an N in front of the number run after the Tube closes and before day buses start, and several ordinary routes run 24 hours. They're less frequent at night. A single bus fare is $2.30 (€2.10; £1.75), with unlimited bus transfers for an hour.
Taxis: only black cabs can be hailed in the street, and the yellow TAXI light means it's free. Every black cab takes cards with no surcharge. Minicabs must be booked in advance. An unbooked minicab picking you up in the street is illegal and uninsured. Don't get in.
Most of the ghost walks here end somewhere other than where they began, so look at the finish point before you book. Our night tour safety guide covers the rest.
When to go: darkness, cold and rain
Winter is the season for London night tours, full stop. It's dark by 4:32 p.m. in December, so a 7:30 p.m. Ripper walk is in proper night. In June it doesn't get dark until 10:06 p.m., which means the 8 p.m. ghost walk and the Ripper walks happen in long, bright evenings. The streetlamps haven't come on. It's a different, weaker tour.
Cold isn't a big problem. January nights drop to about 35°F (2°C), and the summer lows sit around 57°F (14°C). Rain is the thing. London gets around 12 rainy days a month from October to January in our weather data, and the walks run anyway. Bring a hood rather than an umbrella; in a group of 35, nobody behind you wants your umbrella.
The Ceremony of the Keys is at 9:30 p.m. every night of the year. From November to February that's deep dark. In June and July it's still twilight when the gates shut.
October is the sweet spot if you want both: dark by 6:42 p.m. mid-month and Halloween at the end of it.
What to skip
The comedy horror ghost bus and the evening Thames cruise with bubbly and canapés both scored too low to rank (4.8 and 5.1). The official Illuminated River boat tour on the Thames is rated 4.0 and sails on Saturdays only, at 9:30 p.m., from September to May. Walk the South Bank instead and see the same bridges for nothing.
And don't book two Ripper walks. They cover the same streets and the same murders. Pick one, then spend the second evening south of the river with the Cloak and Dagger lot.
When it gets dark in London
Times are for the 15th of each month in 2027, local time with daylight saving, computed with NOAA’s solar equations for London. Dark is the end of civil twilight, when streetlights and floodlights take over; fully dark is the end of nautical twilight. Night lows are 2016–2025 averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive. Every city side by side
Month
Sunset
Dark
Fully dark
Night low
January
4:19 p.m.
4:57 p.m.
5:39 p.m.
35°F (2°C)
February
5:14 p.m.
5:48 p.m.
6:27 p.m.
37°F (3°C)
March
6:04 p.m.
6:37 p.m.
7:16 p.m.
39°F (4°C)
April
7:55 p.m.
8:31 p.m.
9:14 p.m.
41°F (5°C)
May
8:44 p.m.
9:25 p.m.
10:21 p.m.
47°F (8°C)
June
9:18 p.m.
10:06 p.m.
11:20 p.m.
53°F (12°C)
July
9:12 p.m.
9:57 p.m.
11:02 p.m.
57°F (14°C)
August
8:25 p.m.
9:02 p.m.
9:50 p.m.
57°F (14°C)
September
7:16 p.m.
7:50 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
53°F (12°C)
October
6:08 p.m.
6:42 p.m.
7:20 p.m.
48°F (9°C)
November
4:12 p.m.
4:49 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
41°F (5°C)
December
3:51 p.m.
4:32 p.m.
5:15 p.m.
39°F (4°C)
Also scored in London
These cleared our bar too, but scored below the ten above. Same score, same data, no write-up.
By our Night Score, Meet the Street's Jack the Ripper Evening Walking Tour (8.1). It's rated 4.9 and costs $20 (€17.90) on today's sale. If you'd rather avoid the Ripper, the Cloak and Dagger walk in Southwark scores 7.9.
Is the Ceremony of the Keys free?
Not any more. Historic Royal Palaces now asks you to pay what you choose, with a suggested $40 (€36; £30) per ticket and a range from $13.40 (€11.90; £10) to $67 (€60; £50). Tickets are released at 1 p.m. on the first working day of each month for the following month, and they go fast. Arrive at the West Gate by 9:25 p.m. Details on our Ceremony of the Keys page.
Are Jack the Ripper tours suitable for children?
Depends on the tour. See Your City's Original walk doesn't allow under-12s because of graphic content. Meet the Street and Ripper-Vision state no minimum age, but Ripper-Vision projects photographs of the victims, so think about whether your kids want to see those. For a gentler evening, try a ghost walk instead.
Does the Tube run all night in London?
Only on Friday and Saturday nights, and only on five lines: Victoria, Jubilee, Central, Northern and Piccadilly, from around midnight to 5:30 a.m. Every other night, the night buses (routes starting with N) take over.
What time does it get dark in London?
About 4:32 p.m. in mid-December and 10:06 p.m. in mid-June. Most ghost and Ripper walks start between 7 and 8 p.m., so from October to March they run fully in the dark. See the table on this page, or the sunset and dusk guide for every city.
Further reading
Official sources
Historic Royal Palaces: Ceremony of the Keys– Pay-what-you-choose ticket price range and suggested price, monthly release time, 21:25 arrival and 21:30 to 22:05 timing, checked October 26, 2026
Visit London: Night Tube– Night Tube lines, Friday and Saturday nights, midnight to 5:30 a.m., 10 to 20 minute frequency, off-peak fares, no cash, checked October 26, 2026
Visit London: London buses– N-prefixed night routes, 24-hour routes, single bus fare and one-hour hopper transfers, checked October 26, 2026
Visit London: taxis and minicabs– Only black cabs can be hailed; card payment without surcharge; minicabs must be pre-booked, checked October 26, 2026
