26 Best Places for Afternoon Tea in London (2026 Guide)
Looking for the best places for afternoon tea in London? 26 hotel, themed, bus, boat and landmark afternoon teas, rechecked for 2026, with prices and who each one suits.
If you are planning afternoon tea in London, the hard part is choosing. Every hotel, department store and museum in the centre serves one, and every one of them says it is the best.
Pick badly and you can pay £95 a head for a room that feels like a tourist queue, get turned away from the Ritz for wearing jeans, or promise the grandchildren a themed tea that finished two years ago.
We have been going to afternoon tea in London for decades, most recently at Ladurée in Covent Garden and on board Brigit’s Bakery bus, and we rechecked every venue in this guide in September 2026.
This guide covers 26 afternoon teas we would happily send a friend to, grouped into four types: the classic hotel and tea room teas, the themed ones, teas served on a bus or a boat, and teas inside London landmarks. Each entry has the address, nearest Tube station, current price, dietary options and who it suits. Three teas that still turn up in older guides have closed or changed since and are not included.
Visiting in November or December? Most of these hotels switch to a festive menu, and our Christmas afternoon tea in London guide has 21 of them with prices and dates.
Good to know: every tea here needs booking. Hotel teas sell out weeks ahead for weekends, and all of December, and most venues want 48 hours’ notice for gluten-free, vegan, or halal menus, so mention dietary needs when you book rather than on the day.
Reader offer: City Cruises have given our readers 10% off the afternoon tea cruise on the Thames with the code UKPLAN10. Book and travel by 31 December 2026. Read our full review of the City Cruises afternoon tea cruise
*The discount is on the afternoon tea ticket only, not on upgrades or packages, and it cannot be combined with other offers.
Afternoon tea in London at a glance
Classic hotel and tea room afternoon teas in London
These are the ones people picture when they think of afternoon tea in London: a hotel lounge, tiered stands, a long tea list and someone topping up the pot. They also book up first, so if you have a date in mind, book the tea before you book anything else that day.
🧁 The Ritz afternoon tea
- 150 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9BR
- Nearest tube: Green Park
- From £95 per person, £73 for children
- Gluten-free option: available on request
The Ritz is one of London’s grandest hotels, and the afternoon tea lives up to the building. It is served in the Palm Court, a room that was once the hotel’s ballroom, with a pianist or harpist playing while you eat.
You get dainty finger sandwiches, scones baked that day with jam and clotted cream, and a selection of seasonal cakes, plus a long list of teas, including the hotel’s own Ritz Royal Blend. There are five sittings a day, from 11.30 am through to 7.30 pm, so an early or late slot is often easier to get than the classic mid-afternoon one.
This is London’s strictest dress code. Men need a jacket and tie, and jeans and sportswear are not allowed for anyone. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free menus are available if you ask when you book; the hotel cannot change the menu on the day.
🧁 Fortnum and Mason afternoon tea
- 181 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1A 1ER
- Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus
- From £84 per person
- Gluten-free option: yes
Fortnum’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is on the fourth floor of the Piccadilly store, reached by lift, and was opened in 2012 by Queen Elizabeth II with the Duchesses of Cambridge and Cornwall alongside her. The room has served as Fortnum family accommodation, the antiques department, and St James’s restaurant at different times.
The tea is the traditional three tiers: precisely cut finger sandwiches, scones, and a selection of cakes, with gluten-free and vegetarian menus and a savoury option if you prefer savoury to sweet. It pairs well with a look around the food hall downstairs, which is worth the visit on its own.
There is a second Fortnum’s afternoon tea in the City, at the Fortnum’s Bar and Restaurant in the courtyard of the Royal Exchange opposite the Bank of England, which is where the photo above was taken.
It is served Monday to Friday from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm, from £38 per person, with the same sandwiches, scones and cakes under the glass roof of the old trading floor. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and nut-free versions are available with notice. The nearest tube is Bank, and it is the one to pick if you are sightseeing around St Paul’s and the Tower that day.
🧁 The Wolseley afternoon tea
- 160 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9EB
- Nearest tube: Green Park
- Cream tea £19.50, afternoon tea £46.50, champagne afternoon tea from £59.90
- Gluten-free option: available on request
The Wolseley (now trading as The Wolseley Piccadilly) is the value choice on this stretch of Piccadilly. At £46.50, the classic afternoon tea is around half the price of the Ritz next door, and the £19.50 cream tea is the cheapest way to sit in a grand room on this list.
It is also the best bet if you have not booked. The restaurant holds back tables for walk-ins every day, with tea served from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm on weekdays and from 3 pm at weekends. Everything is baked on the premises, so expect cream-filled éclairs, millefeuille, Battenberg and macarons alongside the sandwiches and scones.
🧁 Claridge’s afternoon tea
- Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR
- Nearest tube: Bond Street
- From £95 per person, champagne versions £110 to £125
- Gluten-free option: available on request
Claridge’s sits just off Bond Street, and the afternoon tea matches the shopping: the green-and-white striped china, the Art Deco foyer, and the pastry work make this a serious rival to the Ritz for a special occasion.
The hotel offers a children’s menu and runs seasonal versions throughout the year for Easter, Mother’s Day and the Chelsea Flower Show. Sandwiches lean British, with smoked Scottish salmon on the menu when we checked.
🧁 The Savoy afternoon tea
- The Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
- Nearest tube: Charing Cross
- From £95 per person
- Gluten-free option: available on request
The Savoy is on the Strand between Theatreland and the river, and has served afternoon tea since 1889. It is now served in The Gallery, the redesigned room under the stained-glass dome that older guides call the Thames Foyer, with over 30 teas on the list alongside warm scones.
The dress code is described as elegant rather than the Ritz’s jacket and tie, and it is a good choice if you are seeing a West End matinee, because most theatres are within ten minutes on foot.
🧁 The Langham afternoon tea
- 1C Portland Place, London W1B 1JA
- Nearest tube: Oxford Circus
- From £85 per person
- Gluten-free option: available on request
The Langham has served afternoon tea in its Palm Court since 1865 and claims to be where the hotel afternoon tea tradition began. The current menu is a collaboration between chef Michel Roux and the hotel’s pastry chef Andrew Gravett, and it takes a contemporary British line with some colourful twists on the classics.
Tea is served from 1 pm to 4 pm on weekdays and from 12.30 pm to 5 pm at weekends. The children’s afternoon tea is one of the better ones in a grand hotel, with edible and literary treats rather than a cut-down adult menu.
🧁 Afternoon tea at The Rubens at the Palace
- 39 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PS
- Nearest tube: Victoria
- Gluten-free option: yes
The Rubens at the Palace sits opposite the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace, so afternoon tea here comes with a royal view. Tea is served in the Palace Lounge: finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and a selection of pastries, with a choice of loose-leaf teas and the option to add a glass of champagne.
Vegetarian, vegan, halal, and gluten-free versions are available, making this a good choice if you are looking for a halal afternoon tea in London. Children aged 5 to 12 have their own Little Prince and Princess Tea. The dress code is smart casual, so no sportswear or flip-flops. It fits neatly after watching the Changing of the Guard, which finishes a few minutes’ walk away.
🧁 Afternoon tea at The Milestone Hotel
- 1-3 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL
- Nearest tube: High Street Kensington
- Gluten-free option: yes, with 72 hours’ notice
The Milestone is a five-star hotel overlooking Kensington Palace and its gardens, and it serves a traditional afternoon tea in the hotel library. Expect three tiers of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and preserves, and pastries, with a long menu of premium and single-estate teas to choose from.
It pairs well with a visit to Kensington Palace, a short walk away. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available, but the hotel needs 72 hours’ notice, so mention any dietary needs when you book. The dress code is smart casual.
🧁 Ladurée Covent Garden afternoon tea
- 1 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RA
- Nearest tube: Covent Garden
- From £39.95 per person, served 2 pm to 6 pm daily
- Gluten-free option: no
Ladurée’s salon above its Covent Garden shop is modelled on Versailles and is easy to miss from the market below. We were guests here for the champagne afternoon tea, and it is the one on this list we would go back to for the room alone.
The tea, created by chef Julian Alvarez, pairs French pâtisserie with the British format: finger sandwiches, Ladurée’s own scones, mini pastries such as the Plaisir Sucré and the Ispahan, and the macarons the house is known for. Champagne is an upgrade, and the tea list is strong.
At £39.95, only Fortnum’s at the Royal Exchange is cheaper, and it is one of the best value teas on this list. There is no gluten-free version, but they can handle nut-free and halal requests if you mention them when you book.*
🧁 Zetter Marylebone afternoon tea
- 28-30 Seymour Street, London W1H 7JB
- Nearest tube: Marble Arch or Paddington
- Served daily from 12 pm to 4 pm
- Gluten-free option: not stated
The Zetter Marylebone is a Georgian townhouse hotel a few streets north of Marble Arch, and its Parlour does a smaller, cosier afternoon tea than the grand hotels, which suits anyone who finds a Palm Court a bit much.
The menu takes liberties with tradition: a vegetarian afternoon tea, a savoury spread that has included croque monsieur and pastrami and sauerkraut sandwiches, and cakes such as a sticky orange entremet and a chocolate and passionfruit choux. You can order tea-infused cocktails alongside the pot. The sister hotel in Clerkenwell does its own version.
🧁 Sketch afternoon tea
- 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2XG
- Nearest tube: Oxford Circus
- Around £85 per person
- Gluten-free option: advise 24 hours before
Sketch serves its afternoon tea in The Gallery, the pink velvet dining room that has been on every Instagram feed since it opened. It is the one on this list people book for the room first and the food second, though the pastries are properly made.
Tea is served from midday until 4 pm, Monday to Thursday, and from 11 am to 4.30 pm, Friday to Sunday. Allow two hours, and go with someone who will enjoy the theatre; this is the opposite of a quiet hotel lounge.
Themed afternoon teas in London
London hotels now compete on themes as much as on scones, and the good ones are worth the extra over a classic tea because the room, the menu, and the service all play along. Choosing which one to book is the hard part.
🧁 Bridgerton afternoon tea at The Lanesborough
- Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA
- Nearest tube: Hyde Park Corner
- From £92 per person
- Gluten-free option: yes, with 48 hours’ notice
The Lanesborough is a Regency mansion on Hyde Park Corner, making it the obvious home for a Bridgerton afternoon tea. It is served in The Lanesborough Grill under a glass dome, with a pianist at weekends.
The menu is finger sandwiches, home-baked scones with clotted cream and jam, and four signature sweets, with Laurent-Perrier champagne or a Forbidden Love cocktail (or mocktail) as the upgrade. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and children’s menus need 48 hours’ notice, and the dress code is smart casual. Tea is served from 12.30 pm to 4 pm Monday to Thursday, from noon on Friday and Saturday, and in a single 3.30 pm sitting on Sunday.
🧁 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych
- 1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ
- Nearest tube: Covent Garden or Temple
- £75 per person, £90 with champagne or a cocktail, £55 for children
- Gluten-free option: available on request
One Aldwych has run its Roald Dahl tea for years, and it is still the best themed tea for a family with children old enough to get the jokes. Snozzberry jam goes on the scones, the chocolate shake is mixed at a waterfall, and the cakes are named for the characters.
It runs Wednesday to Friday from noon to 3 pm and at weekends until 4.30 pm. Adults can add champagne or a cocktail, and the children’s price of £55 is one of the more reasonable in a five-star hotel.
🧁 Peter Pan afternoon tea at Aqua Shard
- Level 31, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RY
- Nearest tube: London Bridge
- £70 per person, £90 to £95 with champagne, £48 for children
- Gluten-free option: available on request
Aqua Shard is on the 31st floor of the Shard, reached by lift, so the view over the river and the City is included in the price. The Peter Pan menu is built around J. M. Barrie’s Neverland, with a Baked Pig sausage roll, Neverland Lagoon salmon, Tinkerbell’s tart and Captain Hook’s Battenberg on the stand.
Tea is served during lunch hours, from noon to 4.30 pm on weekdays and from 10.30 am to 4 pm at weekends and bank holidays. It is the best themed tea for a view, and a good one for children past the picture-book stage.
🧁 Art Afternoon Tea at Rosewood London
- 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
- Nearest tube: Holborn
- From £80 per person
- Gluten-free option: yes, with 48 hours’ notice
Rosewood London’s Mirror Room has run an art-themed tea for years, changing the artist each season. The 2026 version features Claude Monet: three cakes on the stand, each recreating a named Monet painting, served after savoury bites and freshly baked scones, with Billecart-Salmon champagne or a cocktail as the upgrade.
It is served every day from noon until 5.45 pm, which makes it one of the easiest late-afternoon bookings on this list. Gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, nut-free and halal menus need 48 hours’ notice, and there is a children’s menu for under-12s. The hotel is a short walk from the British Museum if you want to make an afternoon of it.
🧁 The Art of Afternoon Tea at Town House, The Kensington
- The Kensington Hotel, 109-113 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5LP
- Nearest tube: Gloucester Road or South Kensington
- Gluten-free option: yes, advise when booking
Town House at The Kensington serves an art-themed tea of its own, with pastries modelled on the work of famous painters, in a townhouse drawing room a few minutes from the South Kensington museums.
It is smaller and quieter than Rosewood’s version and a natural pairing with the V&A or the Natural History Museum. At weekends, the hotel has been running an art-themed cocktail alongside it.
🧁 Science afternoon tea at The Ampersand
- 10 Harrington Road, South Kensington, London SW7 3ER
- Nearest tube: South Kensington
- Gluten-free option: yes, with its own menu
The Ampersand is across the road from South Kensington station and takes its theme from the Science Museum around the corner. Cakes arrive in petri dishes and test tubes, with sound and light effects at the table, and the whole thing is pitched at a table with a curious ten-year-old on it.
It is served in the Drawing Rooms from noon to 7 pm on weekdays and from 11 am to 7.30 pm at weekends. The hotel publishes separate adult, children’s, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus, and even a version for dogs, which tells you how relaxed it is.
🧁 The Tales of Beatrix Potter afternoon tea at Grosvenor House
- The Park Room, JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 7TN
- Nearest tube: Marble Arch
- £75 per person, £38 for children
- Gluten-free option: not stated; vegetarian and vegan menus available
The Park Room at Grosvenor House changes its themed tea each season, and the 2026 version is Beatrix Potter, running from 1 May to mid-November. The stand carries five pastries shaped around the characters plus an amuse-bouche, with Newby teas and champagne as an option.
At £38 for a child, this is the best-value children’s tea in a Park Lane hotel, and the Peter Rabbit theme works for younger children than the Roald Dahl or Peter Pan teas. Check what is on for your dates if you are visiting after November.
🧁 Wizard afternoon tea at the Georgian House Hotel
- 35-39 St George’s Drive, Pimlico, London SW1V 4DG
- Nearest tube: Victoria
- Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 12.30 pm to 5 pm
- Gluten-free option: tell the hotel when you book
The Georgian House in Pimlico, ten minutes on foot from Victoria, has wizard-themed bedrooms, and its three-course Wizard Afternoon Tea runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Drinks are unlimited, the menu mixes savoury and sweet with the usual sandwiches, cakes and scones, and there is a gift to take home.
With the Soho wizard tea now closed, this is the one to book for a Harry Potter fan. The hotel requires you to declare allergies and dietary needs at booking, and it has a 48-hour cancellation rule. It fits well with a day at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour or a Harry Potter walking tour.
🧁 Mad Hatter’s afternoon tea at the Sanderson
- Sanderson London, 50 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3NG
- Nearest tube: Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Road
- From £75 per person, with champagne versions up to £94
- Gluten-free option: on request; vegetarian and vegan by arrangement
The Sanderson’s Alice in Wonderland tea has been running longer than most of the themed teas in London, and it is still the one we would choose for the theatre of it. The teapots ask “One lump or two?”, there are little Drink Me bottles on the stand, and the top tier is a Curiouser and Curiouser teacup under a cloud of candy floss.
It is served every day from noon to 7 pm at the Sanderson, just north of Oxford Street. The savoury and sweet items change with the seasons, so no two visits are quite the same. Gluten-free is available on request, and vegetarian and vegan menus are available by arrangement, though the hotel runs an open kitchen and says it cannot guarantee a complete absence of any allergen.
Afternoon tea on a London bus or boat
If you only have a couple of days in London, these three combine sightseeing and tea. They all run on a fixed timetable and sell out at weekends, so you need to book further ahead than a hotel lounge.
🧁 Brigit’s Bakery afternoon tea bus
- Departs from Victoria Coach Station, London
- Nearest tube: Victoria
- Around 90 minutes
- Gluten-free option: yes
Brigit’s runs afternoon tea on a vintage red double-decker, and it is the tea we have done ourselves and recommend most. The bus loops past Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and Nelson’s Column while you work through a stand of sweet and savoury treats, and the top deck front seats are the ones to ask for.
Our full review of the Brigit’s Bakery bus tour covers the route, the food and what to book. Gluten-free and vegetarian versions are available if you say so when booking.
🧁 The English Tea Bus
- Departs from central London; the exact point is confirmed on booking
- Around 90 minutes
- Gluten-free option: no
The English Tea Bus is run by Golden Tours and is the main alternative to Brigit’s: a double-decker, a 90-minute loop of the sights and a stand of sweet and savoury treats, with a glass of prosecco or a soft drink included. The route passes the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.
A vegetarian menu is available, but there is no gluten-free version, so Brigit’s is the better pick if that matters. Upper- and lower-deck seats are sold separately.
🧁 City Cruises afternoon tea cruise on the Thames
- Departs from Tower Millennium Pier, Lower Thames Street, London EC3N 4DT
- Nearest tube: Tower Hill
- Boarding 3.15 pm for a 3.30 pm departure, 90 minutes
- Gluten-free option: not stated; ask when booking
- Reader offer: 10% off with code UKPLAN10, book and travel by 31 December 2026
City Cruises runs its afternoon tea cruise from Tower Pier: sandwiches, scones and cakes with unlimited tea and coffee over 90 minutes on the river, and a bar on board for anything stronger.
You’ll pass the Tower of London, the Shard, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye, making it London’s best afternoon tea for views from the water. If you are choosing between river trips, our guide to Thames river cruises compares this one with the sightseeing and dinner cruises.
Sinead, our York local you will know from the podcast, sailed in September 2026 as a City Cruises guest. She is picky about her afternoon teas, and she rated this one of the best she has had, with staff she described as fantastic. The photos in this section are hers.
City Cruises has given our readers 10% off the afternoon tea cruise with code UKPLAN10 for bookings and sailings up to 31 December 2026. The discount is on the afternoon tea ticket only, not on upgrades or packages, and cannot be combined with other offers.
⭐️ Click to book an afternoon tea cruise on the Thames (use code UKPLAN10 for 10% off)
If you’d rather eat on the river in the evening, City Cruises also run jazz, murder mystery and Elvis dinner cruises.
Afternoon tea inside London landmarks
Three teas where the building is the attraction. None of them is a hotel, so the food is simpler than at the Ritz, but you are eating somewhere you would have paid to visit anyway.
🧁 Afternoon tea at the Royal Albert Hall
- Verdi restaurant, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
- Nearest tube: South Kensington or High Street Kensington
- From around £68 per person, Tuesday to Sunday when we checked
- Gluten-free option: yes, plus vegetarian, vegan, nut-free and halal
The Royal Albert Hall serves afternoon tea in its Verdi restaurant, and the menu changes with the season. The 2026 summer and autumn menu, running until 2 November, is the Fête de Versailles tea, based on a 1913 French festival held in the Hall and found in its archives, with madeleines and an asparagus tart alongside the scones.
The Hall also sells packages that combine a guided tour with the tea, which is the way to do it if you have never been inside. Book well ahead on days with a matinee.
🧁 The British Museum afternoon tea
- The Great Court Restaurant, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
- Nearest tube: Russell Square or Holborn
- Served 11.30 am to 5 pm, last sitting 4 pm
- Gluten-free option: no
The Great Court Restaurant sits under the glass roof at the centre of the British Museum, and afternoon tea here comes with the view up into the dome. The stand is pastries, cakes, scones and sandwiches, with a choice of loose-leaf teas including organic and floral blends, and fizz if you want it.
The kitchen can cater for vegetarian, pescatarian and nut-free diets but not for gluten-free, dairy-free, halal or vegan, so choose somewhere else if any of those apply. Museum entry is free, so this is a cheap way to make an afternoon of Bloomsbury.
🧁 Afternoon tea at The Orangery, Kensington Palace
- The Orangery, Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX
- Nearest tube: High Street Kensington or Queensway
- Open daily 10 am to 6 pm, last entry 4.30 pm; no palace ticket needed
- Gluten-free option: on request, with allergen information for all 14 major allergens
The Orangery is the building Queen Anne built in 1704 to keep her orange trees over winter, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor with additions by John Vanbrugh and carvings by Grinling Gibbons, and it has reopened after a long restoration as the palace restaurant. Afternoon tea here is a gold stand of finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream and a row of pastries, served under the Corinthian columns with the palace gardens outside the windows.
You do not need a palace ticket to eat here, and it is step-free with its own accessible toilet, which makes it the easiest royal afternoon tea in London for anyone who finds the hotel lounges a trek. Book ahead, and pair it with the palace itself, which is a two-minute walk away.
We did our Orangery afternoon tea at the end of a guided tour rather than booking it ourselves. The WalksDevour Kensington Palace and royal London tour is a five and a half hour day that starts at Horse Guards for the Changing of the Guard, walks up The Mall past St James’s Palace and Clarence House and on through Hyde Park to the Albert Memorial, then hands you pre-reserved palace tickets with an audio guide and finishes with afternoon tea at The Orangery. The tea is included in the price, and it is the easiest way to do the whole royal day without working out the timings yourself.
If you have less time, the Express Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace tour is two and a half hours, from the Albert Memorial through the gardens, the Sunken Garden, and the palace state apartments, passing The Orangery on the way, so you can book your own table there afterwards.
⭐️ Click to book the Kensington Palace and royal London tour with afternoon tea at The Orangery
Booking, prices and dress codes for afternoon tea in London
When to book
The hotel teas on this list sell out for Saturdays and Sundays several weeks ahead, and for December they can be gone by October. Midweek and the early or late sittings (the Ritz runs from 11.30 am to 7.30 pm) are easier.
The Wolseley is the exception: it holds tables for walk-ins every day. Buses and cruises have fixed departures and fill at weekends, so book those when you book your flights.
What afternoon tea in London costs
Under £50 gets you Fortnum’s at the Royal Exchange (£38), Ladurée (£39.95) or the Wolseley (£46.50). Between £70 and £80 buys the themed teas at Aqua Shard, One Aldwych, Grosvenor House, the Sanderson and Rosewood.
The grand hotels sit between £84 and £95: Fortnum’s from £84, the Langham £85, the Lanesborough £92, and the Ritz, Claridge’s and the Savoy at £95. Champagne adds roughly £13 to £30 depending on the hotel, children’s teas run from £38 at Grosvenor House to £73 at the Ritz, and most hotels add a discretionary service charge, so check the bill.
What to wear
The Ritz is the only one that will turn you away: jackets and ties for men, no jeans or sportswear for anyone. The Savoy asks for elegant dress, and the rest describe themselves as smart casual, which in practice means no trainers, shorts, or baseball caps; presentable jeans are fine. The bus and boat teas have no dress code.
Dietary needs
Every venue on this list caters for vegetarians and most for vegans, but the notice periods vary. The Lanesborough and Rosewood want 48 hours, the Milestone 72 hours, and the Ritz will not change a menu on the day.
Three do not offer gluten-free at all: Ladurée, the English Tea Bus and the British Museum. For a halal afternoon tea, the Rubens, Rosewood and the Royal Albert Hall list it, and Ladurée can do it on request.
Step-free access
Most of the hotel lounges are on the ground floor with step-free entry. Fortnum’s salon is on the fourth floor and Aqua Shard on the 31st, both reached by lift, and The Orangery at Kensington Palace is step-free with its own accessible toilet.
The two bus teas use double-deckers with steps, so ask the operator before booking if anyone in your party needs step-free access, and check pier access with City Cruises for the river tea.
How much you get
A full afternoon tea is a meal. Allow two hours, skip lunch, and expect not to want dinner until late. At most of the hotels, you can ask for more sandwiches or scones, and they will bring them.
The traditional slot is 3 pm to 4 pm, but with sittings now running from late morning to early evening, you can choose the time.
Which afternoon tea in London to book
If you have read this far and still cannot decide, this is how we would choose.
- First visit, short on time: Brigit’s Bakery bus. Tea and the main sights in 90 minutes, with gluten-free options if you need them.
- A once-in-a-lifetime treat: the Ritz for the room and the ceremony, Claridge’s if you would rather skip the tie.
- With children: Beatrix Potter at Grosvenor House for younger children (£38), One Aldwych’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Aqua Shard’s Peter Pan for older ones, and the Rubens for its Little Prince and Princess tea after the Changing of the Guard.
- On a budget: Fortnum’s at the Royal Exchange at £38 on a weekday, Ladurée at £39.95, or the Wolseley at £46.50 with the bonus of walk-in tables.
- For the view: the City Cruises afternoon tea from the river, or Aqua Shard from the 31st floor. (10% off with code UKPLAN10 until 31 December 2026)
- Something different: the Mad Hatter’s tea at the Sanderson, the Science tea at the Ampersand, Monet at Rosewood, or Bridgerton at the Lanesborough.
- A royal day out: afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace, the WalksDevour royal London tour that includes it, or the Milestone across the road from the palace.
Our final word on afternoon tea in London
Whichever you choose, book the tea before the rest of the day, tell the venue about any dietary needs when you book, and go hungry. If your heart is set on the Ritz or Claridge’s at a weekend, book it before you book the flights.
Planning your trip? Our London travel guide links to everything you need to plan a visit, from where to stay to how to get around.
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Please note: we were guests of Ladurée Covent Garden for their Champagne Afternoon Tea, and Sinead was a guest of City Cruises on the afternoon tea cruise. As always, all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
