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Where to Stay in London for New Year's Eve 2026: Fireworks Tickets, Four Areas and 12 Hotels

By Casey, Gently Yonder editor

Where to stay for London's New Year's Eve 2026 fireworks: ticket prices and gates, four areas, 12 hotels, last year's TfL plan and 20% VAT with no city tax.

Last updated · 17 min read

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In this guide12 sections
  1. The short answer
  2. 31 December 2026: the fireworks, the tickets and the rules
  3. Staying south of the river: the South Bank and Waterloo
  4. Staying north of the river: the Strand and Covent Garden
  5. The City and Tower Bridge: lower prices, a Tube ride home
  6. South Kensington: the quiet street to come back to
  7. Getting around on the night
  8. London’s hotel tax: 20% VAT, and no city tax yet
  9. How to book New Year’s Eve in London
  10. All 12 at a glance
  11. Before you go
  12. Frequently asked questions

London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks are not like Times Square’s: they are ticketed, and you cannot watch from the riverside viewing areas without one. The Mayor of London’s page says tickets cost between £20 and £55, are sold only through Ticketmaster and sell out quickly. That changes how you choose a hotel, because the ticket fixes which side of the Thames you will be on, and the bridges are closed before and after the show. London hotels carry no city tax; the 20% VAT is already in the price.

This guide covers what the Mayor’s office has published for Thursday 31 December 2026, four areas matched to the viewing areas and the trip home, 12 hotels, and the terms that catch people out. For the rest of your trip, where to stay in London covers five areas and 12 hotels, six of which also appear here. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

If you want… Stay in Why
a bed beside the south-bank viewing areas, or a room sold with a view The South Bank and Waterloo Waterloo and Southwark are the stations for the pink, green, white and orange gates, and one hotel sells a New Year’s Eve view package
to finish on the north bank, near the blue and red gates The Strand and Covent Garden Embankment, Charing Cross and Holborn are the stations for those gates, with the West End at the door
lower prices and a Tube ride home The City and Tower Bridge Two hotels east of the viewing areas, outside the closed streets
a quiet street to come back to South Kensington A residential base on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines

Not sure which area? Rank these areas for your trip: pick what matters and see the reasons.

Fireworks bursting in pink and orange over a river at night, with a lit observation wheel on the left and two bridges with lit masts across the water
Fireworks over the Thames, with the London Eye and the Hungerford footbridges. Photo: Omar Ramadan / Pexels

31 December 2026: the fireworks, the tickets and the rules

The Mayor’s listing gives the event as running from 8pm on Thursday 31 December to 12:30am on Friday 1 January, with entry to every viewing area from 8pm to 10:30pm. The show begins with Big Ben’s bongs and ends with a singalong of Auld Lang Syne, and around 100,000 people attend.

On 28 October the Mayor’s page described the first of two batches of tickets as on sale now, and did not say they had sold out; we could not check live availability on Ticketmaster. It says to keep checking for the second batch’s release date, which it had not given. For comparison, last year’s final batch went on sale on 24 November 2025. Tickets are limited to four per buyer, and the Mayor’s office says tickets bought anywhere other than Ticketmaster will not be valid.

Area Where Side of the river View Gate and station Full price (Londoners)
Blue Victoria Embankment, Westminster Bridge to Golden Jubilee Footbridge North Head-on, opposite the London Eye Gate 1 (Victoria) or 2 (Charing Cross, Embankment) £55 (£35)
Red Victoria Embankment, Golden Jubilee Footbridge to Temple Avenue North Side view Gate 4 (Holborn) or 5 (Blackfriars) £40 (£20)
Pink Waterloo Bridge only South Side view of the London Eye Gate 6 (Southwark) £55 (£35)
Green Behind the London Eye South Up close Gate 7 (Waterloo) £40 (£20)
White Westminster Bridge only South Side view Gate 8 (Waterloo) £55 (£35)
Orange (accessible) Albert Embankment, by St Thomas’ Hospital South Partial side view Gate 9 (Waterloo) £40 (£20)

Prices include VAT and exclude a small booking fee, and are the same as last year. A London postcode, checked against the card’s billing address, takes £20 off each ticket.

A tall white observation wheel beside a long cream-coloured building with a green copper tower and rows of chimneys, in low evening sun under a blue sky
The London Eye and County Hall in evening light. Photo: Suegoro Sone Scassi-Buffa / Pexels

The rules decide where you sleep. Each area has its own numbered gate, and you cannot move between areas on the night, so friends must book the same one. The Mayor’s page says Westminster Bridge, the Golden Jubilee Footbridge, Lambeth Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge cannot be used before or after the event, and that stations will be very busy when it ends. Vehicles, bikes included, are restricted from 2pm on 31 December until around 6am on 1 January. Photo ID matching the main buyer’s name may be needed, refunds are not available, tickets can be resold at face value only through Ticketmaster, and the event is not suitable for young children (under-16s must be with an adult, and everyone needs a ticket). Only the orange area has seating.

If you have no ticket, the Mayor’s page points to other events listed on Visit London. Last year TfL asked people not to travel to the Victoria Embankment area without one, and pointed to BBC One as the way to watch.

Staying south of the river: the South Bank and Waterloo

If your ticket is pink, green, white or orange, you will enter from the south bank, through Southwark or Waterloo, and a hotel here is the shortest walk to your gate. It is also where you finish, because the bridges stay shut. Expect the streets around the London Eye and County Hall to be restricted, and ask the hotel in writing how guests are let through; none of the hotels below publishes that.

Where to stay on the South Bank

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

Staying north of the river: the Strand and Covent Garden

Pedestrians walking past a theatre entrance outlined in rows of lights, with a lit show board above the doors, on a street at dusk
A West End theatre front at dusk. Photo: Arianna Tavaglione / Pexels

The blue and red gates are on the north bank, at Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Holborn and Blackfriars, and the Strand runs between them and Covent Garden. A hotel here puts the West End’s restaurants and bars at your door for the hours before the gates open. The Mayor’s page restricts vehicles from 2pm on the day, so expect the Embankment end of the Strand to be hard to reach by car or taxi.

Where to stay on the Strand and in Covent Garden

The City and Tower Bridge: lower prices, a Tube ride home

A suspension bridge with two lit stone towers over a dark river at night, a grey warship moored in front of it and reflections on the water
Tower Bridge at night, with a warship moored beside it. Photo: Jack Brown / Pexels

East of the viewing areas, the City and Tower Bridge sit outside the closed streets. You trade a walk to the gate for a Tube ride, and Tower Hill is on the District and Circle lines, which also serve Blackfriars and Embankment, the stations the Mayor’s page names for the red and blue gates (check the journey on TfL’s planner, and expect crowding).

Where to stay in the City and Tower Bridge

South Kensington: the quiet street to come back to

A curved stone pavement beside black iron railings and white stucco townhouses, with a bicycle leaning against the railings and a street lamp ahead
A townhouse street in Kensington. Photo: Bob Jenkin / Pexels

South Kensington is the quiet option: white stucco streets, the museums and Hyde Park nearby, and a station on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. It is a ride from the river, so it suits ticket-holders who would rather sleep somewhere calm. Plan the journey back with care, because TfL said last year that central stations might close at short notice.

Where to stay in South Kensington

Getting around on the night

London’s hotel tax: 20% VAT, and no city tax yet

Charge Rate in 2026
VAT on a hotel room 20%, the UK’s standard rate
City or tourist tax None

UK room prices normally include VAT, so compare totals rather than headline rates; One Aldwych states that its rates are inclusive of VAT. To see how much of a price is VAT, take one-sixth of it: on a £250 room that is £41.67 (our arithmetic from the 20% rate). On 10 September 2026 the government said it will give mayors in England the power to charge an overnight visitor levy as a percentage of the cost of accommodation; no levy has been set for London, so none is charged in 2026.

How to book New Year’s Eve in London

All 12 at a glance

Hotel Area Tier Best for Watch out for
Sea Containers London South Bank Splurge A room sold with a fireworks view Non-refundable package
The Hoxton, Southwark South Bank Comfortable The Southwark gate, flexible terms Holiday terms unstated
citizenM London Bankside Bankside Good value Bankside for less Two adults per room
Premier Inn London County Hall Waterloo Budget The green and white gates Restrictions around it
The Savoy Strand Splurge The grand option Only some rooms see the river
One Aldwych Covent Garden Splurge A package with flexible cancellation Package is for two
Strand Palace Hotel Strand Comfortable A large hotel by Covent Garden No published NYE terms
hub by Premier Inn London Covent Garden Covent Garden Budget The West End for less Compact rooms
Leonardo Royal Hotel London Tower Bridge City and Tower Bridge Comfortable A large hotel outside the closures The longest trip to the gates
Premier Inn London City (Tower Hill) City and Tower Bridge Budget The lowest price outside the closures A Tube ride to your gate
The Ampersand Hotel South Kensington Comfortable A calm street Small Single and Double rooms
The Kensington South Kensington Splurge A townhouse-style stay Cosy entry rooms

Before you go

Frequently asked questions

Are London's New Year's Eve fireworks free in 2026?

No. The Mayor of London's fireworks on 31 December 2026 are ticketed, and people without a ticket will not be allowed into the viewing areas. Tickets cost £55 or £40 (£35 or £20 for Londoners, depending on the viewing area), include VAT and exclude a small booking fee, and are sold only through Ticketmaster.

Are tickets for the London New Year's Eve fireworks still available?

On 28 October 2026 the Mayor's page described the first of two batches as on sale now and did not say it had sold out, but it warns that tickets sell out quickly. We could not check live availability on Ticketmaster. The second batch had no release date yet; last year's final batch went on sale on 24 November 2025.

Where is the best place to stay for the London fireworks?

It depends on your ticket. The pink, green, white and orange gates are on the south bank, reached through Southwark and Waterloo, so the South Bank and Waterloo suits them. The blue and red gates are on the north bank, near Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Holborn and Blackfriars, so the Strand and Covent Garden suits those. The bridges are closed before and after the show, and you cannot move between areas on the night.

Is the Tube running on New Year's Eve in London?

TfL had not published its 2026 plan when we checked. Last year's release said services would run all night apart from planned closures, but that some central stations might close at short notice or at busy times to prevent overcrowding, and that some central buses would be diverted from about midday. It did not mention free travel.

Does London have a tourist tax on hotels?

No. There is no city tax; hotel rooms carry VAT at 20%, which is normally included in the price. On 10 September 2026 the government said it will give mayors in England the power to charge an overnight visitor levy as a percentage of the cost of accommodation, but no levy has been set for London.

Do I need an ETA to visit London?

If you are from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries, you usually need an electronic travel authorisation rather than a visa. It costs £20, lets you travel for up to six months, and each traveller needs one, children included. British and Irish passport holders do not need one, and an ETA does not guarantee entry.

Sources & further reading

Dates, rules, rates and hotel terms change, and TfL’s 2026 New Year’s Eve plan was not yet published when we checked; where we describe last year’s arrangements we say so. Every hotel detail here was checked in October 2026; confirm minimum stays, rates and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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