London Travel Tips and Apps

Even with its colorful and deceptively simple map, navigating the London Tube can include missed stops and missteps. The London Tube iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad app ($1) uses interactive maps and live updates to routes and train schedules to ensure travelers are never lost again.

The streets of London are filled with history along every step. The free Street Museum app for iPhone and Android provides a peek back at London streets of yore. Hold the camera up to the current street scene and the app will use GPS to respond with a view of the same spot decades ago. Click through the photo for the site's historical details.

Throughout the month of July, the city of London and iTunes present 31 straight nights of live music events. The iTunes Festival, which began July 1 and runs through July 31, hosts big name musicians from the likes of Moby, Paul Simon, Adele, and Coldplay. All concerts are free, though hopeful attendees must sign up to win tickets through the iTune Festival website.

London's go-to website guide for city culture, nightlife, and events, the free Spoonfed app for iOS will have you seeing London like a local. The app's augmented reality feature shows on a radar how close you are to the city's hot spots.

The National Gallery was the first museum to put its paintings on to a mobile application. The National Gallery iPhone app, Love Art ($2.99) continues in full swing, providing visitors access to explore the collection with interviews from curators and art experts.

Sport a subtle nod to your visiting city with the Ben Sherman Union Jack Messenger Bag ($67). The iconic designer from swinging London's 1960s era maintains modern urban appeal with designs like this messenger bag that is roomy enough to carry a laptop.