Is London the best city break in the world? It’s undoubtedly one of those cities that has a never-ending list of attractions to visit, quirky things to do, and new restaurant openings. I called London home for much of my adult life, and even after many years living there, I still had so many things left to do on my London bucket-list.
My real appreciation for London didn’t begin though until I become a tourist. Coming back to a city you once called home with more time (and money) means you can start to appreciate a whole other side to a place. After my two day trip to Manchester, I jumped on a quick train to the capital to start working through my London bucket-list.
I’ve written about my budget London travel tips before, but here are 101 things to do in London, from the must-visit Museums and quirky speakeasy’s serving up excellent cocktails, through to the hidden underground history and lesser-known gems.
Classic London experiences you simply can’t miss
If you decide to maximise your time in the city by opting to book one of the many London Tours, you can be sure that most of these top highlights below will be covered.
1.Watch a West End Show
Catching a West End Show in London is a must, and with over thirty theatres to choose from you have plenty of options, not even counting the Opera Houses and classical music venues. I watched Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre on my last visit and can highly recommend it. Keep an eye out for ‘lottery tickets’ when you are in town, when shows, for example, The Book of Mormon, will do a lottery draw each night for last minute discounted tickets.
2.Covent Garden Market
It’s touristy sure, but I love it, and I worked here for many years. Not only have you got lots of cool restaurants around here, but the atmosphere with the street performers is also great. You’ll also often see musical performances in the basement of the cellar. Nearby in Seven Dials, you’ll also find a cool place to shop.
3.Tower of London
I’m ashamed to say I’ve never actually been inside the Tower of London, home to the crown jewels and the official fortress of London. You can either buy a ticket and head inside or simply enjoy walking the perimeter.
4.The Tower Bridge Walkway
Is there any London view more iconic than the Tower Bridge, especially when the bridge raises in the middle to let ships past.
What a lot of people don’t realise is you can actually go up the towers and walk across the bridge connecting them. It’s a really cool experience and gives you a different vantage point.
5.Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace and The Household Cavalry Museum
You can’t really visit London and skip out on this! Inside Buckingham Palace is the small Household Cavalry Museum which offers an insight into the royal regiment. The changing of the guard happens every day, usually at 10:45 am, though is cancelled in very wet weather, and hey, this is England after all!
6.Camden Market
There are plenty of cool Markets in London, but without a doubt one of the most famous is Camden Market. With over 1000 different stalls, selling crafts, fashion, food and plenty more, this buzzing and the photogenic market is another for the London bucket-list.
7.The South Bank and Tate Modern
I was very lucky to live in Shad Thames for a while, which is just by Tower Bridge, so got to walk along the South Bank every day to work.
The views across the Thames are great, and you can go on a London tour here easily, with the impressive Tate Modern museum, Tower Bridge, Waterloo Centre, Shakespeare Globe and St Pauls Cathedral views making it a fantastic walk. You’ll also find some of the best family hotels in London along this stretch, partly due to how much there is to do to keep the little ones entertained, but also how quickly and easily you can get around the whole city from the South Bank.
8.St Pauls Cathedral
Another of London’s iconic landmarks, St Pauls Cathedral is a beauty. Sadly, it is quite expensive to visit it (museums tend to be free in London, but a lot of religious buildings charge) so you may want to just enjoy this icon from outside.
9.The National Gallery
Not only is The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square home to some 2000+ paintings, but it’s also an incredibly beautiful building inside with free entrance which makes it a must visit for me.
10.Big Ben & Westminster
The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are two of the most famous and impressive architectural buildings in the capital. You can take tours through Westminster Abbey or just admire Big Ben from outside, though know renovation work and cladding will likely be covering it until 2021.
11.Shopping in London: Hamleys, Harrods and Liberty
If you like to shop, then London will spoil you. There are though, of course, a few bucket-list London shops you simply must visit. While Hamleys and Harrods are stars, my personal favourite department store in London is Liberty, thanks in parts to the old-world style architecture outside and in.
Marvellous museums to visit in London
In London, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to Museums, with literally 100’s to choose from. Here are a few I think are worth checking out.
12.The London Museum
The London Museum is great and really interactive, some of the most interesting parts are underground, where mockup shops, streets and pubs from Victorian times help you really understand the history of the city.
13.The Brunel Museum
The Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe is a really cool space, worth checking out for the history of the building. Housed in the old engine house, here you used to find the worlds oldest underground theatre.
14.Churchill War Rooms
Part of the Imperial War Museum, these underground rooms and bunkers are hidden below Westminster and are where Churchill led WW2 from, an interesting space in the centre of the city.
15.Natural History Museum
What a stunner, inside and out, with the architecture of the main hall vying for attention from a blue whale skeleton. A real must visit and it’s free for the main exhibition!
16.Old Operating Theatre Museum
One of the oldest surviving operating theatres in the UK, if not the world, this kinda-creepy but kinda-cool museum is really interesting, and something a little bit different.
17.Museum of Brands
If you are into art, design and marketing like me, then this quirky museum will interest you. Studying and highlighting different brands and their packaging since the Victorian era, it’s a great call on a wet day!
18.The Design Museum
I used to go to The Design Museum regularly when I lived just behind it in Shad Thames, and now it’s moved its new space it’s even better. For anyone into graphics, fashion or even product design, it’s a great space to visit in London.
Alternative places to get a slice of history in London
If museums aren’t your thing, then fear not, there are plenty of other opportunities to sample the history and heritage of London.
19.London Roman Wall
While maintenance ceased for most of the wall in the 18th-century, you can still find parts of it around the city, although the most famous part is near the Tower of London. Keep an eye out or grab some location pins to spot it elsewhere.
20.St Bartholomew the Great
This beautiful church is super ornate inside and out, and I personally believe it is one of the best in London. Located just off Barbican station it also wasn’t very touristy when I visited, but perhaps that was just luck!
21.Guildhall Yard – Roman Amphitheatre
Dating back to 2nd century BC, but only discovered in 1988, the remains of London’s Roman Amphitheatre can be found under Guildhall Yard. Above land, you can see an outline of a circle, and below you can visit what has been excavated. It’s not in the best of condition though.
22.Shakespeare’s Globe
This amazing outside theatre on the South Bank, and which is open to the elements, is worth popping in to have a look at. The best way to do so would be to actually go and see a show, although walking tours will also fill you in on the history of the building.
23.Nunhead Cemetery
Because who doesn’t want to visit a cemetery on their London trip? Nunhead is part of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London but isn’t really that visited. It’s pretty overgrown and kinda eery, but if you want some lesser-visited London history, you’ll certainly find it here (a little out of central).
24.Leadenhall Market
Since 1445 Leadenhall Market has been in operation, and this covered beauty will have you thinking of Milan I’m sure, in a more compact and London style at least.
25.An Underground Farm
Now, this is pretty cool! The worlds first underground farm can now be toured, and it’s very unique location, 33-metres underground no less, is made even more special as it is a WW2 air raid shelter. Told you it was cool!
26.The Postal Museum and Tunnels
More tunnels, but this time for the mail rail! At the Postal Museum, you can ride through this quirky underground tunnels that are over 100-years old and learn all about the postal history here in lovely London!
27.Kingston upon Thames
Still in London, but a town in its own right, Kingston on Thames is a lovely little day trip out for those who are spending an extended visit to London.
28.The Queens House, Greenwich
IMO, one of the most beautiful buildings in London, yet it also didn’t seem too busy when I visited. An old royal residence, it’s rather stately inside and from the ornate ceilings to the curves of the staircases, it just screams beauty and design.
29.Royal Observatory Greenwich
Come and literally stand on the timeline at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Not only is it in an excellent park, but the meridian line literally passes through here, so you can swat up on your astronomy and navigation knowledge. If you aren’t aware, GMT literally is Greenwich Mean Time.
Gardens and outside spaces to enjoy in London
When (yes when, not if) the sun is shining in London, we are spoilt with greeny leafy spaces to go and sunbathe once the slightest ray appears. But, here are some spots worth visiting all year round.
30.Primrose Hill
To be honest, I don’t overly get the fuss about here. The views of the London skyline is cool, and I’ve left it on as my friends love heading here, but I think some of the other suggestions are more worth your time.
31.Postman’s Park
Postman’s Park isn’t huge, but this small area is beautiful for a special reason, it is dedicated to those who lost their lives saving or helping another. It’s a spot you’ll want to be thoughtful in, especially as you read the plaques of dedication.
32.Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park
Hyde Park is a vast royal park next to Kensington Gardens and including The Serpentine lake, but there is one famed point worth noting, the Speakers Corner. For over 200-years this spot has been a place for people to speak, to share their views, both positive and negative, and even today you’ll often find people doing just that.
33.Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park
In case the name didn’t give it away, this beautiful Japanese style garden in Holland Park could be one of the most tranquil and peaceful spots in London, though it’s so popular with photographers and tourists you likely won’t get much of a chance to relax in the height of summer.
34.Columbia Road Flower Market
Not really a park, but this Sunday market is a gem and popular with both those looking for flowers, and those looking for the ‘gram.
35.Barbican Conservatory
Another Sunday only option, the second biggest conservatory in London is right in the heart of the city, which is what makes it so cool to be honest!
36.Greenwich Park
See point above about GMT and the observatory, also it’s a cool park and you can visit the Cutty Sark. Greenwich, in general, is just awesome, as it’s separate enough from London to feel different and the food markets cool. Yeah, I just like Greenwich!
Off-the-beaten-path hidden gems in London
To be fair, I’m not sure all of these are really hidden gems anymore, or if hidden gems is something you can ever say about a city as populated and visited as London but humour me.
37.Richmond Park
THEY HAVE DEER! WILD DEER IN LONDON!
38.Neal’s Yard
This colourful quarter near Convent Garden/Seven Dials was not really known when I first moved to London, but now it’s all over Instagram so I imagine it’s pretty hectic on the old photoshoots these days.
39.St Dunstan in the East
In the city of London is this weather down, moss-covered, church and it’s dope. I used to sometimes come here to eat my lunch, weird, but it’s a cool spot given it’s passed by daily by 1000s of bankers in suits.
40.Leighton House
The Eastern Influence of this building makes the ticket price well worth it. Think green and blue tiles, marble pillars and ornate Arabic designs. Check out the photos, you’ll love it, it’s like another world in London.
41.The Banqueting House
The last remains of the Palace of Whitehall, again inside this building is beautiful! Monarchs in the 1500s would dine here, and it’s still used for that function today when people aren’t visiting it to break their neck enjoying the divine ceiling.
42.Eltham Palace
Back out Greenwich way (did I mention I liked Greenwich?) is Eltham Palace, attractive inside and out, it’s very often used as a wedding venue these days. It’s a real design beast, to be honest, as the medieval building compliments with modern architectural design inside.
43.Billingsgate Roman Baths
To be fair, there isn’t that much to look at here, and as such this won’t be for everyone’s London’s bucket-list. But for those interested in the history of Londinium (Roman name) these are worth noting too.
44.Lost Tube Tunnels
More tunnels, and this time the old tube lines that have been left abandoned. Hidden London used to run tours to these very sporadically, but now I can’t find out much information about it. Best bet is to reach out to the transport museum and see if they are accessible during your visit to London.
Funky ways to get around London
While central London might seem large on a tube map, in reality, it can often be quicker to walk than taking the tube a few stops, so keep this in mind. But if you want to spice up your transport options, here are a few picks!
45.Thames Clippers
As well as the standard public transport options, the Thames Clipper is a boat service which runs up and down the gleaming crystal waters (cough cough) of the Thames. It’s not the cheapest option, but it makes for a nice alternative.
46.Hop on Hop off bus
You can’t come to London and not get an iconic red-bus photo, but if you want to avoid learning multiple bus routes, then one of the hop on hop off bus tours which allow you to jump on and off will be a simple, if not more expensive, option.
47.Jack The Ripper Walking Tour
A serial killer themed tour, perhaps not one for young kids?
48.Harry Potter Walking Tour
A wizarding tour you might have heard of, perhaps better for young kids.
49.Hidden London Tours
As I mentioned above, the Hidden London tours offer underground tube tunnel tours, but they also have other options too. I will update this once I’ve got some confirmation on if these awesome London tours are still going.
50.Bike Scheme
You’ll spot them all over, once Boris bikes, then Santander bikes, and I don’t really know what they are now. But the London bikes are green and pretty affordable, and you can get more details on that link.
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