Museums/Art

Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House (both are good to check out)
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Imperial War Museums
London Mithraeum (Bloomberg Building, Walbrook)
London's Roman Ampitheatre in Guildhall
Museum of the Home (formerly Geffrye Museum) - Display of London rooms through time; extra special at the holidays
Museum of the Order of St John (Clerkenwell)
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
National Portrait Gallery (the restaurant at the top is lovely but you'll need to book ahead)
The Old Operating Room Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Sir John Soane Museum - The home of an influential architect with an eclectic collection of objects; make sure to be there when they open the doors in the Picture Gallery
Tate Britain and Tate Modern
The Wallace Collection 
Auction previews at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Phillips (they’re free and sometimes the only time pieces will be on public display)
Quirky London Museums - Links to an article from The Telegraph that lists 50 of London's quirkiest Museums

Palaces/Houses

State Rooms at Buckingham Palace (open summer only)
Hampton Court Palace
Windsor Park and Castle
Highclere Castle - Downton Abbey set
Benjamin Franklin House - The world's only remaining home of Benjamin Franklin
Charles Dickens' Museum Especially at Christmas time
Dennis Severs House (Spitalfields) - A "still-life drama" created by Dennis Severs as a "historical imagination" of what life would have been like inside for a family of Huguenot silk weavers.
Freud Museum - The final home of Sigmund Freud, right in Hampstead
Bletchley Park - WWII code breakers
Leeds Castle
Warwick Castle

Tours

Any London Walk or Blue Badge guided walking tour
Shoreditch Street Art Tour
Camden Street Art Tour
Wimbledon Lawn and Tennis Club (during the off season)
Houses of Parliament (try to get a tour of the Speaker's House if you can - only offered occasionally)
Tour/climb to the top of Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower)  

London Experiences

Cricket at Lords Cricket Ground (preferably with a Brit who knows the rules)
Tea and brass rubbings under St Martin’s-in-the-Fields Church In Trafalgar Square
Go Boat (with picnic) around the Little Venice Canal
Boat trip from Westminster to Greenwich - Then a visit to Greenwich Park and the Meridian line.
The fast boat ride to the Thames Barrier (RIB boat)
Shopping at Liberty
Secret Cinema - Immersive movie experiences
Smaller changing of the guard at St James Palace (almost no crowds)
Visit Parliament to watch debates/PM Questions (need to request tickets in advance)
Views from the Sky Garden at the walkie talkie building
Tower of London Ceremony of the Keys (need to request tickets in advance)
A show in Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Climb the O2 Center and have champagne at the top (combine with the Emirates cable car above the Thames)
Canal boat ride
Slide down the ArcelorMittal Orbit slide
Take your dog to Tower Bridge
See a pantomime (at Christmas) (Hackney Empire is a classic)
Climb the Monument
A performance at Royal Albert Hall 
The Diamond Jubilee Gallery at Westminster’s Abbey
Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter - See where the movie magic happened
A football match - whether Premier League or English Football League
Silent Disco @ The Natural History Museum - Pretty cool to dance under Hope the Blue Whale
A show at the National Theatre
Watching the Order of the Garter at Windsor castle (need to request tickets in advance)
A concert at the Roundhouse

Places to Walk/Explore

Camden/Camden Market
Covent Garden
Columbia Road Flower Market - Incredible fresh flowers, only open on Sundays
Walk on the south bank to Borough Market and then Tower Bridge
Secret garden in Regents Park (St. John's Lodge Gardens)
Queen Mary's rose garden in Regents Park
Walking/running the Thames Path
Ramble through Hampstead Heath ending with a tour of Kenwood House
Visit St. Paul's Cathedral, then stroll across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern or Shakespeare's Globe
Explore the churches in The City (St. Paul's, St. Bride's, Temple Church, Guild Church, St. Dunstan-in-the-West, etc.) and have lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Walks through Royal Parks when the spring flowers finally bloom 
Kew Gardens
Spitalfields 

Events (May need to book tickets well in advance)

Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival (January)
Cheltenham (March)
Affordable Art Fair (March, May and October)
Chelsea Flower show (May)
Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace (June)
London Open Gardens (June)
Chestertons Polo in the Park (June)
Royal Ascot (June)
British Summer Time in Hyde Park (Summer Concerts) (July)
Wimbledon (July)
Henley Regatta (July)
Proms in the Park (Summer, finale in early September)
London Open House (September)
Frieze Art Fair (October)
Guy Fawkes Night celebrations (Early November)
Christmas Tree lighting at Regents Street (November)
Winter Wonderland @ Hyde Park (Nov-Jan) 

Food/Drink

Afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason 
Tea at Sketch 
Afternoon Tea at TING Shangri-La at the Shard - Amazing views from the 35th floor of the Tower Of London/Tower Bridge/River Thames area below
Pubs in Hampstead - Holly Bush and The Flask 
Pub tours with Vic of Dragon and Flagon pub tours 
Lunch in the Tate's member's restaurant or Royal Academy members room 
Cocktails at Blue Bar, The Connaught or a sunny pub table 
Borough Market - One of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century
Maltby St Market - Fresh produce with takeaway food on the weekends, in Bermondsey
Bermondsey Beer Mile - A mile+ of brewery bars (combine with Maltby St Market)

For Kids

Alton Towers & Resort - Adventure park with roller coasters, vertical drops plus rides/attractions for younger kids
Chessington World of Adventures - 3 sections:  theme park (40+ rides), zoo and aquarium
Disneyland Paris
GoApe Battersea or Trent Park - Aerial adventures including zip lines and ropes courses
HintHunt - Use your powers of observation to escape from the room in the time allotted
KidZania - Role-playing park at the Westfield Mall in Shepherd's Bush
Legoland Windsor - 55+ rides plus amazing Lego sculptures
London Aquarium
London Dungeon 
London Eye
Oxygen Free Jumping - Indoor trampoline park
Thorpe Park - Theme park for the thrillseekers (rollercoasters, water rides and more)

Day Trips

Lunch or dinner at The Fat Duck 
Dover Castle/Secret War Tunnels
Hiking along the Seven Sisters Cliffs
Ashdown Forest and the real 100 acre wood
Oxford
Punting in Cambridge (you can get a guided tour)
York
Chester
Betty's tea rooms in Harrogate, Yorkshire
Whitstable
Brighton - Make sure to see the Royal Pavillion!
Country walks (another good site here) - anywhere! - but especially inn to inn, and Brecon Beacons
Antique markets outside London
St Albans church and Roman ruins
Bekonscot Model Village & Railway - Buckinghamshire
Highgrove Gardens - Country home of Prince Charles with beautiful, quirky gardens
Blenheim Palace - Birthplace of Winston Churchill; beautiful estate house and gardens 

Farther Afield

The Lake District - Beautiful hikes taking you to breathtaking vistas
Cotswolds
Wales - castles, mountains and beaches
St. Ives, Cornwall
Liverpool - more than just The Beatles! 
Cornwall - don't miss the cream tea
Bath:  Christmas Market and tour of the Roman Baths 
Isle of Wight 
Hadrian's Wall 
Take a ferry to Normandy
Take the Eurorail to Paris just for a day or two

Websites For Up-To-Date Events/Information

TimeOut London - The main place to go to get all the things to do
Londonist
Secret London - Off the beaten path things to do
Ian Visits - Focused on culture and transport events in London
Design My Night - Cocktail classes, immersive experiences, etc.
Infatuation London - All the latest restaurant news
Hot Dinners - More restaurant news
English Heritage - Especially good for monuments such as Stonehenge
National Trust - Especially good for historic gardens

Please contact Social Media to include additional information.

Reviewed June 2025