Things to Do in London

Few cities in the world are as diverse and multifaceted as London. Yes, its legendary landmarks deserve time and attention (a Buckingham Palace pilgrimage is a given), but it’s well worth mixing up your itinerary to touch on its grizzly history, hipster haunts, multicultural magic and age-old British traditions.

Read on for the things to do in London that you simply cannot miss.

1. Indulge in a timeless British tradition, afternoon tea

Did you even go to London if you didn’t sit for afternoon tea? Whether you’re a classicist or favour a quirky play on the theme, the city’s sheer number of options will bowl you over. While The Ritz London is regarded as the pinnacle of the tradition, it was actually The Langham that first introduced the ritual to London society (in 2025, it’s holding a commemorative tea to mark 160 years of the tradition, presided over by a four-metre, Victorian-style hot air balloon). Modern iterations include a whimsical Peter Pan-themed spread on a smoking pirate-shaped stand at the sky-high Aqua Shard, or French-inspired fancies served in the whimsically arty surrounds of Sketch. There are even red tourist buses by Brigit’s Bakery that show you the sights as you take your tea (pinky finger out, naturally).

2. Shop in one of London’s most storied stores, Harrods

The palatial, seven-storey Knightsbridge icon, Harrods, could be the most famous department store in the world. More than 200 years of history are imbued in its hallowed halls: it was home to one of the first ever escalators in the late 1800s, had an exotic animal department until the 70s (those with the means could acquire a baby elephant or an alligator on their shopping trip), and has hosted royalty and glitterati, including Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, David Beckham and Frank Sinatra. Come for the famous Christmas lights and impressive supercar display outside, stay for the one-of-a-kind gifts and rotisserie chicken sandwiches from the food hall within.

3. Encounter priceless treasures at the Victoria & Albert Museum

London has one of the largest densities of museums in the world (especially on Bloomsbury’s ‘Museum Mile’), with the jewel in its crown arguably the V&A. Beyond its magnificent Victoria-era façade – whose foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria herself in 1899 – is seven storeys of more than 2.8 million artefacts, spanning 5,000 years of art and design history. You can easily spend an entire day getting lost in its galleries and blockbuster exhibitions (be sure to book ahead), which showcase everything from a 16th-century Persian carpet to culture-defining British fashion from the likes of Mary Quant and Alexander McQueen.

4. Be wowed by world-class theatre in the West End

Along with New York’s Broadway, London’s West End is a pinnacle of the global theatre scene, setting the standard for the rest of the world. It is here that legendary and groundbreaking productions are born; the sets are world-class, the parts career-defining. Rich with history, its legacy dates to the Elizabethan era, when Shakespeare’s works were performed at the original Globe Theatre. The venues are an experience in themselves: the 17th-century Theatre Royal Drury Lane is one of the oldest continually operating theatre sites in the world. From sweeping Andrew Lloyd-Webber classics on the big stage to arty, boundary-pushing plays on the small ones, there’s a performance to thrill every type of spectator.

5. Knock elbows with the locals at a weekend market

Whether you’ve got a soft spot for farm-fresh produce, antiques, vintage clothing or flowers, London’s got a market for that – literally hundreds of them. Arm yourself with a tote bag and meander the stalls of Notting Hill’s Portobello Road Market, which unfolds alongside the rows of famous pastel-coloured townhouses; take in the sights and scents of the Sunday Columbia Road Flower Market; peruse the indie and vintage clothes and gifts of the East End’s Spitalfields Market, or go hungry to Borough Market, one of London’s oldest, where multicultural street vendors, bakers, fishmongers and cheesemakers converge in a celebration of all things gourmet.

6. Spice things up with an authentic curry on Brick Lane

London is a global, multicultural melting pot, and nowhere is this in full technicolour more than on this thrumming East End street, between arty Shoreditch and Whitechapel. Historically a hub for immigrant residents from Jewish and Bangladeshi communities, it’s a vibrant pocket of avant-garde creativity, lined with vintage stores, street art (including the work of the elusive Banksy), gallery spaces, artisanal markets and authentic curry houses. Aladin is one of its most prominent, and if the spicy aromas aren’t enough to get you over the threshold, the proprietors will likely beckon you over. If there’s one other delicacy the area is famed for, its bagels; at Beigel Bake they’re served 24/7, loaded with salt beef.

7. Meander with the macabre on a ghost walk

There’s no denying it; London’s history is grizzly. From the plague to the Great Fire and the antics of Jack the Ripper, there’s plenty of fodder for an atmospheric guided tour on a dark, misty night. With London Ghost Walks, you’ll follow a trail of abandoned churches, dank alleyways and historic inns, led by a storyteller in Victorian undertaker garb who’ll regale you with chilling true tales of the macabre. For an alternative glimpse into London’s dark past, pay a visit to the London Dungeon, an interactive attraction where guts and gore reign supreme, or take a tour of the grand and gothic Highgate Cemetery, resting place to the likes of philosopher Karl Marx.

8. Toast a tankard at one of London’s oldest pubs

The title of ‘London’s oldest pub’ is hotly contested – does it go to the establishment with the longest continual tenure, or the oldest building age? There are many contenders but two of the most atmospheric, and certainly the most titillatingly named, are Fleet Street’s Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Dirty Dick’s at Bishopsgate. The former was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and rebuilt in 1667, playing host to Charles Dickens, who included it in his novel A Tale of Two Cities. Dark, wood panelled and poky, its floors are covered in sawdust, just like in yesteryear. Another stomping ground of Dickens was the latter, built later in 1745. The pub’s namesake, ‘Dirty Dick’, who supposedly refused to wash after the death of his fiancée, was said to be the inspiration for Miss Havisham in Great Expectations.

9. Promenade in the park, Bridgerton style

For a city known as the Big Smoke, you may be surprised by the number of green pockets, big and small, that extend well beyond the world-renowned Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. There are royal parks on a grand scale; at Hyde Park, you can go boating on the Serpentine, at St James, admire swans in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, and at Regents, see 12,000 roses in bloom. Then there are unsung yet equally delightful little gardens like Southwark’s Victorian-era Red Cross Garden, the historic Soho Square right in the middle of the West End, and the leafy Postman’s Park near St Paul’s Cathedral, which originally served as a reprieve for the workers of the nearby General Post Office (and that’s not to mention the gated garden squares made famous in the movie Notting Hill).

10. Catch a film at a cinema with a twist

Whether your preference is big-budget new releases or arty independent films, you’ll find London’s cinema scene to be a cut above the average. The pulsing heart of it all, and home of global movie premieres, is the Leicester Square’s ODEON Luxe, whose film industry pedigree alone makes it well worth a visit (it’s hosted every Bond premiere since the 1960s). For full, surround-sound immersion, head to the BFI IMAX at Waterloo, where the UK’s biggest screen awaits. For boutique, arthouse charm, try a Curzon, or The Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, one of the oldest working film theatres in the UK. Then there are seasonal pop-up cinema programs like Rooftop Film Club, where screenings are served alongside cocktails, high in the London skyline.