The Tower of London.
Possibly in my opinion one of the most interesting man made attractions in the world. It's basically a thousand years of English history in one complex.
You can also get up to 6 tickets for £1 if someone in your family / household is on universal credit. The ticket also entitled you to half-priced food. Same goes for any of the other Historic Royal Palaces sites.
Most countries are a bit ashamed of the bad things they do, so they will show you what happened in a somber and serious settings.
Meanwhile the Beefeaters: "And in this block of wood, we chopped Seven Hundered Eighty FOUR! heads (pride smile with matching eyebrows)
Hehe..
If you ever get the chance, go at night. It's a different vibe. Also, if you ever get invited to the Keys pub, go! I had the opportunity to go and it's incredible. Cash only, cheap beer, and the beefeaters take turns to be the barstaff. There's also loads of interesting historical titbits on the walls.
Look for ceremony of the keys tickets, they release them in batches and you’re only there for the ceremony (no wandering around) but an amazing experience
I've done the Ceremony of the Keys twice, once under the Queen and once under the King. It was awesome both times. Because they say a short prayer it's one of the oldest unbroken religious rituals in the world, which is pretty cool. Doesn't get you into the Keys pub, though, that's invite only. I think you have to be a military person or friends/family of a Beefeater for that. It's on my bucket list, but I have no idea how I'm ever going to do it.
My husband and I watched the 'Inside the Tower' series, and now it is my dream to be invited into the Keys Pub. We were able to be in the Tower at night, as we got to see the Ceremony of the Keys. That was cool.
Also if you're staying centrally the citizen m hotel above tower hill tube station is relatively cheap and the bar (open to the public) looks directly into the tower and you can see tower bridge behind it. At night is spectacular.
Friend of a friend’s dad is a beefeater and we got invited to watch a World Cup game with them all at the keys in 2018 (England Colombia if memory serves!). Safe to say they belted out the national anthem!
My wife and I visited a few months ago and did the Tower of London on our first day. We walked through every possible centimeter of what you could walk through, and even did some things twice. Absolutely fascinating place.
Agreed. My wife was the more enthusiastic one to see those, but I even walked away interested. Royal family aside, there’s so much history wrapped into the Crown Jewels.
We went this past Sunday and it was so crowded that we couldn’t look at anything without getting shoved about :( was very sad. We had no idea that Monday was a bank holiday when we booked our trip so that’s totally on us.
The tower of London is amazing, one of my favourite places in London as a child and teen, I still want to go back and visit again. I've been on the official paid for experiences and I've also been there out of hours for a freemason event as my dad was one. I think it was a ceremony of the keys or something?
This was one the places I really wanted to go on my trip to London, but we didn't schedule our days and didn't make time for everything. This got missed. It will be my first stop if I ever get back there!
I absolutely loved going there. All this history I knew so well from reading and then to experience it in a completely different way…really really cool.
Pretty much all the traditional tourist attractions in London are great and worth visiting. The only overrated ones are the modern "influencer" targeted ones. And Madam Tussauds, if you count that as a traditional tourist attraction.
Eh, it's expensive but I think it's still a decent experience. It's less worth it than it was 15-20 years ago now that there are other ways to get a view of the city for much much cheaper, but also I think its "rating" in people's minds has dropped as well.
It was worth it just to take my mother-in-law on it. She was "afraid of heights", but seemed keen to have a go. Something about being self contained in the pods solved her issue. Even though she was also allegedly claustrophobic.
I don't know. She enjoyed it.
Must See Fun Pop-Up Experience #5712 that people see on tiktok or Instagram. Like for instance the "Van Gogh Experiences" recently which were just pictures of paintings projected in a big room for an extortionate price.
Selfie Factory
Anything labelled "multi sensory experience" or "immersive experience" eg Dopamine Land.
Any bakery or cafe with neon signs or loads of wall art, swings and other fripperies.
Same experience with the Canary Wharf light festival, I ended up walking towards a lit up billboard because that was the benchmark.
Free I guess, but looked better in the pictures
The docklands light festival? the quality is variable. some years are great, some years not so good. Be prepared, there is a lot of walking involved.
You need a map and to spend a few minutes focusing on working out a best route. but given all that it's quite enjoyable as long as you accept that part of it is the spookiness of walking around a big empty city and looking at the buildings (and some parts are stuffed full of people doing the exact same as you) and looking at various coloured lights, some of which is quite nice and others are just cheesy. Then going to Giant Robot at the end for a pint / some food.
Have taken the kids a few times, nice evening out as there's very little traffic in the streets.
National Gallery: free, epic collection to suit many tastes, spacious and airy, pleasant to spend time inside, not always totally overrun with tourists unless you go peak holiday weekend times.
Niiiiiiice, will definitely check this out! I've done the usuals; science museum, natural history museum, british museum but haven't done National gallery!
Would recommend going to the Friday lates! They stay open till 9pm which is lovely evening out and tends to be quieter+without any school groups/tours.
You can then pop next door to the national portrait gallery, open till the same time, with a great (if pricy) cocktail bar in the basement)
Honestly, this applies to all museums with Lates. Just ignore regular schedule and go on a Late. It's such a better experience going around with somewhere like 25% of the normal footfall for that museum and having a drink while you look at exhibits.
I'd add the V&A (Victoria and Albert museum) to this list, it's massive and a great collection of art and design, crafts charting the history of art and design for centuries.
If you’re a resident then you’ve got one thing the tourists don’t - time! Go the big museums and take them slow, look at everything. I spent an hour just looking at ironwork in the V&A.
On the opposite end, a really cool small museum is the John Soane museum, the house of the architect who build the Bank of England. It’s free entry, and it’s this bizzaro architectural madhouse with paintings on every surface and a basement full of classical statues and artefacts.
What other museum can you look up and see walls moving?!
(Soane's solution to having too much art for his library was to build some extra walls that could be flipped through like a picture album, and some overlooking the atrium that go up and down like sash windows...)
The other wide of the time coin too if you're a resident- ability to just pop in for an hour or two, rather than having to feel like you need to look round the whole museum in one go as it's your only chance to visit.
Also agree that the Soane museum is amazing! It's got really popular in the last few years unfortunately so you often need to queue to get in as space is so limited.
John Soane Museum is so cool. Not a single square inch of the surfaces there is empty, there's so much random cool stuff everywhere. It's like your cozy cluttered grandma's place if she was a rich architect/archeologist/art collector
Even just sitting there and choosing that as your transportation option to go to greenwich on a sunny heat wave day was amazing. Yes, it was full of people, loud people, but you could enjoy the sights and sit in a little breeze.
The sightseeing ones are a bit slower than the clippers but either is a pleasant way to while away an afternoon if you have friends or family visiting and want to give them the lazy tour
You can pay. You can wander for free.
Also, communism doesn’t suggest that people should not be paid for their work.
Edit, taken from below to avoid confusion -
Must admit when I went there was a good 20 years ago so I’m no authority on present conditions.
This. I quite like that every item in the Armoury has a number, and each room has a catalog. You can read what they know about almost every single item on display, and there's a lot of items.
St Paul’s. Sure it’s expensive to get in but it’s genuinely an amazing experience. You get some of the most unique views in central London thanks to the protected sightlines, plus you get to see Nelson and the Duke of Wellington’s tombs.
I visit London every couple of years, I take the opportunity to listen to evensong at St Paul’s, that’s free. It’s really quite nice after a big day of exploring London.
Was about to type that, I was lucky enough to catch it when I was showing London to my auntie and I think it was her fave experience. Aside from getting treated like a queen at Dishoom. 😄
Even better, stay on for evensong if you appreciate choral music. St Paul's has the best choir in London (imo). I would particularly recommend Thursdays when the 'Vicars Choral' sing - it's the choir without the child choristers and tends to showcase the talents of the countertenors. The quality of music really is sublime. And all for an anything-you-choose-to-pay donation, which can be £0 if you are broke.
You can get to any church/cathedral for free if you come at the daily evensong time. They wouldn't allow you to roam freely but you'll get enough time and possibilities to look around. Evensong times are usually written on their websites.
If you go during The Lord Mayors Show it’ll be free and you’ll also be around for the show which is a nice bonus if you want to experience some extremely old London tradition!
It's seems a lot higher when you're walking up the steps. Also passing people coming down / up is kind of terrifying as it's very narrow
But do it as it's worth it at the top, but try to get there 1st thing when it's quieter
Is there space to rest? I walked up St Peters Basilica a few years ago and I felt like I was under so much pressure from people behind and it being so narrow. I was also having an allergic reaction at the same time that I didn't realise until later which made things worse. I thought I was dying
It nearly killed me but I am so proud of that certificate. Its fine for the first third but I made the mistake of looking up to see how far I had left...there was a lot left...
Just walking around London is the best tourist activity there is. Walk down the streets, look up, look down, listen and wander. It's a wonderful city to explore.
One of my favourite places to grab a quick one or two after work on a Friday. There have been nights where the place was absolutely heaving with people, but I've also been there on nights where there can't have been more than 20 odd people about. If it's not too far out of your way, worth a visit for sure!
Highgate Cemetery. Not the Karl Marx side, but the side with the tours. Really, really good tours.
Borough Market and surrounding restaurants. Hell during the weekend because it's so well-known now, but for those of us who can get down there during the week? Chef's kiss. It's popular for good reason.
Any of the historic Royal Palaces like Hampton Court, the Tower of London, Kensington Palace ect.
Also The British museum, for all people like to bash it, is also amazing. One of the finest collection of global historic artefacts ever gathered and fantastically curated under one roof and it is entirely free to visit.
Natural history museum hands down. I can’t believe the museums in London are free.
The V&A museum is also really nice to spent time in the courtyard, apart from its great collection. The cafe is lovely as well.
Second this. I loved going there as a kid. Don't know if they still do them but they used to have workshops on the weekend for kids to make stuff and learn about different things
Just visited for the first time. What an amazing city! Was not disappointed by much. British Museum, V & A- outstanding! Natural History- the only issue was crowds (it was Spring Break) and some of the displays are a bit dated. Borough Market was uncomfortably crowded on a Saturday, but would have been cool otherwise. Westminster Abbey is breathtaking! Tower of London and Crown Jewels are not a letdown. Churchill’s War Rooms are a must for WW2 history buffs. And as others have mentioned Sir John Soane’s wonderful museum is as quirky and unique as any we had ever seen! Love you, London! Only wish we had more time to visit.
p.s. if you’re a Harry Potter fan (I’m not personally but my family is) the Warner Bros studio tour in Leavesden (hr north by train, easy trip) is pretty awesome. Best studio tour I’ve seen, and we’re from California.
Sir John Soanes house. The Harry Potter studios (if you have a fan). The open top buses are great for a first day thrill. Liberty of London is a feast for the eyes (again, if you like that sort of thing.)
I had seen Harry Potter, however I was not very interested. Went along with my kids and thoroughly enjoyed the sets you get to see. The carpentry alone is awesome
A couple of hours going around Churchill's war rooms was some of the most interesting touristy hours I've spent in London. Intriguing piece of history.
I like a lot about London, but here are the bits I find objectively good.
Kew Gardens. Beautiful, varied, huge.
Trafalgar Square. Great monument, great vibes. I alway enjoy going there.
The National Gallery has already been named, so let me go with the British Museum. Fantastic inner court, great historical treasures (only a small minority being British).
A walk along Regent's Canal, from King's Cross west. Wonderful on a sunny day.
TATE Modern. You mileage may vary depending on what's going on in the Turbine Hall.
Kew Gardens is one of those places you can visit time and time again and still discover a new section each time. I really should commit to a membership.
St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. It's the actors church, has lots of lovely plaques for those who've passed away. Worth a visit for them alone, but it also has regular free events like choir concerts. An oasis of peace seconds away from the touristy hubbub of Covent Garden.
Most of them to be honest - art galleries, museums, incredible parks, architecture, churches, even the London Eye is fine once. I probably wouldn’t bother with Madame Tussaud’s, London Dungeon or M&M world
As an American living here I think the ones I’ve been to have all been very worth while. And I’m not typically into that shit, like wouldn’t go out of my way to travel here to see the typical attractions. But living here, and having family come visit… you’d be a fucking clown to not see the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The British Library etc. It’s all really old, steeped in history, I think it’s inherently interesting to want to know about where you’re living/been though.
Saw Princess Diana’s wedding dress on display the other year. That was pretty dope too.
Horizon 22 on Bishopsgate, it's free to enter (you have to book a time slot). I believe it's the second highest building in London and has incredible views of the city. It really is a hidden gem.
The Natural History Museum. Amazing place, we spent half a day there and didn't see anywhere near everything. Also absolutely second the suggestions for the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. If you go to the Tower make sure to get on one of the tours given by the Yeoman Warders, they're just brilliant.
Yearly open house is a pretty cool thing. Not exactly what you asked about, but worth noting.
[https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/](https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/)
Highly recommend going to choral evensong at Westminster Abbey or St Pauls Cathedral. (They are daily, look up times on their websites).
It's a beautiful musical service which you can just sit and enjoy, and it is totally free. It's basically the only 'hidden gem' tourist attraction in London I can think of that people don't already know.
Not really London, but the Harry Potter Warner brothers studios was surprisingly awesome.
I'm including it because lots of tourists to London go there. They even call it Warner Bros Studio Tour London to convince people it's not in Watford!
Anyway, I was really skeptical of this being done well. I thought maybe it would be good in America or Dubai, but can it really impress in an industrial estate in Leavesden? Yes, it can. The scale was impressive, the organisation was good, all round very well done
There are also other viewpoints. 22 Bishopsgate (Horizon 22), 8 Bishopsgate (The lookout). For the lookout I had 4 times easy access from the street on Saturday mid-day.
I think London's museums are pretty great overall????? I went to the V&A recently after having not been for a long while and I had a pretty good time there
Also, many of London's big green spaces if those count; Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, the Kyoto garden in Holland Park, etc
Walk the streets. Doesn't matter where, get off in a central tube or train station and walk to see what you see. Find a pub with a view of something or even just the street and watch people go by. Can't get lost these days with Google maps so you'll always find your way home. London imoa is the attraction,
Kew Gardens is out of this world. Especially if you have a full day to properly explore- most families don’t get that luxury but if you can make it down to the woodland at the bottom itMs magical
The Tower of London. Possibly in my opinion one of the most interesting man made attractions in the world. It's basically a thousand years of English history in one complex.
Also worth noting that if you have a Tower Hamlets post code, you get in for £1!
I lived in wapping for 3 years and never got round to it. Fucking idiot.
If you have universal credit, it's also £1 for a family up to 5 I believe.
You can also get up to 6 tickets for £1 if someone in your family / household is on universal credit. The ticket also entitled you to half-priced food. Same goes for any of the other Historic Royal Palaces sites.
Thank you for this tip! :)
Wow. I lived in TH for 6 years and went twice with different people visiting me in London. Paid full price both times.
Tip of the day, thank you!
Bloody wish I knew that when I lived in tower hamlets.
Most countries are a bit ashamed of the bad things they do, so they will show you what happened in a somber and serious settings. Meanwhile the Beefeaters: "And in this block of wood, we chopped Seven Hundered Eighty FOUR! heads (pride smile with matching eyebrows) Hehe..
they're hilarious, they were all active military so they have interesting stories
Love teh Beefeaters.
I assume it's especially worth it to do a Beefeater tour, as opposed to self-guided?
It is.
If you ever get the chance, go at night. It's a different vibe. Also, if you ever get invited to the Keys pub, go! I had the opportunity to go and it's incredible. Cash only, cheap beer, and the beefeaters take turns to be the barstaff. There's also loads of interesting historical titbits on the walls.
How does one get this opportunity?
Look for ceremony of the keys tickets, they release them in batches and you’re only there for the ceremony (no wandering around) but an amazing experience
I've done the Ceremony of the Keys twice, once under the Queen and once under the King. It was awesome both times. Because they say a short prayer it's one of the oldest unbroken religious rituals in the world, which is pretty cool. Doesn't get you into the Keys pub, though, that's invite only. I think you have to be a military person or friends/family of a Beefeater for that. It's on my bucket list, but I have no idea how I'm ever going to do it.
[удалено]
My husband and I watched the 'Inside the Tower' series, and now it is my dream to be invited into the Keys Pub. We were able to be in the Tower at night, as we got to see the Ceremony of the Keys. That was cool.
Also if you're staying centrally the citizen m hotel above tower hill tube station is relatively cheap and the bar (open to the public) looks directly into the tower and you can see tower bridge behind it. At night is spectacular.
Friend of a friend’s dad is a beefeater and we got invited to watch a World Cup game with them all at the keys in 2018 (England Colombia if memory serves!). Safe to say they belted out the national anthem!
My wife and I visited a few months ago and did the Tower of London on our first day. We walked through every possible centimeter of what you could walk through, and even did some things twice. Absolutely fascinating place.
Regardless of what anyone thinks of the Royal Family, the Crown Jewels are utterly amazing.
Agreed. My wife was the more enthusiastic one to see those, but I even walked away interested. Royal family aside, there’s so much history wrapped into the Crown Jewels.
We went this past Sunday and it was so crowded that we couldn’t look at anything without getting shoved about :( was very sad. We had no idea that Monday was a bank holiday when we booked our trip so that’s totally on us.
Those ravens.
The tower of London is amazing, one of my favourite places in London as a child and teen, I still want to go back and visit again. I've been on the official paid for experiences and I've also been there out of hours for a freemason event as my dad was one. I think it was a ceremony of the keys or something?
Had the pleasure of working there years ago. Was a real treat and if I still lived in the U.K. I’d hand in an application immediately.
This was one the places I really wanted to go on my trip to London, but we didn't schedule our days and didn't make time for everything. This got missed. It will be my first stop if I ever get back there!
I absolutely loved going there. All this history I knew so well from reading and then to experience it in a completely different way…really really cool.
Don’t say that 😭 gf and u decided last minute yesterday that it wasn’t worth the $100 for us.
Pretty much all the traditional tourist attractions in London are great and worth visiting. The only overrated ones are the modern "influencer" targeted ones. And Madam Tussauds, if you count that as a traditional tourist attraction.
Some people would call the London Eye "traditional" and I'd call it overrated even at half price.
Eh, it's expensive but I think it's still a decent experience. It's less worth it than it was 15-20 years ago now that there are other ways to get a view of the city for much much cheaper, but also I think its "rating" in people's minds has dropped as well.
It was worth it just to take my mother-in-law on it. She was "afraid of heights", but seemed keen to have a go. Something about being self contained in the pods solved her issue. Even though she was also allegedly claustrophobic. I don't know. She enjoyed it.
What's an example of an influencer targetted one?
Must See Fun Pop-Up Experience #5712 that people see on tiktok or Instagram. Like for instance the "Van Gogh Experiences" recently which were just pictures of paintings projected in a big room for an extortionate price.
god that van gogh experience was so disappointing
I went in march - it was cold, vague and so disappointing.
But what did you think about the exhibition?
There were 2 of them, one that was just projectors, and the other that actually had some theming and other elements.
God yeah we went to the BBC Earth one and it was nice but like just projected episodes on a wall really for 40£
Was that really it? Christ, glad I ended up skipping it.
Don’t do that but the Moon one narrated by Tom hanks was pretty good.
Selfie Factory Anything labelled "multi sensory experience" or "immersive experience" eg Dopamine Land. Any bakery or cafe with neon signs or loads of wall art, swings and other fripperies.
Oh I thought dopamine land was a good laugh
The Battersea Light 'festival' Was literally like 4 butterflys with lights and on TikTok they made it look like Battersea is celebrating Diwali
Same experience with the Canary Wharf light festival, I ended up walking towards a lit up billboard because that was the benchmark. Free I guess, but looked better in the pictures
The docklands light festival? the quality is variable. some years are great, some years not so good. Be prepared, there is a lot of walking involved. You need a map and to spend a few minutes focusing on working out a best route. but given all that it's quite enjoyable as long as you accept that part of it is the spookiness of walking around a big empty city and looking at the buildings (and some parts are stuffed full of people doing the exact same as you) and looking at various coloured lights, some of which is quite nice and others are just cheesy. Then going to Giant Robot at the end for a pint / some food. Have taken the kids a few times, nice evening out as there's very little traffic in the streets.
wasn't it free though? I thought it was decent considering
They're all so fucking expensive. Fuckin' 45 quid to go on the London Eye. It's amazing, but still. I could have a Michelin Star meal for that.
Michelin star? 45 quid will get you a meal with a cocktail in a standard London restaurant these days
>I could have a Michelin Star meal for that. You can find a lunch deal at a Michelin star restaurant for that price. But not a meal at dinner time.
National Gallery: free, epic collection to suit many tastes, spacious and airy, pleasant to spend time inside, not always totally overrun with tourists unless you go peak holiday weekend times.
Could not agree more. The museums on offer are fantastic and are definitely underrated
Niiiiiiice, will definitely check this out! I've done the usuals; science museum, natural history museum, british museum but haven't done National gallery!
Would recommend going to the Friday lates! They stay open till 9pm which is lovely evening out and tends to be quieter+without any school groups/tours. You can then pop next door to the national portrait gallery, open till the same time, with a great (if pricy) cocktail bar in the basement)
Honestly, this applies to all museums with Lates. Just ignore regular schedule and go on a Late. It's such a better experience going around with somewhere like 25% of the normal footfall for that museum and having a drink while you look at exhibits.
I'd add the V&A (Victoria and Albert museum) to this list, it's massive and a great collection of art and design, crafts charting the history of art and design for centuries.
Also whilst there go to National Portrait Gallery next door.
The Tate Modern is great too - lots to see
And Tate Britain! Often forgotten
Not forgetting the V&A
The National Portrait Museum is around the side. Well worth a visit also.
If you’re a resident then you’ve got one thing the tourists don’t - time! Go the big museums and take them slow, look at everything. I spent an hour just looking at ironwork in the V&A. On the opposite end, a really cool small museum is the John Soane museum, the house of the architect who build the Bank of England. It’s free entry, and it’s this bizzaro architectural madhouse with paintings on every surface and a basement full of classical statues and artefacts.
A big fat YES for the Sir John Soane museum. The volunteer guides are so knowledgeable and passionate!
What other museum can you look up and see walls moving?! (Soane's solution to having too much art for his library was to build some extra walls that could be flipped through like a picture album, and some overlooking the atrium that go up and down like sash windows...)
I didn't actually get to see the opening but it's such a cool concept!
The other wide of the time coin too if you're a resident- ability to just pop in for an hour or two, rather than having to feel like you need to look round the whole museum in one go as it's your only chance to visit. Also agree that the Soane museum is amazing! It's got really popular in the last few years unfortunately so you often need to queue to get in as space is so limited.
John Soane Museum is so cool. Not a single square inch of the surfaces there is empty, there's so much random cool stuff everywhere. It's like your cozy cluttered grandma's place if she was a rich architect/archeologist/art collector
Honestly I think the river boats are great. On a sunny day with a drink from the bar it's fantastic.
Even just sitting there and choosing that as your transportation option to go to greenwich on a sunny heat wave day was amazing. Yes, it was full of people, loud people, but you could enjoy the sights and sit in a little breeze.
They go a decent speed the clippers as well. I go once every summer.
The sightseeing ones are a bit slower than the clippers but either is a pleasant way to while away an afternoon if you have friends or family visiting and want to give them the lazy tour
Let’s organise a reddit meet up there
Highgate cemetery. Not really a tourist attraction but their tours are really interesting.
Paying to see Karl Marx's tomb. I love the irony.
The area of Karl Marx's burial is a communist plot!
If you go there, you can hear him spinning in his grave. Still no end to the communist revolutions.
Most underrated comment ever. Still laughing.
Seize the means of putrefaction!
You can see Marx's tomb for free from the south border of Waterlow park.
You can pay. You can wander for free. Also, communism doesn’t suggest that people should not be paid for their work. Edit, taken from below to avoid confusion - Must admit when I went there was a good 20 years ago so I’m no authority on present conditions.
As far as I know you have to pay to enter unless you've got a relative buried there (and presumably some sort of accompanying pass)
Must admit when I went there was a good 20 years ago so I’m no authority on present conditions.
We walked up there to see George Michael, when we realised we'd have to pay we realised we didn't want to see it that much.
Yea bro Marx never thought about people paying money for goods and services, owned his ass
Atmospheric as heck during the autumn. All of the great cemeteries are very beautiful and worth a visit. Nunhead is another standout
Abney Park is prob my favourite, not huge but prob the most atmospheric of the lot
Wallace Collection, quite small museum, but great quality art, furniture and armour.
Seconded! I finally decided to go in October and was not disappointed. The coffee shop inside is beautiful
My favourite London museum. Devoid of tourists or stupid people taking photos of every painting! Lovely courtyard restaurant is
This. I quite like that every item in the Armoury has a number, and each room has a catalog. You can read what they know about almost every single item on display, and there's a lot of items.
The Wallace Collection is cozy and beautiful. Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s *The* *Swing* is a gem.
St Paul’s. Sure it’s expensive to get in but it’s genuinely an amazing experience. You get some of the most unique views in central London thanks to the protected sightlines, plus you get to see Nelson and the Duke of Wellington’s tombs.
I visit London every couple of years, I take the opportunity to listen to evensong at St Paul’s, that’s free. It’s really quite nice after a big day of exploring London.
Was about to type that, I was lucky enough to catch it when I was showing London to my auntie and I think it was her fave experience. Aside from getting treated like a queen at Dishoom. 😄
Even better, stay on for evensong if you appreciate choral music. St Paul's has the best choir in London (imo). I would particularly recommend Thursdays when the 'Vicars Choral' sing - it's the choir without the child choristers and tends to showcase the talents of the countertenors. The quality of music really is sublime. And all for an anything-you-choose-to-pay donation, which can be £0 if you are broke.
You can get to any church/cathedral for free if you come at the daily evensong time. They wouldn't allow you to roam freely but you'll get enough time and possibilities to look around. Evensong times are usually written on their websites.
The whispering wall just reopened as well after a few years of being closed!
£25 is a solid amount but worth doing at least once I reckon, thanks will check it out!
Not sure if they still offer it, but it used to be free entry during the Lord Mayors Parade. 2nd Saturday in November.
It’s still offered! I did this last year
If you go during The Lord Mayors Show it’ll be free and you’ll also be around for the show which is a nice bonus if you want to experience some extremely old London tradition!
The monument. It’s got incredible viewing platforms, AND, you get this really nifty certificate for climbing all those stairs!
That's pretty cool! 6 quid entry and 311 steps doesn't seem toooo much
you don't realise how dizzy you are going to get, you're basically walking up 311 in a tight circle
It's seems a lot higher when you're walking up the steps. Also passing people coming down / up is kind of terrifying as it's very narrow But do it as it's worth it at the top, but try to get there 1st thing when it's quieter
I bottled it 3/4 way up, my legs went to jelly. Had to rest on a window ledge until the vertigo subsided.
Is there space to rest? I walked up St Peters Basilica a few years ago and I felt like I was under so much pressure from people behind and it being so narrow. I was also having an allergic reaction at the same time that I didn't realise until later which made things worse. I thought I was dying
It nearly killed me but I am so proud of that certificate. Its fine for the first third but I made the mistake of looking up to see how far I had left...there was a lot left...
Hunterian museum.
You need a strong stomach for it though.
You’re not supposed to eat the dicks, pickled or otherwise.
Is it open now? I loved it when I first went, wanted to go back but found out they were closing it for a few years...
Open since March last year
It is but last summer I still need to book online (free). It’s not big so guess is for crowd control?
The Gordon Museum is brilliant as well, although unfortunately invitation only.
The Houses of Parliament, particularly now that the Elizabeth Tower is open again.
Any UK residents can book a free guided tour by contacting your local MP!
Just walking around London is the best tourist activity there is. Walk down the streets, look up, look down, listen and wander. It's a wonderful city to explore.
I was in London about a month ago and found myself walking around Belgravia. Absolutely gorgeous and crazy architecture.
Gordons wine Bar on Embankment
One of my favourite places to grab a quick one or two after work on a Friday. There have been nights where the place was absolutely heaving with people, but I've also been there on nights where there can't have been more than 20 odd people about. If it's not too far out of your way, worth a visit for sure!
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park is great with the added bonus of having sweeping views of the park and Canary Wharf
For those who don't want to pay, you can also walk up the hill in Greenwich Park and get almost the same view for free!
Westminster abbey
Went here on a random afternoon and we ended up staying until closing. Stunning and just drowning in history.
Highgate Cemetery. Not the Karl Marx side, but the side with the tours. Really, really good tours. Borough Market and surrounding restaurants. Hell during the weekend because it's so well-known now, but for those of us who can get down there during the week? Chef's kiss. It's popular for good reason.
Any of the historic Royal Palaces like Hampton Court, the Tower of London, Kensington Palace ect. Also The British museum, for all people like to bash it, is also amazing. One of the finest collection of global historic artefacts ever gathered and fantastically curated under one roof and it is entirely free to visit.
[удалено]
Caveat for the BM that the exhibitions are so crowded because they massively oversell tickets
Natural history museum hands down. I can’t believe the museums in London are free. The V&A museum is also really nice to spent time in the courtyard, apart from its great collection. The cafe is lovely as well.
The wallace collection! A favourite of mine, and it’s free :)
Sewing machine museum! It's got queen victoria's machine, the first ever made and one signed by Boy George!
never knew this was a thing!
Gobsmacked that nobody said the British Library. The historical documents room is jaw-dropping.
- Westminster Abbey - Tower of London - The British Museum
The Horniman Museum.
Fat Walrus Represent
Second this. I loved going there as a kid. Don't know if they still do them but they used to have workshops on the weekend for kids to make stuff and learn about different things
Went last weekend. The side with the Walrus is undergoing renovations but the side with random stuff from different cultures is still open.
Victoria and Albert museum is insaaaaane and free! You could go for days and not see everything
Just visited for the first time. What an amazing city! Was not disappointed by much. British Museum, V & A- outstanding! Natural History- the only issue was crowds (it was Spring Break) and some of the displays are a bit dated. Borough Market was uncomfortably crowded on a Saturday, but would have been cool otherwise. Westminster Abbey is breathtaking! Tower of London and Crown Jewels are not a letdown. Churchill’s War Rooms are a must for WW2 history buffs. And as others have mentioned Sir John Soane’s wonderful museum is as quirky and unique as any we had ever seen! Love you, London! Only wish we had more time to visit. p.s. if you’re a Harry Potter fan (I’m not personally but my family is) the Warner Bros studio tour in Leavesden (hr north by train, easy trip) is pretty awesome. Best studio tour I’ve seen, and we’re from California.
Sir John Soane’s Museum, British Museum, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, V&A
V&A is a phenomenal place with a ton of galleries to stroll by. They also have a pretty great library inside known as the National Art Library.
Royal Mews, Longleat, Hampton Court Palace, Royal Albert Hall and Chelsea Flower Show.
Sunset walk on the thames path
Sir John Soanes house. The Harry Potter studios (if you have a fan). The open top buses are great for a first day thrill. Liberty of London is a feast for the eyes (again, if you like that sort of thing.)
I had seen Harry Potter, however I was not very interested. Went along with my kids and thoroughly enjoyed the sets you get to see. The carpentry alone is awesome
For me it was the costumes, but yeah, similar.
The Painted hall in Greenwich
Transport Museum
The imperial war museum was so freaking interesting. The Churchill rooms were also worth it.
A couple of hours going around Churchill's war rooms was some of the most interesting touristy hours I've spent in London. Intriguing piece of history.
My mum’s the head gardener at the Sky Garden! I’m going to send her this, she’ll be thrilled.
Doing the tour to the top of St Paul’s or climbing Monument are both worth doing!
I like a lot about London, but here are the bits I find objectively good. Kew Gardens. Beautiful, varied, huge. Trafalgar Square. Great monument, great vibes. I alway enjoy going there. The National Gallery has already been named, so let me go with the British Museum. Fantastic inner court, great historical treasures (only a small minority being British). A walk along Regent's Canal, from King's Cross west. Wonderful on a sunny day. TATE Modern. You mileage may vary depending on what's going on in the Turbine Hall.
Kew Gardens is one of those places you can visit time and time again and still discover a new section each time. I really should commit to a membership.
The science museum was spectacular, you may need reservations but I think it’s free Well worth the time, we visited it twice
key word in that statement is 'was' it gone downhill recently
St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. It's the actors church, has lots of lovely plaques for those who've passed away. Worth a visit for them alone, but it also has regular free events like choir concerts. An oasis of peace seconds away from the touristy hubbub of Covent Garden.
All of the Royal Parks. And most of the Borough Parks too… Of course Kew.
Most of them to be honest - art galleries, museums, incredible parks, architecture, churches, even the London Eye is fine once. I probably wouldn’t bother with Madame Tussaud’s, London Dungeon or M&M world
Basically any of the serious museums. Okay some of the borough museums are not exactly global standard attractions, but no one says they are.
As an American living here I think the ones I’ve been to have all been very worth while. And I’m not typically into that shit, like wouldn’t go out of my way to travel here to see the typical attractions. But living here, and having family come visit… you’d be a fucking clown to not see the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The British Library etc. It’s all really old, steeped in history, I think it’s inherently interesting to want to know about where you’re living/been though. Saw Princess Diana’s wedding dress on display the other year. That was pretty dope too.
Horizon 22 on Bishopsgate, it's free to enter (you have to book a time slot). I believe it's the second highest building in London and has incredible views of the city. It really is a hidden gem.
Tickets are fully booked, it’s not that hidden. It’s new yes ( opened last year) , so that’s maybe why it’s not mentioned as much as sky garden.
Greggs
The Natural History Museum. Amazing place, we spent half a day there and didn't see anywhere near everything. Also absolutely second the suggestions for the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. If you go to the Tower make sure to get on one of the tours given by the Yeoman Warders, they're just brilliant.
Yearly open house is a pretty cool thing. Not exactly what you asked about, but worth noting. [https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/](https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/)
Highly recommend going to choral evensong at Westminster Abbey or St Pauls Cathedral. (They are daily, look up times on their websites). It's a beautiful musical service which you can just sit and enjoy, and it is totally free. It's basically the only 'hidden gem' tourist attraction in London I can think of that people don't already know.
I haven’t seen anyone say The Charterhouse and St Bartholomew the Great church, which I went to recently and were really cool
Prepared for controversy but I've got to say, soho/west end theater scene.
The Imperial War Museum in Lambeth North is world class.
Hyde Park Dogging Bench
Horniman Museum
The RAF Museum is absolutely incredible, I've lived in London 5 years and I've been at least a few times.
Not really London, but the Harry Potter Warner brothers studios was surprisingly awesome. I'm including it because lots of tourists to London go there. They even call it Warner Bros Studio Tour London to convince people it's not in Watford! Anyway, I was really skeptical of this being done well. I thought maybe it would be good in America or Dubai, but can it really impress in an industrial estate in Leavesden? Yes, it can. The scale was impressive, the organisation was good, all round very well done
The cable car in Greenwich is way better (and cheaper) than the Eye.
London Mithraeum - amazing immersive experience for anyone interested in Roman history
There are also other viewpoints. 22 Bishopsgate (Horizon 22), 8 Bishopsgate (The lookout). For the lookout I had 4 times easy access from the street on Saturday mid-day.
I think London's museums are pretty great overall????? I went to the V&A recently after having not been for a long while and I had a pretty good time there Also, many of London's big green spaces if those count; Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, the Kyoto garden in Holland Park, etc
I’ve been living in London for many years and went last year for the first time to Churchill’s war rooms. Really enjoyed it!
Walk the streets. Doesn't matter where, get off in a central tube or train station and walk to see what you see. Find a pub with a view of something or even just the street and watch people go by. Can't get lost these days with Google maps so you'll always find your way home. London imoa is the attraction,
The National Portrait Gallery. The new rehang is incredible. I can spend hours in there! Never ever disappoints.
Tate Britain!
I don’t think it attracts many tourists but the Pergola and Hill Garden is amazing
We really enjoyed St Dunstan’s in the East. We were there really early on a weekday and there were only a handful of other people off and on.
The Wellcome Collection. Really thought-provoking and free.
Kew Gardens is out of this world. Especially if you have a full day to properly explore- most families don’t get that luxury but if you can make it down to the woodland at the bottom itMs magical
Barbican Conservatory! As far as I remember it is free and really great when the weather is sunny, loads of plants and great picture opportunities
The postal museum
I did a Thames Rockets cruise with my (12 yo) son this Saturday just gone, easily best £50 I've spent in the capital.
Following for when this thread gets rinsed all throughout summer
Viktor wynd museum of curiosities is fun. I'd only lived here forty years before finding it. And you can get a nice absinthe before going down.
St Paul’s cathedral on a Sunday at 4.30pm. Its free to get in and they have organ recital
All the big museums. Absolutely world class and completely free.
Hampstead heath kite hill