London

High idea density. A perfect mix of energy, architecture, science, art and entrepreneurship; a mix of big city vibes, historic villages and expansive green spaces. Many things to see and do for free. I believe London is the best place in the world.

1. Events (mostly free)

  • Open House Festival in September - celebration of London’s architecture and neighbourhoods. Best stuff requires booking and it gets very competitive, be ready when the bookings open. But even if you have no bookings, it is always a fun weekend - filter by activity type “drop in” (buildings of “architectural practice” type are especially fun, for example Foster + Partners architects in Battersea), explore areas further out where things are less busy, or try your luck joining booked out tours in case there are no-shows.
  • London Gallery Weekend in early June - a weekend when private art galleries encourage everyone to visit; a great opportunity to explore many galleries with no expectation of buying anything. My favourites include Maddox Gallery, Gagosian (Grosvenor Hill), Waddington Custot, Thaddaeus Ropac, Gazelli Art House, Galerie Max Hetzler, White Cube Mason’s Yard and Bowman Sculpture. This weekend is also a great opportunity to visit Christie’s London (King Street) and Sotheby’s London (New Bond Street).
  • Crossness Pumping Station steaming days - an opportunity to visit Cathedral of Sewage from Victorian era. This one is still on my wishlist. I visited Abbey Mills Pumping station (which is similar, but rarely possible to visit) and it blew my mind.
  • London Festival of Architecture in June.
  • Isabella Plantation in May - gorgeous rhododendrons in bloom (explore all 3 ponds). Located inside Richmond Park, where you can find deer with huge antlers.
  • The Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival in January (evenings).
  • Public lectures at UCL, LSE, KCL and Imperial (and their Lates).
  • Tours by Hidden London (not free) - I loved the tour of Aldwych station. Next on my wishlist - tours of Baker Street station, Holborn Station and Clapham South.
  • If you are in London on Saturday morning, join in for one of many ParkRuns.
  • Check Londonist and Secret London for events on a specific week.
  • Imberbus - once a year opportunity to visit the abandoned village of Imber on the Salisbury Plain.

2. London neighbourhoods

I very roughly divided London into 20 parts and listed my favourite things in each one.

3. Museums, exhibitions and art (indoors, mostly free)

  • Science Museum and their Lates. Book free tickets in advance.
  • London Transport Museum Depot open for pre-booked guided tours and open days.
  • Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum London. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Churchill War Rooms (not free).
  • Royal Observatory Greenwich (not free).
  • Book a tour to see the inside of the Big Ben Tower way in advance. It is not cheap, but very much worth it. Arrive early for an airport-style security check.
  • National Theatre Archive - here you can watch recordings of all London theatre productions that are no longer showing on stage, for free. Booking required for specific time and a specific production you want to see. Also check out BFI Mediatheque (free).

4. Other stuff (mostly outdoors, mostly free)

Bird’s eye views of London:

  • Horizon 22 - London’s highest observation deck (58th floor). Book free tickets in advance, bring binoculars. If no tickets available, try The Lookout or Sky Garden. There is really no need to pay for The View from The Shard or London Eye.

Architecture:

  • Westminster (including postcard classics): Parliament Square Garden with views of Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey; United Nations Green surrounded by different architectural styles, Westminster Cathedral, Marble Arch and Wellington Arch, beautiful mews. The most efficient self-guided sightseeing tour of London by Secret London starts from around here.
  • Liverpool Street - the most architecturally exciting area of London.
  • King’s Cross (new neighbourhood): Gasholder Park, Coal Drops Yard, St Pancras Station, Keystone Crescent.
  • Battersea (new neighbourhood): Battersea Power Station and surrounding residential buildings.
  • Canary Wharf (tall buildings).
  • Greenwich: areas around Queen’s House (old) and North Greenwich Station (new).
  • Indian temples (especially worth seeing if you’ve not yet been to India): BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London (marble and wood) and Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir (limestone) in Wembley; London Sri Mahalakshmi Temple (South Indian) in East Ham.
  • Take a ferry (not free) to/from Woolwich Royal Arsenal ferry terminal to pass through the Thames Barrier (51.496888, 0.037287). On the way you’ll see Tate and Lyle sugar factory, The O2 arena, etc. Around Woolwich, ViB Bar Bao Bun Bar has great food.

Street art:

  • Areas to explore include Shoreditch (Brick lane, Grey Eagle Graffiti wall, Whitecross street and much more), Camden, Brixton, Hackney Wick. Look out for works by Dan Kitchener and Stik.

Gardens and parks:

  • Kew Gardens (not free) - one of the best botanical gardens in the world. Arrive at the opening time, as one day is not enough to see everything - see Attractions A-Z list. Enter through Victoria Gate to arm yourself with a current paper map, check the schedule of free walking tours at the information desk inside the Victoria Plaza Gift Shop, and see “What’s looking good right now” notice board. Don’t miss the art galleries (included with the entrance ticket) - Marianne North Gallery (permanent exhibition) and Shirley Sherwood Gallery (temporary exhibitions) are both excellent. My favourite places in the gardens include Palm House, Waterlily House, hard to find Bonsai Collection, Davies Alpine House, Rock Garden, Princess of Wales Conservatory, Carnivorous Plants collection, view from the top of the Temperate House, Rhododendron Dell in April-May, and beautiful long walks throughout the rest of the garden. If they are not rented out for an event, check out the inside of Cambridge Cottage and Duke’s Garden in front of it. Check the website for evening events - spending time at Kew in the dark is truly magical.
  • Richmond Park. Find the deer with huge antlers. Explore Isabella Plantation with 3 ponds (the best time to visit is in May when rhododendrons are in bloom).
  • Regent’s Canal. From Angel station it goes east to Victoria Park. From there you can continue south to Limehouse or north to Olympic Park from which you can continue north along the River Lee or south to Royal Observatory Greenwich (crossing under the Thames via Greenwich foot tunnel). In the opposite direction, from King’s Cross, Regent’s Canal goes west past Wembley, and you can follow it all the way to Slough or Kew Bridge. Both directions (east from Angel and west from King’s Cross) are excellent for running and all-day walks.
  • Hampstead Heath - huge park extending into Highgate Wood in the north and Golders Hill Park in the west.
  • All central London parks are excellent - Victoria Embankment Gardens, St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, Regent’s Park. Primrose Hill is a perfect spot for a picnic and/or sunset watching. When roses are in bloom, don’t miss Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens in Regent’s Park and Hyde Park Rose Garden. In spring, don’t miss the daffodils in St James’s Park.

5. Cuisines of the world (most places require booking ahead)

African:

  • Chuku’s in Walthamstow - Nigerian tapas, many vegan options.
  • Akoko in Soho - modern West African. Tasting menu with a vegan option.
  • Sabiib Somali Restaurant Acton - awesome Somali flavours.
  • Ethiopian food can be found in many places (many vegan options; not suitable for people with trypophobia) - great ones include Laza Eritrean Ethiopian Restaurant and Andu Ethiopian in Dalston, Merkato in King’s Cross.

Asian:

  • Tofu Vegan - vegan Chinese. Several locations.
  • Mali Vegan Thai in Kensington - vegan Thai.
  • Plants of Roselyn - vegan Thai.
  • Eat Vietnam Bar B Grill 1 in Greenwich - Vietnamese food.

European:

  • SlowBurn - seasonal vegetable-centric menu, many vegan options.
  • Through the woods in Crouch End - hyper-seasonal tasting menu, one of my favourites in London. Book way in advance. Vegetarian option available.
  • Casa Fofó in Dalston - tasting menu with a focus on local and seasonal. Vegetarian option available.
  • Naifs in Peckham - cosy vegan restaurant.
  • EDIT in Hackney - vegan restaurant with a focus on local and seasonal; low on waste and environmental impact.
  • NOPI in Soho - by Yotam Ottolenghi.
  • Silo London in Hackney - tasting menu. They mill their own flour and make their own butter; and aim to eliminate food waste, so expect ice cream made from leftover sourdough bread.
  • Tendril in Soho - naughty vegan restaurant (with a bit of cheese). Tasting menu is an option.
  • Towpath in Islington - lovely outdoor restaurant on the canal in Islington, perfect for lunch or a dinner on a warm summer evening.

Indian:

  • Rambutan in Southbank - Sri Lankan.
  • Kachori in Southbank - North Indian.
  • Kricket (Soho and Canary Wharf) - modern North Indian.
  • Vasanta Bhavan Wembley - South Indian.
  • Dishoom King’s Cross. I’m not sure why there is so much hype about this North Indian restaurant chain, but this specific location is truly special - a warehouse where goods and spices arrived from Bombay in the 1930s.
  • Masala Zone Piccadilly Circus in Soho. Another North Indian restaurant chain, but this specific location is magnificent - the dining room of the historic Criterion building.
  • Chettinad Restaurant in Soho - South Indian.

Italian:

  • Oi Vita Pizzeria - awesome pizza, many vegan options.
  • Zia Lucia - great pizzas, including their famous charcoal crust. Several locations.

Latin American:

  • Jam Delish in Islington - vegan Caribbean.
  • supperclub.tube in Walthamstow - Latin American inspired tasting menu. A unique experience of dining on a 1967 Victoria Line tube carriage.
  • Club Mexicana Soho - vegan Mexican.

Middle-Eastern:

  • Bubala Spitalfields - vegan or vegetarian tasting menu. I’ve been many times and it never disappoints. They have other locations too.
  • Berber & Q Grill House in Dalston - Middle-eastern flavours. Their Berber & Q Shawarma Bar in Islington is also good.
  • Afghan Kitchen in Islington - amazing food. I’d go there every week, but the menu has not changed in the past 10 years.
  • Persepolis in Peckham - Persian vegetarian restaurant. The Feast menu is packed with flavours.

Pastries:

  • In Hackney: Forno, Pophams (several locations), Pavilion Bakery (several locations), E5 Bakehouse, The Snapery East, Yeast Bakery.
  • In Islington: Jolene (several locations) and Pophams (several locations).
  • In Dalston: The Dusty Knuckle Bakery.
  • Qima Cafe in Soho - a destination for both coffee and pastries and savoury pastries. Of the two, I prefer Fitzrovia location.
  • Little Bread Pedlar - several locations. Café Pedlar in Southbank is good.

Gelato:

  • Udderlicious and Oddono’s - several locations.
  • In Soho: Gelupo and La Gelatiera.
  • Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria in Dalston.

Coffee (if you don’t ask for bean options, you won’t get the cool stuff):

  • Long & Short in Walthamstow.
  • Nostos Coffee in St. James and Battersea.
  • Morr in Islington.
  • Day Trip in Dalston.
  • Farringdon: Colonna & Small’s, Snoozzze Coffee.
  • Shoreditch: Lift Coffee (also in Kensington), Kiss the Hippo.
  • Lodestar Coffee in Hackney.
  • Soho: Qima Cafe, Kiss the Hippo (also in Shoreditch and Richmond).

Cocktails:

  • I don’t drink anymore, so don’t listen to me.
  • My favourites from long time ago: The Natural Philosopher and The Last Tuesday Society & Absinthe Parlour in Hackney; Little Bat in Islington; Bar Termini (negronis) in Soho; and many around Liverpool Street - Lounge Bohemia, Happiness Forgets, Looking Glass Cocktail Club (the cool bar is behind the mirror), The Gobpsy (Tue-Fri only; beneath a barber shop), City of London Distillery & Bar (gin-centric cocktails), Nightjar.
  • Places I’d try if I were you: The Umbrella Workshop (The Umbrella Project), Ogam Tapas Bar (cocktails with a Korean twist) Good Measure Cocktail Bar Tooting (cocktails with a Taiwanese twist), Brilliant Corners (cocktails with a Japanese twist), Bandra Bhai (cocktails with an Indian twist), Funkidory, Leyton Calling, Three Sheets Dalston, Hacha Dalston, Equal Parts, Tabac Bar, Discount Suit Company, Knowhere Special, Bruno’s, Waterloo Lost Property Office Speakeasy, Evans & Peel Detective Agency, Ladies & gents bar, Tayēr (the secret bar, not Elementary).
  • The Nudge has a great list of cocktail places in London.

6. Just outside London

  • Rampion Offshore Wind Farm tours (not free) - this is a rare chance to be on a boat in the middle of a wind farm. I had a great experience with Sussex Boat Trips. For contrast, see Beacon Hill Windmill after the boat tour. If you are passing through Brighton, Burnt Orange is a truly outstanding restaurant.
  • Red Sands Fort and Shivering Sands Fort - Second World War anti-aircraft defence forts in the Thames estuary. I visited them on board of Waverley, which is probably the most fun though definitely not the only way to visit. On the way to/from there you’ll get good views of the London Gateway Port.
  • Kempton Steam Museum (not free) - visit on a steaming weekend to see a huge steam engine in operation. The two engines inside are very similar to the ones on Titanic, so you might have seen them before in documentaries. To reach the museum from Kempton Park train station, walk to the gate at (51.425604, -0.406294), you might need to call them to open the gate.
  • In-person tours of Amazon fulfilment centres (free). Available locations vary, they are not always near London.
  • Imperial War Museum Duxford (not free) - a huge museum of military and civilian aircraft. It has its own airfield!
  • Seven sisters coastal hike from Seaford train station to Eastbourne train station along the coast.

Notes:

  • Public transport in the city works with contactless payments, no need to buy anything in advance. Oyster cards are being phased out. The contactless payment area (which is now bigger than the area covered by Oyster cards) is expanding beyond London. It now includes three of London’s airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, London City), but you still have to buy a separate ticket in advance to reach the other three (Luton, Stansted, Southend). If you are in London for a while, register your bank card on the Transport for London website to be able to claim a refund if you get mischarged.
  • If a restaurant asks “Still or sparkling?”, it is always ok to answer “Tap water, please”. All establishments that serve alcohol are legally required to give customers free tap water according to the Licensing Act 2003.