Things to Do
What to actually do in London when you have limited time and no interest in the tourist trail. Written for short stays, weighted toward the evening.
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The landmark pages carry the numbers the attractions themselves bury. The queue at the London Eye runs up to forty five minutes on top of your ticket time rather than inside it, and the Harry Potter Studio Tour sells a package with a hotel in it for less than the one with a bus. The Shard, Sky Garden and Horizon 22 cover the views from above, and two of the three cost nothing.
Then the free half of the city: the parks, the museums that charge nothing and the food markets, where the published closing times regularly contradict each other on the market’s own website.
Seasonal pages appear when they are useful and are rechecked rather than recycled. Rain, weekends and Christmas each have their own.
Everyman Cinema London: Thirty Minutes of Adverts, Published by Them
Their own figure, and up to 40 for special events. The 90 minute rule that stops members booking a double bill, the two ways out of the booking fee, and all thirteen London branches.
BFI IMAX: The Same Membership Costs 44 Pounds or 60
The 16 pound gap buys a posted booklet and nothing else. Why membership will not get you a first-run ticket early, what Member Row actually is, and the four-ticket discount.
Prince Charles Cinema: No Admission 25 Minutes After the Start
Their hard door rule, the 12.50 membership you can only buy at the box office, and the 20 per cent off dinner that pays back the annual fee in one meal.
Boom Battle Bar London: No Drinking Before or During the Axe Throwing
Their own rule, at a bar built on games and cocktails. The five London branches open four and a half hours apart, and the most central one has no axes at all.
Sixes Social Cricket London: A Teenager Pays the Adult Price
The teen band costs exactly what an adult costs, and only children are discounted. Two London venues remain after Fitzrovia, Fulham and Shoreditch came off the site.
Junkyard Golf London Is Now Ted’s Crazy Golf, Opening 16 October
The Shoreditch venue rebranded and reopens on 16 October 2026. Every guest needs physical photo ID or loses the ticket, and last golf is an hour before close.
Clays Bar London: Twenty-Two of You Get One Peg, and They Will Not Split It
From 8 pounds a head, the cheapest competitive social in London. Why a group of 22 cannot buy a second peg, which branch closes on Monday, and the age rule that needs an adult over 25.
Swingers West End: The Time on Your Ticket Is Not Your Tee-Off
The booking buys a 30 minute window and the tee-off is allocated on arrival. Prices, the 5pm off-peak line, the 6pm rule for children, and why there is now only one London branch.
Flight Club Darts London: Two of You Cannot Book a Friday
A minimum group size of 4 or 6 applies from 4pm, and 6 every day in December, but Sunday has none. The four London branches close at four different times.
Puttshack London: Bank Costs a Pound More Than White City
The two London branches charge different prices and close two hours apart. Why unlimited golf beats the half price rematch, and the nut-free rule that stops your birthday cake at the door.
Elsewhere in the guide
Questions we get asked
What can you do in London for free?
The national museums, which includes the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate galleries, the V and A and the Natural History Museum. Permanent collections are free and always have been; only the temporary exhibitions charge.
How many days do you need in London?
Three gets you the centre without rushing it. Five lets you spend a day outside zone one, which is where London stops being a list of sights and starts being a city. Anything under two days is a transit stop rather than a visit.
What is worth doing in London in bad weather?
Most of the best of it is indoors anyway. The museums, the department stores, afternoon tea, the pubs that have been there for centuries, and the theatre. London is not a city whose case rests on the weather.