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.
Read moreRead less
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.
Olympia Is the New Name for Olympia London, and the Site Has Changed
A music venue, a rooftop of restaurants and two hotels have opened, with a 1,575 seat theatre still to come. Parking, bags and the coach problem.
London Landmarks Half Marathon: The Free Ballot Costs You the Second Chance
The 2027 ballot closed in June and charity places are the way in. What donating your fee upfront changes, and the wheelchair equipment rules.
Sea Life London: The Door Price Is 39 Pounds, Online Is 28
Walking up costs about 28 per cent more than booking online. The 30 litre bag limit, the pushchair contradiction and the no-refund rule.
The Van Gogh Exhibition in London Has Closed
Its own site says closed, while the same page still says last month and lists the old hours. What was at 106 Commercial Street, and what is there now.
Cahoots London: The Three Venues Have Different Age Rules
The Underground and Postal Office are strictly 21 and over, but the Ticket Hall admits children before 5pm. Dogs, hen and stag parties, and which one is step-free.
House of Dreamers London: The Run Is Longer Than Older Pages Say
Early coverage says it ended on 30 September. The venue says November. Hours, prices and the access rules at Immerse LDN.
Prison Island London: Two Venues, Different Rooms, No Refunds
Islington is open and Westfield is listed from December 2026, each with different rooms. Age rules, the no-refund policy and the service dog ban.
KidZania London Has Closed: What Replaced It at Westfield
KidZania London is closed. Absurd City opens in its space on 15 October 2026, with different rules on age, pushchairs and food.
Titanic Experience London: The Olympia Exhibition Has Finished
Olympia's page still shows a Book Tickets button, but the exhibition ran 25 July to 16 August 2026. What it was, and what is on at Olympia now.
Banksy Exhibition London: Banksy Limitless Has Finished
The organisers now mark the London show Finished. What Banksy Limitless was, why a ticket cost £20, and where the real street work is.
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.