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.
The Producers London: Closed 19 September 2026
The Garrick Theatre revival ran from 30 August 2025 to 19 September 2026 and its ticket listing now reads Closed. The third big West End musical to leave in five months.
Witness for the Prosecution London: The Show’s Own Pages Disagree on When It Ends
Three official-looking sources give three different end dates. Plus the lift that only reaches Row F, the jury seats that take part, and a taxi rule that catches everyone.
Paradox Museum London: Late Entry Is Not Permitted
The strictest arrival rule of any timed venue we checked. Plus the Zero Gravity Room that under-18s can only enter with an adult who signs the terms, and carer tickets that exclude it.
Starlight Express London: Closed, and the World Tour Starts in 2027
The final London performance was 3 May 2026 after seven extensions. The producer says the next stop is a world tour from spring 2027. What to do at Wembley Park instead.
Wes Anderson Exhibition London: Closed, and What to See Instead
Wes Anderson: The Archives ran at the Design Museum until 16 August 2026 and has closed. What the show was, what the museum offers now, and the Tuesday it shuts entirely.
Mundo Pixar Experience London: Now Open to January, With No Refunds
Older articles say it closes on 1 November. The official site now says January. Plus free pram parking, a strict 10-minutes-early rule, and a free ticket you must still add.
Christmas Lights London 2026: Which Switch-On Dates Are Actually Known
Carnaby is 4 November, Regent Street 5 November, Covent Garden 12 November. Oxford Street, Bond Street and the West End haven't announced yet. A status board separating what is known from what is guessed.
TKTS London: It Is Now the Official London Theatre Ticket Booth
TKTS in Leicester Square was renamed, its old website is down, and its Christmas hours look like last year's. How the booth works, what the discounts really are, and why online costs the same.
London Marathon 2027: Run Over Two Days, With the Day Fixed and the Ballot Closed
The first ever two-day London Marathon, 24 and 25 April 2027. Your day can't be changed, Saturday gives you 7 hours 45 minutes, and Good For Age applications close on 29 October.
The Devil Wears Prada London: Teri Hatcher Joins on 20 October, and the Dominion Has No Lift to the Circle
Teri Hatcher plays Miranda from 20 October. The Dominion has no lift to the circle (32 steps in, then 28 more), no air conditioning, a £2 cloakroom at the top of the stairs and £1 booster seats.
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.