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.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow London: Closing 27 December, but Booking Says the 23rd
The producers say the last London performance is 27 December, while the official site and ATG show booking to 23 December. Plus the accessible entrance, family rates, and a no-resale rule.
Jesus Christ Superstar London: Nine King Herods, and a Lift to Every Level
Sam Ryder's Jesus Christ Superstar moves to Drury Lane on 16 October. The full King Herod rota from Matt Bomer to Glenn Close, plus the step counts: 112 to the Balcony, with a lift to every level.
Avenue Q London: Closing 3 January, No Singing Along, and a Lift That Only Reaches the Stalls
Some ticket sites still say it closes on 30 October; the official listing says 3 January. Plus the request not to sing along, the bag-size limit, and access to the stalls only.
Operation Mincemeat London: Five Ways to Pay Less Than Face Value
A £30 lottery, a free ballot, £59.50 in-person day tickets, group rates and a loyalty price for repeat visitors. Plus why the ticket seller's own page gives two different end dates.
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club: They Cover Your Phone Cameras
No photography at all, no dress code whatsoever, six £25 seats a day by lottery, and 85 steps to the Upper Circle.
Hercules the Musical: Closed, and What Is at Drury Lane Now
The final West End performance was 5 September 2026, though the show's own page is still live with its old schedule. What replaced it, and the Magical Mondays scheme that continues.
Bubble Planet London: No Refunds, and the Ball Pit Sometimes Closes
Refunds are never given, individual rooms shut with only a homepage banner as notice, socks are mandatory, and the VR is not in a standard ticket.
London Coliseum: The Cheapest Seats Are the Widest, and the Access Pass Is Free
Half-price tickets on most shows via a free pass that sits beside a £15 one. Plus published seat widths that invert the pricing, and the seats that cannot see the surtitles.
Frameless: Last Entry Is Two Hours Before It Closes
The doors shut to new visitors at 4pm on a day it closes at 6pm. Plus the earlier 4pm deadline for under-18s on Fridays and Saturdays, and the cap on disabled visitors.
ExCeL London: Blue Badge Parking Costs the Same as Everyone Else’s
£27.50 a day with no concession, plus an £80 fine for not displaying the badge. And the cloakroom will not take a laptop at any time.
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.