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Independent, London 465 guides to London Nobody pays to appear Every price checked at the source We take no bookings Est. 2026

Journal

Every guide we publish, newest first. London restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, afternoon tea, spas and nightlife, each one checked against the venue's own published information rather than against other guides.

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We take no bookings, sell nothing, and accept no payment for inclusion. Where a price or a rule appears here, it came from the venue.

An empty outdoor swimming pool marked out with swimming lanes
Things to Do

Parliament Hill Lido: Prices, Opening Times and Water Temperature

The Breakfast session is £5.00 and juniors swim free. Morning and Afternoon are £8.80 for the same pool, same day.

7 min read
An ornate dining room with a long table and chandeliers
Restaurants

Sketch London: Five Rooms, Five Timetables and Two Afternoon Teas

The flagship Lecture Room serves lunch for three hours a week. There are two separate afternoon teas, and three of the five rooms shut on Mondays.

7 min read
An Indian tray meal of curry, dal, roti and raita
Restaurants

Dishoom London: The 6pm Booking Rule and the New Borough Café

Book for 5.45pm and you get a table; book for 6.15pm and you wait up to an hour. Plus the ninth London café, opening in The Hop Exchange on 12 October.

7 min read
Hands cutting fresh pasta dough with a small tool
Restaurants

Padella London: Which Branch to Book, and Why Soho Is Cheaper

The famous queue is optional: Shoreditch and Soho book four weeks ahead. Soho is a pound cheaper on the ragu, and the parmesan default is reversed between branches.

8 min read
A silver DeLorean DMC-12 with its gull-wing doors open
Things to Do

Back to the Future the Musical London: Closed, and Where to See It Instead

The West End run has finished and the UK tour does not come to London. Milton Keynes in February 2027 is the closest date, fifty minutes from Euston.

5 min read
An ABBA vinyl record sleeve
Things to Do

Mamma Mia London: Cheap Tickets, Times and the Christmas Timetable

Four tickets for £99 is £24.75 a head, which beats the £30 day ticket. Plus the full Christmas schedule and a 2pm New Year's Eve performance.

7 min read
People gathering outside a lit Hamilton theatre at night
Things to Do

Hamilton London: The £10 Lottery, Running Time and Age Limits

The lottery is a weekly draw with a six-day entry window, not a same-day scramble: £10 a ticket, entries from 12.01am Friday to 1pm Thursday.

5 min read
Rows of empty red velvet theatre seats in an auditorium
Things to Do

Les Misérables London: Times, Age Guidance and the Box Office Nobody Uses

One counter on Shaftesbury Avenue sells for eight West End theatres, midday to 6pm. Plus the step counts to every level and half-price parking after midday.

6 min read
Rows of empty theatre seats lit in green stage lighting
Things to Do

Wicked London: Cheap Tickets, Running Time and Age Limits

Twenty-four Front Row seats go on sale online every Wednesday at 10am for £29.50 with no fees, which undercuts the £35 student standby.

6 min read
The Wembley Stadium arch against a dramatic cloudy sky
Things to Do

Wembley Stadium Rules: Bag Size, Age Limits and the £2.75 Fee

No under 2s at sport and no one under 5 at concerts. One A4 bag per person, measured as a bag. And an empty soft 500ml bottle gets you free water all day.

6 min read

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Questions we get asked

How often is the guide updated?

Continuously, and each page records the month it was last checked rather than only the date it was first written. Opening hours and prices in London change often enough that an unchecked guide is worse than none.

How do you decide what goes in?

Every entry is verified against the venue's own published information, not against other guides. Nothing is included in exchange for payment, and nothing is excluded for refusing it.