London City Guide
Years ago (sometime in the mid-90s) I (Annabella) wrote a Guide to London for her parents when they were about to go there for the first time. Some of the advice in that guide has gone out-of-date (such as London Transport travel cards – now replaced by the Oyster Card – listings of eateries that are non-smoking friendly, and a recommendation of a souvenir shop in Russell Square just outside the Tube station that sold postcards for 4p and still as of 2023 sells them for 15p), but a lot of it is still good and therefore repeated here (and updated where appropriate). A few snipets of that guide are included here.
*Theatre: Theatre is still cheaper than it is in the U.S. (even in years where there exchange rate is bad). Discount tickets day-of the performance can be purchased at the Leicester Square TKTS booth. Those who are lucky enough to be students or seniors can purchase day-of tickets directly from some theatres. Check out Time Out or londontheatre.co.uk website for comprehensive listings, reviews, and descriptions (which will list prices, and if discount tix are available it will list them as “concs,” which means concessions). Very easy to book directly on the theatre website, and that’s still the best way to get a good seat selection, even though you’re paying full price.
—Trafalgar Square (tube: Charing Cross, Leicester Square, Embankment): This is a hub of activity. St. Martin-in-the-Fields church has free concerts many days at midday and in evenings for a fair price. The Café-in-the-Crypt is an atmospheric cheap-ish eat, though as of 2023 they no longer have a cheap self-service afternoon tea. The National Gallery is right in the square, and just up the street (and overlooked by many tourists) is the excellent National Portrait Gallery (undergoing a massive, multiyear renovation and slated to reopen late summer 2023). Both have excellent, daily one-hour guided tours (free) that focus on select works of art. National Gallery often has late nights on Fridays with live music and other special events.
—Favorite small museums: Sir John Soane’s Museum (tube: Holborn); the Wallace Collection (tube: Oxford Circus, Bond Street), with its fascinating collection of miniature boxes and armour; the Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum until they decided that Geffrye said or did something offensive centuries ag), an interior design throughout the ages museum which is nicely decorated at Christmas (and which on the 2nd floor has an amazing collection of snuff boxes, some naughty); the pre-Raphaelite Lord Leighton’s House with its fabulous opium den and portrait of his muse (Kensington, and just down the street from 18 Stafford Terrace-the Linley Sambourne House). The Wallace Collection in Marleybone has an extraordinary collection of snuff boxes and a fun armour room, plus it serves a very nice and well-priced tea in its lovely cafe. The William Morris Museum in Walthamstow is a must for lovers of the Arts & Crafts Movement (and in my opinion far superior to the rather disappointing gallery/home in Hammersmith). Two Temple Place is a beautiful building, near the Strand, but houses only temp exhibits and isn’t always open.
—Favorite Off Beaten Path house museums: Two National Trust properties and one independent museum make our list. 1. The Goldfinger House-2 Willow Road, Hampstead (North London) is the home of the architect Goldfinger, who so pissed off neighbor Ian Fleming with his modernist home that Fleming named his James Bond villain after the man. 2. 575 Wandsworth Road (South London) is the home of African writer Khadambe Asalache, who laboriously made wooden frette work and decorated his otherwise modest home in his own, eccentric style. Reservations are essential as tours max out at 6 guests. 3. Dennis Severs’ House. It’s a house. It’s a museum. It’s an experience with sights, sounds and smells. Near Spitalfields Market, it’s hard to describe this place. Reservations are essential.
—Favorite large museums: All of them really. Tate Britain for its pre-Raphaelites; Victoria & Albert for its British collections and medieval works (and the world’s first museum cafe, in the stunning Morris Rooms); the British Museum; the British Library; Imperial War Museum.
—The Food: No other city in the world has the depth and diversity of London. See our London trip blogs for recent places we’ve been, but we recommend looking for pop ups and special dining experiences. Since 2014 we’ve been dining with Eatwith (formerly Grub Club), a portal for pop up supper clubs. You’ll eat great food and mingle with locals. It’s a shadow of its former self since Covid, but still worth exploring. Borough Market with its vendors and food stalls is another favorite. The area surrounding King’s Cross/St. Pancras stations is now a big entertainment and dining hub, Coal Drop Yards, with many shops (including a large Waitrose grocery store) and restaurants, and you can also walk along the canal (and if you’re lucky the little bookstore barge might be open).
—Meet the Locals: Dine with locals at Eatwith (see paragraph above), or join a MeetUp group! We’ve done several walking tours through Meetup, and attended dinners with various groups. Even if you don’t join a group, consider Meetup’s calendar your guide to local events and happenings.