London Bucket List | An A-Z of 40+ Unique Things To Do

Last updated on October 24th, 2023 at 09:03 pm

One of my biggest fears when visiting somewhere new is getting home to then have a friend mention to me, or to see something on Instagram, that I wish I had visited. Our London bucket list has rounded up over 40 of the best things to do, see, eat and drink in the capital, so that you can live your best London life or cram your trip full of fun.

With the rise in popularity of Instagram and influencer culture, there’s more of a desire than ever to head ‘off the beaten track’ and experience a new place like a local. With this in mind, this London bucket list contains more unique London finds than the standard tourist attractions. Most of the below are things that I have done and highly recommend, but some are still on my list to do this year, so really is an authentic London bucket list from a local.

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London Bucket List by A Londoner: An A – Z

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• Pull on your orange jumpsuit and smuggle your liquor into Alcotraz immersive prison bar for a different night out (well, technically in). Take a spirit and the ‘wardens’ will mix you a cocktail to your taste during the interactive experience. Buy tickets here.

• See the Banksy mural in Shoreditch. The ‘Guard Dog’ has been protected with perspex glass, so no worries about it disappearing anytime soon. Find it outside Cargo nightclub on Rivington Street.

• Get lost among the plants at Barbican Conservatory. Located on the third floor of the Barbican Centre, this tropical oasis of plants, trees, birdlife and tropical fish is free to visit.

• Take a bus ride… with a twist! B Bakery offer London Tea on a 1960 Routemaster bus, taking in 90 minutes of London sights whilst you enjoy sandwiches, scones, pastries, cakes and tea and coffee from their bakery in Covent Garden. Buy here.

• Try a traditional Jewish beigel at Beigel Bake on Brick Lane. They are open 24 hours and produce 7,000 beigels per day!

• Complete the Bermondsey Beer Mile (or have a good crack at it, we all know there’s a 99% chance I would end up dead if I completed it). A pub crawl spanning a 1.4 mile stretch of taprooms and microbreweries, following the railway arches of South London.

• Visit Blacklock on a Sunday for their all in roast. One for any meat lover, £25 per person gets you a mixed sharing platter of beef, lamb and pork alongside Yorkshire puddings, duck fat roast potatoes, mixed vegetables and gravy. Delicious.

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• Spend a Saturday afternoon perusing the food stalls with a pint at Borough Market.

• Haggle over a Brick Lane Curry; a rite of passage when in the East End of London. We once each got a starter, poppadoms, curry, rice, side and two beers for THIRTEEN POUNDS EACH. Go for one that looks busy as testament as to how good the food is.

• See the Egyptian Mummies at the British Museum.

• Step back in time to the ’40s at Cahoots. Three bars set in the disused Kingly Court Underground Station: the underground bar, the ticket hall bar and the control room bar, where cocktails flow and ‘rations’ are a-plenty.

• Take an afternoon to explore Camden Market. I wish I could experience Camden for the first time again; a quirky part of London like no other, full of food markets, clothing stalls, cyber-punk shops and a whole lotta personality.

• Mix up some magic at The Cauldron immersive cocktail bar. Don a cloak and magic wand and begin using molecular mixology, science & technology to create cocktails like no other. Harry Potter, eat your heart out.

• See the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Ceremony dates and timings can be found here.

• Marvel at the decor outside of, then have a pint in, The Churchill Arms. AKA London’s prettiest pub. Find The Churchill Arms at 119 Kensington Church Street, London, W8 7LN.

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• Order the Cacio E Pepe or Carbonara wheel at Circolo Populare. Pasta served from a hollowed out wheel of cheese in a beautiful Sicilian style trattoria is on my London bucket list for sure.

• Spend a slow Sunday morning strolling Columbia Road Flower Market.

• Enjoy a meal with stunning views over Tower Bridge from the pods at Coppa Club.

• Sample the breakfast naan at Dishoom. Sausage and or bacon in a naan bread? It shouldn’t work, but it most definitely does. A really unique breakfast at cult Indian restaurant Dishoom loved amongst Londoners.

Get some inspo for your London bucket list with the range of experiences on Buy A Gift

• Have a drink at The Dublin Castle in Camden. A legendary pub in the British music scene full of signed memorabilia. Frequented by the likes of Madness (who played their first gig there) and where Amy Winehouse once pulled pints. More quirky London pubs here.

• Treat yourself to breakfast at Duck & Waffle and watch the sun come up over London from the 40th floor of the Heron Tower. One on my London bucket list for sure – I was meant to do this for my birthday last year, until Corona had other ideas!

• Ride the Emirates Airline. The cable cars from Royal Victoria Docks to North Greenwich are a novel way to travel if you’re seeing a show at The O2, and give a different perspective of the City from the air.

• Play social darts at Flight Club. This is never not fun. Even if you’re not a darts player, the interactive games are great for all abilities and ages.

• Treat yourself to a fancy afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason. Read our review here.

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• Marvel at the collection of neon lights at God’s Own Junkyard. More info here.

• Take a day to explore Greenwich. Home to the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Market, Greenwich park (complete with deer), the Meridian Line, Greenwich University and lots of cute pubs, Greenwich is a lovely way to spend a day.

• Explore Leadenhall Market for all kinds of pretty architecture, shops, pubs and restaurants. Bonus points if you’re a Harry Potter fan; Leadenhall Market was the filming location for Diagon Alley in The Philosopher’s Stone, as well as the location for the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron.

• Follow Regent’s Canal through Little Venice to marvel at the multi-million pound houses on one side of the road and adorable house boats on the other.

• Watch the London Marathon. Usually held in April and following a 26.2 mile course from Blackheath to The Mall, the atmosphere in London is unbeatable on Marathon Day, with spectators lining the streets along the whole route to cheer on runners.

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• Eat proper pie n mash at Manze’s. Add liquor and a side of jellies eels for the proper East London pie n mash experience.

• Climb up The Monument to the Great Fire of London. This one is on my to-do list; for just £5.40 you can climb the 311 steps up The Monument for panoramic views of the City from the viewing platform.

• Dine at The Ned. Probably best saved for a special occasion, eight restaurants and bars surround a bandstand complete with live band in this five star hotel and members club.

• Whack some balls at North Greenwich Golf Range. Not just one for the golf pros, this golf range has gorgeous views of Canary Wharf and The O2, a licensed bar, and interactive games you can play from your bay.

• Explore Notting Hill and pretend you’re in a nineties rom-com. See Alice’s Antiques (featured in Paddington 2) and the Travel Book Shop featured in Notting Hill, as well as wandering the over mile long Portobello Road Market.

• Take a walk over The O2 – great views mixed with a bit of action! Buy tickets for one here, or two here.

• Enjoy a night out at Ronnie Scott’s, one of the oldest jazz clubs in the world. A legendary institution with live music and table service for food and drinks. Boujee.

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• Rent Santander Bikes from one of the 750 docking stations and pedal like the wind. Find out how to hire them here, along with a fun route idea from Canary Wharf to Greenwich here.

• Queue for pasta at Padella. Known for being some of the best yet affordable pasta in London, Padella don’t take bookings so be prepared to queue down the street.

• Visit inside St Paul’s Cathedral, from the Underground Crypt to the Golden Gallery.

• See a stand up comedy show. Be sure to arrive early so you can nab a seat at the back, unless you like becoming the butt of the acts’ jokes. Top Secret Comedy Club and Comedy Carnival are both great.

• Shoot up to Sushi Samba for a cocktail at the highest outdoor dining terrace in Europe. The drinks are pricey, but the decor, cocktails and views are stunning.

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• Take the Thames Clipper as an alternative method of transport, and for beautiful views from the river. You also get a seat and don’t have to stand squashed under someone’s armpit, or risk getting shut in the doors, always a bonus.

• See Tower Bridge lift up to let boats under. This isn’t as rare an occurrence as you may think, in 2019 Tower Bridge opened an average of twice a day. However it’s very cool to see! You can find out when Tower Bridge is next scheduled to lift here.

• Speaking of Tower Bridge, high on my London bucket list is to cross the glass floor at the top. Would you walk on glass 42 metres above the Thames?

• Dine in the Winter Garden at the Landmark Hotel. Just take a look at the image below, and tell me that you don’t want to eat there?!

Phew! And there we have over forty London bucket list ideas. Please save for future use, share and enjoy! Why not start a checklist on your phone of the things that you would like to do, so when the world opens up again you’re not stuck for ideas?

Let me know below, what is top of your London bucket list? I think top of mine for the next few months is the all-in Sunday roast at Blacklock; I’ve been drooling over the thought of that for MONTHS.

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