London bucket list: 20 things you must do, from live music and sport to art and culture

Every aspect of art and culture is represented in our city and we’ve picked out just 20 of the thousands of opportunities available.

From cinema, music and theatre to amazing views and the world’s best food, you will never get through everything it has to offer.

No bucketlist can ever be exhaustive, but this one will at least help you make a start – so get going!

1. Curl up in front of a movie at Rio Cinema, Dalston

Much as London is the best city in the world (we might be biased) it is also prone to rainy weather. If you find yourself caught out by a downpour, what better way to escape it than in a cosy cinema in front of the latest blockbuster? There are so many cinemas to choose between, but The Rio in Dalston is a unique one to visit. The cinema is housed in a Grade II listed 1930s Art Deco building where viewers can enjoy the latest feature films or arthouse titles.

2. Go to the theatre and watch world-famous actors on stage

From the West End to South Bank to local theatres across the city, you’re guaranteed to find something to entertain you. If you feel like an all-out musical, The Savoy Theatre on the Strand is the place to go for an unforgettable experience. If you prefer to listen to the lyrical sonnets of Shakespeare, you need to head to The Globe on the River Thames – an iconic venue. If you’re looking for a modern play or an old classic with a contemporary twist, The National Theatre is your best bet. If you want to catch Oscar-nominated Paul Mescal in a Streetcar Named Desire at The Phoenix Theatre on the West End from March 20. Get booking because its last run was a sell-out.

3. Laugh your socks off at the Top Secret Comedy Club

Calling itself “comedy’s worst kept secret”, this comedy club works on the basis that on stand-up nights, the line-up is a surprise and audiences could catch some of the biggest stars in comedy trying out new material. Some nights there are ‘work in progress’ shows you can enjoy for free. Surprise stand-up nights prices can range from £11-£20 a head. Big names that have appeared at the club include Joel Domett, Sean Walsh and Jack Whitehall.

4. Head underground to the cavernous Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub

Situated on Fleet Street, this old journalists’ haunt has a variety of rooms where you can find a number of beers to pick from and a choice of rooms to drink in. The Chop Room is warm and wood-panelled with a roaring fire in the winter. The Cellar Bar has old barrels for tables and casks of beer set into the walls. All beers are brewed by Samuel Smith’s at the Old Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire which was founded in 1758.

5. Have your morning coffee or an evening cocktail at Peckham Levels

Peckham is one of London’s more creative boroughs, home to Camberwell College of Arts, so it’s no surprise the area boasts a variety of trendy bars and cafés. Peckham Levels is a transformed multi-storey car park that houses cosy spaces for coffee and co-working, and Frank’s – a bar on the roof terrace with a famously pink-painted staircase to the top. Heavily “instagrammable” if that’s your bag.

6. Walk through Hampstead Heath and take a dip in the Ponds

Priding itself on being a green city, you will be spoilt for choice on where to enjoy a walk in London. Located in North West London, Hampstead Heath covers over 800 acres and has some of the most spectacular views in the city. The park inspired CS Lewis to write The Chronicles of Narnia and Londoners have escaped to the city to this large patch of land for more than 200 years. Visitors can have a look around Kenwood House, a grand estate found on the Heath, or swim in the Ladies’, Mens’ and Mixed Ponds.

7. Fill your belly at Borough Market

This iconic indoor-outdoor retail and wholesale market by London Bridge offers a smorgasbord of gastronomic delights imported from all over the world for your tasting pleasure. The market first took shape at the foot of London Bridge 1,000 years ago and has been trading ever since, run by a charitable trust on behalf of the community. Highlights of food on offer include Alsop & Walker cheeses from East Sussex, De Calabria delicacies from Italy, Joli Malaysian clay pot cooking, JUMA Iraqi-inspired street food and so much more.

8. Choose a sport, find a stadium, enjoy the match

Twickenham for rugby, Spurs/Arsenal/Chelsea/West Ham/Fulham/Brentford/Crystal Palace or Wembley for football, Wimbledon for tennis, Lords or The Oval for cricket… take your pick! Almost any of the sports you want to watch you’ll find them in London, played at some of the most internationally recognised stadiums. There are even amateur quidditch matches on Clapham Common from time to time if you are looking for something a little less mainstream.

9. Wander through the Wallace Collection and treat yourself to afternoon tea

Established in 1897, the Wallace Collection was built by the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, to become one of the most celebrated collections in the world. The permanent collection of paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts is accompanied by temporary exhibitions. For example, in 2019, Manolo Blahnik exhibited some of his finest shoes at the museum. Viewing art can be thirsty work. The best way to round off a visit, is with an afternoon tea at the skylit Wallace Restaurant.

10. Dance the night away at Koko

Since its grand re-opening in May, the newly refurbished Camden concert venue and private members club has hosted performances from musicians Lianne La Havas and Jorja Smith to DJs O’Flynn and Hunnee. The £70 million renovation combines former Camden Palace, former Hope & Anchor Pub, and a former piano factory from 1800 to create the music venue, Café Koko and the five-storey members club respectively. Worth a visit on a Saturday night, and maybe the following Sunday to the café for a coffee or their roof terrace bar for a Bloody Mary depending on how you like to fight a hangover.

11. Gaze at beautiful garments at the V&A

The Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington has put on some of the most celebrated fashion exhibitions in the country – recently Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, Africa Fashion and Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear. Permanent installations show the history of fashion over the years, but also include sculpture, painting, furniture, ceramics and more. This July 2023, the Young V&A will be opening in Bethnal Green, where children, young people and families can imagine, play and design.

12. Go thrift shopping or curry eating along Brick Lane

Once you’re feeling suitably depressed at the sight of clothes you will never own or be able to afford displayed at the V&A, take yourself to Shoreditch where you may be lucky enough to bag a designer item for a bargain price. You will find Levi’s, Burberry trench coats and Nike tracksuits for cheap, just make sure you check the condition and fit of the item before you buy as some stalls may not accept returns. After some browsing, reward yourself with a meal at Aladin – one of the best BYOB curry houses in the capital.

13. Eat somewhere unforgettable in Fulham

London is widely regarded as home to the best international cuisine in the world, with chefs travelling from across the globe to bring a flavour of their food to the city. It’s impossible to choose the best restaurant, but one that will provide a hilarious and memorable experience is Il Pagliaccio in Fulham. Expect kitsch interiors, an idiosyncratic maitre d’, huge pizzas that don’t pretend to compete with those north of the river, and ‘That’s Amore’ playing full blast through the speakers.

14. Visit the former homes of your literary heroes

If you’ve ever noticed the blue plaques across London, you may know they commemorate famous figures who once lived in the buildings with plaques. There is a particular concentration of English writers from High Street Kensington to Holland Park, including the likes of TS Eliot, James Joyce and Agatha Christie. If you fancy a literary stroll through the borough, English Heritage provides an app for you to do so.

15. Go for a full English at a caff

The old institution of a greasy spoon has become overshadowed by the several Aussie-inspired brunch spots popping up all over the capital. The weekend trend of bottomless brunch is threatening to overtake a truly delicious (and far more affordable) full English breakfast. The New River Café in Stoke Newington is one of hundreds of unassuming caffs to go on a Sunday morning with friends, partners, or family, for any variation of the classic dish. The waiter lets you build your own and even with all the trimmings, you’d be unlikely to spend more than a tenner.

16. Wander down Portobello Road market for trinkets and treasures

One of London’s most famous street markets in the world sells everything from antiques and vintage clothes to fruit and veg and bric-a-brac. It is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm. The street market itself is surrounded by a number of shops also selling retro clothes, antique furniture, and a number of cafés and grocers line the street. Portobello Road is a beautiful street to visit even on Sunday without the market. The Victorian-era houses sit along the curving street, each painted a bright colour.

17. Try to make one of the royal guards laugh outside Buckingham Palace

For as long as there have been guards in bearskin hats standing for hours outside Buckingham Palace to protect the ruling monarch, there have been a number of cheeky onlookers trying to make them laugh. The Palace guards are not allowed to smile while on duty which tempts tourists and locals alike to make them break their serious expression. If you find yourself walking past the Palace, try cracking your best gag and see if you can get a reaction.

18. Ride the most scenic bus route for a sightseeing tour of London

There’s nothing more iconic than London’s red bus. While there are sightseeing tour buses, why fork out the money when you can see the sites for a single bus fare? The 24 currently goes from Hampstead Heath to Pimlico, passing through Camden Market, the BT Tower, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral. This route stops running at the end of 2023, to be replaced by the 88.

19. Learn about London history through architecture in the City

For history buffs, the City of London reveals traces of history in various remains across the financial district. At Inner Temple Lane, you will find the City’s sole surviving timber-framed Jacobean townhouse after the Great Fire of London. At the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery is London’s Roman Amphitheatre. At the end of Leadenhall Street sits Aldgate Pump, a reminder of the gruesome 1860s epidemic of Londoners that died drinking polluted water that was drained through graveyards picking up germs from decaying corpses. Ew!

20. Go deer-spotting in Richmond Park followed by a Sunday roast

At the end of the district line is London’s largest Royal park, spanning 2,500 acres. Richmond Park is home to hundreds of freely roaming Red and Fallow deer. Visitors at the park are advised to keep a 50-metre distance from the wild animals and should not attempt to feed or photograph them at close range. We advise visitors to plan their walking route with The Cricketers Pub at the end, where you can tuck in to a good old-fashioned English roast.