Alex Sims

It’s hard not to fall in love with London all over again at Christmastime. In the run-up to December 25 each year, the city becomes a glittering wonderland of all things festive, from gorgeous light displays to quaint markets with warming mulled wine and pressie perfect trinkets, a packed calendar of Crimbo events to gleaming ice rinks. But all of that would feel like it was missing something if a whole host of eye-catching Christmas trees didn’t also accompany it. Yes, London’s Christmas tree displays are the jewels in the crown of its Yuletide makeover, and there are so many to go and marvel at. Trafalgar Square’s annual gift from Norway comes backed by heartwarming tradition and Covent Garden’s doesn’t hold back when it comes to a bit of sparkle. The city’s bougiest hotels, meanwhile, call on artists and fashion designers to give a modern twist on a festive staple. Here’s our rundown of London’s must-see Christmas tree displays this year. RECOMMENDED: Where to buy a Christmas tree in London. 

  Spooky season is upon us. Dark nights, harvest moons and foggy mornings are the perfect backdrop for the strange, macabre holiday of Halloween and London is gearing up for it in style with a bunch of suitably eerie, hair-raising events and things to do.  Hear uncanny tales on ghost tours at historic institutions, watch blood-soaked vintage horror films at the city’s indie cinemas, walk around spine-tingling light shows at Kew Gardens or stay up late at Halloween-themed club nights from institutions like The Cause and Club de Fromage.  On top of all the uncanny shenanigans, there are also plenty of cultural treats happening in London this week. London Literature Festival is back with a wealth of author talks, panel discussions and special events. Trafalgar Square will be taking over the largest Diwali celebrations in the city and the London East Asian Film Festival is showing the freshest cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, and more. Plus, there are also some acting heavyweights gracing London’s stages. Mark Strong and Lesley Manville are the leads in a political thriller-themed production of the Greek tragedy ‘Oedipus’ directed by Robert Icke, while Adrian Brodey stars in ‘The Fear of 13’, a stage version of a 2015 documentary by British filmmaker David Singleton, which tells the story of Nick Yarris, a Pennsylvania man who spent 22 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the

Autumn has well and truly arrived in London, which means as well as conker games, golden leaves and comfort food, spooky season is upon us. Dark nights, harvest moons and foggy mornings are the perfect backdrop for the strange, macabre holiday of Halloween and London is gearing up for it in style with a bunch of suitably eerie, hair-raising events and things to do.  Hear uncanny tales on ghost tours at historic institutions, watch blood-soaked vintage horror films at the city’s indie cinemas, walk around spine-tingling light shows at Kew Gardens or stay up late at Halloween-themed club nights from institutions like The Cause and Club de Fromage.  On top of all the uncanny shenanigans, there are also plenty of cultural treats happening in London this week. London Literature Festival is back with a wealth of author talks, panel discussions and special events. Trafalgar Square will be taking over the largest Diwali celebrations in the city and the London East Asian Film Festival is showing the freshest cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, and more. Plus, there are also some acting heavyweights gracing London’s stages. Mark Strong and Lesley Manville are the leads in a political thriller-themed production of the Greek tragedy ‘Oedipus’ directed by Robert Icke, while Adrian Brodey stars in ‘The Fear of 13’, a stage version of a 2015 documentary by British filmmaker David Singleton, which tells the story of Nick Yarris, a Pennsylvania man who spent 22 years on death row for

London! An epicentre of politics, culture and history. Frankly, it’s a bit overwhelming. How do you explore a city that’s over two thousand years old? Where do you begin in an area that’s 1,572 square kilometres? This is where a guided tour comes into it. Street tours. Museum tours. Food tours. It is actually slightly terrifying how many there are. So this is where I step in, tour guide-esque, with some suggestions of my own, to help you understand all that history a little better.  A great tour guide will inspire and fascinate you - before you know it, you’ll enthusiastically be sharing the stories you heard with Linda on the checkouts at your local supermarket, or Iqbal at work. The ones included here are the well-worth doing and unsung tours that deserve your attention. Yes there’s your usual Changing of the Guard and Westminster Abbey tours, but there’s also some more offbeat ones which are frankly exceptional.  Why take my word for it? I’m a tour guide myself. I have since led all sorts of walks around London, from cemetery tours, queer history walks to pub outings. I regularly guide in places like The British Museum and National Gallery and after a decade in the industry, here are some of my choices for an unforgettable experience. Need more sightseeing inspiration?🛥️ Here are London’s best boat tours💂‍♂️ Check out our list of 101 things to do in London🛏 Or stay in one of these trendy London Airbnbs🍽 Have you heard about these 50 best restaurants in London yet?  T

When it comes to fantastical, lore-inspiring forests, the UK certainly does it better than most. It’s labyrinthine layouts, wise old oak trees and leafy little sanctuaries galore out here, so no wonder our greenery has inspired so many myths, legends and fairytales.  From the most ancient collections of trees to the largest man made forests, the iridescent waters of the Lake District to the teetering edges of London, there are storybook-worthy woodlands up and down the country, each home to it’s one little oddities, be it bluebelles, ponies and red squirrels or magical natural wonders. So, whether you’re headed out on a little stroll or a sprawling hike, here are the best forests in the UK. RECOMMENDED:🌈The most colourful places in the UK🏔️The most breathtaking hikes in the UK☀️The most beautiful hidden beaches in the UK🏖️The best places to visit in the UK For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

This year, Halloween lands on a Thursday, but you’ll find plenty of spooky fun in the days and weeks leading up to and following the most frightening day of the year. There’ll be something for everyone in the capital, whether you’re the fearless type who gets a kick out of being terrified to bits or someone who prefers a much gentler encounter with tales from the other side. There’s plenty of fright-filled fun to be had throughout October, whether you want to watch horror films on the big screen, join a lantern-lit ghost tour, learn about London’s graveyards, carve pumpkins, or let your synthetic wigs down over themed cocktails. So when you’re after something strange in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? Time Out London, that’s who! We might not be so great at ghost-busting, but we do know how to sniff out a great activity and event. Check out our list of all the very best Halloween events London has to offer in 2024 for proof and find the party to match your scare tolerance this spooky season.RECOMMENDED: Your ultimate guide to Halloween in London

We made it – autumn is finally here. Say goodbye to the sticky, sweaty days of summer and hello to crunchy carpets of leaves and pumpkin spice everything. It’s also the time of year for a hell of a party, with Halloween bringing with it all kinds of spooky celebrations – from family-friendly frights, movie screenings, pumpkin picking and scary nightlife so good it could raise the dead taking over the capital this month. October isn’t just about dressing up like a half-dead corpse or sexy version of a viral meme, though. This month is also overflowing with cultural highlights, whether you’re a movie buff or bookworm. The BFI London Film Festival returns, as does the London Literature Festival and the Bloomsbury Festival. It’s also Black History Month in the UK, and you can expect many of London’s major institutions to throw events to mark the occasion. On the art scene, there’s a wealth of new exhibitions not to be missed, from a major new Hew Locke show at the British Museum, Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst’s AI installation The Call at the Serpentine and a huge group exhibition of Indian art at the Barbican all open. Plus, it’s time for the annual iconic art fair Frieze to return, uniting some of the world’s best art galleries in one place. It’s also a jam-packed month for theatre. Make a beeline to see the West End transfer of Max Webster’s Macbeth (starring David Tennant), Robert Icke’s adaptation of Oedipus, and Armando Iannucci’s take on Stanley Kubrick’s classic Dr Stran

There’s no better excuse than Christmas to plop yourself on the sofa, put on a Yuletide classic and not move for hours. But, if you can bear to pull yourself off the couch (and, trust us, you should), you can experience all the joy of festive film-watching but elevated at one of London’s many Crimbo movie screenings. Cinema snacks are infinitely better than ones you have to make yourself at home and who else will you laugh, groan and cry along with if you’re all on your own in the house? If you need more reason to head out to the flicks, London’s going to give it to you. You want special? It’s got it, from cinema sing-alongs to Christmas movies like ‘The Holiday’ and ‘Love Actually’ accompanied by live orchestras. Here are the best Christmas movie events the capital has to offer in 2024. RECOMMENDED: 🎄 Read our full guide to Christmas in London.🍿 The 50 greatest Christmas movies.

I’ve lived in this city for four years and have lived in four different properties in that time. A London baby, I know – but still long enough to have learned a thing or two about the capital’s treacherous rental market. My first London home was a strange-smelling shoebox above an agave bar on Kingsland Road. The second? A recently renovated Victorian townhouse with a garden which a former flatmate snagged for bargain rates during the pandemic (we begrudgingly moved out when the landlord raised rent by a sweet 60 percent). Fast forward through a month at an ex’s and now I’m living in a shared house in a decent area, paying below average rent with an (actually!) nice landlord. Hell, it’s not perfect, but I could be doing a lot worse.   The art of finding a good room to rent in the capital is an art you’ll slowly learn to master – often because you won’t have much other choice. Those horror stories about evil landlords, bidding wars, impossible flatmate interviews and viewing queues down the street? Not to scare you, but there’s some truth in them.  RECOMMENDED: 23 things you should know before moving to LondonLondoners on their subletting horror storiesInside the murky world of property guardianships There is, of course, the bog-standard advice you shouldn’t overlook when searching for a room: don’t rent somewhere with mould (it probably won’t go away), always do the viewing in person, and don’t take that flat on the other side of the river to your pals (you won’t make the jo

I moved to this city in the deep, dark depths of the pandemic. My first flat was, obviously, awful. The landlord was dodgy (shock). It was full of mould. The shower was next to the kitchen and had no door. Still, though, I look back on those days fondly. One rare sunny afternoon we climbed out of my flatmate’s window to sit on the roof, drinking homemade Bloody Marys and blasting the Bad Boy Chiller Crew from a box speaker into the sticky, polluted air of Kingsland Road. We got quite a few glares from passers-by, but also a fair amount of smiles.  Whether you’re moving here for study, work, family, or another reason, your first months in London will be challenging, but you’ll probably look back on them with such fogged-up rose-tinted glasses it will hardly matter anyway. Use this time to meet as many new people as you can and to make mistakes. Be broke, go to M&M world (don’t actually), get lost on the tube. That said, there are some things I wish I’d known before coming here. Hindsight is a blessing, as they say. But we’re not gatekeepers, so we asked Time Out staff to share their top tricks and tips for anyone moving to the capital. Some of these folks have been born and bred here. Others are adopted Londoners, like you might well be one day. Listen up, take note, and good luck. 

Black eyes stare blankly from a head encased in white plaster. Water ripples over the face of a dead SS prison guard floating in a German canal. A white-capped nurse strokes the head of a skeletal dying child. Photojournalist Lee Miller captured some of the most arresting images of World War II: her black-and-white photographs serving as ​​frank yet compassionate observations of the reality of conflict.   These extraordinary images have been brought to life in Lee, a new film starring Kate Winslet. It charts Miller’s career as a war correspondent for British Vogue taking photographs of the devastating aftermath of the London Blitz before doggedly fighting to become one of the first female photojournalists to follow the US army as it advanced over the front lines. Along the way she encountered the Liberation of Paris, the battle of Saint-Malo and the liberation of the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps, capturing some of the first photographic evidence of the Holocaust.   © Lee Miller Archives, England 2024. All rights reserved. leemiller.co.ukFarleys garden, Farleys House In one of her most famous shots, Miller herself bathes topless in Hitler’s bathtub in his abandoned flat in Munich. A portrait of the dictator is propped against the tiles and Miller’s boots – caked with dirt from Dachau where she’d been earlier that morning – sit symbolically on the bath mat. The photograph was taken on April 30, 1945. Hitler would kill himself later that day.  Until recently, thes

If you’re as nosy as we are, you probably spend weeks looking forward to September’s annual Open House festival, which gives curious Londoners the chance to pull out their best Loyd Grossman impression and go through the keyholes (and doors) of some of the capital’s biggest, most renowned and most secretive addresses for free. As always, a whole load of top-grade real estate across nearly every London borough is open for snooping during the festival, which continues this week. Here is everything you need to know about Open House London, 2024.  What is Open House London? A huge festival dedicated to making the capital’s architectural spaces accessible to all. It allows entry to private homes, government buildings and historic sites that are normally closed to the public and just waiting to be explored. Some of the buildings offer free tours, others are simply open to walk-in visitors. It’s the largest event of its kind in the world and features walks, talks and tours as well as the chance to nose around intriguing London places you’d never usually get to enter. When is Open House London? The 2024 edition started on Saturday, and runs until this coming Saturday September 22. Where is Open House London?  Hundreds of buildings across all of London’s boroughs, plus the City of London, will be taking part. It’s a vast sprawl, so you’ll need to dedicate some time to planning what you’d like to see. If you want to visit multiple locations, check the Open House website in advance fo

What is it?  Dennis Severs’ House is a time capsule attraction which immerses visitors in a unique form of theatre. Part museum, part art piece, the ten rooms of this original Huguenot house have been decked out to recreate snapshots of life in Spitalfields between 1724 and 1914. An escorted tour through the compelling ‘still-life drama’, as its eccentric American creator Dennis Severs put it, takes you through the cellar, kitchen, dining room, smoking room and upstairs to the bedrooms.  With the hearth smoking, candles burning smells lingering and objects scattered around apparently haphazardly, it feels as though the inhabitants had deserted the rooms only moments before. It’s a real immersive experience, plunging you straight into the past.  There are a range of tours to pick from including self-guided silent tours, informal tours which are best for children, tours guided by actors and one-off behind the scenes tours revealing the hidden secrets of the place.  Why go?  This ornate Huguenot house tucked down a backstreet in Spitalfields is a real-life time capsule. If you’ve ever wanted to go back in time, this is the next best thing.  Don’t miss:  The house is particularly special over the Christmas period when all the rooms are covered with period decorations with gingerbread figures and figgy pudding mix laid out in the 18th-century kitchen, Christmas trees covered in crimson and a lavish holiday feast set out on the dining room table. When to visit:  Fri 12 noon-9pm, Sa

What is it?  When he wasn’t designing notable buildings (among them the original Bank of England), Sir John Soane (1753-1837) obsessively collected art, furniture and architectural ornamentation. In the nineteenth century, he turned his house into a museum to which, he said, ‘amateurs and students’ should have access. The result is this perfectly amazing place. Much of the museum’s appeal derives from the domestic setting. The modest rooms were modified by Soane with ingenious devices to channel and direct daylight and to expand space, including walls that open out like cabinets to display some of his many paintings (Canaletto, Turner, Hogarth) and the Breakfast Room, which has a beautiful domed ceiling, inset with convex mirrors. There are also numerous examples of Soane’s eccentricity, not least the cell for his imaginary monk ‘Padre Giovanni’. The Museum has also opened Soane's private apartment and Model Room to the public. Until 2015 the apartments had not been open to visitors for over 160 years, so guests paying a visit to the fully restored model room, bedroom, bathroom, book passage, oratory and morning room will get a true glimpse of London's past. The recently restored Drawing Office, where Soane’s draughtsmen and pupils worked on his architectural projects, has also been opened to the public for the first time in 200 years.  Why go?  One of the most bewitching and fascinating buildings in London, Sir John Soane’s House is a beautiful time capsule.  Don’t miss:  Th

What is it?  Anywhere calling itself the Design Museum had better have an architecturally fabulous building to hold its archive, and London’s design HQ achieved just that in 2016 when it relocated from its former home on the side of the Thames near Tower Bridge to a new-and-improved building by British architect John Pawson. With its shiny Pringle-shaped parabolic roof and colossal atrium, it’s both an awe-inspiring presence and also a trove of the world's finest design. Founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, the museum shows off the most innovative design in the world, and shows how it can help the planet and humanity to thrive. It began life as part of an independent project by the V&A museum and brought garments from Issey Miyake and tech from Sony to London. It then took over a former banana warehouse in the Docklands where it staged groundbreaking exhibitions including the first UK showcases of Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Eileen Gray. Its new digs are bigger and brighter and hold multiple gallery spaces and learning environments.  Its permanent collection is an important record of the key designs that have shaped the modern world, telling the history of mass production and the digital revolution and spans all aspects of design including architecture, fashion, furniture, product, graphic design and transport. Its temporary exhibitions are often big-scale affairs like its Stanley Kubrick exhibition and its focus on Californian design.  Why go?  To understand ho

What is it? The IWM London was given a major, £30 million refit in recent years, with new 3000 square metre Holocaust and World War II galleries opening in autumn 2021 after six years of renovations. In its new, modern guise it has devoted a lot of attention to making sure the exhibits and temporary exhibitions tell a well-rounded, big picture of war, looking at the human side of conflict with a rich programme that takes in everything from war and its impact on mental health to the role soldiers from across the world played in WWI and WWII.  Visitors to the Lambeth landmark arrive in the Central Hall, an attention- grabbing repository of major artefacts: guns, tanks and aircraft, including a Spitfire used by West Riding RAF Squadron on 57 missions, to the wreckage of a Land Rover operated by press agency Reuters on the Gaza Strip. Extensive World War I galleries occupy the rest of the ground floor, and feature over 1300 objects encompassing weapons, uniforms, diaries, keepsakes, film and art. The new World War II galleries are even larger, displaying 1500 items, while the first floor leads into new World War II galleries.  The museum’s third floor space is dedicated to temporary exhibitions, while the fifth floor Lord Ashcroft galleries display the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses alongside accounts of the individuals who earned them in a permanent display called ‘Extraordinary Heroes’. Why go? To get a full and rich picture of the conflicts that have shaped ou

What is it?  It’s something when a museum can lay claim to having been opened as Queen Victoria’s last public engagement. In 1899, the current premises of the V&A enjoyed that privilege. It has gone on to become one of the world’s – let alone London’s – most magnificent museums. It is a superb showcase for applied arts from around the globe, appreciably calmer than its tearaway cousins the Science Museum and Natural History Museum on the other side of Exhibition Road. All three museums would be must-visits in another city, but it is the sheer beauty of the V&A that keeps it closest to our hearts. The details? There are some 150 grand galleries over seven floors. They contain countless pieces of furniture, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, posters, jewellery, metalwork, glass, textiles and dress, spanning several centuries. You could run through the highlights for the rest of this guide, but key artefacts include the seven Raphael Cartoons, painted in 1515 as tapestry designs for the Sistine Chapel; the finest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture outside Italy; the Ardabil carpet, the world’s oldest and arguably most splendid floor covering, in the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art; and the Luck of Edenhall, a 13th-century glass beaker from Syria. The fashion galleries run from 18th-century court dress right up to contemporary chiffon numbers, while the architecture gallery has videos, models, plans and descriptions of various styles. Over more than a decade, the V&A’s ongoin

What is it?  There’s a reason why Alexandra Palace is known as the 'People's Palace'. Technically, it’s because it was built in response to the Crystal Palace being relocated south of the river, in order to give north Londoners something to be proud of too, but it also fits that Alexandra Palace has welcomed and entertained everyone who’s stepped through its threshold over its long 165-year history. The place itself looks out over north London from a height. Its altitude rewards casual walkers with spectacular views, and its commanding location and 190-odd acres of leafy parkland mean it's often mistaken for a magnificent palace of regal importance. In reality, it's an offbeat arts/entertainment centre that's making a renewed bid to pull in Londoners for nights out, after decades in the doldrums. In 2018, it re-opened the massive theatre space that had been out of action for decades, giving it a makeover that left its most picturesquely crumbling bits intact. In the years since, it's offered a mix of touring large-scale plays, seated gigs, and kids' shows. The adjoining East Court is back in action too, offering an airy conservatory-like space where theatregoers can drink, mingle and take tea. These additions join the venue's existing indoor ice-skating rink, expo hall and a vast gig space where you can catch big names and the odd clubbing event. The renovation has marked a new chapter in Ally Pally's history. Built in 1873 as a palace for the people, it has experienced bad l

What is it? Did you know until 2003 a hidden underground railway, separate from the tube network, used to ferry post across the capital? It’s just one of the secrets hidden in The Postal Museum, which contains records dating from 1636 including reports, maps, posters and photos, plus stamps and objects documenting the development of the Post Office. Run by the Postal Heritage Trust, a charity responsible for the archive and museum collections of Royal Mail, the museum has five zones exploring 500 hundred years of the postal world’s most significant events, with interactive exhibits, sculptures and sheets of rare stamps. Ogle at a gold Olympic post box, decipher Morse code at a 1930s writing bureau, take on the role of a Mail Coach guard in an interactive game and watch films by the General Post Office’s own film unit including ‘Night Mail’ with words by W H Auden and music from Benjamin Britten.   Why go?  You’ll see your letters in a whole new light after visiting this deep-dive into the Post Office’s 500-year history.  Don’t miss:  Make sure you ride on the Mail Rail, a clandestine set of tunnels originally opened in 1927 and used to shuttle post around London for almost 80 years before its closure in 2013. When to visit:  Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm Ticketing info:  £17.60, young person £12.20, child £10. Ticket includes unlimited access to The Postal Museum for one year from the date of your visit and one ride on Mail Rail, valid on your first visit to the Museum. Time Out ti

What is it?  Since The O2 opened in 2007, transforming the endlessly floundering Millennium Dome in Greenwich into a multi-entertainment centre, it’s seen people flock in their thousands to see one giant superstar after the next grace its stage. Everyone from Barbara Streisand, Prince and Madonna to Kendrick Lamar, Rosalia and Megan Thee Stallion have packed the house.  Still, The O2's sprawling 20,000-seat arena isn't the only thing to recommend. The smaller, less attention-grabbing Indigo2 is a good place to catch soulful crooners and the centre also houses an 11-screen cinema, outlet shops, restaurants, a Hollywood Bowl, an indoor skydiving centre and the immersive theatre experience Mamma Mia The Party.  Why go?  For music, cinema, shopping and plenty more in between.  Don’t miss:  If you’ve ever wondered what London looks like from 53 metres above North Greenwich, the arena’s Up at The O2 experience can give you an insight. The experience AAA lets you walk on the roof of the Arena, attached to a harness of course. You’ll be led up by a guide where you can breathe in the fresh air, take a selfie or two and discover some facts about London’s landmarks before heading back down. Time Out tip:  This place is huge. Do a little bit of research before heading over to find out the best way to get the entrance that’ll place you closest to the bit you’re looking for in this massive complex. Discover our guide to the very best things to do in London.

What is it?  To cut a long story short, Hampton Court Palace was originally built by Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, as a showy country retreat to host state visits. Unfortunately, he did such a grand job of out-blinging the king, that Henry pretty much seized Hampton Court Palace from Wolsey as compensation when the Pope wouldn’t let him divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon so he could shack up with Anne Boleyn. Thus history was made. Hampton Court Palace has long been remembered as the Tudors’ stomping ground and some of the wondrous sixteenth-century quarters that still stand proud remain the best bits to visit. Like the kitchens, which once housed the factory-sized production team that fed around 600 people in court twice daily. Or sniff out the spice rooms and cellars, where the king stashed his goodies, including French wine, local game and Italian olives. For those wanting to delve deeper, see if you can track down and tack onto one of the free talks or tours, which run at regular intervals. Or, for a little more excitement, have a look for the resident LARPers, who act out ‘encounters with the past’ (including meeting Henry VIII’s courtiers) in full costume in various places around the palace. The history of this place isn’t solely devoted to the Tudors, of course. The building’s royal allegiance extended to King James, too, who invited none other than Shakespeare himself to host a series of Christmas plays at the palace. Following that the Georgian Kin

What is it?  Since Victorian times, the zoological gardens in Regent’s Park have amused and enlightened visitors of all ages, but in the past 15 years, the Zoological Society London has changed the proposition here beyond recognition. Gradually the 36-acre park has been rebuilt to support conservation, ensure animal welfare and to make your animal encounter a more inspiring experience. The displays are ever-evolving and the Zoo’s staff are always concocting ingenious ways to expose visitors to the natural habitats and routines of the animals. A South American coastline has been mocked up for the penguins, which you can see from the stands or up close through windows looking directly into the water. The gorillas have full use of an entire African-like kingdom, and the Gir Lion Lodge, where you can stay the night (for real) near – note not with, thankfully – Asiatic lions. A night in one of these sweet little huts can set you back £435 at peak periods for two adults, which includes a two-course dinner, a full English in the morning, free parking at the Zoo (something that’s unheard of in the Camden borough!), an after-hours tour and a complimentary drink on arrival. This is as wild as wildlife gets without putting you at risk of being their next meal. Daily events include talks and feeding times, but there are also one-off events throughout the year, including ‘Sunset Safari’ openings on summer evenings. Recent additions to the zoo include Monkey Valley (which opened in 2022, r

What is it? So what did we get for our £8.77bn? In addition to an expectation-busting Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, there's the small matter of those remaining buildings and all that parkland, now officially known as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The immaculate park was first opened to the public in summer 2013, a year after the Games, their paths and waterways enhanced by the new Timber Lodge Café. Next came the Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre, which is open for public swimming and diving sessions, followed by the VeloPark, home to road, track, BMX and mountain biking, and the southern section of the park. The latter comprises all the remaining parkland, including children's play areas, four walking trails and a couple of dozen public artworks. To the north, the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre has two superfast hockey pitches and ten tennis courts (four indoor, six outdoor) – you can just turn up and play, although it might be advisable to book ahead. The retooled Olympic Stadium (renamed the London Stadium) opened most recently, and now plays host to West Ham as well as various athletics championships and big concerts. But the Olympic Park isn’t finished yet. Work is ongoing around its fringes on a crop of new cultural destinations, housing and other bits and bobs.  Why go?  To take in the greenery and look at all the fancy Olympics buildings in London’s newest postcode, E20 (playfully shared with the fictional Walford of ‘EastEnders’ fame).  Don’t miss:

The ArcelorMittal Orbit is currently closed to the public but is due to re-open in 2025. What is it? The curly-wurly red scaffolding tower lords it over the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from its position right alongside the Olympic Stadium. Designed by the artist Anish Kapoor and structural engineer Cecil Balmond, it stands 114.5m (376ft) tall – with lifts (and a 455-step staircase) up to two platforms from which look out on  The Shard, St Paul’s and the Wembley arches. There are also two of Kapoor's entertaining distorting mirrors inside and some newly installed digital telescopes so that you can get closer to the views. Since 2017 it’s also been home to the world’s longest tunnel slide. It’s been closed since the start of 2024 due to maintenance work and the previous management contract coming to an end. However, Welsh adventure brand Zip World will be taking over operations of the site and is set to relaunch it in early 2025. The company is investing £2.6 million in the tower and is working with local planning authorities to open a ‘first-of-its-kind adventure’.  Why go? Built to mark the London 2012 Olympics, the Orbit is the UK’s largest public sculpture. It was projected to see around 350,000 visitors per year but since opening has only had 1.2 million.  Discover our guide to the very best things to do in London.

Fancy yourself a bit of an oenophile? Then you’ll probably already know that this coming Thursday is a pretty big day in the wine world. That’s because the third Thursday of November is Beaujolais Nouveau Day, i.e. the first day on which this year’s bottles of the good stuff are allowed to be sold. A gamay grape wine from the Beaujolais district of Burgundy, Beaujolais Nouveau is one of the few varieties of plonk that’s sold during the same year in which it’s produced. The juicy red has gained a bit of a following in London in recent years, with many of the capital’s favourite wine bars throwing special events to celebrate the cult cuvée. Here are some we especially like the look of.  Gordon’s Beaujolais Breakfast If Beaujolais Nouveau Day is the equivalent of Christmas in your world, then Gordon’s should be the first place you head to on the Big Day. London’s oldest wine bar is playing every oenophile’s St Nick, letting you sip on glasses of the good stuff bright and early from 8am on, so you can sample this year’s crop before everyone else. They’ll be serving up Full English brekkies to soak up all the booze, and nice strong coffees for anyone needing to sober up quickly. All the same, we’d probably still advise going into the office on this particular Thursday. Gordon’s Wine Bar. Thu Nov 16. Free entry. Top Cuvée Beaujolais Nouveau Masterclass If there’s a burgeoning trend on the British wine scene, you can bet that London’s most ‘banter’ wine merchants will be heavily i

Like NFTs and Orlando Bloom, sherry has long been tipped by those in the know to be due its big moment of glory, but somehow the giddy heights of ultimate popularity never came. No matter how successfully the fortified wine has shaken off its reputation as the sickly sweet drink your Gran would drag out every Christmas, unlike port or tequila, sherry has never fully experienced its moment in the sun. But, passing over the Spanish delicacy is a big fat miss on the part of any discerning oenophile. ‘Sherry is actually the driest wine in the world because of the way it's made,’ says Sandra, bar manager at Spanish importer and restaurant group Brindisa. ‘There are lots of completely different styles that are dry, fresh, salty and refreshing.’ The Jerez-made wine also has a far more storied heritage than you might think. ‘Sherry is a super classic ingredient in traditional mixology,’ says Sandra. ‘If you go to that golden era of mixology in the 18th and early 19th centuries you get a lot of sherry and old recipe books feature a lot of it too.’ A drink called the ‘Sherry Cobbler’ became hugely popular in the 1840s coinciding with the invention of the drinking straw, while another sherry cocktail, the ‘Artist’s Special’, was invented in Paris in the 1930s, becoming a favourite with Picasso and other artists living in the city at the time.  This week – November 6 to 12 – marks National Sherry Week and in celebration of its glitzy history we’ve rounded up the very best sherry cocktail

London is pretty stressful, right? In fact, complaining about stress – that annoying neighbour playing hardcore techno right under your bedroom ceiling every night or the mindfuck of trying to exit any Central line platform at Oxford Circus – is a time-honoured London pastime. But if you were forced to relax and then timed on how long it takes you to reach a calm level of zen? Well, that might well sound like the most disquieting experience of them all. However, in the name of peace and tranquillity, that’s exactly what’s coming to London this month.  The Extreme Relaxing UK Championships will be landing in the Kia Oval, a venue usually known for anxiety-inducing cricket matches. It’s Europe’s first-ever competitive event dedicated to relaxing and involves 30 frazzled people going head-to-head to see who can achieve a relaxed state against the clock in the face of stressful ‘obstacles’.  Each contestant will have their resting heart rate taken before competing in three heats. They’ll be tested, scientifically, for their speed at relaxing and their ability to recover from stressful surprises like car alarms and jarring TV clips, presumably playing scenes like accidentally cc’ing the wrong person into a *sensitive* email chain or being made to re-watch the Lionesses’ penalty shootout against Nigeria in the Fifa World Cup this week. The winner will be able to take these fraught experiences in their stride and reach a state of calm in the fastest time possible.  It may all sound

London is already doing its bit to reassess the patriarchy. The city is home to The Women’s Library at the London School of Economics and The Feminist Library in Peckham, and now a new glass-ceiling mashing institution is about to join the feminist fold.  Barking and Dagenham Council has announced plans to open a Women’s Museum later this year. If you live around Barking Wharf Square you may have already spotted the future site which is covered with a mural designed by artist Clare Mason displaying a timeline of local women’s history stretching from 600AD to the present day and featuring female trailblazers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Muriel Lester and Doris Lester, Sandie Shaw and Zara McFarlane.  Psst! There’s no better day than #InternationalWomensDay to share a little SNEAK PEAK of what we're working on to celebrate the amazing women from our borough. Keep your eyes peeled 👀 for more info coming soon. #WomensMuseum pic.twitter.com/V70MgpdjsU — Barking and Dagenham (@lbbdcouncil) March 8, 2023 The space, which is linked to the local history service at timber-beamed Tudor manor Valence House Museum and Archives, aims to ‘showcase the history, heritage, stories and role of women from the local area and beyond.’ Due to open in late 2023, the programming will kick off with an exhibition by curator and artist Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf on the Abbesses of Barking Abbey, exploring how the former Royal Monastery was home to radical and highly-educated women

London has one of the best public transport systems in the world. But anyone who’s spent a hot, sticky journey on the coach to Luton Airport or faced a long meandering trundle down the Piccadilly Line stressing about making a flight at Heathrow knows that travelling to the capital’s airports can be a trying experience.  That’s where the Heathrow Express comes in: the Uber executive of train journeys, the snazzy express service whisks passengers from Paddington Station to Heathrow Airport in just 15 minutes, making it the fastest direct rail route between central London and the UK’s biggest airport. But there’s a hefty price to pay for the speedy journey. The Heathrow Express is the second most expensive rail journey in Britain, costing £25, or £1.50 per mile for the 16.5-mile trip. This didn’t stop the Heathrow Express from generating a whopping £31 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2019, with people opting to pay a premium for stress-free travel. But things might be about to change for the high-speed service.  According to reports seen by The Times, the opening of the Elizabeth Line appears to have made a dent in the Express’s revenues. Heathrow Express’s passenger numbers apparently haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels despite flights at the airport being pretty much back to normal. Heathrow said revenues from Heathrow Express in the first three months of 2023 were at £22 million – a third less than during the first quarter of 2019. The new Lizzy Line gets you t

It’s that time of year again when the Michelin Guide bestows its shiny stars on the great and the good of the British and Irish restaurant scene. Yep, it’s Michelin awards ceremony day when chefs across the two nations wait in anticipation to see who has received new stars (and retained them) for 2023.   Whether or not you think that the awards are too highbrow, too European or too dwindling in relevancy, there’s no denying the clout that the big fat white man mascot still holds. Plus, those little stars can have a huge impact on a restaurant’s footfall, which is especially important right now after years of turbulence thanks to the pandemic, not to mention inflation, and rising food and energy costs.   As any proud London foodie knows, the capital is home to a wealth of brilliant restaurants. So it’s no surprise that London’s dining rooms usually occupy a good chunk of Michelin’s list. This year, there are four new one-star restaurants in the capital and two new two-stars. No new three stars were awarded in London this year. Only one restaurant has been given the proverbial chop and lost a star: Seven Park Place in Mayfair. Sadly one of the restaurants that held a Michelin star in 2022 has permanently closed: The Glasshouse in Kew.  Here’s the full list of new Michelin stars for London restaurants, and who’s in, and who’s out.  Which London restaurants have won a 2023 Michelin star? NEW ONE-STARS Cycene, Shoreditch – Theo Clench Luca, Clerkenwell – Robert Chambers St Ba

It rains in London. Lots. Even in the summer. It can also be quite chilly. This means you’ll frequently find Londoners on the hunt for interesting places to hide away from the elements. So, it’s sweet relief to know that our fine capital city houses the UK’s most popular indoor attraction, which surely makes it the UK’s very best indoor attraction (that’s what we’re claiming, anyway).  A ranking of visitor numbers by The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions has crowned the much-loved Natural History Museum in South Kensington the most-visited indoor attraction in the country. According to the data, a whopping 4,654,608 people passed through the grand doors of Alfred Waterhouse’s landmark romanesque building in 2022.  It’s no wonder that visitors flock to the capital’s cathedral of nature. The 142-year-old museum and research centre is home to more than 80 million items, including a cup made from a human skull, a life-size animated T-Rex, an earthquake simulator, cabinets full of sparkling gemstones and beautiful glass models of marine invertebrates. Even the entrance hall has a massive 25-metre-long blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling (called Hope, fyi). What’s more, it’s totally free to see all the main collections making it the perfect spot for a family-friendly day out or a fun pitstop to hide away from the weather on a day out.  The Cromwell Road institution isn’t the only indoor attraction in London to make the list. Ranked close behind it are the British

Huge news for anyone with a bladder who travels through London Waterloo Station on the reg: the UK’s busiest rail terminus is getting a massive toilet refresh, which will include the addition of gender-neutral lavs to ‘improve inclusivity’.  It’s all part of a big project to make the passenger experience at the station better. It involves giving the bathrooms a complete revamp with new and improved facilities and the installation of a ‘balanced number of female and male facilities’ as well as the new gender-neutral loos. Extra baby-changing areas and better access for those with reduced mobility are also promised. Network Rail has even released a fancy CGI graphic of what the new lavs will look like.  Photograph: Network Rail Construction of the new WCs is due to start in mid-February and be completed during the summer. Cem Davis, Network Rail’s London Waterloo station manager, hoped the new facilities ‘will make journeys a lot more pleasant and comfortable’. Ironically, given its name, Waterloo needs a real lav spruce-up. It’s repeatedly crowned the busiest railway station in the UK (an estimated 41 million passengers passed through its concourse in the 12 months to the end of March 2022). And it’s pretty clear that London is long overdue better toilets in general. A report from ​The London Assembly in 2021 found 90 percent of Londoners thought there weren’t enough public toilets in the capital, while another survey from the same year found 30 percent of the city’s so-call

Not since Bimini Bon Boulash sashayed down the runway on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ back in 2021 has anyone become a nationally revered gay icon as fast as Amanda Lovett from ‘The Traitors’.  The BBC reality TV show described as ‘the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust’ became an unlikely hit at the end of last year. The premise: 22 people are taken to a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands. Among their number are three ‘traitors’ – a group of contestants selected by host Claudia Winkleman and tasked with covertly ‘murdering’ the other players – the ‘faithfuls’ – without being detected to steal a £120,000 prize fund for themselves. Basically, it’s a chaotic, long and very emotional version of ‘wink murder’.  Out of all the players, Welsh grandmother Amanda – who was picked as a ‘traitor’ on the first day of the contest – quickly stole our hearts. Her camp mix of warm, maternal energy and merciless ability to mastermind the perfect game-playing strategy made it feel like she’d wandered straight out of a Love of Huns Insta post.  It was only a matter of time before Amanda – aka the Welsh Dragon – did the rounds of the UK’s premier LGBTQ+ venues and tonight you’ll find her at Clapham’s long-established gay pub and club The Two Brewers.  She’ll be appearing at The Betray Ball alongside drag queen host Poppycock (who may or may not be channelling Winkleman in an overly chunky knitted jumper) for a meet and greet where guests can snap a picture with the star and catc

Move over sourdough – who wants to be reminded of that soggy starter you nursed like a Tamagotchi in deepest, darkest lockdown anyway? A new doughy delight has started flying off the shelves of bakeries around the world and now it’s arrived in London.  Sweet and pillowy soft, shokupan (aka Japanese milk bread) is taking over sourdough and focaccia as the internet’s bread du jour. Incredibly photogenic – you’ve probably seen your feed filling up with pictures of intricately sliced ‘sandos’ packed with neat stripes of rainbow-hued fillings – and with a unique, chewy texture, the bread sits somewhere between a bog-standard white loaf and brioche on the taste and texture scale and it’s now selling out in specialist bakeries everywhere from LA to Australia.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Happy Sky Bakery (@happyskybakery) In Tokyo, scores of cafes and bakeries churn out hundreds of the squishy white loaves daily where they’re served plain, toasted, in sandwiches, or shaped into cute animals and decorated with fruit. Its cloud-like fluffiness and milky sweetness are down to something called the ‘tangzhong’ method, where the baking process begins by mixing a tiny amount of flour with water or milk to create a base and give the bread a unique chewy bite, a bit like mochi.  Now Londoners can get their teeth into a slice at Hammersmith’s artisan Japanese bakery, Happy Sky. The only catch? It’ll set you back a bit at £11.40 per loaf.

Following in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran, Mark Wahlberg and Krept & Konan, ‘Emily in Paris’ actor Lucien Laviscount is the latest celebrity to join the London hospitality scene.  The 30-year-old who plays Alfie in the series has teamed up with restauranter Zac Lichman and head chef Gareth Drew (formerly of Nobu and Buddha Bar) to open The Wealthy Beggar in Kensal Rise.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Wealthy Beggar (@wealthybeggar.london) Described as a ‘five star dive bar’, the new joint has a speakeasy atmos, a menu packed with tropical cocktails and Pan-Asian tapas to soak them up with. Tipples include the ‘Loaded Dice’ – a piña colada style concoction with watermelon, banana, coconut, pineapple and three types of rum, and the ‘Velvet Hand’ which mixes together fresh pomegranate cordial, sparkling wine and apple-infused brandy. And from the kitchen, there’s an opulent selection of snacks including wagyu tartare with whipped foie gras and cheeseburger dumplings with kimchi ketchup. Fancy.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Wealthy Beggar (@wealthybeggar.london) But, perhaps the most exciting news is that they’ve teamed up with none other than dub and reggae legend Don Letts, who‘ll be overseeing the programming for the new venue, including live music every Wednesday, DJ sets and weekend parties. There’s even a recording studio on the bar’s lower floor.  View this

Alexandra Palace has been through a lot over its 149-year history. Just 16 days after opening in 1873 the whole building was gutted by a huge fire (before being quickly rebuilt and reopened with – what else? – a massive fireworks display). It also survived another big blaze in 1980 that burnt large chunks of it to the ground. In between these flaming disasters, the ‘People’s Palace’ has also been used as a refugee centre and an internment camp during WWI, all the while working its way into London’s heart with its annual bonfire displays, roster of electrifying gigs and a whole load of whacky events from the World Darts Championship to Red Bull’s whacky races style soapbox run. But now Ally Pally is facing taxing times again. As if we needed any more reasons to be bitter about the cost-of-living crisis, it looks like the UK’s crap economic situation is taking its toll on the finances of the Haringey landmark. Turns out massive Grade-II listed Victorian buildings are quite hard to heat and rapidly rising energy costs mean the price of keeping the drafty pile warm has surged. A recent report from The Alexandra Park and Palace Charity Trust, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said costs to run the building have rocketed by 132 percent, largely due to soaring energy prices. It warned the building may run up an operating deficit of £1.1 million this year. A pretty terrifying figure that may even reach £2 million next year. The venue has said it’s putting in cost-cuttin