Amy Houghton

May truly is one of London’s finest months if you ask us. Not only is the city pleasantly warm and bursting with colourful spring blooms, but everyone is giddy with the possibilities of the coming summer. And most excitingly of all, there are not one, but two bank holidays on which to embark on inaugural rooftop bar excursion of the summer, rock out at one of the year’s first music festivals, lounge about in your favourite park, check out all those must-see exhibitions you’ve been meaning to catch or escape the city on a day trip or mini-break. And if that isn’t enough to keep you entertained, here’s our guide to the best events, parties, pop-ups and things to do in May 2026 in London. You’re in for one sweet, sweet month. London’s best things to do in May at a glance: 🪩 Best for party people: GALA Festival 🌷 Best for botanists: RHS Chelsea Flower Show  🎶 Best for pop music stans: Mighty Hoopla  ✏️ Best for something new: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration 🎭 Best for theatre-goers: 1536 on the West End 🧒🏻 Best for families: Jurassic Creatures at the Natural History Museum

We’ve made it through the most depressing month of the year, the endless wait for that post-Christmas payday is finally over, and festival season 2026 is on our minds. By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, but you’ll be glad to know that most of the south London park’s usual lineup of events will return in 2026, with Cross The Tracks, Field Day and Mighty Hoopla all in the diary for late May. And the line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Lily Allen, Blood Orange and Deftones all set to take to London stages come the summer. Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

July is the month where London really lets its collective hair down and has some fun. It's just too hot to stay cooped up indoors so everyone descends on lidos en masse, or assembles in fun-seeking hordes at rooftop bars, beer gardens and alfresco restaurants. We can already taste the sweet, sweet golden hour Aperol Spritz.  And as ever, this year's July line-up of massive festivals and other prospects that are exciting enough tempt you away from yet another tinny in the park. Some massive music names are descending on central London for BST Hyde Park, ravers will be heading west for Junction 2, electronic music artists from around the world are playing Labyrinth by the Thames. Or, if you like your outdoor entertainment to be deeply weird and feline-inspired, spring for the long-awaited revival of Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.  Other London music festivals are popping off throughout the month, and it’s also a chance to take in the city’s lavender and sunflower fields, which are going to be at their blooming loveliest. Here’s our guide to the best exhibitions, shows and things to do this July 2026 in London.  RECOMMENDED: The definitive London events calendar

Whatever your vibe (and whatever your budget), London’s got it all – and anyone will find something they love here. Historic pubs, leafy parks and gardens and an unmatched restaurant scene make this city worth visiting year-round, but before you’ve booked anything in London, you kind of have to know where you’re going to be based. To get you started, we’ve rounded up the city’s best Airbnbs available to book right now, with expert tips from our local editors. And, new for 2026 is our top Airbnb, a garden flat in Leyton, perfect for a summer BBQ! Should I choose an Airbnb or a hotel in London? London is not short on lovely hotels, ranging from budget to luxury and just about everything in between. But it’s fair to say that even the cheaper options cost a pretty penny – and you’ll often find them in more central, touristy areas in the city. If you want to live like a Londoner, an Airbnb can allow you to properly immerse yourself in a more residential area of London – and all the locally-loved bars, pubs and restaurants that come with it. You’ll find lots of our local tips below, but for a detailed breakdown of the best neighbourhoods to stay in London, check out our ultimate area guide. More of a hotels guy? No problem. Here’s our list of the best hotels in London.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, our writers have based our list on expert knowledge of the de

Tell someone you’re taking a city break to Belgium and you’re generally met with a painfully unenthusiatic ‘oh, that’s cool’. For one reason or another, that small nation bordered by holiday heavyweights like France and the Netherlands, has long been cursed with a reputation for being the most beige country on the continent. Travellers are slowly starting to see through that myth, though. Increasingly, people are booking trips to the likes of Brussels for its grand political prestige, Antwerp for its fashion crowd or Bruges for its historical cobbled streets. But what if I told you there’s another Belgian city that gives all three of those, as well as Europe’s more famous cities, a run for their money?  Thirty miles east of Bruges, Ghent is a small and endearing city that’s understatedly cool. It’s packed with stunning cycle routes and environmentally and socially conscious communities, littered with fantastic slow fashion stores and a wealth of organic shops. It’s also the veggie capital of Europe – every week its cafes and restaurants focus on serving plant-based fare as part of the ‘Veggie Thursdays’ initiative – and in 2024 it held the title of the European Youth Capital. Oh, and here’s an adorable fun fact: every time a baby is born in one of Ghent’s maternity wards, parents can press a button that causes the city’s streetlamps to flicker in celebration. Does it get more wholesome than that?  ➡️ READ MORE: The best city breaks in Europe for 2026, picked by Time Out edito

London summer has officially kicked into gear. And that means that the Wimbledon Tennis Championships – aka the oldest, and arguably the very best, tennis tournament in the world – is back very, very soon.  This year the tournament is happening from Monday June 29 - Sunday July 12 2026. Thousands will be descending on SW19 to see the matches go down in real life but live screenings will be peppered all over London for thousands more who missed the ticket ballot or can’t be bothered to queue in the hopes of getting in day of.  With a jug of Pimms in one hand and a punnet of strawberries in the other, you’ll hardly know the difference. Even better – most watch parties won’t cost you a single penny. So, pack your picnic blanket, fill your flask and pull up a pew at a summery screening near you. Most haven't been announced for 2026 yet, but check back and more will be added closer to the time. RECOMMENDED: Our full guide to Wimbledon 2026.

We know that London is the best city in the world. But like any metropolis, it can also get a bit much sometimes. Occasionally, what you want isn’t to drink cocktails in a trendy bar after seeing the hottest Gen Z bedroom popstar at the Islington Assembly Hall, but a little peace and quiet, actually. Enter: the weekend getaway, invented by the Victorians (probably), there’s a reason why Londoners have been taking sojourns to the seaside on sunny bank holidays since the 1800s.  Together, we’ve come up with a cracking list of our favourite day trip destinations near London. There’s something for everyone here, from historic cities and cute villages to sandy beaches and rolling countryside. We've included some recommendations for ace restaurants, quaint little pubs, and our favourite things to do at each destination on the list – all of which are close enough to the city that you can get there and back in one sweet day.  Best day trips from London at a glance 🍔 Best for foodies: Margate 🎭 Best for culture lovers: Stratford-Upon-Avon ⛪ Best for history buffs: Canterbury 🛁 Best for families: Bath 🐴 Best for hikers: New Forest 🍺 Best for pub crawls: Lewes 🏖️ Best for seaside fun: Brighton RECOMMENDED:✨The best day trips an hour from London👪 The best family day trips from London☀️ The best weekend trips from London🏘️ The best Airbnbs near London🌳 The best quirky Airbnbs in the UK This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial conte

In 2026, European travel is shifting fast. We’ve seen overcrowding, overheating and plenty of anti-tourism measures across the continent – and as a result, travellers are actively seeking out quieter, lesser-known destinations away from the tourist crowds. And if that sounds like you, you’re in luck – here at Time Out, underrated destinations are our bread and butter.  This list has been updated for 2026 by Time Out’s global network of local experts who have been to every single destination featured (often multiple times), highlighting destinations that are not only overlooked, but genuinely worth visiting right now. We’ve got alternative Scandinavian city breaks, remote islands only accessible by ferry, and destination dupes for some of Europe’s hottest beach holidays, from the Algarve to the Amalfi Coast.  ➡️ Discover the best city breaks in Europe for 2026 Why travel to underrated destinations in 2026? Sure, we love the classics for a reason. But if you’ve ever queued an hour for a pastry, spent your day’s budget on a coffee or had to book a museum three months in advance, you’ll know why more and more of us are searching for under-the-radar breaks: it’s the crowds. In fact, in some cities – the likes of Amsterdam, Venice, Barcelona – overtourism is so bad, they’ve been forced to clamp down on crowds with anti-tourism measures, from daily visitor limits to outright bans on new hotels. If you’re coming up against these, then we’d say that’s a pretty good reason to head some

Work-dos are a hard art to master. How do you find something that strengthens your team spirit and that everyone in the office, across multiple generations, is actually going to find fun?  Stuck for ideas? You’re in the right place. Whether you’re after some healthy competition among co-workers or an activity that requires all your colleagues to work together, London has a load of classic and quirky ways for your team to let their hair down. So, take notes, we’ve rounded up the best of them. These are some of the top places in the city to go to build your office bonds.  RECOMMENDED: The best office party venues to hire in LondonThe top London venues for a private bash 

The Irish really know how to celebrate, so when it comes to St Patrick’s Day in London, the city’s Celtic community has no problem showing us how it’s done. With an estimated 170,000 expats from the Emerald Isle living in the city, and many more Londoners with Irish heritage, the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint is always one big welcoming bash, involving plenty of dancing, hearty traditional dishes, a huge parade and as many pints of Guinness and drams of whiskey as you can handle. The Mayor of London’s annual St Patrick’s Day Festival celebration will take place on Sunday, March 15 – two days before the official holiday – and, as usual, thousands of revellers are expected to watch the parade wend its way from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square for a giant free party with Irish music, food and performances from 12noon to 6pm. If you don’t fancy braving the crowds of central London for the main event in the capital, there are still plenty of St Patrick’s Day parties and events to check out. We’ll be rounding up the best of them below as they get announced, so you’ve got plenty of time to get planning for a very green week. RECOMMENDED🍻 The best Irish pubs and bars in London☘️ Our ultimate guide to the St Patrick’s Day parade and festival🌱 The best London events in March

The Six Nations rugby tournament is almost wrapped up for another year, but not before one last weekend of action. For the final time in 2026, rugby fans will be taking over boozers, beer gardens and outdoor screens across London on Saturday to watch the three climactic fixtures. And it’s an especially exciting final round this year, with three teams battling it out at the top of the table.  France, Scotland and Ireland all have a shot at taking home the championship trophy, depending on the results of their fixtures, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and the Stade de France in Paris.   You could just watch on your telly at home, but if you’d prefer to catch every scrimmage, try and conversion in a lively atmosphere with a nice freshly-poured Guinness in hand, head to one of the rugby pubs, bars, beer halls, markets and social clubs listed here, where you’ll find free-flowing pints, special guest appearances and countless renditions of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’. RECOMMENDED: More great things to do in London this weekend  Fifth Round Fixtures Here are the final three matches of the Six Nations 2026: Saturday 14 March 2:10pm kickoff – Ireland vs Scotland 4:40pm kickoff – Wales vs Italy 8.10pm kickoff – France vs England Best Spots to Watch Six Nations: At A Glance 🏉 Best for pre-match fun: Bat & Ball, Stratford 🍀 Best for Irish fans: London Irish Centre, Camden 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Best for Welsh fans: London Welsh Centre, Bloomsbury 🍻 Best for big groups: Flat Iron Square, Boroug

London has never exactly been known as a bargain destination. But the good news is that The Capital still has plenty of great places to stay without blowing your entire travel budget. Every hotel on this list has been picked by Time Out’s editors because it offers something special – whether that’s a brilliant location, standout design, or simply excellent prices. Book one of these and you’ll get the kind of buzz only a great deal can deliver. Then spend the money you’ve saved on the really important things. Like, erm… the pub. What do we mean by ‘budget’? In a city like London, ‘budget’ is always relative. Prices can vary hugely depending on the neighbourhood, time of year and even the day of the week, so finding a good deal is often about knowing where to look and booking smart. For this list, we’ve focused on places where rooms come in under £200 a night, with plenty dipping well below the £100 mark if you book ahead or travel off-peak. You’ll also find a few hostels offering dorm beds for as little as £12 per person, making them some of the cheapest ways to stay in the capital. 🛌 Our guide to the best Airbnbs in London What's the cheapest area to stay in London?  Honestly, it depends on what you're looking for! Budget hotels and hostels are scattered all over the city, so it often comes down to how far you’re willing to travel. Central areas like Shoreditch, King’s Cross and parts of the South Bank can still offer surprisingly good-value stays (which means you're in wal

Large, blocky and wrapped in sage green, 1 Hotel Copenhagen is, frankly, unimpressive from the street outside. But any doubts about the place evaporate the moment you push through its revolving doors. Within seconds, the divinely soft scent of pine that ripples through the building has you sighing into a state of bliss. Straight ahead is a cascading set of wooden stairs that look like a flora adorned version of the Met steps, beckoning you up to the palatial, plant-filled atrium and lobby above.  Hotel 1 Copenhagen flung its doors open in August 2025 and is the brand’s second European outpost (after London). The place fits the city like a glove – it’s hard to imagine somewhere better suited to 1 Hotel's simple glamour, laid-back luxury and eco-conscious ethos than the Danish capital.  What are the rooms like at 1 Hotel Copenhagen?  All of the 282 rooms at 1 Hotel are all appropriately Scandi – bright, airy and done out in soft, organic tones. We’re set up in the Junior Suite, which was soaked with natural light and filled with plush cream, reclaimed wood and canvas furnishings. Wherever there’s space for a plant, there is one – on every coffee table, peaking out of  the middle of the sofa or perched next to the bathroom sink.  A lot of thought has gone into making the rooms ultra sustainable, and encouraging the guests to live mindfully. There’s a sand-timer opposite the rainfall shower that keeps you conscious of how much water you’re consuming (in a gentle, non-pass-agg way

Bar Flor is laden with loveliness. You’d expect little else from Aaron Potter and Laura Hart, the chef and interior stylist duo who gave us the ever-so-elegant Wildflowers. One floor above that restaurant is Bar Flor, which comes complete with whimsically hand-painted walls, reminiscent of the interiors of Charleston House, pale wood finishes, cosy velvet-clad pews and gentle, romantic light.  Bar Flor bills itself as a more playful, more spontaneous sister (the Type-B sibling, if you will) to the pristine Type-A restaurant below. The menu is Basque-country inspired – a copious lineup of European wines, vermouths and sherries alongside lager, Basque ciders and cocktails, complemented by a snappy selection of pintxos.  I was pulled towards the cocktails, which range from the house Adonis, made up of Cocchi Torino vermouth, Manzanilla sherry and a dash of orange bitters, to the luxuriously smoky Flor Margarita. Plates of dangerously moreish bar snacks filled the table throughout the evening, arranged on pretty floral plates that look like they’ve been pulled from a Spanish abuela’s kitchen cupboards. Dishes change on a weekly basis, but standouts on the night we visited included the delicate triangles of cave-aged manchego doused in honey, as well as shudderingly salty, briny gildas and (the showstopper) a fried calamari sandwich with garlic aioli oozing over the edges of the crusty bun.  Order this I couldn’t keep my hands off Bar Flor’s Peschiole Martini – a sugary, tangy co

Cameron House is nearly every Scottish stereotype wrapped up in a pristine package.  As we glide down its long drive, the enormous Loch Lomond stretches to the left while baronial towers stand proud to the right, and when we step through its grand front doors, golfers hang about the lobby and bespoke tartan pops up everywhere from the staff uniform to headboards. See? Scottish as hell. Spanning 400-acres, the hotel's high-end touches and abundance of facilities might seem intimidating at first. But, in true Scot fashion, as vast and luxurious as it is, Cameron House somehow still feels homely and down to earth.  Why stay at Cameron House? The bonny vistas over Scotland’s largest loch and the Trossachs National Park are enough reason to stay at Cameron House on their own. But add to that its grand architecture, its endless grounds, its impeccable dining, its proximity to Glasgow, and a night here becomes near irresistible. And if big names mean anything to you, you may be interested to know that it has earned nods of approval from the likes of Barack Obama, Sir Alex Ferguson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Cameron Diaz and Robbie Williams.  It has a compelling history, too. The site was originally home to a castle in the 14th century, which was remodelled in the 17th century. Then, for three centuries, it was home to esteemed Scottish family the Smollets (owner and famous novelist Tobias Smollett famously wrote ‘I have seen Lake Garda, Albana, de Visco, Bolsetta and Geneva. Upon my honour

What is it?  Brockwell Park is a much-needed slab of green (84 acres) just south of Brixton. Locals from the surrounding areas flock here in summer to sun-worship (if they’re lucky), fly kites, play football, swim in the outside pool, garden in the community greenhouses and parade a stunning array of dogs. The vast space was once the private grounds of Brockwell Hall and was opened to the public in 1891 by the London County Council. The hall still stands today and is one of several grade II listed buildings dotted about the park, including the emerald green Tritton Tower Clock, which was gifted to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.  Why go?  It's big, diverse and interesting, with numerous areas to appeal to different tastes, from the calm, rolling meadows around Tulse Hill and walled ‘Old English’ flower garden to the BMX track and sloped football pitches by the Dulwich Road. The playground in Brockwell Park is a favourite, with its aerial slide, massive sandpit and sections for different age groups; nearby you’ll find duck ponds and a huge paddling pool. There’s also a lovely little minature railway open at the weekends May to October, weather permitting – it’s not particularly massive but it’s been just £1 for a return for years now. Don’t miss:  Regular events at the park include circuses and a busy schedule of summer concerts and festivals including Wide Awake, Mighty Hoopla, Field Day and Cross the Tracks. But one of the most beloved annual events is the Lam

Afternoon tea is a classic Mother’s Day activity, so you can’t go wrong with this offering from Biscuiteers, available at both its Notting Hill and Belgravia cafés for a month from March 8. The spread will include Biscuiteers’ signature hand-iced biscuits, Tregothnan tea, plus the mini sandwiches (with fillings like cheese and fig, ham and truffle and smoked salmon and cream cheese), patisserie (think coconut and mango mousse cake and strawberry and champagne macarons) and freshly baked scones crucial to any good afternoon tea. If you’re willing to spend a little extra on mumsie, you can add a glass of bubbly or a DIY biscuit icing session. There’s also a complimentary (undisclosed) gift included for the woman of the hour.

After a year out, Dialled In is returning to the capital city for its fifth birthday celebrations. Once again, the all-dayer will bring established and emerging artists from all over diasporic and South Asian countries and cities to east London. Unlike past editions, this year’s event will take over multiple venues throughout Dalson, from Café OTO to The Divine to Rio Cinema. It’ll see former member of The xx, Baria, make her first return to the London festival circuit in fifteen years, a rare London live set from rising star Gayathri Krishnan and the London debut of Lifafa, frontman of Peter Cat Recording Co. That’s alongside appearances from the likes of Sarathy Korwar, Mya Mehm, Anish Kumar and Raf Reza. This year will also see the festival expand into the realms of food, film, dance and comedy. 

Gather your brood and join Hackney’s ceilidh band Cut A Shine for its afternoon of family friendly St Patrick’s barn dancing. The bandmembers will teach you and the little’uns all of the crucial ceili moves and ensure that everyone is kept fueled with traditional Irish stew and champ (vegan option available). Things will round off at 3.30pm with a disco where the kids can show off all their newly-learned Celtic choreography. Oh, and there’s a fully stocked bar of Guinness and whiskey for the grown ups. 

Prepare to have your senses thrown into chaos. Anish Kapoor’s first major UK exhibition in the UK took place at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery in 1998. Nearly 30 years later, the internationally acclaimed sculptor’s work is coming back to the gallery for his largest UK show to date. The exhibition displays recent pieces by Kapoor made with futuristic light-absorbing nanotechnology, as well as works that defined the early part of his career.  There will be huge disorientating mirror sculptures, a colossal PVC installation, a foreboding mass of red and black wax drooping from the ceiling, and a striking collection of carnal paintings made using silicone, resin and pigment.  

Homely isn’t quite the word that comes to mind when you pull back the heavy velvet curtain separating Casa Felicia from the dozy Queen’s Park street outside. Chic, for sure. Elegant, certainly. A parade of two-cover tables are packed close together in the main whitewashed dining room, and over in a far corner, there’s a booth for larger groups which is painted entirely in an intense sultry red. But the deeper into the evening we go, the more we’re taken in by this place’s unexpected down-to-earth charm.   Fettuccine porcini and paccheri with mussels and squid are simple but impeccable Casa Felicia is helmed by chef Francesco Sarvonio, formerly of Manteca and currently of Elephant. The menu switches up daily, but always promises southern Italian ‘soul food’. A pleasing heap of puntarelle salad embellished with pear and hazelnuts, and a faultless seabass crudo speckled with crispy red pepper starts us off. We’re then presented with the most intriguing take on parmigiana I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t come in the traditional form of layered aubergine coins, but as the whole vegetable roasted, skinned and fried in a tempura batter, then cocooned in cheese fondue with a pool of marinara on the side. It’s fantastic – the batter lightly encases the vegetable like a chiffon blanket and the aubergine manages to be both firm and completely melt-in-the-mouth.   Don’t get carried away with the antipasti, as the bowls of pasta (handmade with just semolina and water, no egg) are truly generou

Adoh! (Sri-Lankan for ‘oi!’) is loud.  Sat on Maiden Lane in frenetic, tourist-packed Covent Garden, this Sri Lankan spot from Kolamba duo Eroshan and Aushi Meewella fits right in. While Kolamba and its sister restaurant on Liverpool Street are sleek, sophisticated haunts, this is a maximalist whirlwind. Chopped roti gets more heavenly with each chewy bite Adoh’s goal is to emulate the rapid, chaotic energy of Colombo and its street food culture. The decor is raucous – the tables a striking shade of red and the walls busy with storybook murals depicting hand-painted trucks of South Asia. As for service, it’s full speed ahead. You can very easily be in and out within an hour, and fully satisfied. In the throbbing heart of the theatreland that’s no bad thing.  The menu features a blend of authentic bits (isoo vadai, mutton rolls or roti and curry) and some milder hybrid dishes (fried chicken and curry leaf waffles are best suited to less adventurous members of your party). Shiny squares of prawn toast dolloped with tamarind sauce start us off, swiftly followed by a supple dosa spread with smoky masala, alongside a rather dry coconut roti with eye-wateringly hot lunu miris chilli paste.  The must-order main (which at £17 is the priciest item on the menu) is crab kothu, a late-night classic in Sri Lanka. The bronze mountain of chopped roti, egg and stir fried crab meat (mutton, chicken or jackfruit kothu are available too) isn’t particularly pretty, but drenched in curry sauce (p

One hundred years ago, a strange curtained box appeared on Broadway in New York City. If you went inside and slotted in 25 cents, you’d emerge with eight sepia tinged photos of yourself in a matter of minutes. It was the Photomaton – the world’s first fully automated photobooth. Fast forward to the 21st century and photobooths are in bars, train stations, cinemas, record shops and on streets all over the world. The Photographer’s Gallery is marking a century of the machines with Click!, an archival exhibition exploring their imperfections, their quirks and their most famous fans. Naturally, there’ll be a working photobooth for visitors to take their own snap.

In 1978, Zofia Rydet decided that was going to photograph the inside of every Polish household. Aged 67, she began knocking on doors and asking occupants if they’d be willing to partake in her project. She continued to knock on doors for the next three decades, collecting everyday stories and creating ‘one of the most important achievements in 20th century Polish photography’. More than 100 of Rydet’s prints will be on display at the Photographers’ Gallery alongside books and personal letters offering extra insight into her sociological mission.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are places that have been recognised by the UN as being of particularly great cultural or natural significance. Places like the Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Taj Mahal or Great Wall of China. Here in the UK we have 35 sites that hold that badge of honour. They include a bog, an aqueduct, a remote archipelago, an observatory and the entire city of Bath. If you’re interested in seeing what’s really so great about the UK’s World Heritage Sites but not sure where to start, BBC’s Countryfile can lend you a hand. The online magazine has just picked its top 10 UK World Heritage Sites for a ‘perfect day out’. In first place was the mighty Durham Castle. The medieval fortress was built in to cement Norman rule following the Saxon rebellion against William the Conqueror, in a series of military campaigns known as the Harrying of the North, in 1069-1070.  Photograph: Shutterstock The castle has been continuously occupied since the eleventh century and today is home to students of the University of Durham. But the public can still visit the landmark and explore its history via a guided tour. As you wander its halls, you may recognise sections from blockbuster films like Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or Avengers: Endgame.  Photograph: EQRoy / Shutterstock.com Countryfile named Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland the next best World Heritage Site in the UK. The 60 million year-old site is made up of 40,000 perfectly formed hexagonal basalt c

Londoners, we hate to tell you, but getting to and from work may be a bit more of a faff than normal next week. That’s because, after six months without a hitch, tube strikes are set to take place once again.  Back in February, RMT union members voted to stage a series of walk-outs over working hours. The first of those were meant to happen in March, but they were called off following progress in talks between the union and London Underground management. However the rest are still going ahead and, from Tuesday to Friday next week, the entire London Underground will be shut.  There will still be plenty of ways to get where you need to go, though. Here’s our essential guide to getting around London while the Tube is out of action.  RECOMMENDED: Full list of dates and train services impacted by RMT train strikes in April, May and June 2026.  What dates are the tube strikes in April? Tube drivers will walk out on six occasions across 12 dates. The first of those strikes are next week on:  April 21-22 (12pm to 11.59am) April 23-24 (12pm to 11.59am) There will be four more days of strikes over the following two months on:  May 19-20 (12pm to 11.59am) May 21-22 (12pm to 11.59am) June 16-17 (12pm to 11.59am) June 18-19 (12pm to 11.59am) How to travel around London during the tube strikes The Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line and most buses will still run as normal throughout the strike period. They will likely be a lot more busy than usual, but there shouldn’t be any changes to

The night sky has dazzled humanity for millennia. When we look up, we’re seeing the very same stars, the same meteor showers, the same constellations as our ancient ancestors. That’s pretty wild to think about.  This month, we’ll be treated to one of the longest enduring celestial displays scientists know of. The Lyrids meteor shower was first documented by Chinese astronomers in 687BC (more than 2,700 years ago). It crosses the Earth’s atmosphere around this time every year for our viewing pleasure and in a matter of days it will reach its maximum – ie the point at which it’s most impressive to look at.  Here’s everything you need to know if you hope to spot the Lyrids, the oldest known meteor shower, next week.  What is the Lyrid meteor shower? The Lyrid shower is made up of little bits of space debris that have been left behind by Comet Thatcher, which passes by Earth every 415 years or so.  Royal Museums Greenwich describes this particular shower as ‘bright fast meteors, some with trains’. Those train of light are result of the bits of debris falling so fast that they heat up to 1600°C. They’re generally tiny so burn up long before they have the chance to hit the surface of the Earth. The Lyrids has an hourly rate of about 18 visible meteors, which isn’t much compared to bigger showers, like the Perseids, which sees rates of up to 150 per hour. When is the Lyrid meteor shower 2026? The shower started illuminating our skies on April 16, but will peak and be at its most s

Did you know that Franco Manca’s sourdough crust originates from a starter that is hundreds of years old? The starter was sourced from a bakery near Naples and apparently dates all the way back to the late eighteenth century. It’s one of the secrets to the chain’s success since it opened its first pizzeria in Brixton in 2008. But for those who can’t get enough of Franco Manca’s tangy dough and delicious toppings, we have some sad news. Your nearest branch could be closing down.  At the moment the chain has around 70 pizzerias in the UK. But now, 16 are due to shutter as part of a restructuring with 225 jobs set to be impacted.   Photograph: William Barton / Shutterstock.com The chain is run by parent group The Fulham Shore (which also oversees The Real Greek). It partly blamed ‘disproportionately high’ UK taxes and a lack of business rates relief for the closures. The business says that the sites closing down are ‘no longer sustainable’. Which Franco Manca restaurants will close? It’s understood that the following outposts of the chain are at risk of closure:  Battersea (London) Bishop’s Stortford Brixton (London) Bromley (London) Broadway Market (London) Cheltenham Chiswick (London) Didsbury Glasgow Hove Kilburn (London) Lincoln New Oxford Street (London) Plymouth Stoke Newington (London) Tottenham Court Road (London) It’s also not yet clear exactly when they’ll close.  What’s been said about the closures? Marcel Khan, chief executive of The Fulham Shore, said: ‘Even re

In 2025, London Heathrow recorded its highest number of passengers ever. A whopping 84.5 million people used the travel hub last year, which equates to an average of more than 231,000 travellers arriving and departing every day.  However, that wasn’t enough for LHR to be busiest airport in the world. Airports Council International crunched the data and gave that title to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US, which welcomed more than 106m passengers in 2025.  Heathrow, on the other hand, was the seventh busiest airport on the planet last year. Despite having more passengers than ever, that’s two places down from where it ranked in 2024.  Photograph: Shutterstock When it came to international passengers, the London airport landed in second place with a total of 79.8 million. The only airport that saw more international visitors in 2025 was Dubai, with over 95 million.  LHR’s staggering passenger numbers can largely be put down to the fact that it’s currently the most connected airport in the world. Last year, it offered travellers flights to an impressive 226 destinations across 80 different countries.  With passenger numbers on the up, Heathrow is planning a gargantuan £49 billion expansion. The proposed ‘once-in-a-generation redesign’ includes a third runway, a new terminal and a new junction on the M25, and hopes to boost annual capacity to a whopping 150 million. The 10 busiest airports in the world in 2025 Here is Airports Council International’s

This month, it’s felt like the UK weather has been all over the place. One moment it’s hammering down with rain, the next it feels hot enough to get a tan, the next we’re wrapping ourselves back up in a warm coat.  Last week, the nation bathed in the warmest weather we’ve had so far this year, with London reaching a balmy 26.6 degrees. It didn’t last long. Things have cooled down significantly since then, and temperatures are set to stay mild for at least the next week. However, there’s a huge weather event brewing that could crank the heat up later in the year.  Experts have predicted that we are heading for a rare ‘super El Niño’, which could bring hotter weather to the UK this summer. Here’s what you need to know.  What is a super El Niño?  El Niño is a weather pattern that happens every few years, characterised by warmer temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and changes in atmospheric pressure. It causes an increase in temperatures around the globe – warmer water spreads further, stays closer to the surface, releases more heat into the atmosphere and creates wetter weather and warmer air.  A super El Niño is a particularly strong El Niño when sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific rise at least 1.5C above normal. It’s relatively rare but it can drastically alter global atmospheric patterns and lead to extreme weather like droughts and flooding. The El Niño is expected to kick in later in 2026 and last into 2027, bringing us hotter temperatures than normal.  Photogr

Sometimes, genuinely good free events going on in London are few and far between. Of course, when that happens, you can always just do one of the many, many great things that are free all year round. But there are other times when the events that don’t cost any money are simply the best things going on in the city full stop. This weekend is one of those times.  The next three days are going to be an absolute belter for free stuff. There’ll be a load of free gigs celebrating Record Store Day, a packed after-hours programme at the British Museum and, most exciting of all, the grand opening of the V&A East Museum, one of Time Out’s best new things to do this year. Without further ado, here are all the key details. RECOMMENDED: 📍 All of the best things to do in London this weekend. The best free things on in London this weekend, April 17-19 2026  1. Be the first through the doors of the all-new V&A East Museum The wait is over! This weekend, a decade after it was first put forward, the V&A East Museum finally opens its doors to the public on Saturday. And just like the museum’s grand outpost in Kensington, the permanent collection is completely free to see. Here, the free galleries (titled Why We Make) are filled with more than 500 items from the V&A’s collection. They include fashion pieces by Alexander McQueen, Molly Goddard and Vivienne Westwood, artworks by the likes of Rene Matić, Carrie Mae Weems and Tania Bruguera, photographs by Jamie Hawkesworth, ceramics by Bisila Noh

Cities are best known for their towering skyscrapers, densely-packed high streets and for being buzzing hubs of industry and culture. But every great city needs its spaces to take a breather.  Hidden within the world’s largest concrete jungles are loads of lovely pockets of green that offer urbanites an much-needed escape. They’re essential, really. Science says green spaces reduce stress, improve our mental health and encourage better physical health.  So, as part of Time Out’s Best Cities with Intrepid Travel 2026, we asked more than 24,000 city-dwellers across the planet how accessible nature and green spaces are in their hometown. The votes are in, and we can confirm that London is second greenest city in the UK, according to locals (first place went to Bath, which was also crowned the greenest city in the world).  Photograph: Shutterstock The result won’t come as a surprise to most Londoners. Practically everywhere you turn, the capital has a green space to explore. And here’s a fun fact: trees actually make up 21 percent of London’s landscape, which is just above the 20 percent that the United Nations says somewhere needs to qualify as a forest. That makes the Big Smoke the largest urban forest in the world.  In total, there are a staggering 3,000 parks and public green spaces dotted around the Big Smoke. In the north, you’ve got the pristine Regent’s Park and the more rugged Hampstead Heath (with it’s beloved swimming ponds). To the southeast, there’s Greenwich Park

From Bitterol Spritz to Excelsior Lager to the award-winning Perlenbacher Pilsner (named the world's best classic pilsner in 2024), Lidl’s drink dupes have a cult following all of their own. At the moment, you have to scan them through a checkout if you want a sip, but soon there’ll be one place in the UK where you can get Lidl booze on tap. More than year after getting the green light from the High Court, Lidl has officially started building its very first pub.  The budget brand’s inaugural boozer will launch in Dundonald, a suburb of Belfast, this summer. It’s been a long and complicated road to finally get to this point. More than simply a marketing gimmick or an attempt to diversify income, Lidl’s Belfast bar is a bizarre one-off in which, thanks to Northern Ireland’s strict licensing laws, opening a pub is the only way it can sell alcohol. Planning permission for the supermarket’s boozer was granted in 2020, but Lidl had to pass an ‘inadequacy test’ whereby businesses hoping to sell alcohol must prove that that the existing off-licenses and pubs in the area are insufficient to meet public demand. Alongside proving a lack of other licensed premises in an area, in Northern Ireland, supermarkets can only sell alcohol by purchasing a license that has been ‘surrendered’ by another business, such as by a pub nearby that is shutting down. Lidl didn’t pass the inadequacy test for a standard off-licence, which means that it can’t sell alcohol in its actual store. But it was able

An EU Entry/ Exit System (EES) is finally in here. The new border regulations have been in the works for a nearly a decade, having been first proposed by European leaders in 2016. It was thought that the tech would be up and running across the EU by 2022.  Needless to say, it’s all taken a little longer than that. The system finally started landing in airports at the end of last year, and EES will be fully rolled out this week. Soon, Brits will have to start paying for something called a visa-waiver in order to enter 29 different European countries.  The EES has been having some teething problems since it began official roll out last year, mostly in the form of long queues at passport control desks. Waits at Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports were reportedly particularly painful when the tech was first implemented. For now, though, Brits don’t have to pay anything extra. Here’s everything you need to know the EES, ETIAS and when UK citizens will have to start paying for their visa-waiver.  What is EES?  EES, which stands for Entry/Exit System, started to be introduced in European airports last year. It digitally registers travellers from non-EU countries every time they cross a border into or out of the EU, meaning that their travel history is stored digitally and they no longer need passport stamps. The aim is to make travelling through airports more efficient and to ‘improve border security’.  It requires travellers to register four of their fingerpri

Plans for Beam Park station have been ongoing since 2002. In that time, the UK has gone through seven prime ministers, Facebook was born and grew into a megacorporation and London gained hundreds and hundreds of shiny new skyscrapers. Yet, the east London station has only just been granted permission to be built.  Last week, the housing secretary has now confirmed that ‘a new Beam Park rail station could be accommodated within the existing rail network’ to help speed up house building. The decision comes five years after the government refused to grant the station approval, despite plans being in their advanced stages.  Beam Park station will sit on the c2c line between Dagenham Dock and Rainham. From there, the train will take just 20 minutes to get to London Fenchurch Street.  The station is being built as part of a huge redevelopment in the area. So far, more than 1,100 homes have been completed and a further 1,200 are currently under construction. The first residents of Beam Park moved in back in 2020, but they’ve had to rely on local buses in order to get to other parts of the city. The addition of the station is expected to unlock potential for a whopping 20,000 more homes in the wider area. Now that it has been given the green light, the Greater London Authority, London Borough of Havering, Transport for London and partners are working to secure the funds needed to make the station reality.  In a statement, leader of Havering Council Ray Morgon said: ‘We have always s

The American fast food chains just keep coming. Over the past few years, a bunch of US brands have been crossing the pond to make their British debuts. We’ve been given Dave’s Hot Chicken, Captain D's,  Chick-fil-A, Carl’s Jr, there’s a Raising Canes on its way to London and Chili’s has its sights set on Old Blighty, too. Now, we can add Chuck E. Cheese to the list.  More than just somewhere to pick up its signature cheesy pizza, chicken wings and fries, Chuck E Cheese is a kids’ paradise filled with arcade games and soft-play. Named after its grey mouse mascot, the fast-food chain has been around since 1977.  Even if you’ve never seen it for yourself, you’ll probably recognise the name from American TV shows like Family Guy, The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. The brand’s inaugural UK branch, which is set to open in late 2026, will also be its first in Europe. It’s not clear where Britain’s first Chuck E Cheese will be. Reports suggest that the company is keen to bring its restaurants to London, Milton Keyes, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, and Bristol. Photograph: Erman Gunes / Shutterstock.com Alistair Burnett, the brand’s managing director, said of the upcoming launch: ‘Bringing Chuck E Cheese to the UK is not just a business move. Creating family fun has been a passion of mine and, ultimately, my professional career. ‘We will be reimagining family entertainment in this market, and Chuck E Cheese is the perfect brand to lead that transformation. Our focus is