Where to Go in London for a Good Time

People ask this question as if there's one answer.

A good time in London means different things depending on the day.

Some people are happy wandering around a museum for half the afternoon. Someone else would lose their mind after twenty minutes and would rather find somewhere to eat instead. Neither person's wrong.

I've had expensive evenings that I barely remember and afternoons that cost next to nothing but somehow stuck around in my head. London does that. You think the big plan will be the highlight, then it ends up being the random stop you never intended to make.

Start Somewhere You Can Walk

One thing I probably would avoid is planning every hour.

It looks organised on paper. In reality you spend half the day checking maps and wondering if you've got enough time to get somewhere else.

Central London works best when you can walk between places.

Pick a random street and walk. It's not like you're walking across barren lands. Some spots will make your entire trip. Others will interrupt your day for a quick 15 minutes and you'll leave with a good story.

Spend Longer Over Lunch Than You Planned

This sounds like terrible advice if you've got a packed schedule.

I'd ignore the schedule.

Lunch has a habit of turning into something else if you let it.

A lot of people seem to eat as quickly as possible because they've got another attraction booked half an hour later. I never really understood the rush. Then they spend the afternoon wondering why everything felt a bit frantic.

Sit somewhere comfortable.

Order dessert if you feel like it.

Watch people coming and going outside instead of staring at your phone.

It's not exactly revolutionary advice, but it works.

I remember sitting outside in Mayfair one afternoon thinking we'd be there forty-five minutes at most.

A couple of coffees later it was nearly three hours. Couldn't tell you what I ordered now, not a clue. I remember the conversation though. Funny what stays with you.

Walk Without Looking At Your Phone Every Two Minutes

This is probably harder than it sounds now.

Maps are useful until they become the only thing you're looking at.

London rewards people who occasionally look up.

You notice buildings you've walked past dozens of times without seeing properly. Little alleyways. Independent shops squeezed between larger ones. People setting up market stalls or arguing over deliveries outside restaurants.

None of it is particularly dramatic.

That's almost the point.

Cities aren't interesting because every minute is exciting. They're interesting because ordinary things keep happening around you.

Museums Are Better When You Don't Rush Them

I've never understood people who speedrun museums like they're going for a personal best or something.

They'll spend longer looking at the map than they do at half the exhibits.

Room after room.

Photo.

Next room.

Photo.

Then they leave.

Chill. Nobody's keeping score.

You're not getting marked on it afterwards.

The same goes for galleries.

If one exhibition keeps your attention for twenty minutes, that's probably worth more than sprinting through five different ones because somebody online said you should.

Leave Some Space For Whatever Happens

This bit is harder to explain.

The best London days I've had usually went slightly wrong.

Somebody was late.

The restaurant was fully booked.

It started raining.

The original plan disappeared.

Normally that would be annoying.

Instead it forced everyone to improvise.

We ended up somewhere none of us had planned on going.

Life lesson? When the day goes a bit sideways, it isn't always bad news.

Tape London

If your day naturally carries into the evening, Tape London is one venue that's worth knowing about.

The venue regularly attracts live performances, special events and people looking to party on after dinner without feeling like they're starting an entirely different night.

The location helps too.

You don't spend ages travelling across the city wondering whether it was worth it. You step outside, walk a little, and you're there. And once you’re there, you probably won’t want to leave.

You Don't Need To See Everything

This might be the biggest mistake first-time visitors make.

Trying to "do London."

It isn't really possible.

The city changes too quickly and there's simply too much of it.

Missing things isn't failure.

It just means you'll have something left next time.

There's a strange pressure now to come home with a list of fifty places you've visited. I don't know who that's for.

I'd rather properly enjoy five places than vaguely remember thirty.

A Good Time Looks Different Every Weekend

Ask me this in the middle of winter and you'll probably answer differently than I would in July.

Some weekends all I want to do is walk around for hours without much of a destination. Other times I'd rather settle into one restaurant and stay there for the evening. Depends what's been happening that week more than anything.

Weather changes things.

The people you're with change things.

Your mood changes things.

That's probably why London keeps people coming back.

You never really finish with it.

Final Thoughts

There isn't a secret formula for having a good time in London.

Anyone who says there is has probably been writing too many travel guides.

Start somewhere interesting.

Eat well.

Walk more than you planned to.

Don't fill every hour before you've even arrived.

Some of the better parts of London have a habit of appearing when you're on the way to something else. If the day changes direction a bit, I'd just go with it. Sometimes that's where the interesting stuff starts. London's better moments begin exactly like that.