Places to stay

A shoppable motorcycle garage, unusual bookshops and more. Here’s a guide to London’s best independents stores and businesses.

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A Guide to London’s Best Independent Shops and Businesses

This pub right in the middle of London's Soho neighbourhood remains an iconic boozer.

Soho

Soho Legends: Norman’s Coach and Horses

For over 30 years, Michelle Roques-O’Neil has restored wellbeing to stressed-out Londoners using aromatherapy, reiki and other techniques. It began in childhood, she tells Culture Trip.

Michelle Roques-O’Neil: London’s Modern-Day Alchemist

London’s only dedicated LGBTQ bookshop turned 40 in 2019. Here, the story of some of the challenges it’s faced, and how it thrives today with community support.

This Legendary LGBTQ Bookshop Is Celebrating a Milestone

From boutique luxury to high-end extravagance, these sleek, chic London hotels and hostels will suit any budget.

11 Dreamy Places To Stay in London for Budget or Blowout Trips

Featured Articles

Business man on london rooftops
Lesley Lau / © Culture Trip


Columbia Road flower market
Lesley Lau / © Culture Trip


Swans, Hyde Park
Lesley Lau / © Culture Trip


Somerset House
Lesley Lau / © Culture Trip


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Curious skyscrapers, Brutalist blocks and Medieval relics jostle for space in London town

London is as much about innovation as tradition; it’s a place that’s impossible to finish discovering, where the promise of something new is always in the air. This is a city where history is quite literally around every corner – where the ruins of an old church can be found hidden amid skyscrapers, where pop-up restaurants come and go while the monarchy still reigns. London is where old meets new, physically and culturally. Despite being a city that runs on rules and etiquette, London’s sprawling parks, street art, festivals and food markets make it the perfect place to roam free. And “free” is the key word here – from renowned museums to public art, many of London’s best activities are offered without charge.

Your London Travel Guide

The UK’s capital is a giant metropolis split into areas as distinct as villages, and London culture is as diverse as its population with over 250 languages spoken across the city. Head to the East End, home of Cockney rhyming slang, Sunday markets and an ever-expanding crop of quirky bars and pubs; enjoy theatre, comedy, jazz and more in Soho, the buzzing centre of London’s gay scene; stay central for the top restaurants, or galleries and museums if you’re searching for more traditionally cultural days out in London; and venture south of the River Thames for nightlife hotspots such as Brixton and Peckham.

London Culture

Featured in our original series, Hungerlust, the Sunday roast, the most British dish of all, gets an elevated upgrade at The Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-star pub.

Hungerlust: The Sunday Roast Tradition

A Postcard from London

Sounds of Soho

Artist-photographer Rich McCor, aka Paperboyo, transforms landmarks using paper cut-outs.

London's Master of Paper Cutouts

The barbers of D&L's in North London entertain during a day of fades and unfiltered chat.

Fresh Trim - Anthony Joshua, Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal's North London Barbershop

London's Oldest Coffee Shop

Notting Hill Carnival - What To Expect

Blogger Charlotte Moudler of @notsobasiclondon fame tours London's top brunch spots.

London's Best Brunch Places

James Thompson of the @food_feels blog offers an affordable approach to London fine dining.

London's Best Fine Dining Places

Matt Ester, the man behind @TheBurgerList, shares the best of the East London burger scene.

London's Best Burger Places

Wilfrid Wood's Hackney studio is packed with comic, often nude scultpures of famous people.

Hackney's Caricature Sculptor

Camden is a favourite for both London locals and out-of-town tourists – find out why.

What To Do in Camden

Birthplace of Bowie, a creative hub and a foodie hotspot. Check out the best of Brixton.

What To Do in Brixton

These are the places to see and be seen in London's 'coolest' neighbourhood.

What To Do in Shoreditch

Walk through Notting Hill's storied streets and take in its art, fashion and food.

What To Do in Notting Hill

Wander the streets of Chelsea, full of London's most glamorous restaurants and shops.

What To Do in Chelsea

What To Do in Soho

You Can't Leave England Without Eating Fish and Chips

The Only Denim Jeans Maker in London

Carnival-inspired artist Zak Ové was a historic entrant to the British Museum's collection.

North London's Carnival Sculptor

London Location Page

Contemporary skyscrapers loom over Medieval relics in London’s busy financial district

World-class restaurants and LGBTQ clubs line the streets of this neon-lit neighbourhood

Street art and quirky bars dominate this creative hub in London's East End

Opera, theatre and street performance draw crowds to Covent Garden's cobblestone piazza

Candy-coloured terraces surround Portobello Market in this vibrant neighbourhood

This bohemian enclave is lined with Michelin-star restaurants and high-end shops

Independent shops, upscale restaurants and small museums abound in this genteel enclave

The museums of Exhibition Road keep visitors coming back to this leafy corner of London

Buckingham Palace and Big Ben stand guard over the heartland of British politics

Things to do

Food & Drink

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