A Culture Lover’s Guide to London

The West End is up there as one of the world’s most storied destinations for arts and culture, known for hosting stellar shows across multiple big-name venues year-round—and it has done so for more than 350 years. Here, you can expect to find more than 40 theaters spread across Soho and Covent Garden (both excellent spots for some general sightseeing, too).

If you’re into the history of it all, make sure to grab tickets for a show at Theatre Royal Drury Lane (the oldest venue in the West End), or take a stroll down Shaftesbury Avenue, which is home to six theaters. Alternatively, book well in advance to get your preferred seats and dates for long-running blockbusters such as Les Misérables or The Lion King.

Insider tip: If you’re not too bothered about which show you want to see, you can snag last-minute discounted tickets at the TKTs booth in Leicester Square.

The Southbank Centre pretty much has it all, especially if you’re keen to dive into London cultural experiences the next time you’re in town. This vast space that’s handily situated right on the banks of the Thames comprises the Royal Festival Hall, the site’s oldest and largest venue and a classical music hub; the Purcell Room, where you can catch poetry readings, gigs, electronic music, and more; the Hayward Gallery, a contemporary art destination; and the National Poetry Library, which houses the world’s largest public collection of modern poetry.

Snag tickets to a show at one of the venues or combine a visit here with a broader South Bank sightseeing tour—it’s one of the best neighborhoods for culture in London, after all. Happily, you can also visit other top cultural venues nearby too, including the National Theatre, or take a ride on the London Eye.

Literature is a cornerstone of culture, and in a city as literarily rich as London, it’s nearly impossible to not do something book-related, whether you take a literary tour of Bloomsbury or head out to explore the former haunts of Dickens, Shakespeare, or Helen Fielding.

And while you can hit up the second-hand bookstores on Charing Cross Road, dive into the best of British culture at Brick Lane Bookshop, or find some reads from LGBTQ+ writers at The Common Press in artsy Shoreditch, there’s another bookstore that has to make your shortlist: Daunt Books. Though there are several branches across London, the flagship in Marylebone is the one to visit for its historic building.

If art is the focus of your cultural wheelhouse, then you simply cannot skip the two Tate museums in London—not least because they’re both entirely free to enter if you want to see the permanent exhibits. (However, some temporary or special exhibitions require paid tickets.)

Tate Modern is a bastion of modern and contemporary art situated in a renovated power station on the banks of the Thames, close to the Millennium Bridge. Meanwhile, Tate Britain houses the greatest collection of British art in the world, with pieces that date back 500 years. While you can certainly go it alone, a guided art tour at either spot will further enrich any experience.

Once you’ve seen a polished West End performance, bought some books from Daunt, and checked out the free art at the Tate, it’s time to visit another stalwart of the city’s arts scene and one of London’s top cultural landmarks: Shakespeare’s Globe.

A reconstruction of the original Globe that once stood in (almost) that same spot, the venue now puts on Shakespeare’s plays all year long, from As You Like It to Hamlet, and you can score tickets from as little as US$7 (£5) in the standing area. You can also visit during the day on a guided tour to go behind the scenes of the theater and learn more about Shakespeare’s life and work.

London’s cultural scene goes beyond the arts, theater, and literature—it also encapsulates the various cultures that make the English capital so incredible and diverse: the Bangladeshi influence in Tower Hamlets, the Colombians in Elephant and Castle, Nigerian communities in Peckham, and Irish people in Clapham, to name but a few. And naturally, each area boasts an accompanying culinary influence.

However, if you only have time to visit one of London’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods, make it Brixton, home to a large Jamaican community and incredible Caribbean cuisine to match. Here, you can take street art and street food tours, tuck into jerk chicken, and even learn about David Bowie (he was born in Brixton).

Ballet and opera can seem inaccessible and expensive, perhaps even confusing to follow and a little uptight. But, in truth, both ballet and opera are for everyone—surely Billy Elliot taught us that? In London, the premier destination for enjoying both is the Royal Opera House, situated in the heart of Covent Garden (which means you can easily combine a day of sightseeing with a show).

At this historic London venue, you can take behind-the-scenes tours, catch an ever-rotating roster of operas—from Don Giovanni to Parsifal—and watch twinkle-toed dancers perform en pointe routines in ballets such as Manon or The Nutcracker.

Insider tip: If you’re aged between 16–25, you can get discounted tickets to Main Stage productions and more.

Arts and culture in London are all well and good, but what about sport? If your definition of culture includes soccer, tennis, F1, and cricket (among others), then London is a destination you won’t want to miss. Here, you can catch top Premier League matches at the Emirates Stadium (home to Arsenal), Stamford Bridge (the Chelsea stomping ground), or the aptly-named Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But even if soccer isn’t your thing, there’s always the annual Wimbledon tournament, cricket matches at either Lord’s or The Oval, and the storied annual Boat Race held between Oxford and Cambridge on the Thames.

Live music in London is not hard to find. Not only is the city home to both major arenas, such as the O2 and the Roundhouse, and smaller cult venues, including Ronnie Scott’s jazz club (which hosts daily shows) and Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues Bar (a local-favorite blues bar), you can also catch massive music-forward festivals in the city each summer—think Notting Hill Carnival, for one.

However, you should also consider catching a performance at one of the best cultural attractions in London, albeit one that might not immediately come to mind when you think of live music: the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. This venue hosts a summer concert series, cabaret and discos in the Crypt, atmospheric candlelight performances throughout the year, and seasonal Christmas shows.