14 Things To Do in London if You're in Town for the NFL International Series

Make the most of your time in London by learning more about British sporting culture. This behind-the-scenes stadium tour of Stamford Bridge, the home stadium of one of London’s top teams, Chelsea FC, takes you to exclusive areas of the stadium that you couldn’t access any other way. Check out the dressing rooms, players' tunnel, and more while learning more about the club and its successes. It’s one of the best things to do in London for NFL fans.

To experience more British sporting holy grounds, join this tour that lets you choose which two places you want to visit most, out of Wembley Stadium (soccer), Lord’s Cricket Ground, and Wimbledon (tennis). You don’t need to understand the rules of cricket (who does anyway?) to enjoy this tour as you’ll learn all about it. Travel to each of the two venues with your private guide by tube, to give you an even more authentic London experience.

If you’re on a whistle-stop visit to London but would like to make sure you see the main highlights—and then some—this comprehensive half-day tour will show you 30 of London’s big hitters in a short time. The walking tour itinerary takes you past Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and many more impressive places. And if you’re staying in London a bit longer, this is a great orientation tour as you’ll know where to come back to later.

Tired from the big game and just want to put your feet up? Touring London in a classic black cab ensures you’ll have a memorable experience without the exertion of walking or catching the tube. London cab drivers are famous for their encyclopedic knowledge of the city, so you’ll learn a lot about the sights you see along the way on this private half-day tour. The route is flexible enough to fit onto any NFL International Series London itinerary.

Just as relaxing while having the added bonus of no risk of getting stuck in traffic is a cruise on the Thames. Hop aboard your vessel at the London Eye Pier and sit back as you glide past landmarks, such as the Tate Modern and St. Paul’s Cathedral, which just look different from the water. You’ll see a lot in just 40 minutes.

If you’d like to get out on the water but cruising’s a little too tame for you, jump on a high-speed rigid inflatable boat for your tour down the Thames River instead. You’ll reach speeds of up to 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour, which feels pretty fast with the wind in your face. Guides provide commentary as you pass the O2 Arena, the Tower Bridge, and more London landmarks.

Celebrate your team’s win (or drown your sorrows at their loss) on a bar crawl of some of London’s historic pubs. The British capital has cozy pub ambience down to a fine art, but as a tourist it can be hard to know where to go for the most authentic experience. This London pub tour focuses on the old City of London area, where some of the drinking establishments are older than some modern nations.

Have you even been to London if you haven’t visited the Tower of London or seen the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace? The Changing of the Guard is when one set of royal guards hand duty over to another set, and it’s accompanied by much pomp, ceremony, and furry hats. This half-day tour combines them both, along with a short cruise on the Thames, so you can confirm that yes, you have most definitely been to London.

It’s not every day you can sit down to tea in a royal palace, but you can in London. Bite into sandwiches, cakes, and scones while sipping fine tea served in dainty cups during high tea at Kensington Palace. You’ll also have an opportunity to stroll through the manicured Kensington Gardens after. It might be the icing on the cake of your NFL London experience.

You can really work up an appetite with all that cheering and sporting nervous tension. British cuisine might have a reputation for being unexciting, but on a food-focused walking tour you’ll soon see that this is far from the truth. London is a diverse, multicultural city with the flavors and street eats to reflect this. Sample fish and chips, sausage rolls, British cheese, local beers and ciders, and more.

Work off those bacon butties and warm (sorry, room-temperature!) beers on an active bicycle tour of London. Renting a bike and pedaling out alone can be daunting in this big city, but on a guided tour, your guide will make sure you find your way to highlights such as Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square without getting lost.

London has been central to the development of rock music, and you can learn all about it on this music-themed tour of the capital. Whatever your music genre of choice, you’ll find some tunes to get your toe tapping on this tour. See clubs, theaters, and other venues associated with rock greats including the Rolling Stones, Oasis, and The Beatles, including the famous Abbey Road pedestrian crossing that featured on the cover of their 1969 album of the same name, Abbey Road.

If you have time to spare during your trip to London, get outside the city for a day and visit some of southern England’s other top attractions. This day tour from London will take you to Windsor Castle—home to the royal family—followed by the ancient megaliths at UNESCO World Heritage–listed Stonehenge, and the Roman baths in the aptly named Bath.

Humans are multifaceted creatures. If you’re an NFL fan with a secret (or actually quite open) obsession with the British period drama Downton Abbey, sign up for a day trip to Oxford and the Cotswolds that includes several filming locations. You’ll even visit Highclere Castle, which plays the role of Downton Abbey itself in the show—it’s actually quite near London, in Berkshire, not in the northern county of Yorkshire as presented on TV.