5 hours in London on my own - what would you do?

[TR888]

I'm meeting people later and will have quite a busy couple of days there. What would you do with those five hours though? It'll be tomorrow so a hot day.

I'd rather not say about my likes and dislikes. I'm interested in hearing what others would do as that might spark ideas about stuff I wouldn't normally do.

Thanks!

Book in for a massage and facial somewhere then go to burger lobster for a lobster roll.

I'd see what art exhibitions were on and go to one if there was one I was interested in. And have a walk around Covent Garden and Seven Dials to look at the shops and have something to eat.

Go to Camden

Whereabouts are you coming from and meeting people as I’d want to stick to those areas

With no location restrictions I’d probably walk the Regent Canal, Regents Park, Primrose Hill. Or maybe Chelsea Physic Garden and along the river.

We don’t know you. Don’t know what you like. Lazy question really. Gimme!!

I'd take a boat trip and then hang out in one of the parks, maybe have a picnic and an icecream. It's going to be hot so I'd avoid crowds and the tube/bus as much as possible.

Depends where in London the meeting is.

If fairly central I'd check out what's on at say the v&a and get lost in there for a bit. And have lunch in the cafe there. If time time to spare get the C1 down to Harrods and go window shopping

I'd go to the British Museum. Have a look around the amazing stuff there, then a bit of shopping around Covent Garden and grab something to eat at the Seven Dials Market.

Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Horniman Museum and Gardens.

I would go to British Museum and out for lunch.

Walk along the South Bank, some food at Borough Market.

If the weather is good the ladies ponds on Hampstead Heath followed by a wander around the village.

If it’s a bit rubbish, Aire Roman baths. A bit pricey, but amazing and a really indulgent-feeling experience!

Boat trip on Thames would be lovely on a hot day. Either go to Greenwich or Hampton Court and get off, have a wander and ice cream abc then return.

Van Gogh Immersive Exhibition

National Portrait Gallery

Churchill War Rooms

Catch a matinee at a musical

Walk in the royal Parks. I'd go swimming in the serpentine lido.

I’d go to an art gallery or the British Museum. If you are central or West end then the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the Wallace Collection are all wonderful.

Have a haircut and my nails done somewhere swanky.

National portrait gallery, then afternoon tea in The Crypt in St Martins in the Fields. Mooch round Covent Garden after if there's time.

A stroll down Southbank, a trip to Tate Modern & lunch with some people watching at Borough Market would be my solo afternoon of choice!

These are such good ideas. I fly into London today too.

National Portrait Gallery. Organised by eras on separate floors - Tudors, Victorians, 20th century etc. It has a nice cafe on the ground floor and/or a lovely basement bar for lunch/a drink. And then a mooch around nearby Covent Garden.

Borough Market is shut Mondays. Tons of restaurants round there that should be open though.

I’d go to a swanky spa for a massage, then the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Snap!

Go and see the Roman exhibition in the British Museum, take a boat down the Thames, go to the Globe, go up to the roof garden at The Post Building (near the British Museum), Camden Market....

As others have said, it's gonna be a lovely warm sunny day tomorrow so I'd go to either the Parliament Hill Lido or Ladies Pond in Hampstead. For the slots mid morning/early afternoon you need to book in advance but as it's a weekday there should be tickets left for tomorrow - search 'Hampstead Heath Swimming' on Eventbrite. I'm a south Londoner but these swimming spots on Hampstead heath hold a special space in my heart. I love them both.

If you need to be more central I'd do a mix of the following (though you could prob fit in one of these and a swim in Hampstead in 5 hrs)

• walk by regents canal / and or Thames
• visit to the courtauld gallery
• a nice lunch at one of my fave places - song Que cafe on Kingsland, Roti king, koya, suppawan thai
• visit to the Wallace collection

depending on the time and what i was meeting friends for later...

la mer spa at harrods for a facial

bit of shopping

quiet lunch at claridges or afternoon tea at the ritz

pop to the national gallery to see my favourite pieces