Things to do alone in London

Kick off your solo trip in London by checking out London's best art and museum exhibitions, for once-in-a-lifetime shows. If you're looking for unique things to do in London by yourself, why not surround yourself with masterpieces at the immersive art experience FRAMELESS or discover cutting-edge modern and contemporary art at Moco Museum London.

Head to the West End to catch one of London’s famous stage shows, with a wide choice of world-class performers, plays and musicals. See if you can snap up a last-minute theatre ticket – it’s a benefit of solo travelling – or join the “groundlings” and catch a play at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The Royal Opera House, the London Coliseum and Sadler’s Wells will cater to opera and ballet buffs.

Treat yourself to an armchair and dinner at the Electric Cinema in Portobello – it’s the perfect solo date night. Film aficionados should head to the BFI, while the Prince Charles Cinema shows old favourites at rock-bottom prices to a vocal crowd.

Explore the universe at a Science Museum IMAX 3D show or gaze into the night sky at Greenwich Observatory’s Peter Harrison Planetarium. Find more unique and unusual cinemas in London.

Find a quiet spot in one of London’s best bookshops, or visit the British Library, a temple of knowledge that holds some of the most precious and fascinating manuscripts in the world.

All the major museums and galleries hold lectures, as do the Royal Society, the Bishopsgate Institute and many London universities; while the School of Life holds talks on personal development and psychology.

Solo London workout sessions

Keep fit and meet people at Rabble’s high-intensity workouts, featuring games such as British bulldogs, frisbee and dodgeball. Daredevils can learn to fly through the air with Gorilla Circus’s Flying Trapeze School during summer.

Swimming and team sports

Pack your swim bag and head to one of London’s lidos or to Hampstead Heath’s famous bathing ponds.

For team sports, Go Mammoth and Footy Addicts can match you to games of netball, football, volleyball and more at locations all over London.

Make the most of free museums and galleries

Explore London’s world-leading museums and galleries at your own pace – it’s one of the perks of travelling solo in London. You can easily spend hours exploring the vast free collections at Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum.

Enjoy the great outdoors

There are plenty of outdoor spaces to explore in London by yourself. Parkrun organises free 5K weekend runs around London – the Alexandra Palace one has great views over the city. If you don't fancy running, you can simply relax and enjoy London's best parks. Explore the gorgeous greenery of Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park or Regent's Park – loved for their flora, fauna and special events, whatever the weather.

Discover free music around the city

Bag a spot at one of Southbank Centre's regular free musical performances in the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. Or enjoy free, bite-size lunchtime concerts by emerging composers from the London Symphony Orchestra Discovery programme. If you're a music lover, it's the perfect thing to do in London on your own.

Oxford and Cambridge

Enjoy a day out in the picturesque university cities of Oxford and Cambridge. Perfect for bookworms and history buffs looking for things to do on their own, you'll get to explore both cities on this coach trip.

Stonehenge

See Stonehenge, the iconic prehistoric monument and world-famous heritage site on a day trip from London. Check out the best Stonehenge tours to find the right one for your solo trip.

Windsor Castle

Take a day trip to Windsor Castle to delve into 900 years of royal history. Choose from several options to find the best Windsor Castle tour for you.

Are you travelling to London alone for the first time? Get your bearings by taking a bus tour or a boat on the river, where you may be entertained by the Thames watermen’s cheeky humour.

London is a great city to explore on foot, and specialist walking tours include Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and Shoreditch street art. You can even book your own solo travel tour.

Guide yourself around the City of London on the City Visitor Trail or find the best London selfie spots.

Shop till you drop – there’s no one to tell you to stop! Whether it’s luxury boutiques, vintage fashion, quirky hidden gems or world-renowned department stores, London is a shopping paradise. 

Get creative at a craft class from MYO, Make Town or ClassBento. Take a street-art tour and graffiti workshop with Alternative London.

Dance to the beat of the city at a bookable or drop-in class at Pineapple Dance Studios, Danceworks or At Your Beat, or learn to lindy hop with Swing Patrol.

Sharpen your knife skills or learn to make sourdough or homemade pickles at the sustainability-focused Cookery School in Fitzrovia. Pasta fans can learn from one of the talented chefs at Eataly. And for a true London tipple, craft your own gin with bespoke botanicals at Notting Hill’s Ginstitute experience. 

There’s a plethora of things to do in London on your own – you won’t run out of fun things to do by yourself. But if you’re travelling alone in London and would like to connect with others, Meetup has hundreds of groups all over the city devoted to specialist interests, or look for Facebook groups that connect solo travellers. Joining a tour can also be a great way to meet other people!

Find compact but plush single rooms at The Hoxton hotel in Holborn – look out for its “shoebox” rooms featuring bespoke wallpaper inspired by Charles Dickens. Or check into Mimi’s Hotel Soho, which has snug “tiny single” options.

The Ampersand Hotel in South Kensington is well located for the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Farther east, The Ned, in the City of London, is close to St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England and has 1920s-style “crash pad” and “cosy” options – the latter is a charming option for solo female travellers in London.

Great-value local chain Z Hotels has smart single rooms in handy locations from Soho to Shoreditch, Piccadilly, Victoria and other London areas. Or, take a look at the coolest London hostels, which are perfect for meeting like-minded travellers.

Grab a seat at one of the many restaurants with counter dining in London. Try South Kensington’s Yashin Ocean House for smart sushi, the Riding House Cafe near Oxford Street for modern British fare, Ceviche Soho for exciting Peruvian flavours, Breddos in Clerkenwell for lip-smacking tacos, or Barrafina for outstanding tapas in Soho, Drury Lane and Covent Garden.

Get food without formality at one of London’s markets – they’re known for food stalls and cosy, communal restaurants. Top foodie hotspots include Borough Market near London Bridge, Berwick Street Market in Soho, south London’s Brixton Village Market or Hackney’s Broadway Market.

Grab some handheld bites at pop-up street food hubs such as Pop Brixton, Southbank Centre Market and Kerb’s food market in Seven Dials. Or explore the city’s culinary delights on an Eating London food tour.

Pull up a chair and sit alongside locals at a London supper club. Supperclub Tube takes place on an 1967 Victoria line Tube carriage and Alexander Does Supper combines life drawing, cocktails and indulgent dinners. Action Syria Suppers offers a friendly experience in aid of refugees. Find more supper clubs on Eatwith. Booking ahead is essential.

People-watch with a flat white at one of London’s top independent coffee shops, enjoy a picture-perfect treat at Instagrammable cafes, or sit down with a cupcake at an indulgent cake shop. If you fancy some feline company, head to Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium.
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