First time in London — what locals actually recommend
If it's your first weekend in London, this is the locals' shortlist — the sights worth the queue, the food you can't skip, and the neighbourhood walks that show you the place.
Top spots in London
British Museum
CultureBloomsbury
Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures under Foster's Great Court roof.
Columbia Road Flower Market
CultureBethnal Green
Sunday-morning Cockney shouts, peonies and Shoreditch coffee crawls.
Tate Modern
CultureBankside
Turbine Hall installations and free Bankside views from the viewing terrace.
Borough Market
Food & DrinkSouthwark
Centuries-old food market — salt-beef bagels, oysters and raclette.
Hampstead Heath
OutdoorsHampstead
320 hectares of meadow, ponds for swimming and Parliament Hill skyline.
Where to eat
Dishoom Covent Garden
$$Bombay café · Covent Garden
All-day bacon naan and house chai in a Bombay Irani-café setting.
Lyle's
$$$Modern British · Shoreditch
Daily-changing produce-led tasting menu in a stripped-back room.
St. John
$$$British · Smithfield
Fergus Henderson's nose-to-tail classic — bone marrow and madeira.
Padella
$$Italian · Borough Market
Hand-rolled pici cacio e pepe; expect a 45-min queue.
Frequently asked
- Standouts right now: Tate Modern, Borough Market, Hampstead Heath. The shortlist is curated by people who live in London and refreshed regularly so it reflects what's actually open and worth your time.