Why London in May is a secret worth sharing

By Ian Packham
Published: July 18, 2024
March is a good time to head to London's parks

Whisper it quietly – London in May feels a lot like the more popular summer months to come. Daylight hours stretch from 5:30AM until 8:30PM, temperatures nudge towards 20°C, and rain showers seem to lessen by the day.

It means May in London is all about getting outside. Visit the likes of Borough Market and you’ll soon have more than enough goodies for a picnic in a Royal Park. Then cruise along the Thames for picturesque scenes of London’s historic skyline or meet the residents of London Zoo in their outdoor paddocks. These are just some of the great al fresco attractions that await visitors to the British capital in May.

Wild beasts (and where to see them)

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Choose to stay in southwest London and you may be a little early for Wimbledon fortnight but you will have the chance to soak up the sun in Richmond Park thanks to the improving weather in London in May.

The largest of London’s parks at 1000 hectares and a Site of Special Scientific Interest to boot, this former royal hunting ground still provides a habitat for several hundred fallow deer whilst King Henry’s Mound offers vistas reaching St Paul’s Cathedral.

But it’s fashionable Chelsea that's the center of attention in May, when the Chelsea Flower Show takes over the grounds of the borough’s Royal Hospital – a home for military veterans. An annual event par excellence since 1912, attracting senior royals and a smorgasbord of A-list celebrities, this is much more than a garden show, occupying hours of television and pages of newspaper coverage.

Further north, Regent’s Park is home to animals as diverse as penguins and tigers, being the site of ZSL London Zoo. A filming location in the first Harry Potter movie and a major conservation project, the zoo looks after around 20,000 animals, from leaf-cutter ants to less numerous pygmy hippos.

All the world’s a stage

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The zoo isn’t the only reason to visit Regent’s Park, whose Open Air Theater kicks off its season of performances as the calendar hits May. Amphitheater style in form, weather conditions mean no performance is the same twice for the 1240 audience members who’ve come to enjoy the show.

The South Bank’s Globe Theater also sees its actors hit the reproduction Elizabethan stage come May, though if you don’t make it to a performance of Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, it’s still possible to head behind the scenes with a Globe Theater Tour.

Don’t forget that London is home to the West End, perhaps second only to New York’s Broadway for the quality of its shows. Its 38 theaters are packed out on a nightly basis with the latest in musicals, comedies and plays, whilst Hollywood blockbusters can be enjoyed in the comfort of the Curzon Soho Cinema.

Explore London’s top shopping destinations

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Dating back to at least 1276, Borough Market would have been known to Shakespeare and his troupe of actors, albeit in a slightly different form than the market takes today. Back then, and until the early 2000s, it served as a wholesale and retail vegetable market. It was then transformed to become a hub for curries rather than carrots and top-notch pies rather than pineapples as the street food craze took hold.

Combining everything from food stalls to antiques and bric-a-brac, Portobello Road offers something different each day of the week (excluding Sundays when traders are given the day off but the stores lining the street are still open). The main day for antiques is Saturday, when a bit of friendly haggling may well get you that souvenir of your trip for a bargain price.

The other big name in shopping has to be Oxford Street. This broad central London thoroughfare will be able to scratch any shopping itch, since there’s around 300 stores including most of the big names and a fair few flagship stores too.

Discovery the importance of sea power to British history

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Say ‘flagship’ to a sailor and they’ll probably point you in the direction of HMS Belfast, the Royal Navy’s command vessel for the D Day landings in World War Two. Now a museum ship moored between London and Tower Bridge, visitors are able to explore nine decks to discover what life was like on the high seas in peace and war time.

Belfast is just one of a series of things to do in London in May visible on Thames City Cruises alongside the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and Tate Modern. Four piers dotted along the river allow you to hop-on and hop-off as you choose, with the full journey occupying the historic stretch of the river from Westminster Pier to Greenwich, a part of London bursting with attractions.

Among them are the Royal Observatory and Greenwich Meridian, from where the world takes its timings. The orange ball on the top of the observatory continues to drop at precisely 1PM each day, connected to an atomic clock – the most accurate timepieces in existence.

But the naval links don’t stop there. As well as the scientific treasures awaiting in the National Maritime Museum, including objects used by Captain Cook in his ‘discovery’ of Australia, visitors to Greenwich can also step aboard the fastest tea clipper that ever set sail – the Cutty Sark. Compare the life of sailors onboard to that of HMS Belfast built just 70 years later, or soak in the atmosphere with a traditional afternoon tea in sublime surroundings.

Unleash the secret of London in May!

Thanks to relatively stable weather conditions you won’t have to worry too much about what to wear in London in May. Instead, you can concentrate on enjoying all that London has to offer. Travel with Go City, and you’ll also have the peace of mind of knowing you’re getting substantial savings on admission compared to turning up at ticket gates on the day!

Ian Packham
Go City Travel Expert

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King's Cross Square London
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Things to do in King’s Cross London

Don’t let fans of the wizarding world of Harry Potter hear you say it, but there are many more things to do in King’s Cross London than attempt entry to Platform 9 3⁄4 for the Hogwart’s Express... No longer an area to be avoided, a huge amount of effort has gone into making King’s Cross a London neighborhood where people want to live, work and relax. Long before Google and Microsoft, one of the earliest institutions to recognize the potential was the newly formed British Library. But beyond its exhibition space you’ll also find a refreshed canal side and plenty of places to enjoy a cup of tea or pint of ale with new friends. Let’s take a look at London’s King’s Cross in a little more detail. Delight in being bookish Much to the amusement of passing commuters, there’s always a steady stream of people having their photograph taken as they push a trolley through the wall to Platform 9 3⁄4 – which sadly doesn’t lie between platforms 9 and ten but beside a small supermarket. Book fans of all kinds can also delight in the miles of shelving which makes up the British Library – permitted by law to collect one of every book published in the English language. It is also responsible for looking after some of the most important documents in British history. Displayed in its ground floor exhibition hall is a Shakespeare first folio and an original copy of Magna Carta. Agreed by King John in 1215, it prevents unlawful arrest and was the start of trial by a jury of peers. Other important artefacts include the hand painted pages of the Lindisfarne Gospels and Beatles’ lyrics in the writing of Paul McCartney. Check out the King’s Cross museums The temporary exhibitions at the multi-million-dollar biomedical research establishment the Crick Institute are no less insightful, helping to bring to life advances in the understanding of the way our bodies function that are resulting in new and better treatments for the world’s biggest health risks. The nearby Foundling Museum was created to help tell the story of the Foundling Hospital. Set up by a wealthy philanthropist in the 1730s, it became the first home for at risk children in Britain. But its collection has a far broader remit, containing paintings by some of the country’s most important artists of that time, including William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds. The upper floor then describes the hospital’s connection with composer George Frideric Handel, who lived in London for many years. In an interesting twist, the house next door would also be occupied by Jimi Hendrix. Another King’s Cross museum worth consideration is the London Canal Museum, whose collection of stories and artefacts help detail the emergence of the capital’s canal network as well as its relatively rapid decline at the hands of the railways. Enjoy nature in the heart of London Stepping out from beyond the red brick edifice of the British Museum or shining glass and steel of the Crick Institute you’ll be mere paces from Regent’s Canal. Reborn as a place to spend your leisure time after a generation of being ignored, its towpath provides an alternative behind the scenes view of the neighborhood, as well as little gems including the Word on the Water floating bookshop. It may not have the physical grandeur of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew but Camley Street Natural Park is one of several pockets of green space you wouldn’t even know existed without being told. The park’s visitor center is worth stopping by, although nothing can beat a pleasant few minutes beside the pond as wildlife envelops you from all around. It’s an all the more impressive feat given the tracks running to London Saint Pancras International – the capital’s Eurostar terminus – run across the back of it. On the opposite side of these tracks you’ll be able to find a similarly idyllic spot, the churchyard of St Pancras Old Church. In its churchyard is the Grade I registered mausoleum to Sir John Soane, founder of the British Museum, which became the unlikely starting point for another recognizable London sight – its red telephone boxes. Meanwhile, on the other side of the canal is Gasholder Park, a small but ingenious reinvention for old engineering. Take in a show Should you get hungry, Granary Square has become a solid choice when it comes to food, with plenty on offer whatever your tastes. A new public square featuring a thousand bubbling water jets that move and light up in different colors, its food options include national restaurant chains like the monolithic Dishoom and authentic British pubs alongside the canal. In the summer months, there’s often a big screen by the waterside showing tennis from Wimbledon amongst other big sporting events like World Cup soccer matches and the Olympic Games. The live entertainment gets even better than that though, with both the Shaw Theatre and the Bloomsbury Theatre only a short distance away. Between them, they host high-quality drama from the UK regions, which often see their way to Broadway and off-Broadway, alongside providing residencies for orchestras and regular live comedy and music nights. The Gagosian Gallery may not have the same heritage, but it does display some of the best 20th and 21st Century artworks outside of a national collection and has shown the works of everyone from Pablo Picasso to Damien Hirst. And if shopping is your raison d’etre, there’s Coal Drops Yard, whose stores are sure to inspire you to get your wallet out. Visit King’s Cross with Go City King’s Cross has moved on a lot since the statue of George IV at a road crossing was removed to build its station in 1845. Having existed in various guises since then, today it’s a neighborhood that has rediscovered its mojo and has become a choice place to spend time in the capital once more. Make the most of your trip to London by traveling with Go City and you can make incredible savings on top attractions such as the Tower of London and the Cutty Sark, the only remaining tea clipper ship of its kind in the world. Be sure to share the resulting snaps with @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook to show us just what a good time you’re having exploring all the things to do in King’s Cross London!
Ian Packham
Westminster Palace
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Things to do in Shoreditch London

If you’re wondering about the things to do in Shoreditch London, know this first. Shoreditch is many things, but probably not the things you think it is. Technically part of east London, it feels more like an area of central London, lying just north of the Square Mile and its financial institutions. Likewise, Shoreditch is often described as being edgy and creative, but this shouldn’t be mistaken for dirty or seedy. By day the neighborhood throngs with young professionals working in the office blocks around the Silicon Roundabout – the UK’s answer to Silicon Valley. By night, its triangle of main streets is alive with bars and restaurants, as well as spots to dance the night away and seek out a comfy hotel bed. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Shoreditch has been an entertainment district since Shakespeare’s time. It was here – rather than the Globe – where his earliest and best-known plays were first performed – Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and Hamlet amongst them. Rub shoulders with market traders A couple of hundred meters south of Shoreditch, Old Spitalfields Market has been in operation since around 1666 – the year fire devastated much of central London. For centuries a wholesale market open only to traders, the early 2000s saw its redevelopment into a hub for the public. It’s Victorian era structures provide an atmospheric backdrop for seeking out everything from the latest fashions to street food. Open daily, the complex has a pop up vintage market every Thursday, a vinyl fair on Fridays and a mix of arts and crafts throughout the week. The backdrop of an otherwise ordinary terraced east London street is not necessarily where you’d expect the explosion of color that is Columbia Road Flower Market either. Each Sunday the narrow street becomes a jungle of plants, with connecting roads seeing a spillover of plants and café tables. Explore the Shoreditch of yesteryear Old Spitalfields Market isn’t the only attraction in Shoreditch to have undergone regeneration. Still known to many as the Geffryre Museum, but rebranded the Museum of the Home, this former almshouse on Kingsland Road explores home life from the year 1600 to the present day. Visitors are able to pass through rooms from multiple ages, including a drawing room from 1870 and a loft apartment from the late 1990s. The period gardens are a nice spot to escape the hubbub of Shoreditch High Street. Operating in a similar vein, Dennis Severs’ House has been dressed up into an approximation of a home of Huguenots in the 1700s. Protestants from France, the Huguenots are just one of a series of groups who have sought refuge in London’s cheaper neighborhoods alongside Jews and Bengali immigrants, creating one of the world’s most diverse cities in the process! Satisfy your hunger You only need to head as far as Brick Lane to experience this diversity in all of its aromatic glory. The heart of London’s Bangladeshi community, it has bilingual street signs and some of the best curry you’ll find in the capital. It has also become one of the top areas of the capital when it comes to street art, with works of graffiti spanning many buildings and side streets. For a whistle-stop tour of world cuisine, and a dose of fashion from independent stores with their finger on the pulse, make the short journey from Brick Lane across to Boxpark. Named after its formation out of converted shipping containers, its kitchens serve up everything from doughnuts to vegan-friendly dishes and Jamaican to South American cuisine. Take your pick of the bars Ask most people who know about the things to do in Shoreditch and they’re bound to tell you to hit the bars and nightspots of Shoreditch High Street and Old Street, where there is something for everyone. Traditional-style pubs line up alongside trendy cocktail bars and more than a few themed locales that will either have you jumping for joy or weeping into your craft brewed IPA. Hoxton Square is another destination to be aware of when it comes to all things wining and dining. Believed to be one of London’s oldest squares, it was laid out in 1683. Today most of its Victorian buildings contain a bar or restaurant whilst its lawns frequently host live events in the warmer months. Another Shoreditch structure that has reinvented itself over recent years is the Old Truman Brewery, which has become a home for creatives including fashion designers, DJs and artists. Its 10 acres of once derelict warehouse space has been put to good use with plenty of small shops and exhibition spaces in which to while away a pleasant hour or two. Delve into the art scene Spanning two stories of a former furniture warehouse, the Victoria Miro Gallery is one of the largest spaces in the neighborhood dedicated to contemporary art. With its back facing a canal basin, the gallery has represented two Turner Prize winners – Chris Ofili and Grayson Perry – amongst many other established and up-and-coming artists. Perhaps better known, the Whitechapel Gallery has been a public arts space since its unveiling in 1901. Nonetheless, its focus remains on contemporary art, having displayed Picasso’s Guernica in 1938 and hosting the first UK hanging of Rothko’s work in 1961. A further space to consider is the Flowers Gallery, whose 50 year history has led to the showing of over 900 exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. Discover London’s Shoreditch with Go City Shoreditch has always been known primarily as an entertainment district. The sheer volume of bars and restaurants means it continues to attract revelers from across London. But don’t think that there aren’t additional things to do in Shoreditch London. Visit London with Go City and you can get incredible savings on admission to many of the capital’s top attractions. Outside of Shoreditch this means savings on entering everywhere from the Tower of London to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Ian Packham

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