Things to do in London for couples

By Ian Packham
A couple laughing together in front of the London Eye

Whether you’ve been together six months or 60 years, there’s a wide array of things to do in London for couples. Strolling hand in hand through the grounds of palaces and stately homes, taking in views of the River Thames’ meandering path or soaking up some culture are just some of the experiences that await.

Share in London’s historic wonders

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After six weddings and two beheadings, Henry VIII’s record as a husband may come into question, but it’s hard not to admire his taste in homes. Riverside Hampton Court Palace was his favorite residence, and the only Tudor royal palace in London welcoming the public. Having wondered at the Great Hall and historic kitchens, save some time for tackling the famous maze together – like couples have been doing since it was first planted in the 1680s.

Continuing the theme of important London homes is Hampstead’s Keats House. The 19th-century romantic poet John Keats lived in the building for less than two years. However, as visitors will discover, in this time he not only wrote Ode to a Nightingale beneath one of the garden’s plum trees, but also fell madly in love with neighbor Fanny Brawne. And all before dying of tuberculosis at the age of 25.

The magic figure at St Paul’s Cathedral is 259, the number of steps leading to the Whispering Gallery. Forming part of the 65,000 ton dome, it has the intriguing property of amplifying even the slightest sound around its walls. Couples who make here also get a close up with the focal point of Sir Christopher Wren’s original 17th-century structure.

Check out London’s food scene

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Couples in London looking for a foodie treat are well catered for. The capital’s list of places to be wined and dined is a long one, meeting all tastes, budgets and dietary requirements.

Though there may be more shared benches than tables for two, one of the newest kids on the block is Maltby Street Market in Bermondsey. A short walk from Tower Bridge, Venezuelan arepa share the space with Ethiopian wat and Chinese gyoza in a celebration of world cuisine.

More traditional dining experiences still don’t have to cost the Earth. Home of the capital’s Bengali community, Brick Lane is the cherry on top of the cake of London’s love-affair with curry. Even so, prices are a fraction of those charged by celebrity chefs and London’s 60 or so Michelin-starred restaurants.

If you abide by the idea that couples which drink together stay together, look no further than a cocktail-making class. Guided by the skilled hands of a professional mixologist, you’ll get to create a perfectly-balanced Old Fashioned, Dark and Stormy or Cosmopolitan.

Alternatively, you could go one step better and take a tour of the Beefeater gin distillery, revealing just some of what goes into making the spirit so popular with bartenders across the city.

Enjoy views of the Thames

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Even dirty old rivers – to steal a phrase from The Kinks’ 1960s classic Waterloo Sunset – have a certain innate romance. Take to its banks pretty much anywhere along its 215 mile course, and you’ll have to agree the Thames is no different. Actually one of the cleanest rivers in the world, it’s further reaches are home to otters, dolphins and seals in addition to landmarks known the world over.

What’s more, there are several ways for couples in London to enjoy the majesty of the Thames. The classic way is to take to its waters, with river cruises slipping up and down stream between Westminster and Greenwich. When it comes to timing, sunset is difficult to beat, and is known as the golden hour for taking in the city’s panoramas.

Boarding a Thames cruiser isn’t the only way to fully-appreciate the capital’s lifeblood. A completely different perspective is offered from a gondola of London’s first cable car, the Emirates Air Line, connecting the two sides of the river via a journey which takes in the entire Greenwich Peninsula. At dusk the journey is extended, so you have even more time to admire the panoply of sights below you.

Climb the O2 Arena and the only thing immediately beneath your feet will be its white canopy. However, to either side of the walkway hanging 50 meters above the ground, the river unravels in all its glory in either direction.

Take in a show

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William Shakespeare’s words have echoed through the centuries. Where better to relive the romance of Romeo and Juliet or Anthony and Cleopatra, or the bromance of Prince Hal and Falstaff in Henry IV than Shakespeare’s Globe? Outside of performances, tours detail some of the theater’s most captivating tales, such as the time an audience member’s breeches burst into flames alongside the original playhouse.

Meanwhile, the velvet-clad seats of Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House is the foremost destination for opera and ballet. The West End has shows to suit any couple, with contemporary playwriting, musicals and classic plays all fighting for attention.

When it comes to foot-tapping fun, there are venues large and small where it’s possible to let your hair down. They include the likes of the Sky Garden, hosting regular concerts to continue the traditions of the capital’s legendary music industry, which has given voice to everyone from David Bowie to Amy Winehouse.

London’s Madame Tussauds – the first wax works to hold the name – is a great option for couples in need of a rainy-day activity. It’s array of famous faces from British history and worldwide popular culture are one way to get close to your idols. Movie lovers also have the option of taking in a multitude of sites forming backdrops to some of the silver screen’s best-known scenes including the James Bond franchise, Paddington and Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Save on things to do in London for couples

Reserve your hard-earned cash for spoiling your significant other by saving on London attraction admission and exploring more with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.

Ian Packham
Go City Travel Expert

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Things to do in Kensington London

Leafy Kensington is one of London’s most affluent neighborhoods. Although it lies a short distance west of the landmark buildings lining the River Thames, it still has lots to entice the casual visitor. Things to do in Kensington London include exploring the collections of three of the British capital’s most important museums, heading behind the scenes of life as a royal at Kensington Palace and paying a visit to one of its most famous stores – Harrods. Looking for inspiration for a day in Kensington? Check out our guide to the home patch of Dusty Springfield and Freddie Mercury. Spend a day on Exhibition Road South Kensington is synonymous with museums, with the half kilometer length of Exhibition Road the location of three of the great national collections. If you’ve seen the movies Paddington, The Eternals or even the 1975 Ustinov classic One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing, you won’t need any introduction to the Natural History Museum. Its exhibits include dinosaur skeletons, the taxidermy creatures of Blue Whale Hall and biological samples collected by Charles Darwin on his world-changing expedition to the Galapagos Islands. Step next door to the Science Museum and you’ll encounter Watson and Crick’s original model demonstrating the structure of our DNA, Wells Cathedral Clock – one of the oldest in the world – and the biplane aircraft in which Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1928. The Victoria and Albert Museum is dedicated to the decorative arts, and provides a permanent home to sculpture by Rodin, handwoven carpets from the Middle East and landscape paintings by Constable. If you need a place to rest your feet, the museum has the first and oldest museum café anywhere on Earth! Snoop around a royal’s bedroom Kensington Palace has been the residence of members of the royal family since the 17th Century. It has provided a home to Queen Victoria (before her accession to the throne), Diana Princess of Wales and latterly Princes William and Harry. One of London’s Historic Royal Palaces, visitors are able to see the lavish King’s State Apartments, their counterpart for the queen consort and the Jewel Room – although the gems held here pale into significance compared to the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. Its gardens can be toured independently of the palace and run without interruption into neighboring Hyde Park. Little ones are sure to enjoy the wooden pirate ship that’s the centerpiece of the Diana Memorial Playground, whilst the Italian Gardens and Peter Pan statue – appearing as if by magic one night in 1912 – should also be added to any list of things to do in Kensington London. Tour the Royal Albert Hall But the royal epithets don’t end with Kensington Palace and Gardens. The southern boundary of the gardens is occupied by the OTT Albert Memorial, opposite the concert hall that also bears the name of Queen Victoria’s consort. Recognized as one of the world’s top performance spaces, the Royal Albert Hall has a 150 year history that includes surviving bombing during the Second World War and appearances from everyone from Mohammad Ali to Adele. Used for the BBC Prom concert series since 1941, taking a tour of the Royal Albert Hall provides access to the usually private royal suites, backstage area and gallery. Delight in Kensington’s contemporary art scene Getting their name from Hyde Park’s Serpentine boating lake, the Serpentine Galleries are renowned for their temporary exhibitions, spread between two historic registered buildings connected by the park’s bridge. During the summer months, its artwork even extends to a pavilion constructed just for the season designed by some of the biggest names in architecture. Previous pavilions have been shaped by Zaha Hadid – whose other work includes Guangzhou Opera House and the London Olympic Aquatic Center – and Frank Gehry – the man behind Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum. Even more style can be enjoyed at Kensington’s dedicated Design Museum. Tucked into the southern extent of Holland Park, head to its upper floor for the permanent collection of this former European Museum of the Year. It demonstrates how design affects our lives without us even noticing and features almost a thousand objects from original London Underground maps to iMac computers. Treat yourself to afternoon tea At this point in your visit to Kensington you’re probably ravenous. A perfect excuse – not that one is needed – to participate in one of Britain’s quaintest – and oddest – of traditions. Afternoon tea has been a staple at fashionable London dining tables since 1840. Keeping people well fed in the long hours between lunch and dinner, it has grown from a light snack to a social occasion, and isn’t just a bone china cup full of swirling tea leaves but a full-on eating fest incorporating sandwiches, savory tarts, cakes and scones. For that extra special treat, book a table at the Harrods Tea Rooms. As one of the most prestigious department stores in the capital, the kitchen staff have had plenty of time to perfect their offerings – over 125 years in fact. But if budgets don’t stretch quite that far – even with Go City savings – Kensington High Street has a good number of alternatives, from Italian cafés to Middle Eastern restaurants and the exquisite artistry of the food served at Japan House. Bringing you the best things to do in Kensington London Because of the huge range of things to do in Kensington London it’s very likely that you’ll spend some time of a London itinerary amongst its national institutions and millionaire’s townhouses. Instead of rushing from place to place, be sure to take your time, enjoying its parks, museums and historic structures. Travel to Kensington and London’s other neighborhoods with Go City and you’ll make incredible savings on many of its top attractions. What you do with the money you save is entirely up to you, though we’re sure you agree that Harrods’ afternoon tea sounds mouthwateringly tasty!
Ian Packham
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Cheap things to do in London

You might scoff at the idea of there being cheap things to do in six-pounds-a-pint London. However, for those in the know it doesn’t take too much effort to find attractions that will eke out your savings. In fact, there’s very little you can’t do in London on a budget. Much of the city’s history, as well as its modern culture, thriving food scene and even many events can be enjoyed for very little money if you know where to head! Cheap museums and galleries in London The permanent exhibitions at the likes of the British Museum, Natural History Museum and Tate Modern are free to enter year-round, making for a very cheap day out in London. Many smaller museums and galleries can’t quite match this price point, but nonetheless include amazing objects within their collections. The Royal Observatory Greenwich’s modest admission allows visitors to get up close and personal with a giant of scientific discovery. Visitors are able to stand on the original prime meridian line denoting the eastern and western hemispheres, before going on to learn how the site changed the way we see the world with regard to both time and space. Within a fine example of Georgian architecture is the Benjamin Franklin House museum. The only remaining residence of the American Founding Father, its collection helps to detail Franklin’s life in London over 15 years through a mix of period furnishings and audiovisual displays. London’s budget eats If there’s one thing about traveling on a budget in London which worries visitors it’s staying well fed and watered. Whilst headlines about Salt Bae’s $1000 steaks and bar menus quoting $14 for a lager are common enough, there’s never been a better time to eat well for less. Just behind Euston train station, north west London’s Drummond Street rivals Brick Lane when it comes to cheap eats from the Indian subcontinent. Further north still, there’s plenty of options amidst the fashion stalls of Camden Market, with traditional fish and chips competing for attention against hotdogs and burritos. The converted shipping containers of Boxpark are another great option. Providing shared seating and a plethora of independent places to eat, there are three sites to look out for, in Wembley, Shoreditch and up-and-coming Croydon. London’s best value views For a bird’s eye view of the capital without the sky-high costs there are a number of potential attractions to consider. The best known is the covered Sky Garden topping out 20 Fenchurch Street – the Walkie Talkie building. Promising 360° views from London’s highest public garden, it’s free to visit, although you’ll need to pre-book a time slot. Less well known is the external balcony that sits beneath the bronze horse-drawn chariot carrying the goddess Victory on Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. Its views extend across several Royal Parks. Tucked behind more recent buildings at the northern end of London Bridge lies The Monument. Built by Sir Christopher Wren of St Paul’s Cathedral fame to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666, its vertigo-inducing viewing platform puts you roughly 60 meters above ground level. The height marks its distance from the fire’s starting point on Pudding Lane. Low-cost nights out in the capital If your budget doesn’t stretch to a show in the West End, fear not, you don’t need to remove seeing a show from your list of cheap things to do in London just yet. The brutalist architecture of the Southbank Centre has long been the haunt of skaters and street artists, who together create a heady mix of spontaneity and art for passersby. The highest form of art has to go to the plays of The Bard. To experience the playwright’s greatest works as they were intended to be seen, head for the standing-only Groundling Yard of Shakespeare’s Globe. For the cost of a pint, you get closer to the stage than you probably thought possible. Also be sure to check out the listings sections of the weekend papers for details of London’s public events. June’s Trooping the Colour, August’s Notting Hill Carnival, and December’s Christmas markets lead a long list of events. Switch underground for overground The London Underground has been getting Londoners where they need to be for over 150 years. Ride the right double-decker buses instead, and you’ll get a tour of some of London’s top attractions thrown in for free. Jump aboard the number 24 from Victoria Station to whiz past Westminster Abbey, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square, or flag down the number 11 to travel along Piccadilly to the Royal Albert Hall. Another alternative to the tube is London’s Santander Cycles, known to almost everyone as Boris Bikes after the former mayor Boris Johnson, who brought them to the capital’s streets and kick-started a cycling revolution in the process. Ride as far as you want (a few have made it all the way to Paris and back) for a set price that can see you recreating The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover and free-wheeling across Tower Bridge. Take a walk in the park Whichever part of London you find yourself in, it’s very likely there’s a public park nearby. The Westminster area boasts the triple alliance of Hyde Park, St James’s and Green Park, with Regent’s Park to the north and Battersea Park lining the Thames’ south bank. Elsewhere, Highgate Cemetery is a historic burial place with grand tombs and the unofficial status of a nature reserve. One of London’s ‘magnificent seven’ graveyards, it has around 170,000 interments. Amongst them are famous faces including poet Christina Rossetti, singer George Michael, novelist George Eliot, socialist thinker Karl Marx, and if legend is to be believed, the Highgate Vampire too. The cheap things to do in London don’t end there Of course, there is another way to explore London in a budget-friendly way without having to miss out on the big-ticket attractions that brought you to the British capital in the first place. Go City lets you visit the London attractions you want to, when you want to, whilst giving you incredible savings on attraction admission. That trip to London doesn’t look so expensive after all, does it?
Ian Packham

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