India Lawrence

It will come as no surprise that Amsterdam is overrun with exceptional places to stay. And we mean every kind: 18th-century canalside mansions, converted bridge keepers’ houses, luxury historic hotels that have hosted royal weddings – the lot. But that isn’t to say that every stay here will blow the budget – there are plenty of affordable options in Amsterdam too, if you know where to look. On our list, we’ve made sure to include a bit of everything, all individually reviewed and rated by Time Out’s very own travel experts. Read on for five-star luxury, budget boutiques and everything in between.  What is the best neighbourhood to stay in Amsterdam?  There isn’t necessarily one answer to this, as each of Amsterdam’s districts offer something totally unique. If it’s your first time in the city, Centrum offers touristy experiences and classic Amsterdam views for days. For something more off-grid (and often more affordable), you’re best off catching the free ferry to Noord, Amsterdam’s creative warehouse district. But for a reliable all-rounder? We love hipster haven Oost, where you’ll find many of the city’s coolest bars, restaurants and hotels. For more, check out our full area guide.  🏘️ Looking for even more options? Check out our guide to Amsterdam’s best Airbnbs Amsterdam’s best hotels at a glance 👑 Best overall: The July - Boat & Co 🕰️ Best historical stay: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam 💸 Best budget stay: Yotel Amsterdam 🍴 Best for foodies: The Hoxton, Lloyd A

Covent Garden is so rammed with restaurants that decision fatigue can easily threaten the quality of your dinner. Weave through the tourists and theatregoing crowds and you'll discover that this area hosts many of the best restaurants in London, including French-styled Story Cellar, and The Portrait by Richard Corrigan, as well as old faves The Savoy Grill and J Sheekey. We’ve compiled a list of the best in the area, from cutting-edge eateries and classy counter joints to party-ready and casual hangouts, with pre-theatre favourites and cheap eats among them. Think of it as your Covent Garden bucket list. The best restaurants in Covent Garden at a glance: 🍸 Best for old school glamour: J Sheekey 🥦 Best for modern British cookery: Town 🥘 Best for Spanish tapas: Barrafina, Drury Lane and Adelaide Street 🍝 Best for perfect pasta: Bancone 🍛 Best for excellent Indian food: Tandoor Chop House RECOMMENDED: The absolute best restaurants in Soho. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

September 2025: Our latest update includes everything from udon noodle bowls and South Indian platters to Hong Kong toasted buns, as well as morning mezze and classic croissants. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom's bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London.  London's best breakfasts at a glance: 🌯 Best for a burrito: Bad Manners, Shoreditch 😎 Best for celeb-spotting: The Wolseley, Mayfair 🥓 Best for a fry-up: E Pellicci, Bethnal Green 🍛 Best for a South Indian feast: The Tamil Prince, Barnsbury 🍞 Best for Hong Kong-style french toast: Hoko Cafe, Brick Lane 🍱 Best for Japanese brekkie: Ikoi, Kings Cross Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible whim. These days, London isn’t just home to the fry-up, but the ubiquitous smashed avocado on toast, bowls of shakshuka and many more besides. In fact, London genuinely might be the best place to eat breakfast in the world. Whether you’re the kind of person who favours a posh restaurant over a greasy spoon, or who champions a caff over a swanky hotel, we’ve rounded up the ultimate list.  RECOMMENDED: Breakfast’s a little too early for you? Try one of London’s best brunches instead. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings,

Peckham locals have always been proud of the area’s brand: a melting pot of cultural vibrancy, eccentric individuals, and an artsy, young DIY crowd thanks to nearby Goldsmiths University and Camberwell College of Arts. It rivals Dalston and all those other East End upstarts as the place to hang out, and it’s the perfect spot for new restaurants to find their feet. Here are some of the best in the area, as well as a host of notable places to eat just down the road in Camberwell, too.  RECOMMENDED: The best 50 restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

There has been all sorts of talk about the death of London’s nightlife. We won’t lie, it’s been sad to hear about the upcoming closures of legendary clubs like Corsica Studios and G-A-Y. However, London’s late-night scene is resilient. It will never die, only evolve. And lets not forget that the Big Smoke is still home to some absolute world-leading clubs where you can go for a proper dance. I’m talking smoke, strobe lights and an absolute stomper of a sound system. I promise you, it’s good for the soul. London’s best clubs at a glance: 🎸Best club for live music: Moth Club 🪩Best intimate club: The Carpet Shop 🏳️‍🌈Best LGBTQ+ club: Dalston Superstore   ⛓️Best techno club: FOLD  💅Best bougie club: The Box Since I moved to London, I’ve been making my way around the city’s many dancefloors, and I like to think that by now I know a thing or two about what separates an average club from a venue which will have you itching to come back week after week. From Sunday day raves at FOLD to secret line-ups at Venue MOT and no-nonsense pop nights at Moth Club, we are home to some absolutely banging nights out in this city. You just need to know where to look. That said, the best thing about going out in London is the sheer variety on offer. You can go to a huge daytime party at Drumsheds with international superstar DJs then head to an underground warehouse party in the Docklands the very same weekend. You can try your best to master Northern Soul footwork, sing your heart out to so

    While the post-Halloween party hangover might be enough to have you frightened well past Bonfire Night, sometimes what you want for Halloween is to be scared properly silly.   From classic themepark fright nights, to creepy immersive dining experiences, and real-life ghost tours, these frankly terrifying experiences will have you jumping out of your skin, crying for your mum and even questioning your sanity. For the scaredy cats among you, no worries, because there are also a few toned down options in the mix. Think of those as the spooky-lite Halloween events.   So, guys and ghouls, from family-friendly to spine-chilling events that really, really aren’t for the faint hearted, these are the best Halloween events happening across the UK this year.  RECOMMENDED: The most haunted places in the UKThe UK’s spookiest ghost townsEerily beautiful graveyards to visit

Summer is over. And while the remainder of 2025 in London will still see a few great day festivals take place, including Pitchfork and London Jazz Festival, we already can’t wait for festival season 2026.  By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The lineup announcements for next year’s events are already starting to come in, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi and Pitbull set to take to the London stage next summer. Plus,the future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, however the south London park’s usual lineup of events – which includes Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Field Day – will all return in 2026.  Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

It’s October, which means that things are ramping up on the stage in the run up to the festive season.  It’s looking like an exciting month for ballet and contemporary fans. Dance Umbrella, a huge and varied annual festival of contemporary dance, taking place across the city with performances, workshops and events, returns to the capital this month with groundbreaking artists from around the world. Plus Christopher Wheeldon’s take on the magical realist Mexican novel Like Water for Chocolate is revived for the first time. Meanwhile, English National Ballet is paying homage to the pioneers of modern dance with an exciting quadruple bill.  Here we’ve rounded up the best dance in London this October.  India is in charge of dance listings at Time Out. She was first shoved into a leotard and ballet shoes aged four, and has loved it ever since. Nowadays India prefers contemporary (or dancing in a sweaty club) to ballet, but still has a soft spot for the odd grand jeté every now and again. India has been reviewing dance in London since joining Time Out in 2022.  MORE STAGE: Dance classes in London Best theatre shows this yearBest theatre shows this monthBest comedy shows this month

We know that London is the best city in the world. But like any metropolis, it can also get a bit much sometimes. Occasionally, what you want isn’t to drink cocktails in a trendy bar after seeing the hottest Gen Z bedroom popstar at the Islington Assembly Hall, but a little peace and quiet, actually. Enter: the weekend getaway, invented by the Victorians (probably), there’s a reason why Londoners have been taking sojourns to the seaside on sunny bank holidays since the 1800s.  Together, we’ve come up with a cracking list of our favourite day trip destinations near London. There’s something for everyone here, from historic cities and cute villages to sandy beaches and rolling countryside. We've included some recommendations for ace restaurants, quaint little pubs, and our favourite things to do at each destination on the list – all of which are close enough to the city that you can get there and back in one sweet day.  Best day trips from London at a glance 🍔 Best for foodies: Margate 🎭 Best for culture lovers: Stratford-Upon-Avon ⛪ Best for history buffs: Canterbury 🛁 Best for families: Bath 🐴 Best for hikers: New Forest 🍺 Best for pub crawls: Lewes 🏖️ Best for seaside fun: Brighton RECOMMENDED:✨The best day trips an hour from London👪 The best family day trips from London☀️ The best weekend trips from London🏘️ The best Airbnbs near London🌳 The best quirky Airbnbs in the UK This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial conte

We know that Londoners love to dress in hiking gear: you can’t move in east London without rubbing shoulders with a sentient Arc’teryx jacket, or stomping on a pair of fresh Salomon trainers. But how much of it has ever actually seen a muddy trail? Take your most practical clothes on a trek to remember by going on a big walk, followed by a relaxing sesh in a traditional pub that definitely won't do small plates. Yep, there are plenty of pretty walking routes in London. But there's a lot to be said for escaping the hustle, bustle and ubiquitous Lime bikes by heading out into the true countryside. There are so many stunning bits of scenery to explore, just a short train, car or bus ride from the Big Smoke.  From a bluebell-laden amble through Epping Forest, to a bracing walk along the Seven Sisters cliffs, there’s loads to choose from. So pop on your XT6s and head to one of these wonderful hikes near London. Best walks near London at a glance Best for serious hikers: The Seven Sisters and the Eastern Downs Best for kids: Epping Forest’s Oak Trail Best for easy ambling: The Kentish Coast  Best for picnic spots: Chess Valley in the Chilterns Best for wildlife spotting: Goring Gap and the Thames Path RECOMMENDED: The best walks in and around LondonThe best forests in London for woodland walksThe prettiest walks in London

As the nights turn darker and the air feels cooler, it can only mean one thing: spooky season is upon us. The pumpkins are carved, the costume is finalised, and there’s only one thing left to sort out… a Halloween playlist that goes hard enough to have the afterlife dancing along too. When it comes to Halloween anthems, there are some stone cold classics that have soundtracked the spooky season for decades – we’re looking at you, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Ghostbusters’. But in recent years a new generation of pop ghouls have served up anthems befitting of All Hallows’ Eve. From Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend bleeding her dry, to the bewitching melodies of Mother Monster, via the smooth tones of some immaculately styled K-Pop demons. Ironically, Halloween playlists have never felt more alive. Our favourite Halloween songs at a glance: Most iconic Halloween track: ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson Best new Halloween anthem: ‘Abracadabra’ by Lady Gaga Most dramatic Halloween song: ‘There Will Be Blood’ by Kim Petras Best Halloween anthem with a K-Pop twist: ‘Your Idol’ by Saja Boys Best Halloween track to dance to: ‘Monster Mash’ by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers RECOMMENDED: 👻 The best Halloween movies of all time 🎤 The best karaoke songs 🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far 🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far

The smog and stress of London can really take its toll on your skin. That’s why there’s nothing better than a regular facial (or a one-off treat) to give you that much-needed top-up, leaving you feeling glowing, fresh-faced and dewy.  Just thinking about what we put our skin through is enough to give you frown lines. That’s thanks to the combined efforts of pollution and air-conditioned offices, as well as the added bonuses of harsh weather, booze, sun exposure, dehydration and – our least favourite – the inevitable passing of time. Happily, there are loads of great spas, treatment rooms and estheticians in London who can give your face a break and a much-needed zhuzh. Whether you’re after a relaxing, soothing facial massage, some instant radiance, a total skincare overhaul or something a little more intense such as microneedling or laser treatment, read our pick of facials in London.  RECOMMENDED: The best spas in London. 

What do an Enigma machine, an Apple AirTag and Lady Mountbatten’s silk underwear all have in common? Well, they’re all currently on display at the British Library’s riveting Secret Maps exhibition. Why are they all together? Because they all tell stories about how information is created, concealed, disseminated and controlled, via mapping. And that’s exactly what Secret Maps is all about.  Through more than 100 items, from hand-drawn naval charts gifted to Henry VIII, to Soviet Cold War-era cartographies, and modern-day satellite tracking technology (TL;DR: a whole lotta maps), the British Library illuminates how maps can be powerful political tools, create communities, and act as a form of protest.  It’s a dense, information-packed display with plenty of granular detail to get stuck into, so if you’re not, like, really into maps, then it may not be for you. But it’s sort of what you’d expect for an exhibition dedicated to maps hosted by the British Library. There are a few fun and interactive elements, too; visitors are invited to peer through secret spy holes, place their phones on a futuristic screen that tells them exactly how the tech overlords are mapping and harvesting their data (gulp), and find Wally in an original drawing from the children’s book.  For £20 you are guaranteed to see a lot of cool old shit The most compelling aspect of the exhibition is its anti-colonialist streak (other London museums could do with taking a leaf out of the British Library’s book). S

Known for her surreal and avante garde haute couture creations – often with striking silhouettes, gilded accents, and unusual appliqués – for the first time in the UK an exhibition will be dedicated to the work and legacy of the groundbreaking fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The show will trace the origins of the house, from its first, paradigmshifting garments, through to its present-day incarnation in the hands of its creative director Daniel Roseberry, whose contemporary designs worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid have seen gowns adorned with faux-taxidermy lion heads, and a lung dress fashioned from a delicate network of golden veins. 

BST will be back again next summer, bringing some of the world’s biggest pop stars to Hyde Park for its 13th edition. Already announced as headliners for 2026 are Lewis Capaldi, Pit Bull and Garth Brooks, with more to be confirmed. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area. Here’s all you need to know about the BST Hyde Park’s 2026 edition.  When is BST Hyde Park 2026? As in previous years, BST Hyde Park takes place over several dates in late June and early July. So far, dates have been announced for Saturday, June 27, Friday, July 10, Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12.  How much are tickets? Tickets typically range in price depending on who’s playing and what kind of access you want. The cheapest general admission tickets cost £99.95 plus booking fee, with VIP tickets costing up to £350.95 plus booking fee. Check the website for the full range of tickets and prices. There are also a number of free community events taking place throughout the weeks as part of the BST Open House series. These usually include things like Wimbledon screenings, an outdoor cinema, outdoor theatre shows, DJ sets and gigs. Who’s on the lineup? Country singer Garth Brooks will headline on June 27. This will be his only European performance in 2026. Pitbull will play on July 10, joined by Kesha, and Lewis Capaldi will headline two shows on July 11 and 12. More acts are to be announced in the future. 

Field Day tried to get back to its roots in 2025 when it up sticks from its more corporate-feeling Victoria Park set up and went to Brockwell Park. It will return to south London on May 23 2026, so get it locked in the diary. Acts are still TBA, but expect many of the best electronic producers and DJs for a day of non-stop dancing.     

All of London’s hottest and hippest people will head to Peckham Rye Park for one of London’s best electronic music bonanzas in May. GALA will return after its hugely successful 10th anniversary event in 2025. Acts are still TBA, but previous years have seen the likes of Caribou, Avalon Emerson and Joy Orbison headline. 

Since launching in 2019, Cross the Tracks has firmly made its name for itself as London’s go-to festival for funk, jazz, RnB and hip hop heads. Its groove-heavy curation leads to a laid-back and open-arms atmosphere, which means you’ll find all sorts of people of having a boogie at the one-dayer.  When is Cross the Tracks 2026? Cross the Tracks is taking place in its usual slot on Sunday May 24, in Brockwell Park. How much are tickets? Next year’s ticket prices haven’t been revealed yet, but in 2025 General Admission started at £54.50 + booking fee, while VIP tickets were from £89 + booking fee. What’s the Cross the Tracks 2026 line up? The acts for 2026 are still to be announced, but previous iterations have been headlined by the likes of Michael Kiwanuka, Ezra Collective, BADBADNOTGOOD and En Vogue.  Find more London music festivals here!

To the layperson, high-fashion shows can be a source of confusion. Why would anyone spend thousands on a dress constructed entirely of razor blades, or a pair of decrepit shoes that have been deliberately sullied or even torched? Well, because sometimes creating unwearable garments is actually the point, thank you very much. And that’s exactly what the Barbican’s latest fashion exhibition illustrates.  From the controversial £1,400 Balenciaga destroyed trainers, to Jordanluca’s pee-soaked jeans, and dresses that have been pulled out of bogs, Dirty Looks peers at the muckier side of fashion design. Don’t expect immaculate gowns displayed solemnly in glass cases. This isn’t a historical look at haute couture, or a glossy advert for a fashion house concealed inside a gallery show. The exhibition, featuring more than 120 garments from designers including Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Issey Miyake, takes a clever thematic approach to the philosophy of dirt within fashion, showing how ideas around industrialisation, colonisation, the body, and waste, can be illustrated on the runway.  One particularly icky room is dedicated to bodily fluids, showing artificially sweat and period-stained garb, others to food stains, pieces made with rubbish and to trompe l’oeil faux-grimy clothing.Stand-out pieces include a torn and muddy lace dress from Alexander McQueen’s controversial ‘Highland Rape’ collection, a creepy Miss Havisham-esque Comme des Garçons anti-weddi

You could say that Marie Antoinette was the original celebrity. The last Queen of France worked with personal stylists, had her barnet done by celebrity hairdressers, and set the agenda for the fashion of the day. She had her own personal brand – an elegant ‘MA’ monogram – which she plastered all over her jewellery, furniture, belongings, and even most intimate toiletries. Like many celebs today, the queen’s dodgy reputation, founded on obscene rumours of debauchery, promiscuity and gorging on cake, was created by tabloid sensationalism. So it’s only fitting that a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the style of the world’s most fashionable and infamous monarch should be just as fabulous, bold, sparkly and, at times, salacious. Featuring 250 objects, including loans from Versailles that have never been exhibited outside of France before now, Marie Antoinette Style takes visitors on a journey through the ill-fated queen’s forward-thinking wardrobe, dizzyingly elaborate jewellery, lavish interiors, huge hairstyles and enduring influence on fashion and art today. Alongside the myriad guffaw-inducing riches on display (a replica of the most expensive necklace ever made in France is particularly astonishing), mysteries surrounding the queen are confidently dispelled. Did she really say, ‘Let them eat cake’? (No.) Was the coupette glass actually modelled on her breast? (No, but a very realistic porcelain ‘breast bowl’ commissioned by Antoinette is on display.) What appears is a

What is it? The V&A East Storehouse is perhaps London’s best new museum, found in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Inside, you will find rows and rows of steel shelves, filled with treasures that make up the V&A’s vast archive, that is now on display for all the see.  Purpose-built to house more than 1,000 archives from the museum’s collection, comprising more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books, the storehouse promises to offer a peek behind the scenes to show how a working museum goes about cataloguing artefacts, from vintage footie kits and Glastonbury festival ephemera to a collection of samurai swords.  It is a ‘working museum’, meaning it doesn’t have permanent displays (it doesn’t really have proper displays at all, just shelves), and every one of its objects is free to be moved around by the people at work behind the scenes at any time. Why go? This is a genuinely radical new museum offering, and it could just change the way we think about viewing artefacts forever. There are no lengthy gallery texts, instead just library-like barcodes and the odd QR code, meaning it’s all down to your own interpretation. The randomness is part of the fun, and the objects get to speak for themselves.  What’s the deal with the David Bowie Centre? The David Bowie Centre, which opened in 2025, is a massive archive of more than 90,000 objects related to the music icon. It’s free but you need to book. In it there’s a small but high quality exhibition made up on objects from t

The radical work of Indian artist Mrinalini Mukherjee – known for her fantastical and overtly sexual sculptures made from woven fibres – is at the centre of the upcoming RA exhibtion that spans a century of South Asian art. Telling the story of Indian Modernism, more than 100 works comprising sculpture, painting, drawing, textiles, ceramics and printmaking, from a constellation of avant-garde artists, many whom were Mukherjee’s mentors, friends and family, will be on display. 

This new show by mixed media artist Tanoa Sasraku will examine the seductive and destructive nature of oil, and its ties to war and national identity. Through found objects, sculpture, works on paper, and textiles, Sasraku’s stark artworks – which include corporate paper weights infused with crude oil, and drawings of military symbols on paper that will gradually fade away – use emblems and mementos to shine a damning light on the oil industry.   

Vistors will be plunged into Candice Lin’s disorienting world at Whitechapel Gallery this October, as the artist’s new commission inspired by the politcal and cultural upheaval in the USA goes on display. Created in Los Angeles during the the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second presidency, and the LA wildfires, Lin’s hellish and labrythine landscapes – where small creatures stand, and human cadavers emerge from behind shrubberies – evoke the shock, grief and helplessness many Americans feel today in the face of genocide, police brutality and a climate catastrophe. 

You can’t fling a baguette in London these days without hitting a Gail’s Bakery. The posh chain has been steadily on the rise in the capital, opening branches in Walthamstow, Hackney, Stoke Newington, Primrose Hill and more over the past year.  Now, the chain loved for its cinnamon buns and chicken sandwiches has just been crowned Bakery Retailer of the Year in the Baking Industry Awards 2025. Gail’s beat finalists Bird Bakery, Lidl, and M&S to clinch the top title. The Baking Industry Awards judged bakeries across the UK with mystery shoppers, looking at quality of food, drinks, ingredients and customer service. Top spot in the Craft Bakery Business of the Year category was awarded to Grant’s in Northumberland. Gail’s’ astronomical rise in the UK (it now has 170 sites in the country) was partially to thank for the win. It was also praised for its use of ‘diverse grains’, British farming and its ‘knowledgeable and enthusiastic’ staff members.  Photograph: cktravels.com / Shutterstock.com ‘Having been named a finalist last year, the business forged ahead on its strategic vision to “make exceptional craft baking a part of every community”, making some serious progress on the way,’ said the Baking Industry Awards. ‘This includes adding more than 30 new sites to its estate.’ ‘It’s clear to see the mission-led business strategy is working,’ said one judge, adding that the ‘focus on delivering good food sustainably and not compromising on this shows great responsibility within th

London is full of terrifying things: £1,000 per month flat shares; armies of ‘charity’ fundraisers outside tube stations; and the worrying number of cases of ‘Lime bike leg’ (look it up).  But want to really scare yourself silly this Halloween? TripAdvisor has just revealed the top Halloween tours in London.  According to the travel website, London’s most popular spooky tour for Halloween is the Ghost, Ghouls and Gallows Tour: Guided Tour with Boat Ride.  The two-hour walking and boat tour kicks off in central London just as its about to get dark. Visitors will then be taken by their guide through the capital’s dimly lit Royal Parks, passing haunted houses and places where spirits have been spotted in the past, while being regaled legends and ghost stories from your guide. Then, the tour group will board a boat for a nighttime cruise on the Thames River, passing illuminated landmarks, such as the Tower of London, before disembarking feeling suitably freaked out.  With more than 2,200 reviews, the Ghosts, Ghouls and Gallows tour has a rating of 4.7 on TripAdvisor, with reviews praising the ‘humorous’ guide and ‘engaging’ stories. The whole thing costs £27, which is pretty good value if you ask us.  Other popular spooky season tours in the capital include the Ghastly Ghost Walking Tour, where you will look for ghosts down dark streets and eerie alleyways, and the Ghost Bus Tour of London, a chilling outing that takes place on a vintage 1960s Routemaster double-decker. Halloween

We don’t mean to alarm you, but the clocks are about to go back, which means the winter blues could be about to set in. Lucky for you, there’s a cure for that. It’s called going outside. What an revelation! And what better way to escape the doldrums of winter than an amble in nature? When it comes to good walks, London is surrounded by some absolute stunners, from meandering Thames paths, to ancient forests and rolling green hills.  And we’ve got another one to add to your list. Time Out has named a trail near Marlow as one of the top walking routes near London. This 13-mile ramble kicks off in the scenic Georgian village of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, which can be reached from London via train (London Paddington to Maidenhead, Maidenhead to Marlow) in just over an hour. Along your hike you’ll see sweet meadows, wooded hills and overhanging trees on a tranquil section of the Thames, passing plenty of historic pubs and manor houses along the way.  Photograph: Shutterstock For a post-walk pub (after 13.2 miles you’ll have earned it), you can stop in at Tom Kerridge’s two-Michelin-starred The Hand and Flowers. And if you don’t want to engage in a multi-course meal, they also have a cracking selection of draught beers, bar snacks and signature cocktails.  10 ridiculously scenic walks near London.  A massive winter festival – with an ice rink – is coming to southeast London.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just foll

Oxford Street is good and all, but sometimes you want to avoid the tourists and double decker buses and go to a proper shopping mall. And it’s good news for London’s shopaholics, because a major shopping centre near the capital has just proved itself to be among the best in the UK.  Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent has just been recognised for its achievements in the Sceptre Awards 2025. The retail haven in the Garden of England was highly commended in Sceptre’s category for Sustainability Initiative of the Year.  In the sustainability prize, Sceptre recognised shopping centres that had made considerable efforts to increase their sustainability credentials in various ways.  So what did Bluewater do to get such green chops? According to Landsec, which owns the centre, Bluewater is surrounded by a natural ecosystem, made up of 50 acres of parkland, nature trails, lakes, meadows, flora, fauna and more than 900 species of wildlife. Landsec says its biodiversity management strategy safeguards 17 protected species of plants and animals within this land. Bluewater has a goal of achieving net zero by 2030, and is currently installing 3,200 solar panels that will power the complex. Its roof is covered with grass and wildflowers, and the roof ventilation system draws in fresh and cooling air to ventilate the malls more efficiently. The Kent mall was also a runner up for grand the Retail Destination of the Year award. You can read about which shopping centre won that here and find out

The world’s first museum dedicated entirely to youth culture will open in London this December.  Aptly called the Museum of Youth Culture, London’s new gallery showing artefacts and culture created by teenagers will arrive in a permanent home in Camden this December, with the exact opening date still to be confirmed.  The 6,500 square-foot site, which will be a short walk from Camden Town, will preserve teenage life from the past 100 years, showing photography, archive video, books, zines, ephemera, objects and oral histories. Think rave flyers, band tees, dub soundsystems and even school leavers shirts.   Image: Museum of Youth Culture The space will comprise three gallery spaces with rotating displays: two rolling galleries will pull highlights from the permanent collection and archive, plus a dedicated free gallery space will allow young creatives to exhibit their work. The museum will also host talks, screenings, and learning workshops, such as hands-on music production courses, and will be home to a bar, café and record store. ‘This is more than a place to look back, it’s a space to participate, contribute, and shape the cultural narrative together. Camden has been synonymous with music and youth culture for decades, making it the natural home for the Museum,’ said Jon Swinstead, founder of the Museum of Youth Culture. ‘We’re creating a space for stories that have often been overlooked but are essential to understanding who we are. Youth culture drives innovation, chal

Camden’s former town hall has been transformed into a stunning new arts and culture venue.  Completed in 1937 and designed by Albert Thomas, the grand neoclassical building was the home to Camden Council until 2018, when it closed for refurbishment.  Original called St Pancras Town Hall, the erstwhile government building has now reopened as a major cultural hub called Town Hall, hosting exhibitions and a cultural programme across art, music, theatre, fashion, dance and more.  Having officially opened to the public on October 19, Town Hall has revealed its multi-room renovation all designed by British interior designer Tom Dixon. The newly made-over space includes the Vision Hall, an exhibition space with 13-metre-high ceilings and vast arched windows, and main exhibition area the Inner Space, with sleek marble floors, pillars and silver chrome accents.  Photograph: Town Hall In the future Town Hall will host exhibitions, live talks, performances and more. Already programmed for 2025 are talks from Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, Richard Ayoade and philosopher Slavoj Žižek in conversation with YouTuber Alex O’Connor. The building is available for private hire for events, conferences, fashion shows and more.  Photograph: Town Hall Town Hall is also going to launch a members’ club. You can sign up to hear updates about this on the Town Hall website here.  A massive new 4,000 capacity warehouse music venue is coming to east London.  East London could get a huge new zipline.  Get

Gap is officially back. The American clothing brand is returning to the UK high street with three new London stores, all set to open before Christmas.  In a few weeks, Londoners will be able to cop Gap hoodies, denim and tees IRL, as the brand will reopen its Covent Garden flagship at 30-31 Long Acre on November 7. Covent Garden was once home to one of Gap’s most recognisable London flagships before the brand closed its UK high-street stores in 2021. The Cov Gov shop says it will spotlight Gap’s signature everyday essentials in a ‘fresh, modern, and engaging’ retail atmosphere. The new UK flagship will stock all of the brand’s most recognisable pieces, including jeans, T-shirts and fleeces, while being a place celebrate the brand’s ‘iconic heritage’ through music, records and culture in the store. Gap will also launch in Westfield White City on December 4, followed by the Gap Wembley Outlet on December 18. It’s expected that both shops will stock a range of womenswear, menswear and children’s clothing.  The brand is now operated in Britain by Next Plc, which runs Gap’s UK and Ireland stores and e-commerce through a joint venture. The company closed all of its UK branches in 2021 due to ‘market dynamics’, becoming a digital-only shop. New London Gap store locations and opening dates Here are the capital’s new Gap shops, and when they open.  Covent Garden, 30-31 Long Acre (WC2E 9LA) – November 6 Westfield White City, Fashion Square (W12 7SL) – December 4 Wembley Outlet, Wemble

It’s almost that time of year again, when festive light displays will illuminate London’s skies.  Usually with Christmas lights you’ve got your trees, your reindeer, your angels, your baubles. But this year the Shard has decided to do something a bit different. The tower at London Bridge has decided to create a beautiful light display inspired by artwork created by one of their very own members of staff.  For 2025, the landmark’s Christmas illuminations will be inspired by paintings by Gustavo Zuluaga Villegas, a Colombian-born amateur artist and a member of the Shard’s housekeeping team. The 65-year-old amateur painter has worked at the Shard for eight years, but in his spare time creates vibrant abstract impressionist paintings, depicting everything from horses, to still life to abstract shapes.  RECOMMENDED: The best Christmas lights displays in London. Photograph: Matt Alexander/PA Media Assignments The lighting display inspired by Zuluaga Villegas’s work will feature a range of sequences from striking rainbow flashes, to a reindeer darting across the skyline. RECOMMENDED: When every major London Christmas lights display will turn on for 2025. Zuluaga Villegas said: ‘I came to London from Colombia in 1996 to start a new chapter in my life. The Shard has been part of that journey for the past eight years, and it means a lot to see my artwork reflected on a building I know so well. ‘During the pandemic, my daughter’s creativity inspired me to return to painting, somethin

Pizza Hut birthday parties were a staple of growing up in England in the noughties.  But soon, ice cream factory unlimited refills and filling up on pasta from the salad bar are about to be banished to the graveyard of nostalgia along with Woolworths and portable CD players, because Pizza Hut is closing tonnes of its restaurants across the UK.  The pizza chain is to close a total 68 restaurants in the UK after the company that owns its dine-in venues went into administration. The closures will put 1,210 jobs across the UK at risk. In the capital, nine Pizza Huts are set to shutter – here’s what we know so far about the closures.  Which Pizza Hut restaurants in London are closing? Out of London’s 13 Pizza Hut eat-in restaurants, nine are facing closure. Here’s the full list of Pizza Huts expected to close in the capital: Beckton Triangle Finchley Lido Greenwich Peninsula, Russell Square Romford Retail Park Enfield Leisure Park Hayes Retail Park Feltham Leisure Park Croydon, The Colonnades When will Pizza Hut restaurants close? According to reports, the affected Pizza Hut locations are shut with immediate effect. Will any London Pizza Huts stay open? Yes, a rescue deal has been brokered to save some sites in the UK. American hospitality giant Yum! Brands, which owns the global Pizza Hut business, said it has now bought the UK restaurant operation in a pre-pack administration deal. In the deal, four London eateries should stay open. These are: Strand Leicester Square Piccadil

Did you know that Barking and Dagenham (B&D) is home to some seriously cool historic attractions? And we’re not just talking about the former Ford factory.  The borough in London’s far east has got the ancient Barking Abbey, a monastery dating back to the seventh century that’s now a scheduled ancient monument. Then there’s Eastbury Manor House, a gorgeous Grade I–listed Elizabethan gentry house that’s now owned by the National Trust. And Dagenham is also home to Valence House Museum, a Grade II*–listed manor house with a medieval moat.  This is why the east London borough has been chosen to receive a £200 million investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which hopes to unlock the potential of B&D’s heritage, history and attractions. It is the only London borough to be selected as a ‘Heritage Place’ by the charity.  As well as the historical buildings, B&D has connections to pioneering women’s rights advocates including Mary Wollstonecraft, suffragette Annie Huggett, and the Ford Women’s Strikers of 1968, whose campaign ultimately led to the Equal Pay Act of 1970. Plus, the area is known for the post-WWI Becontree Estate, which was once the world’s largest council estate.  The London neighbourhood is one of six new locations in the UK to become part of the Heritage Places initiative. Also receiving National Lottery funding will be Belfast Historic Waterfront, Dudley, Orkney Islands, Tameside and Ynys Môn on the Isle of Anglesey.  Stuart McLeod, director of England –

Good news, party people. A brand-new warehouse music venue is opening in the far reaches of east London. And it’s got a 4am licence.  The 4,000-capacity venue, called Eutopia Warehouse, will open in Barking on Halloween (October 31) with Howloween, an all-night rave from LGBTQ+ collective Howl. The indoor-outdoor venue is set across four different arenas, each with a capacity ranging between 800 and 1,700. Eutopia has taken over a former industrial site on the River Roding in Barking which underwent a mega £1.5 million renovation. The space is now kitted out with d&b Audiotechnik sound systems, 360-degree stages, a dance tunnel, art installations, bars and space for food vendors. Photograph: Eutopia Warehouse The new night-time spot is founded by music industry experts and veteran promoters, including Nikki Gordon, the former head of Ministry of Sound, and promoters behind Oval Space, Percolate Live, Groove Odyssey and Back to 95.  Eutopia has announced a number of events between Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Promoters set to take over the space in its first wave of programming include 51st State Festival, AEG, Appetite, Breakin Science, Centerforce, Dance On Arrival, Space Ibiza, World Dance and Zulu Nation, spanning everything from minimal and house to bass, Afro, amapiano and more. The venue also plans to host cultural gatherings, live gigs, exhibitions and community events in 2026 and beyond.  Eutopia Whs, 42 River Road, Barking, IG11 0DW. Opens Oct 31.  The best Hallow

Hate riding on a packed bus? Us too. Now there’s a new interactive map that shows exactly which London bus stops are the busiest so you can avoid (or mentally prepare yourself for) them.  Created by travel expert and journalist Ed Jefferson, the London’s Busiest Bus Stops map allows you to search for any stop in the city. That’s 19,000 stops across 700 different routes.  Jefferson used 2024 TfL data obtained from a Freedom of Information request (FOI) that revealed the number of passengers that boarded at each bus stop in the capital. London’s 100 busiest stops – where the most passengers boarded buses daily – were ranked by Jefferson. Coming in first place was Brixton Station, stop p, which saw 4.2 million passengers board buses in 2024, equivalent to 11,719 people per day. Brixton saw nearly two million more passengers a year than the stop in second place – Harrow-on-the-Hill, stop B – which had 2.6m boarders annually in 2024, and 7,160 per day.    Image: Ed Jefferson   In third place was another Brixton stop, Brixton Station, stop Q, which saw 2.4m boarders per year, and 6,606 per day, in 2024.  All 10 of London’s most crowded stops were by tube or train stations, where passengers would interchange from the Undergound, DLR or Elizabeth line services. And if that’s not an advert for the extension of the tube, we don’t know what is.  London’s 10 busiest bus stops Brixton Station, stop P Harrow-on-the-Hill, stop B Brixton Station, stop Q Stratford, stop AP London Bridge, s