London Cultural Attractions: Museums, Events & Where to Stay
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London is one of the leading tourist destinations on earth, with award winning cultural attractions, a packed events calendar and a community at the forefront of music, art and design.
From world leading museums, to small independent music venues, the city caters to everyone.
That vast amount of choice is hard to sift through though, so we’ve picked out the best cultural attractions in London, so you can really hit the ground running on your trip to the city.
Best Cultural Things To Do In London…..
The Victoria and Albert Museum, in Kensington, is the world’s leading museum for design and applied and decorative arts.
It’s also the largest, housing more than 2.2 million items across 145 galleries, along with many other guest and temporary exhibitions.
It’s an astonishing place, which quite rightly is viewed as one of the leading cultural attractions in London and on earth.
Address – Cromwell Rd, London, SW7 2RL
The Tate and Tate Modern are among Europe’s leading art galleries.
The Tate houses the country’s National Collection of art from the 1500s up to the present day and the Tate Modern is at the forefront of modern and contemporary art, drawing in world famous artists from around the world and the best of British.
There are 70,000 pieces of artwork across the organisation’s sites and a must for art lovers visiting the capital.
The Tate Modern’s stunning views of the city and its contemporary art exhibitions make it a perfect date spot for art-loving couples seeking a romantic and cultural experience.
Tate address – Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG
Tate modern address – Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
London’s Natural History Museum is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
It houses 80 million items and tells the story of the planet’s 4.6 billion year history.
It’s an incredibly impressive museum, with many engaging displays and exhibitions, including enormous and complete dinosaur remains.
Without a doubt one of the best museums to visit in London.
Address – Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London, SW7 5BD
A must for theatre lovers is Shakespeare’s Globe, on the banks of The Thames.
The theatre is a reconstruction of the historic theatre where the world-famous playwright, William Shakespeare, had his plays performed.
Not only is it an impressive architectural project, but you can watch world class performances at the site too.
Visiting The Globe theatre can be a great experience for families, as it offers a fun and educational way to learn about Shakespeare’s plays and the history of theatre.
Address – 21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1 9DT, United Kingdom
The National Portrait Gallery is another world leading art gallery in London.
It houses the largest collection of portrait paintings on earth, with more than 220,000 individual pieces of art, spanning 1,400 years.
When it opened, it was one of the first of its kind, and it has gained a world-famous reputation as a result.
Address – St. Martin’s Pl, London, WC2H 0HE
London’s West End is one of the world centres for excellent theatre performances.
There is something for all ages – catering from family friendly famous performances, such as the Lion King and Frozen, along with more adult classics, such as Les Miserables, and more modern performances, such as “Get Up, Stand Up!”, which tells the story of Bob Marley’s life.
There are new-wave performances and cutting-edge ideas appearing weekly in the West End, so the area is high up on the must see lists for cultural events in London.
Address – Various, central London
London is at the forefront of the electronic music scene, alongside places like Berlin.
The city’s nightlife scene is pumping, with some of the most famous nightclubs on the planet attracting the world’s best electronic music DJs, on a weekly basis.
Venues such as Printworks, Fabric, XOYO, Heaven, Ministry of Sound and Electric Brixton should be on your radar for cultural events in London.
After a night of clubbing in London, there are plenty of luxurious stays to choose from, ensuring that you can enjoy a comfortable and stylish stay in the city.
Address – Various
Some of the world’s most famous musicians originated in England’s capital and the city has been at the forefront of new music for decades.
London has a packed music calendar, with impressive music venues dotted all around the city.
From enormous arenas like the O2 and Wembley and smaller scale legendry venues such as Koko and Camden Roundhouse.
Address – Various
The Barbican Centre, in the City of London, is a hub for the arts – hosting theatre performances, concerts, film showings and all manner of exhibitions.
It larger than any other in Europe and attracts cutting-edge performances as a result.
The building is Grade II listed and it houses the London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Address – Silk St, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DS
The British Museum is an astonishing cultural institution, which has one of the largest collections of human, art and cultural exhibits on earth.
There are 13 million items in total and many guest exhibitions.
It’s one of the best cultural day activities in London.
Address – Great Russell St, London, WC1B 3DG
Sherlock Holmes Museum
The Sherlock Holmes tells the story of the famous fictional detective.
The site of the museum is on Baker Street, the same location picked as the home of Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels.
The museum is a blast from the past, recreating an environment from the time the novels are set in, which have since been turned into TV programmes and movies.
Address – 221b Baker St, London, NW1 6XE
Events in London
The list of cultural events in London is so extensive we could write a guide the size of the dictionary with tips and ideas.
From large scale events attracting hundreds of thousands of people, to small gigs, concerts and performances – there is quite literally something happening all the time in London, both day and night.
There are showcase cultural events like the Notting Hill carnival and big music festivals, such as SW4 and All Points East, to festive celebrations such as Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park and Bonfire Night celebrations.
We recommend keeping a close eye on these websites when you visit London and curate your trip to your interests:
- General what’s on info – https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on
- Gigs – https://www.songkick.com/metro-areas/24426-uk-london
- Club events –https://ra.co/events/uk/london
- West End Shows –https://www.londontheatredirect.com/
Where to stay
Sanctum Luxury Serviced Apartments
When ticking off all these wonderful day activities in London and then potentially dancing into the night, you want to make sure you have a comfortable base to rest your head.
Sanctum have 3 Luxury Serviced Apartment complexes around the capital, which offer excellent connections to many of the best cultural attractions in London.
The sites are near Regent’s Park, in Maida Vale and just a little further north in Kilburn. All are in striking distance to some of the world leading cultural attractions we’ve mentioned in this guide.
They vary in size from studio apartments, all the way up to 5 bedroom suites.
Final Thoughts
When thinking of activities to do in the UK, many options centre you on the capital.
London is full of life and creativity, with world leading attractions and an events calendar to rival any destination on earth.
There is something for all ages and cultural attractions in London for all the family.
What’s for sure is that you will never be stuck for cultural activities to do in London or events to attend.
We hope you found our guide useful, now get out there and soak up some culture in England’s capital.
