Westminster, London By Deniz Fuchidzhiev/Unsplash, Copyright 2022
You said nightlife, we heard London streets. The city goes from watching elegant museums in the day to dancing crazily outside clubs by sundown. They say if you haven’t seen London at night, you haven’t seen anything.
So, if you are looking for crazy times on unknown streets of London at night, you are at the right place. So, just check out all the things to do in London at night below.
All The Enjoyable Things to Do in London at NightÂ
From street racing to strolling around the city streets there are many things to do in London at night and this city will fulfil all your crazy dreams.
Below are the best places to go partying or clubbing with your friends, outings with your family, a romantic dinner date with your partner with a serene view, or night tours with some strangers, no matter if it’s weekdays or weekends to have the days of your lives.
1. Tips To Treats—Best Late-Night Bars And Restaurants
Milroy’s and The Vault
This 50-year-old whiskey bar, Milroy’s has once again been brought to life by so many personally handpicked whiskeys by the whiskey experts and is thriving very much in the 3 Greek Street of Soho. You will find as many varieties of whiskey as you want here.
But, the best part is that this bar doesn’t end here, it goes deep down through a hidden library door to The Vault. This underground candle-lit cocktail bar and a few drinks are all you need to have a memorable evening and escape from the daily buzz of your life.
Cahoots London
Want to feel vintage vibes in London at night? This elegant speakeasy with separate booths is where you should head to. They have perfect opening hours to host your day tea party while having a kick-ass night out with their flexible late-night openings till 2 am. It is a must-add place to your “vintage things to do in London at night” list.
Prosecco House
One of the best wine bars for a romantic evening, where you can get strong and sparkling wines of the finest DOCG Prosecco. You will find 28 different types of Prosecco along with wines, spirits, beers, and champagne.
With walking distance to Tower Bridge, Prosecco House is a perfect go-to spot for any meeting or celebration with a night view of the River Thames.
Coppa Club Tower Bridge
This igloo-themed, children-friendly, and animal-friendly bar is the right place to spend a cosy time in London at night with your family. The mesmerizing night sky and peaceful river Thames visible from the glass igloos can be the perfect ending to the night.
Bob Bob Richard
Looking for French cuisine in the city? Bob Bob Richard is here at your service with its quality food, perfect ambience, and exceptional wine list. Both the branches of this restaurant, in the city and Soho, have great food and drinks with a tint of a Russian theme.
This dinner cruise with a 4.3-star rating and 10 years plus experience is one of the best dinner cruises in London at night for family or romantic dinner.
There are many things to do in London at night but what is better than the view of the Houses of Parliament, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Docklands, and the Millennium Dome from the centre of the river Thames with delicious food and entertainment.
2. London Pubs, London Clubs, And Venues
You all know about Fabric, XOYO, Ministry of Sound, Cargo, etc. but what about the underground ones where the OG party takes place? And if your thirst cannot be satisfied by one place then there are pub crawls, which are one of the best things to do in London at night, that is especially for YOU.
One such is London Pub Crawl where you attend different parties, play games in between, meet new and fun people and most importantly enjoy your night to the fullest.
Among the many things to do in London at night this 1950s ballroom with its old school aura is just the place to feel the “in those days” vibes. They have very efficient staff, friendly bouncers and good quality food.
Egg London Nightclub
One of the finest nightclubs to enjoy London at night with vibrant electronic music packed in a Victorian warehouse. They also have a separate smoking area with cool security guards.
Although, some might find the drinks quite expensive but overall a great club to dance your crazy out.
Village Underground
Situated in the heart of East London, this live music venue is what London nightlife is all about. This artistic place built with tube carriages, shipping containers, and a warehouse with good security and a killing sound system is on point to groove all night with your friends.
Printworks
This South London-based nightclub and event venue with absolutely enough space to show your dance moves is perfect for your Friday and Saturday nights.
The place has a food court with many different stalls and two to three bars along with the professional staff. All in all, a great place especially when you have to watch your favorite artist play.
KOKO
A great spot for night owls to spend your night with funky interiors and acoustic live music venues. It’s advisable to reach early as it gets quite packed with time. Perfect place to attend the cool event and music gigs.
3. Late-night Shopping and Strolling in London
The city of London has so much to offer to everyone. Whether it’s an evening stroll or a fashion tour, London at night will not disappoint you. Out of all the things to do in London at night, shopping is everyone’s favorite.
Knightsbridge
Want to find yourselves in the middle of one of the most expensive streets of London? Sloane street will give you the best window-shopping experience, especially when Christmas is arriving, with its luxury brands and exclusive products.
If you are here to watch the hottest supercars vroom, then this 1 km long street, runs north to south, from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square is the one for you.
St. James
No one can get over the historical architectural beauty of this place with beautifully lit shops and malls. The shops in this area mostly close around 8 pm from Mondays to Saturdays but on some days, they even are open until 9 pm.
Find cards or gifts for your loved ones at the Card Factory or please yourselves with fashionable hats at one of the oldest shops of Lock and Co. Hatters.
The public garden of Camden named after the natural hill in the center of the garden is another old school place built-in 1842 to feel the serene beauty of the London skyline, at any time of the day.
This garden has a separate gym, a park for kids and you can feel the soft breeze with a mesmerizing view of the London skyline whilst walking. The peace that you will get here will be better than all the other things to do in London at night.
Oxford street
This is one of the busiest streets of night London with over 300 shops and exclusive brands like Gap, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Selfridges to satisfy your fashion hunger.
The general opening hours are from 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays but 6 pm on the weekend. Believe us, shopping on this street is one of the great things to do in London at night.
Winter Wonderland—One of the biggest Christmas markets to buy wooden crafts, jewellery, or even handmade crafts in London at night with the biggest ice skating rink in the United Kingdom.
Leicester square—A small but sweet market with a few stalls and snacks but of great quality. The food and drinks are tasty and the service is really quick.
Canopy Market at King’s Cross—Feel the festive vibe under the canopy with loads of food and elegant music while searching for love for your loved ones.
Food market hall
There are many food halls where you can get different varieties of reasonable and cheap food along with other florist’s shops, cheese shops, and handicrafts like Berwick Street Market, Bang Oriental, etc.
4. For Your Evening Tour
Sky Garden
These 360 degrees view of the London city offering ‘walkie-talkie’ is the hot talk among the non-clubbing people who don’t want to miss out on the times of their lives.
Visiting is free in Sky Garden but the space is very limited, so it’s better to book tickets online in advance to capture the glorifying views of St Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, Tower Bridge, the Shard, or the Canary Wharf.
The Millennium Wheel with its most paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom was once the highest viewing point in London before the Shards opened in 2013.
This Ferris wheel, London Eye, located on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, has oval-shaped air-conditioned passenger capsules to view the best night skyline of London.
There are many other famous attractions that you can visit like County Hall, Thames river, etc. while you are there to ride the London Eye.
The Great Bell is a cultural icon of Britain with its four-faced striking clock built in 1859 and has been a part of many films and series.
If you are an architectural lover, then you will be engrossed by the minute details of this tower. What are better things to do in London at night than grabbing a coffee and walking around Big Ben?
There is a different kind of joy when it comes to cycling in London at night especially when you cycle around the pretty parks and blue canals.
Fat Tire Bike Tours—This is a 4 hour evening tour which starts from Southwark at 6 pm and covers the areas along River Thames, seeing sites such as the London Eye, Big Ben, Tower of London, and Shakespeare’s Globe at £34 per person. They are very well organised and guides keep the excitement high for people of all age groups.
The London bicycle tour company—This company changes the timings of the cycling tour according to the seasons. In winter, the group departs at 3:30 while in summer they depart at 6 pm covering through Central London past sites such as Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, and many others at only £25.95 per person.
Jack the Ripper tour
One of the most famous walking tours is Jack the Ripper tour with their original murder mysteries. The duration of the tour is around 2 hours and starts at exit 1 of Aldgate East Underground Station at 7 pm at £12 per person.
Westminster abbey
This iconic building, standing just west of the Houses of Parliament in the Greater London borough of Westminster is free to visit, and while you visit London make sure you see this place at night as the lighting gets so beautiful and amazing.
Another place you must go and see is Piccadilly circus. Piccadilly Circus, built-in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly, is a public space and one of the major tourist destinations of London’s West End in this part of the city.
It is a circle and is very close to different entertainment units and shopping centres. There is even a statue of Eros to sit next to and take photos of and around the place.
London Museums
Some late-night openings you can go to have a royal and historic atmosphere around you. What is better than London museums when you are looking for things to do in London at night?
Victorian and Albert Museum– This is the world’s largest museum that owns the world’s largest collection of post-classical sculptures. The visit is free and they also have a great cafeteria and service.
The bar is also great, and drinks and tickets are very reasonable. From Monday to Friday the opening hours are from 6 to 11 pm while on Saturday and Sunday it is 2 pm.
Wilton’s music hall
This forgotten with time music hall is the oldest surviving Grand Music Hall in the world that can give you the old-fashioned Victorian architectural vibes. If you are a performing arts fan, then this is the right place for you.
Tate Modern
Out of the four subsidiaries of the Tate institution, Tate Modern, art gallery, is in London which houses the national British and international art of contemporary and historic genres.
Though the entry is free for everyone, there is some charge for particular exhibitions and booking is also recommended.
Spending your time between the most talented artists is one of the best things to do in London at night without even spending any money.
Covent garden
Great place to chill and eat while watching people of all age groups showing their talents whether it’s singing, magic, acrobats, etc. They even make the audience join with them. It’s a go-to place for tourists as well as the performers.
South bank
The South Bank has several restaurants and street vendors with a variety of street performers to have fun and spend a few hours. There is a park as well for the kids nearby. You can also go and see the graffiti tunnel as well.
Trafalgar square
It is a good place if the gig requires space of around 5 meters and this is a perfect place for dance and music lovers as you will find most people dancing here and there and showing their extremely talented moves just to make sure that you question yourself if this is true or not.
Trafalgar Square is not only about street performers but also cute coffee shops and London’s history as so many museums and art galleries are situated here.
If we are talking about this part of the city, we need a special space and time for it.
As the name suggests this is the innermost part of the city where you will find everything starting from shopping and entertainment centres to the British Museum, Tate Gallery, Parliament and what not and this is the reason why there is a constant rush here. You will find never-ending things to do in London at night here.
London’s West End
Situated on the north of River Thames, this is a major tourist spot as a great number of attractions are located in this part of the city and there’s nothing better to visit it at night.
You can go for a movie night at west end theatres for entertainment or go shopping or visit the parliament buildings. There are so many things to do, but so little time.
Another main attraction of the west end is the streets of Soho. It is said to be the safest posh area in London with well-lit streets. This den of the fashionable and music community along with London’s LGBTQIA+ community, Soho has the highest numbers of lesbian and gay bars around Old Compton Street.
Predominantly, Soho had the biggest sex industry, though only a little part of it comes in the red-light area. One more attraction here is Lucky voice Soho to has a private room karaoke experience with great food and cocktails.
The west end is not just the west end, it’s a combination of so many beautiful and worth visiting places like Covent Garden,Soho, Chinatown,Leicester Square, Oxford-street, Mayfair, etc while sharing boundaries to Bloomsbury, Reagent’s park, Hyde Park, etc.
8. Budget-friendly And Free Things to Do in London at Night
Well, if it’s about free things to do in London at night then you can find many gigs performed by the local stars of the UK on several squares.
You can also watch a comedy show or live music performances or join the harry potter tour or visit Piccadilly circus or go for a night tour of Houses of Parliament and Harrods as they are free.
Somerset house
Home to several arts like sculpture, painting, photography as well as live performances of Victorian London, Somerset House is situated in the heart of London. It is absolutely free though booking is recommended.
93 Feet East
This bar with a great sesh place and bar with a separate room for live music gigs are very much affordable and a great location to spend a few hours of your night. They have very friendly staff and even the atmosphere of the bar is great.
Oslo Hackney
Another decent club restaurant and club great staff and cheap drinks. They have excellent drinks and cocktails to make your night out fun.
National portrait gallery
Another place with free entry except for special exhibitions is the first national public gallery exclusive to portraits in the world. It has the greatest collection of portraits of famous British personalities of Victorian London.
National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London By Mathew Browne/Unsplash, Copyright 2022
9. For Your Night Tour: Night Buses and Boat Cruise
If you are looking for things to do in London at night, then tours are one of the bests. It is a great way to explore London and educate yourself as a tourist or even a native.
Ghost Bus Tours
Enter the dark side of London with the Ghost Bus Tours in 1960s Routemaster bus with comedy and horror shows like no others. Great way to educate yourselves about the murder mysteries, torture and execution, and the United Kingdom’s ghosts with a tint of fun and have one of the best night tours of your life.
City Cruises London Greenwich Pier
One of the best cruises from Greenwich Pier. They offer several attractions, and the food quality is good as well as reasonable with really great service.
I hope that this article must have sorted you out of the dilemma about where to go. So many things to do in London at night while so little time. No one can ever be completely satisfied with night tours of London but maybe a little? In this case, check these beautiful places to visit near London.
