# Top 20 things to do in London

The sights that Visit London, Time Out, Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor reviewers rank highest — many of the big museums are free.

- 2336 votes · 23 items
- Mar 22, 2021 · ravimanc
- https://even.best/en/l/4/top-20-things-to-do-in-london

## Top 20

1. **British Museum** (202 · ▲213 ▼11) — Free museum founded in 1753 with the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies. <https://www.britishmuseum.org/>
2. **Tower of London** (170 · ▲184 ▼14) — Norman fortress begun by William the Conqueror, home of the Crown Jewels and the Beefeaters. <https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/>
3. **Houses of Parliament and Big Ben** (139 · ▲150 ▼11) — The Palace of Westminster on the Thames and the Elizabeth Tower, whose great bell is Big Ben. <https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/>
4. **Westminster Abbey** (139 · ▲147 ▼8) — Gothic church where English and British monarchs have been crowned since 1066. <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/>
5. **Tate Modern** (102 · ▲116 ▼14) — Free modern art museum in the former Bankside Power Station, with a viewing level over the Thames. <https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern>
6. **National Gallery** (94 · ▲109 ▼15) — Free gallery on Trafalgar Square with Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Turner's The Fighting Temeraire. <https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/>
7. **Natural History Museum** (90 · ▲100 ▼10) — Free museum in South Kensington famous for its Hintze Hall, the blue whale skeleton and dinosaur gallery. <https://www.nhm.ac.uk/>
8. **Victoria and Albert Museum** (87 · ▲90 ▼3) — Free museum of art, design and fashion in South Kensington with over two million objects. <https://www.vam.ac.uk/>
9. **London Eye** (80 · ▲92 ▼12) — 135-metre observation wheel on the South Bank opened in 2000, with 32 glass capsules. <https://www.londoneye.com/>
10. **Buckingham Palace** (76 · ▲93 ▼17) — The monarch's London residence; the State Rooms open in summer and the Changing of the Guard is free to watch. <https://www.rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace>
11. **Tower Bridge** (61 · ▲76 ▼15) — 1894 bascule bridge with glass-floored high walkways and Victorian engine rooms open to visitors. <https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/>
12. **Hyde Park** (61 · ▲73 ▼12) — 350-acre royal park with the Serpentine lake, Speakers' Corner and the Diana Memorial Fountain. <https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/hyde-park>
13. **Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter** (59 · ▲72 ▼13) — The original Harry Potter film sets, including the Great Hall and Diagon Alley, in Leavesden. <https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/>
14. **St Paul's Cathedral** (49 · ▲64 ▼15) — Christopher Wren's domed cathedral, completed in 1710, with the Whispering Gallery. <https://www.stpauls.co.uk/>
15. **Greenwich** (49 · ▲63 ▼14) — Royal Observatory on the Prime Meridian, the Cutty Sark clipper and Greenwich Park's views. <https://www.rmg.co.uk/>
16. **The Shard** (47 · ▲61 ▼14) — Renzo Piano's 310-metre skyscraper, the UK's tallest building, with The View from The Shard. <https://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/>
17. **Borough Market** (46 · ▲58 ▼12) — London's oldest food market, trading near London Bridge for around a thousand years. <https://boroughmarket.org.uk/>
18. **Covent Garden** (44 · ▲61 ▼17) — Piazza with a covered market, street performers and the Royal Opera House.
19. **Shakespeare's Globe** (37 · ▲49 ▼12) — Reconstruction of Shakespeare's open-air theatre on Bankside, with tours and summer performances. <https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/>
20. **Hampton Court Palace** (28 · ▲48 ▼20) — Henry VIII's Tudor palace on the Thames, with its famous maze and great kitchens. <https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/>
21. **Camden Market** (27 · ▲42 ▼15) — Sprawling markets by Regent's Canal with street food, vintage clothes and alternative shops. <https://www.camdenmarket.com/>
22. **Kew Gardens** (23 · ▲40 ▼17) — Royal Botanic Gardens in south-west London, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Victorian Palm House and Temperate House. <https://www.kew.org/>
23. **Sky Garden** (20 · ▲32 ▼12) — Free public garden and viewing gallery on the top floors of 20 Fenchurch Street; tickets must be booked in advance. <https://skygarden.london/>

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.