I’ve found a whole lot of unusual things to do in London over the years. I’ve been spending 3-9 months/year in the city every year since 2014. And every time I think I’ve seen it all in London, she proves me wrong.
Beneath the city’s polished postcard layer is a wilder, more wondrous side. I have something for you whether you’re craving eccentric theatre, secret tunnels, or a dreamlike afternoon tea (but with booze).
Here are twelve ways to experience another side of London that many visitors will never find. I promise these most unusual things to do in London will take you well off the beaten path.
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1. Lose Yourself in the World of Immersive Theatre
London is the global capital of immersive performance, and companies like Punchdrunk, Colab, and Immersive Everywhere have turned theatre into something that happens to you rather than in front of you. It’s one of the most uniquely London things you can do.
One of the best examples I’ve ever experienced was Punchdrunk’s Burnt City, an immersive masterpiece that transported the audience into the fall of Troy.
An elaborate set was built inside a massive former ammunition factory in Woolwich, turning the cavernous space into a mythic world of gods and mortals.
Audience members were turned loose to roam freely through a seemingly endless maze of rooms, following whichever character or storyline caught their curiosity. You were meant to rummage through drawers, duck down dimly lit alleyways, and piece together the plot line.
If you want to get off your feet during your immersive theatre experience, there are dinner shows like The Greatest Night of the Jazz Age by The Lost Estate.
This show was a heady combination of theatre, live music, and fine dining that felt like stepping back in time to New York City in the 1920s. There was even a raid by the feds (the place was serving alcohol during Prohibition, after all).
Immersive Everywhere’s Peaky Blinders show quite literally let the guests in to drink with the Shelbys.
Whatever floats your boat, London has an immersive theatre experience to match.
2. Dress to Express at the Colour Walk
One of the best unusual things to do in London happens every third Thursday at Old Spitalfields Market (that’s pronounced Spittle-fields). That’s when London’s most vibrant creatives gather for a Colour Walk — an explosion of self-expression that looks like the love child of a carnival and a fashion show curated by Rainbow Brite.
Show up in your most flamboyant finery and you’ll fit right in among the eccentric artists, photographers, and style icons who come to celebrate colour as a way of life. It’s joyful, spontaneous, and completely free.
3. Descend into London’s Hidden Underground
The Hidden London tours offered by the London Transport Museum sell out within days of being released for good reason: you get to explore disused Underground stations frozen in time. Descending into these eerie spaces — tiled tunnels and faded wartime signage intact — feels like slipping into another century.
If you can’t score tickets for the dates you’re in town, try one of the London Canal Museum’s boat tours. For the “Tea in the Tunnel” experience, guests can board a narrowboat for cream tea (a traditional English snack of scones, clotted cream, and jam, served with tea). They get to enjoy their tea whilst gliding through the Islington Tunnel, a ¾-mile passage built in the early 1800s. It’s part history lesson, part ghost story, and completely magical.
4. Take Afternoon Tea — but Make It Weird
Forget the standard cucumber-sandwich affair — London does alternative afternoon tea like nowhere else.
Try High Chai at The Lalit for an Indian twist on the British ritual.
Or another unusual London activity is Topsy Turvy Tea at Mr. Fogg’s Pawnbrokers—where you can expect the tea to be spiked. This is just one of many theatrical Mr. Fogg’s locations. My favorite is Mr. Fogg’s Residence, the original speakeasy-style space in Mayfair.
If you’re in the mood for something cheeky, the Afternoon Tea Cabaret at Phoenix Arts Club adds burlesque to the mix. I highly recommend it if it’s happening while you’re in London.
It’s worth splurging the £85-£115 per person for afternoon tea at Sketch — not only for the tea itself, but also for the building. It’s an avant-garde fantasy of pink velvet and surreal bathrooms that feel like alien pods in outer space. It’s hands-down one of the most unusual loos in London.
If you’re craving a dose of adorable, head to Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium for tea with a dozen feline hosts.
5. Dance to Global Beats in Local Music Venues
When it comes to unusual things to do in London at night, there’s often music involved. And you won’t be surprised to hear that the capital’s most unforgettable music experiences often happen in the more tucked-away venues.
Try to catch The Turbans, a Hackney-based band whose members hail from Turkey, Bulgaria, Israel, Iran, Greece, and England. Their exhilarating fusion of Balkan, Klezmer, and Gypsy sounds turns every gig into a dance party—even if the room is an auditorium with seats.
Or seek out The Breath, an Irish duo signed to Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records. They often play at intimate spots like King’s Place, weaving haunting vocals and Celtic roots into something truly transcendent.
Seriously guys—I cried the whole time they played. I think it made my friend Emilee a little bit worried. (Sorry, Em!)
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6. Step Back in Time at The Palm Tree
For a slice of old-school East End magic, head to The Palm Tree in Mile End.
Jazz legends Izzy Sapsard and Alan Jackson have been performing there for decades, and walking inside feels like stepping through a time portal.
With its faded red velvet, round wooden bar, and unpolished charm, The Palm Tree has barely changed in 50 years.
On Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the music swings and the nostalgia is palpable.
7. Indulge in a “Sunday Float & Film”
One of my favorite London rituals — one I’ve learned to replicate around the world — is what I call the Sunday Float & Film.
I start with a session at a float spa, where I drift weightlessly in warm, silent darkness. Then I follow it up with a movie at one of London’s most extraordinary cinemas.
My top picks:
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Regent Street Cinema, a restored Art Deco masterpiece built in 1848, where velvet chairs and gold coat hooks evoke another era.
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Electric Cinema Portobello, offering plush sofas, cashmere blankets, and a full bar.
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Close-Up Film Centre, a 40-seat boutique screening room dedicated to world cinema and experimental film, with a library of 20,000 titles to browse afterward.
It’s the perfect pairing of sensory stillness and creative stimulation.
8. Escape to Oxleas Wood & Severndroog Castle
When the Tube crowds get unbearable, I flee to Oxleas Wood in southeast London. These ancient woodlands feel a world away from the city, with rope swings, ladders, secret gardens, and winding trails.
Climb up Severndroog Castle on nearby Shooter’s Hill for one of the most underrated views of London. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Thames Barrier and beyond.
9. See the Old Masters — and Then the Street Art They Inspired
If you’re looking for an unusual activity in London that involves art, The Dulwich Picture Gallery holds one of Britain’s best collections of Old Masters, including works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, and Rubens. It’s small, quiet, and profoundly beautiful.
Step outside afterward and you’ll find the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery, where global street artists reinterpret those same masterpieces on nearby walls. It’s a brilliant dialogue between past and present — and quintessentially London.
10. Travel the World Without Leaving the City
One of the things I love most about London is that you can “travel” the world without ever leaving town.
Craving Lisbon vibes? Head to Little Portugal in Stockwell for pastéis de nata and a shot of Ginjinha.
Need a sensory overload? Southall feels like a slice of Punjab transplanted to West London, with bhangra music blasting from shopfronts and sari-clad women weaving through food stalls.
Looking for Tamil/Sri Lankan food (or clothes)? East Ham is your jam.
Koreatown in New Malden is Europe’s largest Korean enclave — complete with authentic BBQ joints and supermarkets. And Elephant & Castle is the beating heart of London’s Colombian community.
In a single day, you can eat your way across continents.
11. Spend a Night at the Museum
For a culture fix after dark, the V&A Museum hosts Friday Late on the last Friday of most months — a free, after-hours party where the galleries come alive with music, drinks, and themed programming.
October’s event partners with the queer art-rave collective Riposte to celebrate “the lesbian-coded history and symbolism of Marie Antoinette.” (I’m willing to bet there will be cake.)
Other after-dark favorites include sleepovers at the Natural History Museum, candlelit tours at Sir John Soane’s Museum, and Friday nights at the National Gallery.
It’s art, history, and nightlife rolled into one.
12. Walk the Regent’s Canal
If you want to feel the city shift around you, take the 45-65 minute walk from King’s Cross to Regent’s Park along the Regent’s Canal Towpath.
Take a train to King’s Cross station and then walk north through Pancras Square. Cross Esperance Bridge and turn left onto the Regent’s Canal towpath.
You’ll pass through Camden Lock Market — a riot of punk rock energy, global street food, and vintage stalls.
Continue past Primrose Hill and London Zoo, then wander into Regent’s Park, where manicured gardens and stately English roses replace the street art and market noise.
This unique London activity takes you on a walk through London’s many selves — gritty, elegant, eccentric, and utterly alive.
For unusual places to stay nearby, check out our ten best luxury places to stay in and around Islington.
Final Thoughts
Hidden London isn’t really hidden at all — it just asks you to look sideways, to wander off-script. The city rewards curiosity like nowhere else on earth.
Whether you’re sipping gin-laced tea, exploring forgotten tunnels, or dancing with strangers in color-drenched markets, the real adventure begins the moment you step beyond the guidebook.
