May 2025:. London’s always-busy social calendar starts to fill up come May, with a bunch of music festivals taking place across the month, some key sporting fixtures and the opening of the city’s outdoor cinemas and rooftop bars as the weather heats up.
But in amongst all the warm weather fun, it’s certainly worth making time to check out some of the city’s most famous attractions before the tourist crowds descend come summer. And there are plenty of great things on across some of the city’s biggest visitor venues right now.
Visiting the British Museum? Fabric is hosting a free, one-off evening in its world-renowned galleries this month. Off to the National Gallery? Be sure to check out the newly refurbished Sainsbury Wing, which opens on May 10. Heading to the V&A? It’s blingy blockbuster Cartier exhibition is a hit. And you should definitely make time for a trip to the Barbican to see its fabulous Noah Davis exhibition before it closes, too.
With not one but two bank holidays coming up, who’s to say you can’t squeeze them all in? You absolute culture vulture.
The London Eye. Hyde Park. Wembley. The Shard. London landmarks are iconic for a reason!
Even if you’ve lived here for years and pride yourself on steadfastly avoiding ‘tourist traps’, you really ought to check these places out at least once. Marvelling at the capital’s museums, galleries, monuments and parks is a London rite of passage, whether you’re a day-tripper visiting for the first time, or a lifelong local who knows the entire Tube map by heart.
But where to begin? Right here of course, with our massive list of the capital’s 50 best attractions. We’ve thought long and hard about what is worthy of your London bucket list, so you can expect to find a real mixture of iconic institutions known throughout the world and (comparatively) lesser-known gems that we’d argue are just as worth visiting.
The good news is that a lot of these must-see London attractions won’t cost you a penny to visit. And for those that do have an entrance fee, you can book below.
Still after some sightseeing inspiration? Check out our list of the 50 best things to do in London, and our roundup of the 25 best things to do in London in 2025. Or if you’re feeling a little more spontaneous, you can also find out what’s happening in London today, this week, and this weekend. Happy sightseeing!
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