Although I was lucky enough to always have dry weather during my travels to London, it’s still possible that you’ll have the misfortune of hitting a rainy day during your visit. You probably have a lot of things planned to do and see outside. Hikes, visiting markets or a tour on one of the open hop-on hop-off doubleeckers. It’s time to change your plans, but what can you do in London on a rainy day.
Here are 9 great things to do in London on a rainy day.
Visit a museum
London has a lot of museums to visit, most of them are free.
Some fun and interesting museums to book are:
- British Museum
- Science Museum
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Natural History Museum
- National Gallery
- Tate Modern
- Tate Britain
- London Transport Museum
- National Maritime Museum
- Queen’s House
- Royal Obervatory Greenwich
Go to a covered market
Instead of going to one of the many street markets, there are also a number of indoor markets where you can spend your time on a rainy day.
Visit one of the following covered markets:
- Borough Market
- Covent Garden Piazza
- Old Spitalfields Market
- Leadenhall Market
- Brixton Village and Market Row
- Camden Market
Go poking around a department store
Shop at one of London’s famous department stores.
The best department stores in London are:
Go to the theatre
There are many shows, musicals and plays with a matinee performance in one of the many London theatres that keep you out of the rain for a few hours.
Check out the available shows here.
Join a boat tour
Also recommended on days with nice weather is a river cruise on the Thames with City Cruises. See all the major sights along the Thames with commentary from an expert guide.
Alternatively, take a narrowboat ride from the
London Waterbus Company
from Little Venice to Camden Lock on the Regent’s Canal. After the trip, visit
Camden Market,
where the trip ends.
Go watch a movie in a luxury cinema
Enjoy a movie at one of London’s luxury cinemas. With comfortable sofas and armchairs, food and drink this is truly an experience.
Visit one of these luxury cinemas:
Shop until you drop
Go shopping in one of London’s huge shopping malls.
Here’s a selection of shopping malls in London:
- One New Change
- Westfield London
- Westfield Stratford City
- ICON Outlet at The O2
- Angel Central Shopping Centre
- Broadway Shopping Centre
Enjoy an afternoon tea
Afternoon tea is a British tradition that has become very popular all over the world. But if it’s a rainy day, it’s time to try the original.
Places to enjoy a delicious afternoon tea:
Go buy an umbrella
Or you can just buy an umbrella, which the locals call a “brolly”, in one of the department stores above and just go outside.
Or if you want to spend a little more money on your “brolly”, go to James Smith & Sons, who specializes in all kinds of quality umbrellas.
But beware, there’s a brolly etiquette. See this article on Londonist.
Conclusion
Even when it rains, London has a lot to offer, so this shouldn’t prevent you from having a great time.
So have fun, even when it rains!
