Unique and Unusual Things to Do in London If You Want to Go Off the Beaten Path
Think you’ve seen everything London has to offer? Think again. Beyond the famous landmarks, busy shopping streets and classic tourist attractions, the capital is packed with wonderfully unusual places and experiences to discover. From handmade arcade machines and underground railways to a bookshop on a boat, a poetry pharmacy and a cocktail bar where your drinks arrive through pneumatic tubes, these are some of the unique London experiences to add to your list if you want to see a different side of the city.
Novelty Automation arcade museum
A quirky arcade museum filled with handmade machines and interactive games. Every machine is designed to be played, making this a fun experience for both adults and kids.
Location: 1A Princeton St, Holborn, London WC1R 4AY
Cost: £35 to play all machines, although you can spend less by choosing individual machines.
Otter Feeding at London Wetland Centre
Want to get closer to some of London’s cutest residents? The London Wetland Centre in Barnes will offer otter feeding sessions where you can watch these adorable animals up close while learning more about them. The wider wetland centre is also home to flamingos, pelicans and plenty of other wildlife.
Fun fact: otters are known to hold hands while sleeping in the water so they don’t drift away.
Location: London Wetland Centre, Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes Bridge, London SW13 9WT
Cost: From £18.50 adults / £10.50 children
Pet alpacas at London Alpaca Farm
Swap the city streets for a countryside escape and spend some time with friendly alpacas at London Alpaca Farm in Epping. You’ll be able to meet, feed and pet the alpacas, making this a fun day out if you fancy doing something completely different.
Location: Theydon Mount, Epping Forest, Essex
Cost: £25pp, plus £6 return transfer from Epping Station
Visit a Cat Café
London has several cat cafés where you can enjoy a coffee, cake or afternoon tea while spending time handling and interacting with resident cats. One of the best-known is Java Whiskers Cat Café Marylebone, which combines a cosy café with rescue cats and a dedicated Kitten Lounge. The café works with cat rescue organisations and aims to help its feline residents find forever homes.
Another option is Whiskers & Cream Cat Cafe London in Archway, a more luxurious take on the cat café concept, with resident cats, speciality drinks, cakes and bookable afternoon tea.
For something in South London, Cat-titude Cat Cafe near Clapham Junction offers dedicated cat lounge sessions, with the cats setting the pace for interactions.
Location: Various locations across London
Cost: Prices vary by venue and experience; check before booking
Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
Weird, creepy, fascinating and definitely not your average museum. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities in Hackney is packed with taxidermy, occult objects, unusual artworks, shrunken heads and all kinds of bizarre curiosities. It is tiny and intense, but that’s exactly what makes it so memorable. Once you’ve explored the museum, you can head upstairs to the Absinthe Parlour for a drink surrounded by the same wonderfully eccentric atmosphere.
Location: 11 Mare St, Hackney, London E8 4RP
Cost: From £12
Museum of 200 years old British brands
Take a trip through more than 200 years of British consumer culture. Its famous Time Tunnel will take you through generations of packaging, sweets, toys, magazines, advertisements, household products and iconic brands. It’s particularly fun if you love nostalgia and spotting products you remember from childhood.
Location: 111-117 Lancaster Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 1QT
Cost: £14 adults
Ride the Postal Museum’s Mail Rail
Ever wondered what lies beneath London’s streets? The Postal Museum will give you the chance to discover the fascinating history of the capital’s postal service before heading underground for a ride on Mail Rail. The underground railway was once used to transport letters across London, and today it offers a completely different way to explore the city’s history.
Location: 15-20 Phoenix Pl, Farringdon, London WC1X 0DL
Cost: £20.50 adults, including the Mail Rail ride
Drink Wine in a confession booth
For an unusual drinking experience, In Vino Veritas in Hackney combines wine with a rather unexpected twist: a confession booth.
Location: 271 Well St, Hackney, London E9 6RG
Cost: Check with the venue for current prices.
Cahoots 1940s Postal Office
Step into a 1940s-inspired postal office where your cocktails will arrive by Air Mail, flying through pneumatic tubes straight to your table. They have a newspaper-style menu, a cocktail-making machine called P.A.M.E.L.A. and even a secret bathroom hiding a very unexpected private party.
Location: 18 Stoney Street, London Bridge, SE1 9AD
Cost: Cocktails from £13
BBQ on a floating hot tub at Skuna Boats
How about cruising around Canary Wharf in your own private hot tub? Skuna Boats will let you take to the water in a floating hot tub for 75 minutes, with boats accommodating up to eight people. You’ll be able to relax while taking in the London skyline from a completely different perspective. And if hot tubs aren’t your thing, there are also be BBQ boats and seasonal igloo boats.
Location: West India Quay, Off Hertsmere Rd, London E14 4AL
Cost: From £45pp
The Poetry Pharmacy at Lush
Hidden on the top floor of the Lush store on Oxford Street, the Poetry Pharmacy will be one of London’s most unexpected discoveries. Instead of traditional medicine, you’ll find poetry-filled “prescriptions” for everything from heartbreak and courage to empty nest syndrome. There’s even a poisons cabinet for curses and revenge. And yes, you can pick up a bottle of Poemcetamol.
Location: Floor 1, Lush Spa, 175-179 Oxford St, London W1D 2JS
Cost: Small bottle £10.95 / Large bottle £15.95
A lucky dip book vending machine at The Literarium
Hidden in the basement of Third Man Records in Soho, The Literarium will be a book vending machine with a difference: you won’t get to choose your book. Instead, it’s a literary lucky dip. The machine will dispense exclusive books that can include poetry, short stories, manifestos and excerpts from books yet to be released.
Cost: £7 for two tokens = one random book
Where to get tokens: Third Man Records till upstairs
Location: Third Man Records, 1 Marshall St, Carnaby, Soho, London W1F 9BA
Have a coffee inside a former Victorian public toilet at Attendant
A transformed a beautifully restored Victorian underground toilet into a cosy café serving speciality coffee and brunch. It’s one of those London places where the location is almost as interesting as what’s on the menu.
Location: 27A Foley Street, Fitzrovia, London
Cost: Coffee from around £4 / brunch from around £10
A bathtub full of champagne in a Victorian Bath House
A beautifully restored former Turkish bath house that has been transformed into the rather glamorous By Appointment Only cocktail bar. Built in 1895, the Grade II-listed space is filled with ornate tiles, Arabic-inspired details, decorative alcoves and atmospheric low lighting. The original bath house has been given a new lease of life as a cocktail destination, with even an old bath repurposed as a champagne cooler.
The bar is particularly known for its unusual house-infused gins, with flavours ranging from raspberry and mint to more unexpected combinations such as quince and blue cheese. It’s definitely one for anyone who enjoys a cocktail with a little theatre and a lot of character, but make sure to book ahead.
Location: 7–8 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3TJ
Closest station: Liverpool Street
Cost: Check current cocktail prices and booking availability.
Climb Up at The O2
You might have seen The O2 hundreds of times, but have you ever walked across its roof?
Up at The O2 will take you 52 metres above ground level for panoramic views across London. You can even celebrate reaching the summit with a glass of bubbles.
Fun facts: the dome is 365 metres long, representing the days of the year, while its 12 supporting masts represent the months.
One small tip: bring socks. You’ll need them for the climb suit.
Location: The O2, Peninsula Square, North Greenwich, London SE10 0DX
Cost: From around £35pp, depending on the experience and time slot
Slide Down the world’s tallest and longest tunnel slide
Fancy sliding down one of London’s most unusual landmarks? The ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford is home to the Orbit Slide, also known as the Helix, a 178 m (584 ft) shelter skelter-style slide running through the iconic red sculpture, designed by Carsten Höller. Originally created as a landmark for the 2012 London Olympics, the 114.5-metre-high structure is now home to an observation deck and Britain’s largest piece of public art. You’ll climb to the top before speeding back down inside the specially designed enclosed slide.
Location: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London
Closest station: The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Stratford
Cost: From £21/pp
Faff Around in an Adult Ball Pit
Ballie Ballerson might just be one of the most fun bars in London. Forget everything you think you know about ball pits because this one is strictly for adults, with a huge space where you can dance, be silly and throw yourself into thousands of colourful balls. There are also fun and inventive cocktails, many inspired by sweets and candy and a bottomless brunch.
Location: Shoreditch, London
Closest station: 97/113 Curtain Road, Shoreditch High Street, London EC2A3BS
Cost: Check current prices and packages when booking.
Go to a Roller Disco
Roller skates, disco music and cocktails will turn an ordinary evening into a retro-inspired roller disco, with classic tunes, colourful surroundings and plenty of time to skate around the rink.
Location: Roller Nation, 117 Bruce Grove, London, N17 6UR
Cost: Between £5 to £16 per person, depending on the venue and whether you need to rent skates.
A Bookshop on a boat at Word on the Water
Hidden along Regent’s Canal in King’s Cross, Word on the Water is a tiny floating bookshop housed inside a 1920s Dutch canal boat. Inside, you’ll find books packed from floor to ceiling, cosy reading corners and even a wood-burning stove for colder days. It’s free to visit, so you’ll only pay for any books you decide to take home.
Location: Regent’s Canal Towpath, King’s Cross, London N1C 4LW
Cost: Free to visit
Neon signs heaven at God’s Own Junkyard
Step into a neon wonderland in this family-run gallery will be packed with hundreds of glowing neon signs, vintage movie props, fairground and circus lighting, retro displays and salvaged signs, including signs and props associated with films and iconic venues. The gallery also features the Rolling Scones Café and Bar, where you can stop for food and drinks surrounded by the colourful neon displays.
Location: Unit 12, Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street, Walthamstow Central, London E17 9HQ
Cost: Free entry
Opening hours: Friday and Saturday 11am–10pm; Sunday 11am–6pm
A candlelit thermal bathing experience at AIRE Ancient Baths
A beautifully restored historic building in Covent Garden, formerly home of J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. Inside, you’ll be able to move between thermal baths at different temperatures, including hot, warm, cold and salt baths, as well as a steam room and hydrotherapy bath. There are also massages and rituals available if you want to make more of a day of it.
Location: 2–3 Robert Street, Charing Cross, London WC2N 6BH
Cost: starting at £115 per person
Walk across a glass bridge
Tower Bridge might be one of London’s most recognisable landmarks, but many visitors don’t realise that you can actually walk across the top of it, between the two iconic towers. The highlight is the views from the High-Level glass-floored Walkways, where you can look down at the traffic crossing the bridge or the River Thames below. There’s even a mirrored ceiling, making it possible to capture some fun photos with the city below you. Your visit will also include access to the Victorian Engine Rooms, where you can discover more about the machinery that once powered the bridge. If you time your visit right, you can also watch the bridge lift to allow boats to pass along the Thames.
Location: Tower Bridge, London SE1 2UP
Closest station: Tower Hill / London Bridge
Cost: Around £16 for adults, subject to current ticket prices.
Throw Axes at Axeperience
Channel your inner Viking and try your hand at axe throwing in a basement venue near Tower of London. Each session will include instruction from an experienced coach, followed by games, challenges and a tournament where you can compete against your friends and see who can hit the bullseye.
Location: Basement Floor, 48–51 Minories and 6 Portsoken Street, Tower Hill, London EC3N 1JJ
Cost: Check current prices when booking
Age: 18+
Visit an Abandoned Tube Station
Aldwych station, which closed to passengers in 1994, offers a fascinating glimpse into the capital’s underground history. Guided tours will take you down to the former platforms, where you’ll see original features, historic posters and parts of the station that have remained largely untouched. The station also has a fascinating wartime history, having been used as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War. Guides will share stories about the station’s construction, its years in operation and the different ways the abandoned site has been used since it closed.
Location: Aldwych, London
Closest station: Temple / Covent Garden
Cost: Standard price: £46.50
London Mithraeum
Catch a fascinating glimpse into Roman London as yoou escend seven metres beneath the City of London to explore the reconstructed remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Mithras, discovered during excavations in the 1950s. The atmospheric experience uses dim lighting, haze and sound to bring the ancient site to life, while the space above showcases Roman artefacts uncovered during the excavation, alongside contemporary art commissions.
Location: 12 Walbrook, Bank, London EC4N 8AA
Cost: Free entry
More to Discover
London is full of unusual museums, hidden bars, secret corners, unexpected experiences and places you probably didn’t know existed.
We’ll keep adding to this list, so bookmark it and check back whenever you’re looking for something different to do in London.
When: Throughout the year, subject to individual venue opening times and availability.
Where: Various locations across London and beyond.
What: A growing guide to unique, quirky and off-the-beaten-path places and experiences to discover in and around London.
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