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All United Kingdom England London

The Atlas Obscura Guide To London

457 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in London, England

Updated March 23, 2023

Layers and layers of history are the hallmark of London, and you never know what amazing stories are hiding around each corner, from the buried remains of a street visible through a sewer grate to the actual painting that produced Monty Pythonʼs iconic squishing foot.

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Unusual Attractions in London

London, England

Highgate Cemetery

London's creepiest cemetery was once the site of dueling magicians and mobs of stake-carrying vampire hunters.

London, England

Leadenhall Market

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.

London, England

The Ruins of St. Dunstan-in-the-East

One of the few remaining casualties of the London Blitz, this destroyed church has become an enchanting public garden.

London, England

God's Own Junkyard

A kaleidoscopic warehouse-maze of handmade neon signs.

London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.

London, England

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History

This shop and gallery is a modern-day cabinet of curiosities, unassumingly positioned along an urban thoroughfare.

London, England

Platform 9 3/4

Kings Cross Station pays tribute to its role in Britain's best-selling book series.

London, England

Cecil Court

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.
See All 457 Things To Do in London

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in London

London, England

Twinings Tea Shop

A 300-year-old tea shop that brought tea to the English people, not to mention the Queen herself.

London, England

Growing Underground

The world's first underground farm is in a Word War II bomb shelter beneath the streets of London.

London, England

Philpot Lane Mice Sculpture

A mysterious pair of mice eating a piece of cheese is London's smallest public sculpture.

London, England

The Mayflower Pub

The London pub overlooks where the Mayflower was moored before setting sail for the New World.
See all 10 Places to Eat in London
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Hidden Trafalgar Square

Wedged between Charing Cross and Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square is known for the throngs of people flocking to its famous attractions. Weave around the tourists on the National Gallery stairs and dodge the crowds clogging the street corners. Instead, duck down dreamy alleys and pop into unique, overlooked museums and shops. There, a secret side of this busy area waits to reveal itself.

View Itinerary

Explore London, England

History 54
Museums And Collections 52
Art 45
Statues 36
Animals 35
Architectural Oddities 29
Collections 29
History & Culture 29
Plants 25
Sculptures 25
Shops 25
Churches 21
Unique Restaurants & Bars 18
Places To Stay 4

London Leaderboard

Places Added

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Places Edited

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Places Visited

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Recent London Activity

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    wants to go to Goodwin's Court

Stories About London

Podcast: Freud Museum London

Lie back on what might be the world's most famous psychoanalytic couch.
by The Podcast Team
February 1, 2023

Podcast: The Mail Rail

Beneath the streets of London, a secret subway for snail mail.
by The Podcast Team
January 11, 2023

Was This King Charles I’s Death Vest?

It is said the English monarch wore the sleeved waistcoat at his public execution in 1649.
by April White
November 17, 2022

Descend Into the Sewers With London’s Fatberg-Busters

What can we learn from wipes, oils, and fats when they overwhelm the arteries of the modern world?
by Jessica Leigh Hester
November 3, 2022

Podcast: Brown Dog Statue

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
October 19, 2022

Meet the Duo Molding the Weird, Wondrous Future of Jelly

From disturbingly realistic gelatin portraits to a jiggling Buckingham Palace, Bompas & Parr are pushing the wobbly envelope.
by Diana Hubbell
October 7, 2022

Podcast: Clown Egg Register

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
August 23, 2022

How The Thames, Once a 'Zombie River,' Was Brought Back to Life

Sharks, beavers, and humans are all returning to London's iconic waterway thanks to decades of restoration work.
by Mia Jackson
August 8, 2022

Lists Featuring London

Gods Own Junkyard
The central interior of Leadenhall Market

London's Top 8 Wonders in 2018

The strange and unusual places Atlas Obscura readers wanted to visit most in “The Old Smoke” in 2018.

8

Including The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History, God's Own Junkyard, and Leadenhall Market

The House of the Temple.
Statue of George Washington

Novus Ordo Seclorum: 14 Places to Unearth Masonic Secrets

Your best bets for gaining insight into the real history of Freemasonry.

14

Including Zedekiah's Cave, Masonic Lodge of the Andaz Hotel, and House of the Temple

The Paddington Bear statue at Paddington station.
The Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park.
Mrs Mallard and her entire brood.
Dr Seuss, Cat in the Hat, and a book with lines from Oh The Places You'll Go.

9 Favorite Children's Book Characters, Immortalized in Bronze

Visit Paddington Bear, Ramona Quimby, and other childhood heroes in person.

9

Including Paddington Bear Statue , Alice in Wonderland Statue, and Make Way for Ducklings Statue

William Blake's headstone.

Historic Cemeteries in London

Fascinating old graveyards to visit in the English capital.

13

Including Highgate Cemetery, Bunhill Fields, and Nunhead Cemetery

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem0115 947 3171
The Star Tavern
The Eagle is among the best-known pubs in Cambridge.
The recreated apartment.

The Best British Pubs to Get Drunk on History

A 14-stop bar tour through Great Britain's past.

14

Including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, The Star Tavern, and The Eagle

Twinings tea shop on the Strand.
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Burlington Arcade Beadles
Lock & Co.

9 Cool Shops in London

Wonderfully unique stores to visit in the English capital.

9

Including Twinings Tea Shop, The Old Curiosity Shop, and The Burlington Arcade Beadles

The Paddington Bear statue at Paddington station.
The central interior of Leadenhall Market
221b, Baker Street
Peter Pan is the boy who never grows up.

A Storybook Tour of London's Literary Past

Page through England's capital city with Potter, Poppins, Paddington, and Pan.

11

Including Paddington Bear Statue , Leadenhall Market, and 221b Baker Street

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