Unusual Things to do in London by Zone

London has so many wonderfully weird things to do, so I thought I’d compile a list of a few of my favourites and those that are on my list to visit. Whenever I see something a little unusual, I save it wherever I see it; I’ve got a saved folder on Instagram, lots of saved TikToks and plenty of bookmarked bits on my browser too!

I’ve structured the list by Tube Zone to make it easier to work out where to visit depending on where you are! This will be one of those posts that I update on the regular too 🙂

Zone 1

I’d say this is the most popular zone in all of London, but there are obvious reasons for it; there’s just so much to do!

• Visit a Livery Hall and take in some hidden London history (Armourers’ Hall pictured is my fav!)
• Visit a bar totally dedicated to the wines of Rioja, my favourite region!
• Pet the animals Spitalfields City Farm
• Go on an awesome Musical Bingo Silent Disco Walking Tour of London.
• Visit the incredible The London Mithraeum
• Do Legal Graffiti in Leake Street Tunnel
• Pay your respect at the Crossbones Graveyard
• Be mesmerised by the curiosities at Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret
• Visit Europe’s largest dog-themed bookshop at the Kennel Club Library
• Play wild bingo at Dabbers.
• Visit the Hunterian Museum (surgical curiosities at the Royal College of Surgeons).
• Explore the Postal Museum and ride the underground Mail Rail.
• Enjoy cocktails at Cahoots, a 1940s-themed bar in a disused Tube station.
• Have a Jurassic Park themed afternoon tea at The Ampersands Hotel.
• Wander the Temple Church, a hidden gem of Templar history.
• Take a ghost tour around haunted spots near Bank and St. Paul’s.
• Attend a hidden jazz night at Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs.
• Discover the Seven Noses of Soho on a quirky walking tour.
• Explore Sir John Soane’s Museum, a treasure trove of oddities and art.
• Have lunch at the Leadenhall Market, which was an inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.
• Visit the Grant Museum of Zoology, featuring skeletons and rare specimens.

Zone 2

• See the weird and wonderful at The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History.
• See the Lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf and it’s Longplayer.
• Drink cocktails in a bar hidden in an Apple Repair shop.
• Take a wild swimming dip in Hampstead Heath ponds.
• Brew your own beer at the London Beer Lab.
• Explore the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill.
• Make magical cocktails at The Cauldron Pub.
• Sip cocktails at Midnight Apothecary, a rooftop bar on a Victorian gasworks.
• Start your own band and record a couple of songs at We Jam.
• Visit the Freud Museum in Hampstead, Sigmund Freud’s former home.
• Go on a wild goose chase solving mysteries at Phantom Peak.
• Find the Roman Amphitheatre beneath Guildhall Art Gallery.
• Try bouldering at The Castle Climbing Centre, housed in a Victorian waterworks.
• Walk along the Walthamstow Wetlands, Europe’s largest urban wetland.

Zone 3

• Go on a treasure hunt for food and have a picnic in Greenwich Park.
• Tour Highgate Cemetery, home to Karl Marx’s grave.
• Watch a film at Rooftop Film Club in Peckham.
• Visit the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton.
• Explore Chiswick House and Gardens, a stunning neo-Palladian villa.
• Go kayaking on the Thames in Kew.
• See dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park.
• Visit the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes.
• Discover Eltham Palace, an Art Deco mansion with medieval roots.
• Play old-school games at Four Quarters Arcade Bar in Stratford.
• See Leyton Orient play and eat amazing pie & mash.

Zone 4

• Ride the Croydon Tramlink for a nostalgic feel.
• Explore Epping Forest for hiking and hidden ponds.
• Visit the Ruislip Lido Railway, a miniature train ride.
• Tour Valentines Mansion and Gardens in Ilford.
• Discover the Whitewebbs Museum of Transport in Enfield.
• Try paddleboarding on the Grand Union Canal in Uxbridge.
• Visit the Harrow School museum for its famous alumni history.
• See the RAF Museum London in Colindale.
• Explore Wimbledon Windmill Museum.
• Spot wildlife at the Hainault Forest Country Park.

Zone 5

Probably the smallest of all the zones, so slightly less to do here!

• Explore the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge.
• Appreciate all of the creativity of Eel Pie Island Museum & local studios
• Head to Brentford Water & Steam Museum to see Victorian pumping engines the size of houses
• See the hidden warehouse full of vintage tube trains at the London Transport Museum Depot
• Wander Oxleas Wood ancient woodland & Severndroog Castle, a strange little Gothic castle

Zone 6

My favourite zone, as this is where I live!

• Visit Upminster Windmill and meet me as one of the tour guides!
• Do a little pub crawl between Gidea Park Micropub, the Hop Inn and Upminster Taproom
• Have Bottomless Brunch or Afternoon Tea for less than £40
• Go on a Miniture Steam Train in Lodge Farm Park.
• Discover the RSPB Rainham Marshes in Purfleet.
• See the Havering Hoard exhibit in Romford.
• Have Afternoon Tea for under £30