Sure to satisfy any wanderer, whether they’re looking for a stroll around a quaint village or are itching to explore some of the UK’s finest stately homes and cathedrals; there’s so much to discover just under two hours from London.

Note: For many of these we have full guides which we’ve linked to under the posts.

Day Trips from London for History Buffs and Bookworms

Each of these places is charming in its own way and you’re guaranteed to leave will leave with wonderful memories.

Many of these places were also featured in our Literary Cities Guide if you want to find out more about a particular city.

1) Lavenham (Godric’s Hollow)

Escape to Suffolk and visit one of the UK’s best-preserved Medieval villages, with more than 350 listed buildings to admire as well as a 15th Century church. It’s also one of the best and easiest day trips from London.

There’s plenty to do in this historic town but it has garnered a lot of attention with Harry Potter fans in recent years.

Lavenham’s stunning De Vere House was used as the filming location for Harry’s childhood home and Ambus Dumbledore’s former home in Godric’s Hollow.

Since then, the house has become available for guests on Airbnb. Whether you want to stay there or not (costs are approximately £254 for two nights, including cleaning) simply taking a look at this marvellous property is enough to warrant the trip.

Similarly, make sure to pay a visit to 4th Century Hall House on the main square which mirrors the history of Lavenham over the centuries. 

The village also has a delightful selection of independent shops, restaurants, and bakeries to enjoy with some highlights including the family-run artisan bakery Sparling and Faiers, award-winning ice cream at Hadley’s, and the unique gallery space Posy.

If you’re considering staying overnight (and aren’t going for De Vere House) then we recommend the fifteenth-century Swan at Lavenham.

Lavenham offers some amazing guided walks for visitors which we highly recommend checking out to get the most out of this, one of the most historic day trips from London.

How to get to Lavenham from London

Accessible by train from Liverpool Street Station, you’ll be changing at Colchester and heading towards The Swan station in Lavenham.

The journey will take around two and a half to three hours so best set out early. It’s also an easy drive to Lavenham along the M11 which will also take two and a half hours.

2) Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)

If you love Downton Abbey or simply enjoy exploring stately homes, then head over to Highclere Castle. The Grade I listed country house, built in 1679, is where the entire Downton Abbey series was filmed.

It’s one of the easiest day trips from London and very much worth the time and money to get there. You can also explore the nearby ‘Downton Village’, the Church, and Yew Tree Farm.

When the castle is open (during the summer months and for holidays, as well tours throughout the year) you can explore the state rooms inside the castle, the Egyptian exhibition, and explore the extensive ground and gardens.

Today, the house is occupied by the current Earl’s family, who have been living on the estate since 1679.

How to get to Highclere Castle from London

Here’s an easy Downton Abbey Tour to get you there. As you will also see Downton Village, the Church, and Yew Tree Farm, places which are difficult to access via public transport, this tour is definitely worth it if you want the full experience.

If you do have a car then you’ll be driving for an hour and forty-five minutes from London to Highclere Castle via the M25 and the M4.

To get there by public transport, you’ll need to take the train to Newbury (48 minutes directly from Paddington Station). By train, this is one of the easiest day trips from London.

From there, there is a very limited local bus service between Newbury and the village of Highclere, then a very long walk. Most people will take a taxi from Newbury Station taxi rank to the castle.

Read More: Find out more books like Downton Abbey in our list of Books for Downton Abbey Lovers

3) Hampton Court Palace

Whether you’re interested in learning more about the life of Henry VIII and his wife and children, or you simply want to experience the grand baroque palace built for William III and Mary II, Hampton Court is one of the best day trips from London.

There’s so much to see at Hampton Court Palace, with sixty acres of gardens and grounds to cover, making it one of the best historical day trips from London.

Then there’s the spectacular interior, including the State Rooms.

These include the infamous haunted gallery, the Tudor Kitchens, and Henry’s Great Hall — complete with a timber roof that features Anne Boelyn’s coat of arms and tapestries, hung in 1546, which depict Abraham’s life from the Book of Genesis.

If you arrive in the winter season then you’ll even be able to enjoy the ice rink which feels like a wonderfully traditional way to spend a crisp winter day. You can book tickets through the Hampton Court website and find out the latest opening times.

How to get to Hampton Court Palace from London

To get there by public transport, you’ll need to get the train from Waterloo Station straight to Hampton Court Station and walk for twelve minutes.

This should take around fifty minutes making it one of the quickest day trips from London. You can also drive there in fifty minutes via the A4. 

4) Stratford-upon-Avon

Birthplace of the world’s greatest poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is a well-maintained medieval market town full of historic pubs and shops.

It’s so wonderfully fitting that the town where Shakespeare was born is one that has remained looking so Shakespearean at its heart.

One of the most ideal day trips from London for theatre lovers, this is also the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), so when you visit Stratford make sure to check what’s on and go see a play. While you’re there, you can also visit Shakespeare’s family home and birthplace. 

Aside from the great playwright, there’s plenty to see in Stratford-Upon-Avon and a variety of independent shops, cafes, and restaurants lining the quaint side streets.

To carry on the Shakespeare theme, make sure to visit the adorable vintage tea room Shakespaw Cat Cafe which serves a fabulous breakfast, lunch, and dinner while surrounded by adorable rescue cats.

Make sure to reserve your slot before you go. If you’re thinking of extending your trip then we recommend the Mercure, The Shakespeare hotel.

How to get to Stratford-upon-Avon from London

You can reach Stratford-upon-Avon by train in two to two and a half hours leaving from a number of London stations (Marlybone being the best choice) or drive there in two hours via the M40.

If you’re driving, this is one of the smoothest day trips from London.

5) Bath

One of the easiest and most rewarding day trips from London, you can learn all about Jane Austen and do some of the best book shopping outside London. We listed all the great Independent Bookshops in Bath to help you on your way.

Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while so you can see (and even stay in) Jane Austen’s house and visit the Jane Austen Museum which has a wonderful gift shop inside and find all those places mentioned in the novels.

Bath is also known for its fantastic vintage shopping and cute cafes but the historic city also boasts a thriving dining scene, complete with Michelin star restaurants and trendy cocktail bars.

Bath really is a city that has it all while also being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Every building is a marvel, made with uniform Bath Stone which is most masterfully seen at The Royal Crescent and the Circus which also houses a museum where you can wander a Georgian home.

You can also visit the oldest house in Bath at Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House where you can try their famous buns. Make sure to catch a show at the Theatre Royal Bath or live music, comedy, and cinema at Komedia Bath.

Famous for the Roman Baths themselves, Bath is also one of the centres for relaxation in the UK with spa treatments, healing steam rooms, and incredible 360-degree views of Bath from the rooftop pool.

It’s one of our favourite cities in the UK and favourite day trips from London. It’s somewhere we visit over and over and honestly a day won’t be enough.

Read More: A Perfect Bath Day Trip for Culture Lovers

How to get to Bath from London

The train is the easiest way to reach Bath, it’s direct from London Paddington and gets there in just over an hour. You can also drive there in two hours and twenty via the M4.

You can also get the National Express Coach directly from Victoria Coach Station if you’d like to save money.

Tip: You can easily extend your trip with a visit to neighbouring Bristol which has a lot to offer if you like live music, street art, amazing vegan food, and international restaurants. Bath is also a great base for exploring Lacock and the mysterious Stonehenge.

Read More: A Complete Jane Austen Tour of England — Eleven Places to Visit

7) Oxford

Oxford is so much closer to London than most people would expect. The city makes for a perfect day trip and offers so much in terms of culture, literary history, and special architecture.

Home to the world’s most famous and beloved university, Oxford is a historic town of gorgeous stone buildings and welcoming locals.

Oxford also has ties to so many of our most treasured writers, most famously Philip Pullman and J.R.R. Tolkein. Exploring the university buildings and going book shopping for a day in Oxford is truly one of life’s great pleasures.

We have a perfect one day itinerary in Oxford and a guide to the most beautiful colleges in Oxford which should help you have the perfect day in the city of spires.

If you’re thinking of spending the night then we’d recommend the Museum Hotel, a historic Oxford hotel in a building dating from 1594.

How to get to Oxford from London

You can enjoy one of the simplest day trips from London by taking the train from Paddington Station to Oxford in around fifty minutes. You can also drive in an hour and fifteen minutes via the M40 or take the coach from Victoria Station.

Tip: Extend your trip with a visit to Blenheim Palace and Woodstock – If you’re a big fan of period homes and quaint villages then you can hop on the bus to Blenheim Palace in Oxford which is another beautiful day out!

One of the trees on the ground was even used in the filming of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

8) Cambridge

Cambridge is often jilted as a London day trip in favour of Oxford but, truthfully, it’s just as fast to get to Cambridge from London and just as rewarding.

Generally, people either prefer Oxford or Cambridge and hold some pretty strong views but I personally think they’re both vibrant, beautiful cities with a lot to offer.

Two of the things which Cambridge is most famously associated with, aside from the university, are punting and romantic river walks.

Punting is an old tradition in Cambridge, in which you go for a boat ride along the River Cambs, past the beautiful town centre, the extensive green space in the city, and the Cambridge University college buildings. 

A visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum is a must and there is endless book shopping to do in Cambridge with some notable spots being Heffers Bookshop and Sarah Key: The Haunted Bookshop.

No trip to Cambridge would be complete without stopping at Fitzbillies, a hundred-year-old cafe (and now a restaurant) famous for its fluffy Chelsea Buns.

Independent shops, cafes, and restaurants waiting for you on the side streets which all seem to culminate at the market square where you’ll be delighted with street food, fresh produce, bubble tea, and more. If you’d like to stay overnight in Cambridge, we’d recommend the Hotel du Vin & Bistro.

How to get to Cambridge from London

Very easily accessed by train, the Thames Link from King Cross Station will take you straight there in under an hour.

You can also drive there in just under an hour and a half via the M11 or take the National Express from Victoria Coach Station.

Tip: There are lots of charming villages near Cambridge so there are plenty of places if you want to extend your trip. We’d recommend a visit to Ely which boasts a stunning cathedral, Oliver Cromwell’s house, a sake brewery, and one of our favourite book shops Topping & Co.

Read More: A Perfect Day trip to Cambridge for Culture Lovers

9) Canterbury

A city strongly associated with The Canterbury Tales and its magnificent cathedral, Canterbury has a lot to offer for a London day trip. It’s ideal if you’re looking for a coastal escape with trails to follow that can be tackled by foot or on a bike.

Cambridge isn’t the only place you can go punting, with Canterbury also offering its own 45-minute tour along the river where you learn stories about Canterbury’s medieval past or even take a haunted trip at night.

For more history, you can also visit the Canterbury Roman Museum where you can see a beautifully preserved Roman floor mosaic.

Canterbury has some great bookshops with one of the most famous being The Chaucer Bookshop, found in an eighteenth-century building and specialising in second-hand and antiquarian books.

For food and drink, Canterbury doesn’t disappoint with highlights like Tiny Tim’s Tearoom which is in a 1920s style and offers fantastic afternoon tea, and Houdini’s Magic Bar where you can catch live magic shows and fabulous cocktails.

If you’d like to stay overnight in Canterbury, we recommend the fifteenth-century Cathedral Gate Hotel found in the heart of the city.

How to get to Canterbury from London

You can reach Canterbury in fifty minutes from London on the train from St Pancras Intl. Or you can drive there in an hour and a half via the M2.

10) Chawton

Chawton in Hampshire is where Jane Austen called home for the last eight years of her life, this is one of the most perfect day trips from London for Jane Austen fans aside from Bath. Here you can visit Jane Austen’s home where she wrote and revised her novels.

Visitors can also take the Jane Austen 4.8 mile circular walk which will take you from her house through the village of Farringdon and beautiful countryside, and visit Chawton House Library where her brother Edward Knight lived.

Nearby Alton is also worth visiting as this is where Jane used to go shopping. For places to eat and drink at while walking you’ll pass Cassandra’s Cup which is a tea room named after Austen’s sister, The Greyfriar, The Rose and Crown at Upper Farringdon and can take a short detour to The Golden Pheasant at Lower Farringdon.

Likewise, nearby Winchester is where you can see Jane Austen’s grave and some other places she used to frequent.

Tip: Check out our Instagram reel for a snapshot of our day in Chawton.

How to get to Chawton from London

Take the train from London to Alton Station and then take a bus or taxi to Jane Austen’s house or you can drive. There’s ample parking in the area.

Read More: A Perfect Day Trip to Jane Austen’s House & Chawton

11) York

You’d think York was a long way to go for a London day trip but, if travelling by train, you can actually be there within two hours directly so it’s definitely worth it.

There are so many unique things to do in York you will be spoiled for choice.

Famous for the seventh century York Minster which is one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals, York is endlessly majestic.

York is a UNESCO City of Media Arts and a book lover’s haven with several book shops to explore as well as The Shambles, a street of independent shops that inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley.

Also, did you know York is the most haunted city in Europe? It’s often known as the ‘city of a thousand ghosts’.

If you love chocolate, York has a long history associated with the stuff giving it the name the UK’s home of chocolate.

You can find out everything, including the 300-year history behind chocolate, at York’s Chocolate Story Museum and even stay in a chocolate themed hotel at Hotel Indigo. Make sure to visit York Cocoa House to treat yourself before you leave.

For more history, the award-winning York Castle Museum is not to be missed with recreated Jacobean dining rooms and infamous Victorian criminals. There really is an endless amount of things to do in York so you’ll have trouble prioritizing.

How to get to York from London

The train is the absolute best way to get to York from London, just take the train towards Edinburgh to York from King’s Cross Station.

Extend your trip: If you’d like to extend your trip then I’d recommend visiting Haworth, a charming village where the Bronte family grew up. Or discover some of your favourite things to do in Yorkshire.

12) Hampstead Heath

This is technically a day trip in London if you’re pushed for time and want to experience somewhere very different to the bustling city but still with ample literary history and culture.

Hampstead Village honestly doesn’t feel like the rest of London. Much like Richmond, there’s a sense of peace and tranquillity and you can easily get lost in the narrow streets and historical buildings. 

Wander along the pretty eighteenth-century promenade Church Row for literary history and Flask Walk: a tiny cobbled street with restaurants, antiques, a secondhand bookshop, and florists.

There’s a wealth of literary history to explore in Hampstead. You can pay a visit to the romantic poet Keats’ house, go plaque hunting for the many famous writers who’ve lived there

You can find Daphne Du Maurier, who lived there for two years (her father and grandfather are buried in the local churchyard), George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley. Plaques for history’s other greats like Anna and Sigmund Freud can also be tracked down.

Hampstead was even featured in novels like Dracula:

“Lucy lies in the tomb of her kin, a lordly death house in a lonely churchyard, away from teeming London, where the air is fresh, and the sun rises over Hampstead Hill, and where wild flowers grow of their own accord.”

Hampstead also has a number of London bookshops, charity shops like the Oxfam Bookshop, vintage stores, handmade craft spots, cafes, and is a hub for antique shopping.

Plus, if you want a beautiful walk and one of the best views over London, stroll up Hampstead Heath, 790 acres of park, fields, and woodland.

How to get to Hampstead from London

Hampstead Station is on the northern line towards Edgware, zone 2.

While these are just some of the amazing day trips from London on offer, these are some of the very best for culture lovers. We hope you enjoy exploring some of the best of England within easy reach of the capital.

13) Brighton

An easy day trip from London at just one hour on the train. Brighton is one of the UK’s art and culture hubs with a thriving LGBTQ+ community — it also has a fine collection of independent bookshops mostly to be found in The Lanes which is Brighton’s famous and colourful shopping streets.

One of the must-visit bookshops includes the crowdfunded The Feminist Bookshop which features books about and written by women and also provides a vegan cafe and reading room to relax in. Brighton itself has also appeared as a setting in so many books with one of the most notable being Brighton Rock. Pick up a book and take it to the seaside for a truly bookish Brighton experience.

The market town of Lewes, which is just fifteen minutes away by train from Brighton also offers some fantastic book shopping which must include a visit to the historic Fifteenth Century Bookshop.

How to Get to Brighton from London

There are 500+ direct trains from London to Brighton every day so you won’t need to be careful with regards to timing. You’ll need the Thameslink train which goes between Cambridge and Brighton, passing through several stations in London including London St Pancras.

Read More: How to Spend a Perfect Day in Brighton, UK

14) Audley End Estate and Gardens

Escape to this beautiful stately home and gardens within an hour of London for a change of scenery and quite frankly, just a lovely day out. One of the finest Jacobean homes in England, it’s also one of the most popular stately homes to visit in the UK.

The house has a number of royal connections and an interesting history Audley End is built on the foundations of a 12th-century Benedictine monastery after Henry VIII’s reformation led to him handing the site to his chancellor Thomas Audley in 1538. 

Not only the house to explore, enjoy beautiful flower gardens, an organic kitchen garden, the stables, and a nearby miniature railway.

Read More: Read about our day at Audley End, what to see there, and see lots of pictures.

How to Get to Audley End from London

You can catch the train from London direct to Audley End Station from London Liverpool Street and it takes just over an hour. It’s then a short walk from the station.

15) Strawberry Hill House

Still standing two hundred years after Horace Walpole’s death, the gothic castle that the wildly eccentric author originally converted from two cottages stands to welcome guests to this day.

A pastiche of Walpole’s absurd imagination and the gothic places he visited on his grand tour of Europe, Strawberry Hill House is a surprise and an eccentric gothic experience, comprised of themed rooms and careful fostering of artful, campy tones

Anyone who enjoys gothic literature will have heard of Horace Walpole and The Castle of Otranto, widely considered to be the first ever supernatural and gothic novel.

Read More: Read about our day at Strawberry Hill House, what to see there, and see lots of pictures.

How to Get to Strawberry Hill House from London

Strawberry Hill House can be easily accessed by train which runs on a circular route from London Waterloo to Strawberry Hill. You can also take the District Line westbound to Richmond. From there you can catch the R68 from bus stop Z towards Hampton Court and alight at Michelham Gardens.

Looking to go further afield? Try these literary places in Cornwall and Devon.

I’ve travelled from California to Tokyo and I’ve seen some incredible tattoo artists, but few compare to those found in London. Tattoo artists in London are a cut above almost all other tattoo artists the world over. You want proof? Read on.

The Best Tattoo Artists in London, UK

From photorealistic tattoos to hyper-cute anime tattoos, there’s such a breadth of style and artistry on display in London’s tattoo scene that you can find exactly the tattoo you want without looking too hard.

But who are these most unique of London tattoo artists? Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting and best tattoo artists in London.

Jean Le Roux

Working out of Good Fortune tattoo studio in London, Jean Le Roux is a phenomenal tattoo artist originally from South Africa. Since 2013 he has been a vibrant and exciting presence in the London tattoo scene.

His art blends neotrad tattoo designs with a distinctly tight, detailed, and modern flair. His portraits of women – be they gypsies, pirates, or women of myth – are particularly hauntingly beautiful.

His faces are full of deep emotion and lifelike beauty that is nothing less than captivating. Without doubt, Jean Le Roux is one of the best tattoo artists in London today.

Kola Smith (Kolahari)

An absolute favourite of ours at Books and Bao. Kola’s tattoos are like nothing else on Earth. In fact, I won’t tiptoe around it: Kolahari is our favourite tattoo artist in the world. His style is like nothing else you’ll ever find, and we could sing his praises for days.

Inspired by Japanese traditional artwork and medieval English aesthetics, Kola’s tattoo art is created in a flat, two-dimensional woodcut style that is so incredibly unique and unmistakable in the dense and crowded world of London tattoo artists.

If you like your tattoos to stand out in a crowd, be mesmerising to explore and examine, and be something to be truly proud of, give Kola a visit. Kola operates out of The Circle tattoo studio in London.

Read More: New York’s 10 Most Exciting Tattoo Artists

Bara

Bara tattoos at Six Bullets Tattoo Shop in London, and is a dedicated artist of neotrad tattoos. In fact, even amongst the finest neotrad tattoo artists working today, Bara’s work stands out due to its outstanding use of light and shadow, as well as his distinct colour palette.

There’s an almost uncanny sense of realism to his tattoos, especially those depicting animals, and yet the colours he chooses to use give these detailed tattoos a bold and cartoonish sense that harkens back to the traditional designs that inspired the neotrad tattoo movement.

His use of golds and autumnal colours, which can be seen in many of his best designs, allow for his work to be immediately recognisable. Amongst the best tattoo artists in London — home to the best tattoo artists on Earth — Bara still manages to stand out .

Rhi Hustwayte

One of the best things to take the world of tattooing by storm in recent years is the rise in popularity of cute, adorable tattoos.

Tattoos inspired by anime and cartoons, video games, or simply tattoos that are bursting with animation and colour.

We’ve mentioned the likes of Ali Burke and Stickypop before, but one of the best tattoo artists in London for adorable art is definitely Rhi Hustwayte. Rhi focuses her delightful energy into neotrad tattoos with a cute twist.

Animals in clothes, bowls of ramen, beloved anime characters – as long as it’s cute, Rhi can deliver an excellent tattoo of it. Rhi Hustwayte can be found at True Tattoo studio in London and is certainly one of the stand-out London tattoo artists.

Read More: Berlin’s Best Tattoo Artists

Luke A. Ashley

They say the most painful place to get a tattoo is your palms. So, why not dare to be the tattoo artist who proudly makes his living being the guy who almost exclusively only works on the most painful place to get a tattoo?

Luke A Ashley, who operates out of South City Market tattoo studio in London, exclusively tattoos bold, thick palm tattoos in black linework. His designs can be done covering your entire palm or just a segment of it, but either way be prepared for some pain.

The results can’t be argued with, though. His tattoos are slick and vibrant, and the designs are inspiring. After seeing Luke’s finished works, I’ve never wanted a palm tattoo more. He’s certainly one of the most unique London tattoo artists around today.

Andrew John Smith

In a world where tattooing is being stretched in every direction, it’s vital to have artists who can truly uphold the traditions and roots of tattooing.

When we talk about neotrad, we usually mean tattoos that bring traditional designs and themes to the modern world of tattoo style.

But Andrew John Smith goes beyond this, upholding the more traditional style of bold colour and thick lines but delivering inventive, colourful, and creative tattoos.

This is what true neotrad tattooing looks like, and what makes Andrew one of the best tattoo artists in London. You can find him at Jolie Rouge Tattoo Studio in London.

Read More: The Most Wonderful Female Tattoo Artists in the UK 2019

Deneka Horiden

Deneka is nothing short of a legend in the Japanese tradition of tattooing. From full Japanese sleeves depicting koi fish, tigers, sakura, and dragons, to full yakuza-style body suits and even smaller pieces like omamori charms, there’s nothing in the traditional world of Japanese tattooing not conquered by Deneka.

Hannya masks, snakes, waves, kitsune, turtles, the list goes on and on. If you’re on the market for real traditional, pure Japanese style tattoos in London, Deneka is who you come to.

This amazing dedication to the craft of Japanese tattooing is what makes Deneka one of the great London tattoo artists.

Amanda Rodriguez

Every artist on this list is delightfully unique, channelling their own impressive skillset into a specific niche of design and execution that makes each of them one of the best tattoo artists in London.

For Amanda Rodriguez, that niche is flower tattoos. Detailed, pastel-coloured, intricate and intimate, lively and beautiful flower tattoos.

Well, flowers and sometimes animals. Her birds are particularly lifelike and yet uniquely artistic.

To ensure every single tattoo she does is unique and worth admiring in such detail takes heart and incredible skill, both of which Amanda has in spades. She is, for sure, one of the most inspiring London tattoo artists right now.

Caio Pineiro

With just some reds, greys, and blacks, and an unparalleled love for the traditions of Japanese tattooing, Caio Pińeiro has made a name as one of the truly great London tattoo artists.

There’s a kind of emotional density to Caio’s tattoos that is truly awe-inspiring. It’s as though you feel them and breathe them as much as you see them. And the minimalist use of colour only serves to reinforce the striking power that they hold.

There’s so much to love and admire in Caio’s Japanese art, from traditional three-quarter Japanese sleeves to intricate crane and koi fish designs. If you love Japanese art and are looking for one of the absolute best tattoo artists in London, look no further.

Read More: 7 Great Tattoo Artists and Studios in Tokyo

Volkan Demirci

How far can the breadth of uniqueness in London tattoo artists really stretch? Impressively far, as proven by the magnificent tattoo art of Volkan Demirci.

The realism of Volkan’s tattoos almost beggars belief. Whether they’re in complete black-and-grey or a splash of vibrant neon colour, Volkan’s tattoos are so head-spinning in their realism and intricate detail you truly struggle to believe such art is even possible.

Whether Volkan’s tattoos are depicting portraits, landscapes, creatures, monsters, or beloved pop-culture characters, the depth of detail and life on display is staggering.

Don’t think twice about booking with this giant of the London tattoo artists scene.

Marie Terry

Marie’s tattoos hold a special place in our hearts as someone who delivers almost photorealistic tattoos inspired by our favourite sci-fi and video game characters.

Many tattoo artists approach this style of tattooing with a cartoony edge, but Marie goes for something deeper, more intricate; something with real dimension.

She also does an incredible job of bringing more traditional animal designs and human portraits to staggering life on your skin. Her art is to be admired and celebrated.

This demonstrates an incredibly versatility to Marie’s tattooing skills that is to be truly marvelled at. You can find Marie, one of the finest London tattoo artists around, working at Sacred Gold tattoo studio in London.

There’s something healing about letting your mind wander as you cradle hot brew in your hands and watch the world go by out the window. Cafes are also a hotspot for readers, who like to curl up with a favourite book and enjoy cup after cup of coffee, letting the hours tick by in peace and quiet.

In a city of exceptional literary reputation, it’s no surprise to discover a number of cosy reading hideouts that inspire many to park up with their paperback. Here are some of our favourite cafes and bars for book lovers around London.

Cozy Book Cafes in London to Settle With a Good Read

Planning your next literary adventure? Read on to discover the best bookish cafes in London!

The Common Press

Part of Glass House London — a sober and queer space in Shoreditch — The Common Press is a beautiful bookshop and one of the most exciting bookish cafes in London.

The Common Press bookshop stocks and sells everything that we at Books and Bao stand for: fiction by Black authors, books by queer writers, and literature in translation. It is a paradise for diverse literature.

This is also a sober space that serves fantastic coffee. Browse the shelves or your newly-purchased reads while you sip an oat milk flat white and chat with the owners and booksellers about their most highly-recommended books of the moment.

You can even rent a booth at the back of the cafe if you fancy recording a podcast or video while you’re there.

Paper and Cup

‘We are here to provide you with a little hideaway to finish that gripping novel’.

18 Calvert Ave, Shoreditch, London E2 7JP

Your next reading spot is Paper and Cup. This non-profit café was created by the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, an East London charity helping people the homeless, drug addicts, and alcoholics transform their lives.

Just off Shoreditch High Street, Paper and Cup sells second-hand novels, local artists’ works, wonderful cakes, and mountainous mugs of coffee at mind-bogglingly cheap prices. The perfect setting to ‘settle in with a good book’ (their words!). Cosy, homely, philanthropic. Why not donate to their book pile?

Read More: The Best Snacks and Cakes to Try When You’re in the UK

The London Review Bookshop & Cake Shop 

14-16 Bury Pl, Holborn, London WC1A 2JL

In a cosy corner just 100 yards from London’s British Museum, The London Review Bookshop proudly stands as one of London’s Best Independent Bookshops.

Bookworms can drink in the unique, tranquil atmosphere within its walls and let their curiosity run wild while browsing 20,000 books and magazines from across the globe – including classic and contemporary fiction, poetry, philosophy, history, politics, and more.

Attached to the bookshop, the cake café is the perfect place to break up your browsing or crack open your new book. Bite into to tasty sandwiches, cakes and pastries all ‘hand-made with love’, or head out to the outdoor patio in summer for some vitamin D. A visit here deserves to be cherished.

BookBar

166 Blackstock Rd, Highbury, London N5 1HA

Opened by a former bookseller who had spent her career working in the book industry around the world, BookBar is a real treasure found in Highbury, Islington. Creating a relaxed atmosphere focused around socializing around books, BookBar is welcoming to new readers and dedicated bibliophiles alike.

Fun, regular events create a community around books in an inclusive and open way, with live music, readings, wine tastings, and even ‘read-dating’ being part of the lineup.

BookBar’s ‘Shelf Medicate’ idea is genius, making an effort to help those who are stuck in a reading rut or are new to reading with ready-made ‘prescriptions’ with one of my favourites being the ‘literary fibbers prescription because who among us hasn’t claimed to have read something we feel we should have or at least nodded along quietly?

Vanilla Black Coffee and Books

308 Kennington Rd, Oval, London SE11 4LD

Lambeth locals go crazy for Vanilla Black Coffee and Books. Open the door to a cosmopolitan interior of dazzling yellow walls and towering bookshelves. Take a seat as gigantic windows throw light into the café – illuminating your food, book, and conversation.

Mouth-wateringly fresh smoothies erase any hint of a hangover and wash down the infamous smashed avocado on sourdough toast with poached eggs nicely. Descend downstairs in gloomy weather to perch by the fireplace: an atmospheric setting for reading and rain watching. Visit Vanilla Black.

Read More: A Perfect London itinerary for Book Lovers

Cafe Z Bar

58 Stoke Newington High St, Clapton, London N16 7PB

Café Z Bar is the chill-out place for cool creatives. Step off ‘Stokey’ high street to an array of arty posters and rustic wooden tables scattered with magazines and books. Funky tunes vibrate out speakers and lift your excitement further as you gaze at the well-priced, Turkish-inspired menu. 

A colossal staircase dominates the middle space, each downward-twisting step revealing yet more books that overflow side spaces and cascade down the staircase as you walk. 

This is effortless hipster. Cool and care-free. Happy staff. Generous portions. Brilliant brunch. A bookish jewel in Stokey’s crown.

Phlox Books

159 Francis Rd, Leyton, London E10 6NT

This East London gem will transport you into a world of excellent fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books within bright and airy surroundings. Each book is lovingly chosen by avid readers and is perfect if you’re looking for something unique for a loved one or something new for yourself.

Truly passionate about books, the staff at Phlox Books are always ready to talk books or recommend you something new.

Books, booze, and coffee is their mantra and, yes, if you prefer your books with a good IPA or glass of wine then Phlox Books is going to be your new best friend. The store holds events and online events including a book group so there’s a real sense of community surrounding the store.

Stir Coffee

‘We are all about slinging great coffee and good vibes!’

111 Brixton Hill, Brixton, London SW2 1AA

Stir Coffee keeps their promise. The rustic but chic café on Brixton Hill sucks you in with one sip of their speciality coffee. Brilliant bookshelves stand over spacious tables, perfect for working.

Smooth jazz serenades you from the ceiling as you sample a menu including countless vegan options. Baked goods almost overflow the stands as staff brings out burgers seemingly too big to bite! 

Treat yourself with one of their wine and beer options or sip on what many call the ‘best oat latte in London’ as you unwind with your latest read.

Kioskafe

31 Norfolk Pl, Tyburnia, London W2 1QH

250 steps from Paddington station lies Kioskafe: a newspaper and magazine hub-come-café inspired by old European kiosks, or newsstands.

Created to show that modern print is still alive, 2500 print-on-demand newspapers and 150 magazines flood the room with colour and creativity – designed to ‘take you round the world in a blink of an eye’.

Whether you’re after an old Argentinian newspaper or Czech magazine – you’re in luck. You can order a newspaper or magazine in advance, or wait for it to be printed as you sip on premium New Zealand coffee and mouth-watering Swedish pastries.

Stop in for something to read (and even purchase some travel essentials!) before hopping on a train from Paddington station. Devour Swiss breakfast pots and bagels. Admire literary artistry. This is Kioskafe.

Settle in with a drink and gripping novel – and transport yourself to another world. Plan your next coffee shop experience now.

Here we share the best Korean comfort food in London that will make you roll your eyes in pleasure and kickstart your addiction.

Zipbap 

(51 Red Lion Street, Holborn, WC1R 4PF)

Zipbap puts smiles on faces. Foodies flock here aching for a taste of its authentic and frighteningly fresh Korean cuisine. Its Korean-style ramen noodles in warm broth is a particularly cosy option for those cold, winter nights.

The bibimbap (served in a sizzling hot stone pot) is a firm favourite among Zipbap regulars. Finger-licking gochujang (made from spicy red pepper paste) and soy sauce serenade crispy white rice, vegetables and either beef, seafood, tofu or chicken – resulting in something so tasty you’ll be scrambling back to this London haunt for more 24 hours later.

Read More: A Culinary Journey Around South Korea

Bento Bab

(4 Commercial St, Spitalfields, E1 6LP)

Tucked away in Spitalfields, popping into Bento Bab is a guaranteed pick-me-up. Look forward to prices and portion sizes that lift your mood. The dumplings are a big hit, and spice-fans will like the jjigae (hot stew served with rice).

You can’t leave without tucking into the mouth-watering Korean fried chicken – best appreciated with side sauces of soy garlic and sweet chilli, and some cheeky kimchi fries. K-Pop music and neon signs add a really cool vibe that removes you from the day’s stresses.

Bibimbap & Chimaek

(160 High St, New Malden, KT3 4ES)

Life will never be the same again after you try the Korean Fried Chicken (also known as ‘chimaek’ as it’s often combined with beer). Crunch on incredible, crispy chicken skin before sinking into the juicy, moist heaven of the chicken. Let your choice of sweet chilli, soy sauce, or spicy sweet chilli caress the crispy skin and flood your mouth with even more moist flavour.

For ultimate authenticity, choose the chicken with bones to eat like a true Korean: the juice from the bones makes the chicken delightfully soft and moist.

The bibimbap more than holds its own also, with spicy pork the variation taking review headlines. And mention must also go to the cheese balls with their melt-in-your-mouth moment of pure ecstasy. This really is the ultimate comfort food for any occasion.

Hozi

(25-27 Theobalds Rd, Holborn, WC1X 8SP)

Surrounded by the buzz of Korean conversations, stepping foot in Hozi plants you in the heart of Korea. Everything on their menu is a flood of flavour.

For ultimate comfort, descend into the comforting ambience of the downstairs basement seating and let yourself unwind as your lips touch authentic dishes like the kimchi jjigae, octopus stir-fry and spicy beef soup. Authenticity at its finest. A definite must-try.

Read More: The Best Japanese Restaurants in London

Sarang Restaurant

(887 Finchley Rd, Golders Green, NW11 8RR)

Found on Finchley Road, Sarang Restaurant is a cheap and cosy Korean paradise. Watch in awe as your BBQ meats sizzle sensually in front of your very eyes.

Fast and attentive service throws hot Korean dishes on your lap at a rate you can hardly keep track of and leaves you licking your lips as you walk away through the night. Proudly the best in the area… what are you waiting for?

Hana Korean Restaurant

(60 Battersea Rise, SW11 1EG)

Battersea’s Hana Korean has the cosy mood and full range of Korean comfort food to be the highlight of your week. Complete with high taste, low price and quick service – Hana is a great spot to meet with friends.

If you’re stuck on what to choose, Hana’s fried chicken, vegetable japchae, pork bulgogi (expertly grilled and marinated thin meat), and teokbokki (stir fried rice cakes) are huge hits. Hana really is the definition of comfort. Get ready to eat, sink back in your chair, and smile.

Read More: The 5 Best Asian Cooking Classes in London

CheeMc

(310 Walworth Rd, Walworth, SE17 2NA)

This is authentic Korean comfort food at welcome prices. A cute corner of deliciousness on Walworth Road for real foodies. Feel life’s problems subside as your lips touch heavenly Korean fried chicken and the succulent beef japchae (a sweet and savoury vegetable-packed stir-fry). Famed for its massive portions and authentic taste – CheeMc surely seems too good to be true. Until you try it.

Kalbi Korean BBQ

(Rosebery Ave, Farringdon, EC1R 5HP)

Kalbi Korean prides itself on its calm and homely vibes. Their BBQ buffet is talk of the town – making hungry Londoners appear with empty stomachs drooling at the prospect of devouring juicy meats, fish, kimchi, and more until they can hardly move.

Hidden away in a pretty pocket of Farringdon, there is no such thing as a one-time visit to Kalbi. And with their Eat Out To Help Out active all week long until the year’s end, it’d be rude not to visit.

Read More: The Best Asian Cookbooks for Amazing Home Cooking

Bibimbap Soho

(11 Greek St, Soho, W1D 4DJ)

As you’d expect, Bibimbap Soho do their bibimbap well. Very well. In fact, it’s so scrumptious you’ll be calling up your friends with the news the moment you try it.

This is genuine Korean food at affordable prices with a menu full of enough mouth-watering options to spend hours poring over it. Also delicious is the spicy pork with brown rice and chilli chicken ramyeon (Korean noodle) soup, complete with an egg stirred in. If you haven’t been yet, the time is now.

Masigo

(29 Chapel Market, The Angel, N1 9EN) 

Just a stone’s throw away from Angel station, Masigo gives off a tranquil, homely feel, perfect for indulging on comfort food. The oxtail soup, bibimbap, and prawn katsu are some of the stand outs, and to quote one reviewer – ‘If you don’t order the sweet and spicy chicken, you’ve not lived’. You know what to do.

Yokoso Korean

(Orion Point, 7 Crews St, Isle of Dogs, E14 3TU) 

This hidden gem in the Isle of Dogs serves some of the best comfort food in the capital.

The succulent samgybsal is to die for (grilled BBQ pork belly and lettuce leaves, with chilli, garlic and Korean soy bean dipping), as is the soondubujjigae (Spicy silken tofu soup with mix seafood, vegetable and eggs), and tofu & vegetable vegan bibimbap (above). With a relaxed and quiet vibe, humungous portions and reasonable prices – Yokoso Korean definitely warrants a visit.

On The Bab

(305 Old St, Hackney, EC1V 9LA) 

Comfortably Shoreditch’s best Korean food, On The Bab’s popularity comes with justified reason. Gorge on crispy fried chicken, pillowy Bao buns and kimchi fried rice, or be outrageous and try the aromatic octopus salad.

The mood here is comforting and celebratory – with the restaurant’s belief in ‘anju’ (the Korean tradition of drinking with food) in full flow. Fancy a Friday night beer with finger-licking food to match? You have just found the place.

Written by Ollie Poole.

Ollie writes to share his love of unique cultures and creativity. Bookworm, foodie, and Japan enthusiast. Content enquiries welcome via LinkedIn or Instagram.

Find out the best ways to travel between the two cities plus a few tips on where to stay in Amsterdam, where to go next, and some frequently asked questions.

How to Get From London to Amsterdam on the Eurostar

Getting from London to Amsterdam on the train couldn’t be easier. We very recently took the Eurostar from London to Amsterdam and were so impressed by the ease of the journey, and especially impressed with the hygiene and social distancing precautions they took.

We’d always taken the bus in the past since we generally travel on a budget and have the benefit of time but this time we felt it would be safer to travel by train, due to it meaning fewer hours in close quarters with other people.

It takes three hours and forty minutes on the direct train from London to Amsterdam but sometimes you have to change in Brussells (we noticed more of this when we booked the return train from Amsterdam to London). This will usually add an extra 30-60 mins to the trip.

We arrived at the station at St Pancras International in London and went through to departures; everything is well signposted so there shouldn’t be an issue. There’s also plenty of food and drink options to stock up before you get on the train. In normal times there’s also a dining car on the train.

Don’t forget to have your passport handy as you’ll need to show it a couple of times. It will be glanced over by border control but that’s it. You’ll need also need to scan your ticket a couple of times so have it ready on your phone or printed out.

Once you’re in the waiting hall, you just watch the board like at an airport and wait for your gate. We were boarded in groups and off we went. There was plenty of room for our two big suitcases. At the time of writing, masks are mandatory on board.

The journey was quick and smooth; you’re only in the tunnel for around twenty minutes and I barely noticed we were in there (I say this for the people with claustrophobia like myself who might be worried). 

We decided to get off at Rotterdam because The Hague, which is nearby, was our destination. We didn’t realise this was an option and had booked tickets to Amsterdam. So bear in mind that both Amsterdam and Rotterdam are destination choices.

You can book tickets on the Eurostar website or through Omio. You can then put the booking code on your Eurostar app so it’s no different to booking through their app but you have more options to buy connecting trains all in one go.

Use this Omio referral code (jessie8m4s1c) at checkout for a €10 discount. You can also use Omio if you decide to use the bus or even fly.

Note: If you’re planning on travelling by train a lot then I would consider the Global Pass from Eurail. It will cover your Eurostar travel as well as your trains in The Netherlands and onwards.

Tip: The Eurail train pass offers a special deal for The Netherlands trains and combines Belgium and Luxembourg for the same price as a one country pass called the Benelux Pass. So if you’re travelling by train within the country this could be a great deal.

Read More: 15 Best Things to do in Amsterdam for the Cultural Traveller

How to Get From London to Amsterdam by Bus

This is a longer trip so when we personally did it last year we decided to break it up by staying in Brussels for a week. Many of the trips will have you change buses in Brussells or Paris so incorporating this change as part of your trip can be a welcome break.

There are direct buses from London to Amsterdam and this trip will take you ten hours so allow a day for travel or simply get one of the overnight buses to arrive at your destination in the morning and not waste any time. 

Many of the buses leave around eleven and arrive around wight in the morning which is very civilised compared to some of our own overnight bus experiences that have had us arrive at five in the morning in the middle of nowhere with no coffee for a few hours.

We use Omio to compare buses and times. The bus station in Amsterdam is right by the main train station so very central and there are convenience stores and coffee shops nearby to recover at.

The prices for the buses are much cheaper (unless you get a great bargain on the Eurostar) and will usually be around €50 upwards. When you get on the bus, the bus itself will be loaded o to the train to go through the channel tunnel.

It takes around forty minutes and being in a metal box within a metal box isn’t the most pleasant feeling in terms of claustrophobia and it can get very warm during the summer months.

You are allowed to get off to go use the toilet, however. Once you’re out, you’ll be driving on the road again; you will have to have your passport checked as you cross into every country and this can add time; sometimes they’ll want to check your luggage, too.

Read More: Historical & Literary Day Trips from London

Flying from London to Amsterdam

Taking a plane from London to Amsterdam can be a very easy option if you want something typically cheaper than the Eurostar, and more convenient than the bus. The prices for flights vary, ranging from around €50 – €120 depending on when you book, and will take one hour and twenty minutes to get to Amsterdam.

I generally avoid short flights because I dislike flying at the best of times. So, save all that anxiety for longer trips but, as I’ve changed in Amsterdam many times, I can say it’s a very quick trip between London and Amsterdam and Amsterdam Airport is very clean and nice.

Flights to Amsterdam leave from all of London’s airports, including London City Airport so you have plenty of choices. It’s easy to get to most of London’s airports on the train or Underground but I’d also recommend the National Express coach if you’re going up to London Stanstead. We usually book our flights on Skyscanner, wherever we go.

How to Drive from London to Amsterdam

Another great option — particularly if you’re wanting to keep as socially distanced as much as possible, or want the freedom of having your own vehicle on the other side — is to drive to Amsterdam. The easiest way is by using the Channel Tunnel.

Taking your car through the Channel Tunnel:

The easiest option to get your car from London to Amsterdam is to use Eurotunnel Le Shuttle. You can load up your car with what you need and, similar to the bus above, you’ll be loaded on to the shuttle. The cars cost anywhere from £31 up each way and you just sit in your car until you emerge in France. Your journey will take around seven hours total, not including breaks.

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

If you’re looking for somewhere comfortable and convenient to stay after your journey to Amsterdam, here are a few of our recommended accommodation options.

Ambassade Hotel: Our favourite luxury and historic hotel in the heart of Amsterdam, boasting exciting literary connections with its own library bar full of books that have been signed by the authors who’ve stayed there. The hotel spans ten original canal houses that were built in the seventeenth century.

Hotel Dwars: A charming city centre hotel that provides all the comfort and vibes of home. Everything is designed to be relaxing from the warm decor and vintage furniture to the facilities like a coffee machine in the bedroom and rain shower in the bathroom.

Hostel Van Gogh: Conveniently located near the Van Gogh Museum and other major attractions and with beautifully decorated and bright dorms and rooms. This is a great option for travellers staying in Amsterdam on a budget.

Where to Travel in The Netherlands after Amsterdam

The Netherlands has a lot to offer outside of Amsterdam and, if you’re looking for a few places to consider as easy day trips or as a next destination, then we highly recommend the below places from personal experience. Depending on when you’re arriving, make sure to check what flowers are in bloom as there are plenty of flowery destinations to choose from near Amsterdam, most famously Keukenhof for its tulip fields.

The Hague:

The old capital of The Netherlands; The Hague has a lot to offer, not least a long expanse of beaches to relax on. The city centre has everything you could possibly want, including streets lined with boutique shops, cafes, and wine bars. The museum options are endless with highlights being The Humanity House and The MC Escher Museum.

A visit to the Peace Palace is a must, with it being home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, showcasing The Hague’s political heart and soul. Here are some great places to stay in The Hague.

Delft:

Famous for the blue and white Delft Pottery. A visit to the Delf Factory is an absolute must (although try and control yourself in the gift shop). With canals to wander (Delf is actually a canal-ringed city) and a town square that’s postcard-worthy, you won’t forget your trip to Delft in a hurry.

Leiden:

A gorgeous university town that is known for its historical architecture, including the oldest building in The Netherlands, built in 1575.

There are some fascinating museums in Leiden, including the world’s first Ethnology Museum, a PIlgrim’s Museum which demonstrates the life of the pilgrims before they left for America, and The National Museum of Antiquities full of Greek, Roman, and Ancient Egyptian pieces.

Gouda:

The cheese is probably what will spring to mind when you hear of this town, and it’s a fantastic reason to visit since the famous cheese market is still held in the medieval town square. The square is striking with the central Gothic town hall building with its red and white shutters. Also on the square is the 17th-century Goudse Waag, once a cheese-weighing station and now home to the Gouda Cheese Museum.

Travelling from London to Amsterdam – Frequently Asked Questions

Each of these thirteen bookshops has something uniquely wonderful about it, and deserves your time, love, and dedication. Support them, show them you care, and buy their books. The world of literature would not be as rich, diverse, and wonderful as it is without them. These are the thirteen best independent bookshops in London.

Read More: London Itinerary for Book Lovers

*Persephone Books has now moved to Bath, UK. You can read all about it and see what their new premises look like in our Guide to the Independent Bookshops in Bath.

London’s Radical/Activist Bookshops

London is home to some of the best radical bookshops in the UK. These are bookshops that promote and celebrate Black lives and the queer community. These are bookshops that offer readers the opportunity to learn more and discover the lives of people who have fought for their right to live a good life. These bookshops deserve all the power, support, and promotion you can give them.

Read More: 8 Must-Visit London Bookish Cafes and Bars

Gay’s The Word

One of the most legendary bookshops in London, Gay’s The Word, is another very special independent bookshop which boasts of the welcoming and diverse atmosphere that London offers. It’s a bookshop that couldn’t legally exist in many parts of the world, a fact that makes it all the more important to give your love, attention, appreciation, and money to.

Gay’s The Word has been out and proud since 1979 and even played a major role in the movement known as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. The alliance would often meet at Gays The Word back in 1984-85 and collect money in support of the miners’ strikes of the Thatcher era.

Gay’s The Word has a glorious history of hosting literary events and book launches (including the momentous recent launch of Indonesian poet Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s collection Sergius Seeks Bacchus – an event that Norman could sadly never have done in his home country).

Gay’s The Word is a celebration of liberal progress, of standing for your rights, of the transformative books written by LGBTQ writers from around the world.

Read More: 5 Literary Cities in the UK

The Common Press

We’re excited and overwhelmed to report that The Common Press is a London bookshop and cafe that curates and sells the exact kinds of books that we at Books and Bao love to read.

What you’ll find at this, one of the most beautiful and friendly bookshops in London, is a range of queer books by LGBTQ writers, books by Black authors, and books in translation from around the world. This is everything we stand for in a single London bookshop.

The Common Press also happens to be a cafe and events space. Author talks come up frequently, and they even offer studio spaces for podcast recordings (equipment included) which visitors can rent and use as they see fit. This is the bookshop of the future, promoting the best of contemporary writers. It is activism through kindness and beauty, and a very special bookshop indeed.

New Beacon Books

New Beacon Books is, to use its own words, “Specialists in African and Caribbean Literature since 1966”. This is an incredible London bookshop which offers fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books from black British, Caribbean, and African writers.

Having a bookshops in London like this one, it goes without saying, is incredibly important for guaranteeing the spread of diversity, love, and empathy within this enormously multicultural city.

New Beacon Books offers a space for members of the black community to read more of their own literature and history, and for non-black readers to see the world from a different perspective, and to learn as much as possibly about black, African, and Caribbean culture.

Housmans

With an incredible history of its own, Housmans is a bookshop that has, since its doors first opened in 1945, championed the rights of minorities by promoting works by black authors, queer writers, feminist writers, and all written words by minorities fighting to have their voices heard.

If you’re shopping for feminist manifestoes, queer stories, the history of the Black Lives Matter movement, comics by transgender writers, or anything else beyond the stories of straight white men, Housmans is a must-visit bookshop that deserves your support. They have spent decades supporting minorities, and we should likewise support them in this ongoing fight.

Bookmarks

The world at present can seem like a dark place for many of us. The book, as Esra Pound once said, should be a light in one’s hand. And what better kind of book to fan the flames of resilience against evil than ones that come from the left?

Perhaps, as a far-lefty myself, I’m biased, but if you’ll allow me one more pretentious quote, I always felt a big connection with what Prime Minister William Gladstone once said: “Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence. Conservatism is distrust of the people tempered by fear.”

Gladstone also once said that books are delightful society. And I’m sure that the people at Bookmarks (obvious pun is obvious) agree. Bookmarks is a London independent bookshop that sells books on politics, history, and society all from a socialist perspective.

It’s a bookshop worthy of the support of anyone who cares for truth and good in the world. We need more spaces like Bookmarks in the world.

London’s Travel Bookshops

A unique theme amongst bookshops is that of the travel bookshop: an entire store dedicated to the world within books. Most of these travel bookshops sell maps and guides, as well as personal travelogues, the histories of far-flung places, and (our favourite) literature from countries the world over.

Stanfords

Stanfords (established in 1853) is a bookshop that prioritises travel over all other things. Travel writing, travel guides, maps, globes, and translated literature. It’s a bit of a dream shop, from where we’re standing. And, in fact, Stanfords also has a Bristol branch which was immeasurably impactful on the very existence of this site.

During our time living in Bristol in 2016, we frequently visited Stanfords and were inspired to buy and devour book after book on Asian travel and translated literature. Thus, Books and Bao started to take shape.

This is the power of a good bookshop: without Stanfords, we would not exist as a site. For that, we are eternally grateful to Stanfords and what it has accomplished as a bookshop.

Daunt Books

There are, in fact, five branches of Daunt Books in London: four smaller ones and a flagship store in Marylebone near Tottenham Court Road. The flagship store is an enormous Edwardian building with an arched window of glass at the back, framed on either side by wooden walkways walled by bookcases.

The very best thing about Daunt Books, from our perspective, is that it stands for what we stand for: celebrating books by celebrating countries. Daunt Books categorises its books by continent and country: if you go to the Asia section, you’ll find wall-to-ceiling books on China, Japan, Korea etc.

Fiction, biography, and non-fiction all blend together here because the priority is celebrating cultures and nations rather than strictly categorising by genre or type. We love this shop and its philosophy dearly, and it is perhaps the most grand and beautiful bookshop in London.

If you’re a budding bookstagrammer, you need to visit Daunt Books in Marylebone and go crazy.

Read More: 11 Literary Tattoos for Book-Lovers

The Notting Hill Bookshop

In Notting Hill, that iconic British film of British Britishness featuring an American film star, Hugh Grant’s character owns a delightful little travel bookshop on Portobello Road. Well, that bookshop is real, and it did originally exist as a travel bookshop when it opened in 1979.

Today, you’ll find a wider range of genres and styles when you visit (perhaps as a result of all the confusion felt by people who visited the film’s version of the shop).

Thanks to Notting Hill’s massive success (we re-watch it on a yearly basis), The Notting Hill Bookshop has become a frequent destination for tourists visiting London. And with good reason: it’s a quaint and friendly space that very much epitomises the local English bookshop, and thus one of the very loveliest independent bookshops in London. And it’s on one of the most vibrant and eclectic streets in London.

More Great Independent Bookshops in London

Here are a few more independent bookshops in London which deserve your attention and your custom. Each one offers a unique aesthetic or theme, or is simply a heartfelt little business that loves literature. Check them all out when you visit London!

Bookbar

Located in Islington, Bookbar is a joyous space with an emphasis on community and the social side of being a bookworm. It’s one of the most active and exciting bookshops in London, by far. What sets Bookbar apart is their community spirit. Selling coffee by day and alcohol in the evening, Bookbar invites people to talk, drink, browse, and make new friends through their shared passion for reading.

On the books side, Bookbar is also very impressive. Their shelves are curated so spectacularly with the best of the current bestsellers. With an emphasis on women writers, Black writers, and books in translation, this is exactly our kind of space. The tastes of the booksellers at Bookbar are immaculate!

Gosh!

Our biggest love (after translated literature) is comic books. And Gosh! is the best independent comic book shop in London. Gosh! understand the breadth of comic books. They stock translated comic books from across the world, experimental and little-known comics from small art-house publishers, as well as the biggest names in the industry.

Comics are a medium of literature that’s very close to our hearts. That love stretches from the campy adventures of classic DC Comics all the way to the very best award-winning graphic memoirs of Fun Home and Persepolis. And, as die-hard comic book lovers, we couldn’t appreciate more the range and quality of comics stocked by Gosh!

Word on the Water

There’s a cold war that never ends between London and the other great cities of the West: a hipster war fought with artists, fashion designers, markets, cafes, and bookshops. Cities like Berlin, New York, and Bristol give London a run for its money but, bitch, please. London has Word on the Water.

Word on the Water is an independent bookshop that floats. And it floats on Regent’s Canal near King’s Cross in an old 1920s Dutch barge. It is perhaps the most romantic place in all of London to go book shopping. A tranquil environment where you can find really, fantastically well-priced books. The barge also has a friendly dog, a warm stove, and frequent live music playing on-deck.

Read More: 5 Books for the Literary Traveller

Libreria

Reinventing the concept of the bookshop is a behemoth undertaking, but Libreria has done an impressive job. And where else would you attempt such an undertaking than East London?

As Libreria’s own website explains, “Our shelves are arranged according to broad themes like ‘Wanderlust’, ‘Enchantment for Disenchanted’ and ‘The City’, so you’re constantly encountering titles you might not have come across otherwise. Browsing in our bookshop is a world away from the narrow algorithmic recommendations of Amazon.com.”

Statements like these are what really raise book-shoppers’ intrigue levels to their peak, and draw people in from all over the city. Libreria is a fantastically modern space with a dynamic aesthetic, but its mission statement is far more traditional, encouraging a love and a dedication to literature and the written word. We respect and adore everything that Libreria manages to achieve, and we are so glad they exist.

Brick Lane Bookshop

Brick Lane Bookshop is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous and beloved bookshops in London, despite not being a chain. Its fame comes from the strength of its character.

This is a bookshop built by community spirit, with more than forty years of history. It is a bookshop that celebrates readers, language, protest, change, and the strength of the written word.

Found in London’s East End, Brick Lane Bookshop is more than a bookshop; it is a community space where booksellers take pride in their work and enjoy the community which a love of literature fosters. This is one of London’s most wholesome and beautiful independent bookshops.

The Open Book

In the fancy borough of Richmond, you’ll find a bookshop with a maximalist aesthetic but a deceptively curated selection of new books for sale. The Open Book is a brilliant bookshop that appears small at first, as you initially step inside, but reveals itself to be a deep space with plenty of shelves to explore.

The layout of this shop is dynamic, with the kinds of diagonal and isometric shelves that you don’t see often, but which actually make browsing the books easier and more dynamic.

Adding to the maximalist charm of The Open Book is the way in which books are stacked in small piles below the books, as though the shop values literature more than space, and we thoroughly respect that attitude. The Open Book is a general bookshop with a focus on fiction, and the front of the shop is where you’ll find the newest hardcover releases.

As you explore deeper into the shop, you’ll find the usual categories of poetry, crime fiction, and history books. It’s a wonderful independent London bookshop to check out when you’re next in Richmond.

The Alligator’s Mouth

Also located in the beautiful Richmond is the fantastic children’s bookshop The Alligator’s Mouth. This is a bookshop whose owners and booksellers have a true passion and respect for children’s literature and literacy. They even have their own yearly book prize, which has been running for several years!

Most big book chains do a terrible job of promoting diverse literature for children, instead leaning on old classics like the books of Roald Dahl or the overrated and problematic David Walliams. But children’s literature is a broad, diverse space that produces exciting new books on a regular basis, and too many bookshops don’t promote this.

The Alligator’s Mouth stands out by respecting that diversity of children’s literature. They visit local London schools and encourage children to read a wide selection of literature. They also don’t strictly categorise by age group, respecting the fact that children read at all different levels. They simply ensure that children of certain ages read books with appropriate content for their age.

The world needs more independent bookshops like The Alligator’s Mouth; ones that love and respect the wide world of children’s literature.

Books on the Rise

Another wonderful independent bookshop located in Richmond is Books on the Rise. It’s a lovely name and, unsurprisingly, the shop sits on a hill in Richmond; one of London’s most upmarket and picturesque areas.

The shop is nicely planned-out with new and popular books on display at the front. As you move deeper into the shop, you find yourself amongst genre fiction and then nonfiction.

A unique selling point of the shop is that it also sells records! Vinyl shops have seen an enormous comeback over the past decade and more, and it almost feels like a no-brainer to combine book and record sales, given how so many bookworms are also music lovers.

Beyond that, we’re also people who love physical media. We choose books over ebooks, and so of course we also see the value and romanticism in collecting records.

Then, finally, there are the events. It’s not uncommon for bookshops to host authors to do readings and signings—and Books on the Rise is no exception; they have regular author visits—but they also stand out by hosting fiction and nonfiction book clubs, as well as poetry open mic nights. As someone who attends a lot of open mic nights, this struck me as a wonderful inclusion!

Queen’s Park Books

Located in the peaceful, residential area of Queen’s Park, which straddles Westminster and Brent, Queen’s Park Books is the perfect idea of a charming neighbourhood bookshop brought to life. In size, design, and presentation, this is every bookworm’s ideal local bookshop. Having this place on your doorstep would be a dream.

The aspect of Queen’s Park Books that visitors will be most grateful for is its curation. The booksellers here have immaculate taste.

Whether it be new hardcover releases or paperbacks from the past few years, they only stock the best of the best. And, beyond sheer quality, there is also a delightful amount of diversity here. Plenty of books in translation, books by LGBTQ+ writers, and books by writers of colour. Queen’s Park Books really do curate and stock only the very best books of the moment. Love that for them.

Lutyen & Rubinstein

A charming bookshop we discovered completely by accident as we were wandering the Notting Hill/Kensington area on the way to our favourite branch of Daunt Books. Both a bookshop and a literary agency, this two-floor treasure trove has all the latest hardback releases, a children’s section, and a downstairs with a range of classics and diverse readers from around the world.

We were also excited to find they stocked a wide range of Persephone Books, those dove grey tomes can never be mistaken.

They serve free coffee downstairs and there’s a table for sitting and choosing your latest reads. You can book a consultation with their expert booksellers and can sign up to their monthly subscription Year in Books where they will send you monthly, tailored reads.

There’s even a year in Cookbooks options for you foodies. This is very much a bookshop that offers a whole community for book lovers.

In the heart of Covent Garden, you’ll find a branch of Whittard that’s more than just a shop. Here, you can sit and enjoy an afternoon tea for two, surrounded by the buzzing and eclectic atmosphere that Covent Garden provides.

Whittard’s London Afternoon Tea

There are some fantastic themed afternoon teas in London, but this one hosted by Whittard is a modern refinement of the classic approach to afternoon tea.

That, of course, includes a tiered platter of small sandwiches, scones (complete with clotted cream and a variety of tea-infused jams for spreading) and sweet cakes to finish. Let’s not forget the tea itself and a complimentary glass of prosecco.

Our afternoon tea for two at Whittard was on Valentine’s Day, and so we were treated to their Valentine’s special, which included heart-shaped biscuits and red-and-pink cakes including their new red velvet specialty. But Valentine’s aside, you’ll still be treated to sandwiches, cakes and scones with your traditional afternoon tea.

Read More: The Best Japanese Restaurants in London

What sets Whittard apart is the very thing they specialise in: their incredible range of teas (over 100 options in fact). Speaking as a coffee addict who doesn’t understand the appeal of British tea/builders tea/black tea, it was an absolute delight to be able to choose from sweet flavoured teas like chocolate and coconut, as well as green teas and fruity teas. The selection is incredible, and the teas you can choose from are soothing and warming.

Whittard celebrate tea so splendidly, and do such a sweet and wholesome job of romanticising tea with all its powers of warmth and comfort.

The hero of liberal politics, William Gladstone, once said, “If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you.” Whittard certainly understand this philosophy, and enjoying their range of teas during an afternoon tea for two is a blissful experience as a result.

Beyond the selection of teas, Whittard afternoon tea also serves up a selection of sandwiches to start with, and the scones are some of the freshest and most perfectly baked you could possibly imagine enjoying.

Before we go any further, how do you pronounce scone? This has bugged me for years but, as explained by a friend from the US who cares about the British Royal Family a lot more than I do, Queen Elizabeth pronounces scone like gone, not like cone, so I guess we should follow her lead!

Despite tea being the most critical part of afternoon tea, it’s the scones most of us get excited for. It’s not afternoon tea without scones, after all. The afternoon tea was originally invented by Anna, Duchess of Bedford, who always got hungry at around 4pm and so would enjoy tea and scones a few hours before dinner was served.

And the scones at Whittard afternoon tea in Covent Garden are phenomenal. The clotted cream is thick and fluffy; the scones themselves are warm and soft; and the jams are infused with Whittard’s own teas to make for some of the most delectable jam you’ll ever enjoy. Long story short: these are elite scones.

Read More: A 4-Day London Itinerary for Book Lovers.

So, your Whittard afternoon tea for two is going to entertain and satisfy you with a range of foods and drinks, from sandwiches stuffed with fresh salmon to a tall glass of prosecco; from jasmine and coconut tea to the best scones in London. But beyond that, it’s also the atmosphere that really makes this a delightful afternoon tea.

Covent Garden is one of the most charming and famous places in London for a reason. Despite spending so much time in London, we still find ourselves not only visiting Covent Garden often, but always finding new things and writing about Covent Garden on a regular basis, so easy is it to be inspired by the architectural beauty, the boutique shopping, the art history, and the entertainment of Covent Garden.

Having afternoon tea for two in Covent Garden is more than ideal: Whittard manage to make it the quintessential afternoon tea experience.

Covent Garden, after all, is home to literary pubs, a victorian toy shop, independent bookshops, and the London Royal Opera House. Having all of that encircling you as you enjoy the best afternoon tea in London offers enough joy for you to burst.

Whittard afternoon tea allows visitors to feel like they’re living in a Jane Austen novel. The quality of the food, the teas, and the prosecco, coupled with the historic and literary atmosphere that Covent Garden provides, makes for an unparalleled, charming, and utterly bookish experience unlike anything else available in London.

Also in Covent Garden

While you’re enjoying your afternoon tea for two in Covent Garden, make sure to take advantage of all the other delights that this area of central London has to offer. As we’ve said, there are few parts of London with as many charming cultural delights as Covent Garden.

Just outside Covent Garden, you’ll find the antiquarian bookseller Quinto Books, as well as the delightful independent comic book shop Orbital Comics. There’s also the original Stanford’s bookshop which is dedicated to travel books and international literature (our perfect bookshop). We’ve covered all of this and much more in our literary guide to Covent Garden.

If you’re staying in the area for a while after your afternoon tea for two, you might find yourself getting hungry as the sun goes down.

In which case, Covent Garden has some of the best restaurants in London, including Rules (the oldest restaurant in London), Dishoom (the peak of Indian dining in London), and some great Japanese restaurants (including Wa and Yaki Yaki). We’ve covered all of these and more in our guide to the best Covent Garden restaurants.

A London Itinerary for Bookworms

It’s safe to say that bookish London is our speciality so here are our best-loved literary places and bookish themed spaces in and around London, our favourite city and home. Get ready to be enchanted by this literary London four day itinerary plus bookish day trips.

Day One: Leicester Square, Covent Garden

Wandering the Leicester Square and Covent Garden area is an ideal way to get maximum bookish fun within a small area. There’s seriously so much to see here along with being one of the most vibrant spots in the city. You can mix and match which order you want to do these things in but I recommend starting in Covent Garden and ending at Leicester Square as there is plenty to get up to in the evening after.

Roam Covent Garden

Check out our Bookish Guide to Covent Garden for everything you can do here, (there’s a lot) ranging from independent bookshops to Alice in Wonderland and Moomin souvenirs, and even a library members club where you can get literary cocktails and drink amongst the books! It’s also a really pretty area so it’s perfect for colourful photos!

Wander the market before heading to nearby Cecil Court. Consider lunch at Rules, the oldest restaurant in London where many notable authors have dined and tea or cocktails in gorgeous bookish surroundings at Teatulia.

Discover Cecil Court

One of the most charming things you can get up to in the Covent Garden area is Cecil Court, London’s tucked away book street! It’s full of specialist bookshops, bookish souvenirs, secondhand bookshops and the loveliest shop owners you’ll ever meet. 

Wander Charing Cross Road

A visit to Charing Cross Road could keep you busy for hours, most famously for bookish folk is Foyles, the five-floor bookstore with impeccable taste in books. They also a cafe with hot food and delicious desserts and their carrot cake is to die for!

They hold lots of author events and book talks to check their website for more details. While you’re on Charing Cross Road, pay a visit to The House of Spells for the largest selection of Harry Potter merchandise in London! From jewellery to clothes, figures and books it’s all here. It’s also a beautiful shop and worth having a look either way! Here’s our guide for more Harry Potter Souvenirs in London.

Head to Leicester Square

Visit the hidden Second Shelf Books, one of the cutest bookshops selling rare books written by women, if you’d like to know more you can read our article all about this lovely shop. You’re also in the theatre district so if you want to finish the night with a show then go ahead, you can even explore China Town and chow down on some delicious  East Asian desserts!

Tip: There are also some wonderful Japanese restaurants in the area so if you’re as obsessed with ramen or katsu curry as we are then you’re in the right place.

Read More: 27 Must-Try British Snacks and Where to Find Them

Day Two: Marylebone, The British Library, and Regent’s Canal

From one of the world’s most famous libraries to a bookish barge, day two of our London itinerary completely epitomises quirky bookish London. Start at Baker Street Station and pay a visit to the Sherlock Holmes Statue right outside.

Discover the Sherlock Holmes Museum

Visit 221b Baker Street and get lost in the first museum dedicated to Sherlock Holmes related stuff in the world. It’s full of fun items from the films and tv shows as well as antiquarian copies of the books.

Also: If you’re a Sherlock fan, you might like this four-hour Sherlock Holmes London Tour, where you’ll see sights from the TV show, films, and books. Or this two-hour Sherlock walking tour.

Visit Daunt Books

Walk ten minutes to Marylebone High Street to find another one of the most photographed bookshops in London, Daunt Books with its grand staircase and gallery plus an amazing selection of books. Books are separated by country and you’ll find translated literature next to the travel guides. We love Daunt Books!

Tip: Stop off on pretty Marylebone Lane for a coffee!

Learn more about Daunt in our Independent Bookshops in London guide

Browse The British Library

Walk 30 minutes or take a 20- minute bus to The British Library! You probably already have this on your list as a bookish person in London but make sure you stop by, browse and grab a coffee at their cafe, The wealth of literature here is just…astounding.

It’s the largest library in the world with collections from around the world. Seeing those first edition books and manuscripts in the flesh. Not just books, you’ll be able to see old newspapers, hear sound recordings, patents, prints and drawings, maps and manuscripts.

Find Word on the Water

Books on a barge on Regent’s Canal! Just six minutes walk from Kings Cross Station, you have to go book shopping on this picturesque canal boat with second-hand books both in and outside, a lovely dog, and woodburning stove. 

Tip: From here, you’re in a great location to spend the evening in Camden Town, a hub for alternative lifestyle and live music. Or go to one of the great nearby restaurants, Dishoom for the most glorious Indian cuisine with a stunning interior or The Temple of Seitan for epic vegan food. If you’re not after nightlife, the Everyman cinema is also nearby!

Day Three: Holborn & South Bank

Get ready for a day of culture and head towards south London, you’ve got everything from museums to theatre, food and bookstores here.

Visit the Charles Dickens Museum

Visit the house of the man himself, if you love Dickens then this museum is a must-do on any London itinerary. There’s a store attached with books and trinkets related to Dickens and Dickensian London as well as a cafe. Inside, you’ll be able to explore the whole house and learn about Dickens and his life.

Tip: If you’re interested in learning more about Dickens, you can take this handy London Dickens Walking Tour.

Shop at Persephone Books & Gays the Word

Two of our favourite independent bookshops in London are super close to each other and near the two museums above, a perfect day in London for book lovers!

Persephone Books is a charming store and possibly one of the most photographed storefronts in London with its quaint grey facade, they sell out of print female writers who didn’t get the attention the deserved as well as a range of bookish souvenirs and paper products.

Note: Persephone Books has now moved to the city of Bath, UK.

Gay’s the Word specialises in queer fiction and the range of literature there, you just wouldn’t believe. They’re really friendly and host loads of interesting events in the store.

Have a drink and a pub dinner at The George Inn

Not far from Shakespeares Globe, The George Inn has been frequented by such esteemed patrons as Charles Dickens and Shakespeare. It’s also a great way to make sure you get a London pub experience under your belt! Grab a drink and something to eat and know you’re sitting in a galleried national trust landmark.

See a play at the Globe

Can you really say you visited Bookish London without visiting Shakespeare’s Globe? There’s always something on and watching a play while looking up at the stars is really special. You can cheap yard tickets, if you’re okay to stand, making this one of the more budget-friendly theatre experiences in London!

Tip: You can also visit the nearby Southbank Centre as part of your London itinerary as they hold lots of evening book talks and creative evening events.

Day Four: Hampstead Heath

Ah, Hampstead! As Zadie Smith said, it’s: ’where Keats walked and Jarman fucked, where Orwell exercised his weakened lungs and Constable never failed to find something holy.’ Hampstead Village honestly doesn’t feel like the rest of London.

Much like Richmond, there’s a sense of peace and tranquillity and you can easily get lost in the narrow streets and historical buildings.  Wander along the pretty eighteenth-century promenade Church Row for literary history and Flask Walk: a tiny cobbled street with restaurants, antiques, a secondhand bookshop, and florists.

There’s a wealth of literary history to explore in Hamstead. You can pay a visit to the romantic poet Keats’ house, go plaque hunting for the many famous writers who’ve lived there, like Daphne Du Maurier who lived there for two years (her father and grandfather are buried in the local church), George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley. Not to mention, plaques for history’s other greats like Anna and Sigmund Freud can be found.

Hampstead was even featured in novels like Dracula:

“Lucy lies in the tomb of her kin, a lordly death house in a lonely churchyard, away from teeming London, where the air is fresh, and the sun rises over Hampstead Hill, and where wild flowers grow of their own accord.”

Hampstead also has a number of bookshops, charity shops like the Oxfam Bookshop, vintage stores, handmade craft spots, cafes, and is a hub for antique shopping. Plus if you want a beautiful walk and one of the best views over London, stroll up Hampstead Heath, 790 acres of park, fields, and woodland.

*To get there, take the northern line to Hampstead Station.

Tip: If you have time, pay a visit to Highgate Cemetry where you can visit graves of famous writers like George Eliot, Christina Rosetti, and Douglas Adams. It’s also beautifully romantic in a gothic sort of way. Check this guide for other dark and unusual things to do in London.

Read More: Visit Dracula’s Castle on a Daytrip from Brasov, Romania

Days Five and Six: Take a Literary Day Trip

There are so many amazing literary day trips you can take from London, here are a few favourites to get you on your way.

Downton Abbey

If you love Downton Abbey or just gorgeous stately homes, then head over to Highclere Castle where the series was filmed! It’s a couple of hours outside London and so worth it. Here’s an easy Downton Abbey Tour to get you there (plus you see Downton Village, Church, and Yew Tree Farm) since it’s quite difficult by public transport.

Find out more books like Downton Abbey in our list of Books for Downton Abbey Lovers! Or if you’re a big fan of period homes then you can hop over to Blenheim Palace in Oxford which is another beautiful day out! Here’s our Guide to Blenheim Palace.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Birthplace of arguably the world’s greatest poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is a delightfully maintained tutor town full of historic pubs and shops. It’s so wonderfully fitting that the town where Shakespeare was born is one that has remained looking so Shakespearean at its heart.

It’s also the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), so when you visit Stratford make sure to check what’s on and go see a play. Get tickets to Shakespeare’s family home and birthplace.

Bath

Hopping on the train to Bath from London is so easy and you can learn all about Jane Austen and go book shopping! Jane Austen lived in Bath for a while so you can see her house, visit the Jane Austen Museum and find all those places mentioned in the novels.

We listed all the great Independent Bookshops in Bath to help you on your way. We also highly recommend Bath for lovely cafes and excellent vintage shopping!

Oxford

Home of the world’s most famous and beloved university, Oxford is a historic town of gorgeous stone buildings and welcoming locals. Oxford also has ties to so many of our most treasured writers, most famously Philip Pullman and J.R.R. Tolkein. Exploring the university buildings and going book shopping for a day in Oxford is truly one of life’s great pleasures. We also love Cambridge if you have visited oxford before.

Tip: Short on time? See Oxford, Stratford, and the Cotswolds from London with this handy tour

Bookish Places to Stay in London

The Georgian House Hotel’s Wizarding Chambers — We loved staying here, it’s set up like Harry Potter’s room in the films and even if you’re not a fan the aesthetic is just amazing. They also offer a wizarding breakfast, wizarding cocktails, and afternoon tea. They even have a private cinema inside where, of course, you can watch Harry Potter amongst other things! It’s also one of the more reasonably priced boutique hotels in London.  Book Here.

Hazlitt’s — A boutique hotel in the heart of Soho, Hazlitt’s provokes the kind of atmosphere, and provides the kind of service and experience, that the gentry of the 17th and 18th centuries would have enjoyed in London. Staying here is like acting a major role in a period drama, with all the gallant luxury you could want. Book Here.

The Bloomsbury Hotel — A gorgeous and luxury Westminster hotel in the middle of London, which is just a short walk from Covent Garden (therefore exactly where you want to be for your literary itinerary), The Bloomsbury Hotel is a neo-Georgian delicacy of intensely beautiful architecture, and it is just steps away from all of the city’s best theatres and bookshops.

London for Literary Foodies

If you want your refreshments to be bookish themes too, you’ll have no problem in London, here are some of the best places to get coffee and afternoon tea to enhance your London itinerary even further!

5 London Literary Afternoon Teas:

If you have time to squeeze in one of these gorgeous literary afternoon teas then I wouldn’t hesitate! The hardest part is choosing which one.

Peter Rabbit Afternoon Tea at Le Méridien Piccadilly

Mary Poppins Afternoon Tea at Aqua Shard

Midsummer Night’s Dream Afternoon Tea at The Swan

Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Sanderson

Wizarding Cocktails & Wizard Afternoon Tea

Five London Book Cafes:

Many of the bookshops in London will also have a cafe but if you want a dedicated book cafe to rest at, look no further.

Phlox Books – Books, booze, coffee, and literary events, what more do you need?

Tea House Theatre – A romantic little place with amazing cakes, a fireplace, books and tables on a stage. A real hidden gem.

Halcyon Books – A wide selection of used and new books plus coffee to drink while you browse.

The London Review Cake Shop – The London Review of Books’s very own tea, coffee and cake shop. As you might realise from the title, the cakes are really special here.

Books for Cooks – An adorable bookshop and cafe that focuses on cookbooks in Notting Hill, it’s a foodie heaven! But it’s also gorgeous inside so well worth a visit even if you don’t fancy buying a cookbook!

Five London Literary Pubs:

Marquis of Granby – A historic pub with a great selection of food. It was a favourite of poets Dylan Thomas and T.S Eliot.

The Lamb – Found in Bloomsbury, one of the literary hotspots of London thanks to the infamous Bloomsbury Set who frequented the pub along with Dickens and Virginia Woolf.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – One of the most famous pubs in the city with previous guests such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens (yes, he frequented a lot of London pubs). This quirky pub in a listed building has hosted so many famous writers it’d be impossible to list them all. Plus there’s an open fire which is always great.

The Grapes – This pub ( owned by Sir Ian McKellen!) features in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock books which is pretty amazing. Read Ian McKellen’s history of the pub.

Mr Fogg’s Tavern – A Covent Garden tavern with Mr Fogg’s Gin Bar next door named after the character in the Jules Verne novel Around the World in 80 Days. The interior is themed, the drinks are great, and there’s food!

For More Bookish London: you can also check out this fun literary tube map which replaces favourite stations with famous novels based on the area they are set in. Or if you’re travelling around the UK, discover these strange and unique places to stay.

Cooking classes usually treat people as a total beginner unless said otherwise and at a good London cookery school, if you do want to keep improving on those skills you’ve learned then you absolutely can! We’ve tried some of the best Asian cooking classes in London and have learnt to make sushi, udon, tempura, and fantastic curry as a result.

Many of those skills are transferable too, once you’ve got the basics of a particular cuisine you can get a good cookery book and go from there. From intimate kitchens to bigger groups, there’s something to suit everyone here. Here are some of the best cooking classes in London.

Chinese Dim Sum and Bao Cooking Class

What else to start with on Books and Bao than a bao making class? Borough Kitchen is a fantastic London cookery school which offer a wide range of interesting cooking classes (their fermentation and pickling cooking class looks wonderful too).

The Dim Sum and Bao cooking class is one of the very best cooking classes in London for people looking to emulate real, authentic East Asian cooking. Bao and dim sum are traditional Chinese dumplings. Bao are steamed, large, soft dumplings filled with various hot meats and vegetables, while dim sum are smaller, bite-sized, and far thinner. At this London cooking class you’ll learn how to make both using traditional methods.

Beyond that, you’ll also learn how to use authentic Chinese condiments and seasonings to make sure you learn perfectly how to recreate that exact flavour you’re going for. Learning at this London cookery school isn’t just about the technique of making the bao and dumplings, but also about developing your general knife skills and cooking prowess, as well as knowing the right ingredients. Familiarity with Chinese ingredients, spices, seasonings, cooking styles, and more only helps to broaden your mind and open up new, exciting culinary avenues.

Read More: Best Asian Cookbooks for Great Home Cooking

Try a Sushi Making Class in London at Sozai Cooking School

This sushi class at the Sozai Cooking School is effectively set up into three sections, one for each type of sushi: hosomaki, futomaki, and uramaki. You’ll gather around Izumi as she shows you and explains how to roll the sushi, as well as what ingredients and tools you’ll need.

She also discusses where to buy the tools (such as a bamboo mat) and how to properly prepare and clean the sushi rice beforehand. Once Izumi has explained the process and prepared an example in front of you, she then gives you time to make your own at your own station of the sushi workshop.

Read More: Best Japanese Cookbooks for Inspiring Home Cooking

What makes this Japanese cooking class, in particular, such an enjoyable experience is mostly down to Izumi herself. She’s a fantastic teacher – helpful, clear, supportive, instructive, everything a teacher should be.

She will also email you after the class with a detailed PDF of the recipes you’ve just learned, in case there’s anything you forget after the sushi workshop is over. This is easily the most enjoyable sushi making class in London and if you want to learn more than she has advanced sushi making classes too!  Of course, this isn’t all she offers and you can learn everything from knife sharpening to ramen making.

Read More: Sushi Etiquette: How to Eat Sushi the Right Way.

Read More: Read all about our experience at Sozai Cooking School

Make Udon, Tempura and More at Yuki’s Kitchen

Are you ready to learn the fundamentals at this Japanese cooking class in London? Originally from a little outside Tokyo, and having spent some time working in Chicago, Yuki offers tempura and udon making classes. At Yuki’s London cookery school you can learn to be a master of both tempura and udon, two of the staples of Japanese home cooking.

They’re also two styles of cooking that are easy to grasp but are still very much an art form. Tempura, put simply, is fried vegetables, fish, and tofu (battered deliciousness), but there’s a true craft to it which Yuki can help you hone. Udon is a style of rustic, thick noodle from Japan that are wholesome a versatile.

You take away a recipe booklet so that you can easily make your tasty recipe at home with your fresh hand-made dough. This also helps in case you forget any of the steps that Yuki teaches you during one of the most thorough Asian cooking classes in London.

Read More: Read all about cooking at Yuki’s Kitchen.

Take an Indian Cooking Course at Cooking with Monisha

Monisha Bharadwaj is one of the most celebrated chefs and food experts in all of the UK. She’s an award-winning food writer and historian, and a professional chef with accolades to spare. And you can take a cooking class with her!

Appropriate for both complete beginners and experienced cooks, the cooking courses offered at Cooking with Monisha aim to teach students of the courses how to prepare and cook healthy, varied, and delicious traditional Indian meals.

There’s a huge variety of cooking course to choose from, including all-day courses which aim to provide one-day students with all the information, equipment, ingredients, and skills to produce a specific style of Indian cooking. These include seafood dishes, vegetarian dishes, home-style curries, and more.

The one-day courses offered by Cooking with Monisha also include a shopping trip, showing London residents how they can find and purchase everything needed to make these same traditional Indian meals at their local London supermarkets.

Read More: How to Make Katsudon

Learn Traditional East Asian Cooking at School of Wok

School of Wok is the best London cookery school if you love Asian food since there’s such an overwhelming amount of choice here. You can learn something from essentially every country in Asia and thus fulfil all your culinary dreams.

They’ve also won multiple awards which cement them as one of the very best cookery schools in Europe, which is a huge badge of honour. Their classes are a perfect size, always guarantee students from all walks of life have a ton of fun while they learn, and that they are taught by people who are incredibly passionate about the skills they’re teaching.

The courses range in length, price range, and what they actually cover. If you have the time and the commitment, for example, you can enjoy a full five-day course that covers a range of East Asian cuisine for £750. If you’d prefer to simply dip your toe in the water, they offer such things as an hour-long bao making class for an affordable £30.

There really is such an astonishing range of food to learn to cook with School of Wok, from sushi to Japanese curry, from traditional Thai cuisine to a wealth of Indonesian dishes. If you’re a fan of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine in general, this is the ultimate London cookery school for you.

If you’re wondering where to buy foodie gifts and anything you might need for any of these cooking classes then consider Sous Chef, a UK based shop which offers sets, food items and will even teach you techniques. We bought the bibimbap making kit and included it on our great gifts for travellers. Get £10 off with Sous Chef.

Read More: Best Japanese Restaurants in London

Japanese Restaurants in London

If you’re not in the Soho/Covent Garden area, there’s still a wealth of quality Japanese food in London to enjoy, some of which are delightfully affordable chain restaurants and take-out places (which you’ll find below).

So, taking into account a range of cooking style, both independent and chain restaurants, and a variety of budgets, here are the twelve top Japanese restaurants in London. Whether you’re looking for cheap sushi in London or the finest ramen and katsu curry, it’s all here.

Read More: Sushi Etiquette: How to Eat Sushi the Right Way

CoCo Ichibanya

One of the top Japanese restaurants in London is a staple in its native Japan. Head to Tokyo and you’ll find a CoCo Ichibanya on in every district of Japan’s capital. But this one, tucked around the corner from Leicester Square station, is the only one in London.

CoCo Ichibanya is a Japanese katsu curry house, that serves massive portions for a reasonable price. If you’ve never had Japanese curry before, well, you’re in for a treat. Japanese katsu sauce is, I would argue, the most addictive substance known to man. In fact, my addiction to katsu curry poses a serious danger to my wallet.

At CoCo Ichibanya, you can stipulate how much rice you want and what level of spice you’re after (Japanese katsu curry is traditionally lacking in spice). There’s also a range of ingredients you can choose from, including different styles of chicken, egg, and spinach. If this is your first time dipping your toe into the vast waters of Japanese food in London, CoCo Ichibanya is a great place to start. Katsu curry is the best Japanese food; don’t argue with me.

Wa

Found at the edge of Covent Garden, Wa is a delightful Japanese bakery. In case you’re not familiar, bakeries in Japan are as abundant and beloved as ramen joints. And Wa is a perfect example of a traditional Japanese bakery in the heart of London.

Japanese bakeries, and the Japanese style of baking, were originally heavily inspired by the Portuguese who visited and traded goods and knowledge with Japan centuries ago, hence many bread products in Japan being sweet and referred to as ‘pan’.

Speaking of which, Wa is one of the few Japanese restaurants in London where you can buy authentic melon pan (the other Japanese food I have a dangerous addiction to). Melon pan are, essentially, large lumps of yellow bread coated in sugar. Nothing more. And they were sent to us from heaven.

Amongst all the Japanese curry places, sushi restaurants, and ramen joints, it’s lovely having an authentic Japanese bakery in London’s most picturesque neighbourhood. The cakes and pastries sold here make for great snacks to munch on while exploring the rest of Covent Garden.

Read More: The Best Restaurants in Covent Garden

Yaki Yaki

Right next door to Wa is Yaki Yaki. Now, while Japanese bakeries typically make and sell European-inspired sweet things, the most famous quintessentially Japanese sweet snack around is taiyaki – hand-sized crunchy fish-shaped baked things filled with custard, chocolate, red beans, sweet potato, and other delicious fillings.

In Japan, taiyaki are often sold by street vendors or hole-in-the-wall places dedicated entirely to taiyaki. Yaki Yaki very much channels that tradition by dedicating itself to providing a delicious range of taiyaki, making Yaki Yaki one of the most unique top Japanese restaurants in London.

Read More: A Literary Guide to Covent Garden

Shoryu Ramen

A good bowl of steaming ramen is true soul food. There is nothing more warming, soothing, and comforting than ramen. It contains so much goodness and kindness; it’s like a mum in a bowl. Finding good ramen (as in fresh, non-instant, proper restaurant ramen) in London would be hard to do if it wasn’t for Shoryu Ramen.

For this list we’re mostly focussing on the Soho and Covent Garden areas of central London, and you’ll actually find a Shoryu branch in each of them – as well as one in Shepard’s Bush, Shoreditch, Regent Street, New Oxford Street, Carnaby, and Liverpool Street. If you’re outside London completely, there’s even one in Oxford and another in Manchester!

Shoryu Ramen was opened back in 2012 by two masters of tonkotsu ramen who actually hail from Fukuoka, the city where tonkotsu ramen originates, so you know their ramen is the finest Japanese food in London. Warm yourself here with some of the best Japanese food in the UK.

Kare Curry

It isn’t going too far to bang the katsu curry drum one more time, is it? Well, I’m doing it anyway. And, besides, CoCo Ichibanya is a huge chain in Japan, while Kare Curry is one delightful little katsu curry restaurant in Soho.

Kare Curry offers traditional chicken katsu curry, as well as a vegetarian option that uses pumpkin instead of chicken (and it’s absolutely delicious!) Their meals, if we are comparing them to CoCo Ichibanya, are also slightly cheaper and no different in quality.

By a delightful coincidence, Kare Curry is also right around the corner from The Second Shelf, one of our favourite independent bookshops in London, giving you more than one reason to visit the area. Beyond that, you’ve also got Chinatown and many of London’s best theatres within a two-minute walk from Kare Curry.

Read More: The Best Korean Comfort Food Restaurants in London

Koya

Koya has two restaurants in London: one near Bank station and the other just off Shaftesbury Avenue in Soho. Their speciality is two-fold: hot or cold udon, and donburi rice bowls.

While the donburi is a little on the pricey side, the udon is not only reasonably priced but also some of the best Japanese food in London, making Koya one (or, technically, two) of the best Japanese restaurants in London. It was initially recommended to us by Yuki from Yuki’s Kitchen, a Tokyo-born author and chef who taught us how to make tempura and udon from scratch.

Japan Centre

Walk yourself to the edge of Soho’s Chinatown, squeeze in through a little door, and head down a quiet staircase. In this basement you’ll find a supermarket-sized centre of Japanese splendour. Japan Centre does actually feature a small supermarket of imported Japanese food, cooking ingredients, and other delights. But that’s just half of it.

The other half of the Japan centre is a cafeteria of Japanese cuisine that takes me back to my days of teaching at a Tokyo university (their cafeterias are the best). At the Japan centre you can order a great range of reasonably priced hot food items like tempura, sukiyaki, and, yes, chicken katsu curry.

The Japan centre is also the only other place in London, besides the aforementioned Wa, which sells melon pan. In short, The Japan Centre is not only one of the best Japanese restaurants in London, but also a great place to stock up on imported ingredients for some Japanese home cooking. They even sell a few Japanese books for learning the language, and some Japanese literature in translation.

Read More: The Best London Sushi Making Class

Taro

Taro offers some of the best sushi in London, as well as bento boxes filled with sushi and tempura, ramen bowls and, of course, chicken katsu curry. There are three Taro restaurants in London: one on Brewer Street, one in Balham, and one in Kennington (that’s the one we’ve personally been too).

The loveliest thing about Taro is that they aren’t flashy affairs; they’re what you experience when you go to a simple ramen bar in central Tokyo. They’re understated in terms of atmosphere and décor but unparalleled when it comes to their authenticity and quality. Head to Taro for some cheap sushi in London and some delightful traditional bento boxes.

Bao

Okay, yes, bao are not Japanese; they’re Taiwanese. We know – or, at least, we should know – we are Books and Bao. However, we mention this restaurant because it’s one of our favourites in London and one that’s too good to leave off this list, and also because bao (Chinese steamed buns filled with delicious meats and vegetables) are extremely popular in Japan.

There are several Bao restaurants in London, including one in the iconic Borough Market and another in Soho. They serve fresh, homemade bao buns, many of which are original and experimental styles like the fried chicken bao which is basically a chicken burger made using bao methods.

Japanese Chain Restaurants

Wasabi

Indulge me in my katsu curry obsession one last time. Please. Wasabi is a chain that you can find on almost every street in central London, as well as in the London airports and the bigger train stations (like Victoria), and Wasabi offers incredibly cheap katsu curry that’s as authentic and delicious as the restaurant curry found at Kare Curry and CoCo Ichibanya.

If you’re in a hurry, or you’re looking for take-out food rather than a restaurant dining experience, Wasabi is the best fast food chain in London. And that’s not only because of its excellent katsu curry. Wasabi also offers cheap onigiri, sets of sushi, and other hot options like yakisoba and even Korean bulgogi.

All of their food is of such a high standard for a take-out chain; their katsu curry really is some of the best Japanese food in London; and if you’re looking for cheap sushi in London, check out Wasabi.

Yo Sushi

Looking for a reliable and affordable sushi buffet in London? There’s at least one Yo Sushi in every borough. This is cheap sushi in London that offers a variety of deals, specialist menu options (including, ahem, katsu curry), and cheap Japanese beers like Asahi.

Yo Sushi is actually found right across the UK – in fact, you’re probably already aware of it. But that doesn’t change the quality of it. Yo Sushi holds itself to a reliably high standard and offers a good range of other Japanese food options as well. Definitely the cheapest and most convenient sushi buffet in London.

Itsu

Itsu began in London and has slowly spread across a lot of the UK. Today, you can even find branches of this Japanese-inspired chain in New York and Paris. But it all began in London, and you’ll find an awful lot of them here.

Itsu focuses on low-calorie, high-flavour bento boxes bulked out with rice or noodles and flavoured with chicken, vegetables and staple Japanese sauces like soy, hoisin, and even Korean gochujang. Itsu is cheap, affordable, and even offers some of the most delicious cheap sushi in London. If you get there half an hour before closing, you can pick up fresh items for half price!