60 thoughts on “Ask A Broadsheet Reader

      1. St. John Smythe

        I guess some info that can’t be found elsewhere on the internet about this very far away, exotic and cut-off destination city.

        1. Odis

          How true. I’m going to Benidorm on the internet next week – do you know any good websites I can visit?

    1. edalicious

      I’d go for Meat Mission personally. I haven’t been to Meat Liquor but don’t bother with Meat Market, the lack of any form of queueing system for tables makes it a pain in the hole.

  1. Frannie

    Postman’s Park, near St Paul’s. Little Venice near Paddington. Dennis Sever’s house.

    1. Joe the Lion

      Yep Little Venice is nice.

      I also used to love going into Rough Trade in Notting Hill or any of the jewellery stores around Carnaby street

    2. Malta

      Meh, a small park with limited sunshine. Nice to pop into if you’re in the vicinity but hardly a hidden gem.

      1. Frannie

        I was thinking more about the 1900’s Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice rather than fanny around in the sunshine.

  2. John Cassidy

    I’m sure that there are some high rise building projects with high crime and high social problems that could be considered a tourist free “attraction”.

  3. Mark

    Broadway Market on a Saturday is probably my favourite market and then London Fields is right beside it. Doesn’t get the same touristy crowds as Borough or Spitalfields but is still busy. Check out The Nudge for pop up things.

    1. me

      If you go there (Broadway) I’d recommend a Vietnamese coffee to start the day. Round the corner on Mare St is The Last Tuesday Society (Museum of Curiosity), Ive not been in a while but usually good for a mooch.
      The Princess Louise pub in Holborn is really nice (Victorian interior) and round the corner from Sir John Soane Museum.
      If the weather is good a stroll in Highgate Cemetery is nice, maybe not too off the beaten path but less busy than most tourist sites.
      Also there are plenty of audio guides but Queen Marys has a free East London one:
      http://www.qmul.ac.uk/studentlife/social/london/audiotour/

      1. Mark

        I’m not mad about those Vietnamese coffees but it’s definitely something different. And I used to live around the corner from The Last Tuesday Society but never went in. I’ll try it sometime. Didn’t know about that Queen Mary guide and I go there.

  4. Fiach

    Quex Park in Kilburn, and the Bird in Hand pub nearby.
    Urban Architecture nerds will like Rowley Way, off Abbey Road, not too far off the Kilburn High Road, and there’s good shopping and mazes of pretty lanes and salubrious neighbourhoods worth a wander (heading towards Hampstead Heath) on and near the Finchley Road in the other direction.

    (Might be a bit out-of-date, It’s been a while!)

  5. Digs

    I’m off to Barcelona in 2 years. Can anyone suggest a street to puke on? What a totally ridiculous post. Beyond irritating. This isn’t a forum.

  6. Geoff

    Maltby Street Market near Tower Bridge is really cool. Also one of the shops has loads of old props from London Dungeons if you were looking for a severed head or something. Also, gin, lots and lots of gin.

    Roof top garden at Southbank Centre really isn’t hidden but awesome views and great (and busy) on a sunny day.

    Bao in Soho has awesome food though either get there early or expect a queue (only seats around 30 people)

    If you can book a free ticket to the Sky Garden in the walkie talkie looking building. Awesome views, though it feels like crazy airport security for it. You can also book dinner but that costs more.

    … this is kind of just stuff I done in the last few weeks. There are loads of cool things that aren’t really secret, just not touristy.

  7. mauriac

    fairly touristy but Greenwich is a lovely hop for some air,a good market and great panoramic views of London

    1. NICE anne (dammit)

      That’s a seconded on the caves. They go for miles underground and have been used as bomb shelters, TV sets, factories and ‘accommodation’ for local workmen for as long as anyone can remember. There are guided tours so you don’t wander off like a dope (you could spend days trying to get out) and the guides all have great tales to tell.

      There’s a nice tea shop up the top to restore your blood flow once you escape back into daylight.

    1. NICE anne (dammit)

      There are two tunnels on the South side of the river. The Greenwich one is probably a bit more accessible if you are getting around by public transport:
      http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/tunnel.htm

      As someone mentioned above, there is Greenwich Park which is freaking massive (about a days walk) and although popular, is never really crowded. Local to this is the artsy indoor market, maritime museum, meantime observatory and the Queens college.

      There is even a local brewery where you can do guided tours: http://www.meantimebrewing.com/ The food is pretty good there too.

  8. Nilbert

    there’s a great KFC near Liverpool street, and you should visit ALL of the starbucks.

  9. fluffybiscuits

    Found a thing called Occupy Tours as well, giving an over view of economic and political history of London!!

    BTW Malta that was a great suggestion on Buzzfeed, loads of things listed!

    Matador Network is pretty cool too :)

  10. Dee

    A bit touristy, but if you have a nice day and want a fine (and free) view of London’s skyline, it’s hard to beat Primrose Hill. Excellent picnic spot.
    It can get quite busy, but there’s sufficient space for a bit of quiet if desired.

  11. Don Pidgeoni

    The Old Operating Theatre is creepy and amazing. Also St Dunstans, Maltby St Market and the walk along the Thames to Richmond are all fab things to do.

  12. SOMK

    1.) Visit prisoners, talk to people who committed terrible crimes, you’ll pick up a few good stories.

    2.) Enjoy how people have the manners to stand to one side on an escalator, so make sure to go up and down elevators as much as possible, you will miss then when you return to Dublin, where people lounge around on escalators like they’re watching a soap opera clip on the toilet.

    3.) Be shamelessly ‘Irish’ at people, Irish people are less painfully aware of the invisible class barriers that divide them, so they can very easily adapt in the hyper-English environment and indeed thrive in it (the British are a bit like the Gardaí in that they have it programmed into them they must obey authority (helps to wear a suit), thus being aggressively Irish at people (which is different from being aggressively drunk, think ‘fun Bobby’ not ‘wife beating Bobby’), in fact Irishness itself evolved in reaction to Englishness.

    4.) Go homeless.

    5.) Enter the sewers

    6.) Break into the Queen’s bedroom (this happened once when a burglar entered the wrong room and yes the person was both Irish and drunk and did spend time talking to the Queen).

    7. Shout something awful at David Cameron, find out where he is and shout something at him, he is awful, so it’s fine. Ditto Ian Duncan Smith.

    8. Draw a crappy picture then go around contemporary art exhibition and see if you can get away with sticking it on the walls, go back multiple days to see how longs it’s taken anyone to notice.

    9. Apparently if you went to the Goodmixer pub at closing time where Amy Winehouse drank, she often be sat outside a bit drunk and if you threw coins at her (implying she was homeless) you’d would hear the most amazing swearing ever, sadly she’s dead, but you get the principle.

    10. Run up the wrong way up an elevator at tube closing time, especially a long one, like Liverpool street.

    11. Throw hot food at Jeremy Clarkson, call him an “English cock”, then punch him, sure you might do a bit of time, but upon returning to Ireland you will never have to buy another pint again.

    1. SOMK

      re: 9 important to lob coins underhand, or better yet, just let them drop, overhand throwing not a good idea and could lead to a violence.

    2. SOMK

      re 8. If you’re not sufficiently bad at drawing, try picking up random objects from the street, for example consider nailing a dead cat to the wall of the Tate Modern, if you do this whilst shouting “I am a genius” you’ll 100% make the international art press.

  13. Emmy B

    The Hill Garden and Pergola in north-west Hampstead Heath. I stumbled upon the gardens once on a sunny day, with no one else is around. Still one of the most incredible things that’s happened to me in London. Bonus points if you can find the David Bowie lyrics.

    Also: check out the terrible website. It’s almost as bad as Space Jam.

    http://www.hampsteadheath.net/introduction-2.html

  14. Lorcan Nagle

    The Wellcome colection. It’s sorta like a British version of the Science gallery (with whom they’re affiliated), there’s always interesting stuff going on and the gift shop has many cool things

    http://wellcomecollection.org

  15. Niallo

    Take a walk along the southbank from westminster to tower bridge, more culture than a petri dish, lots of hidden stuff.
    Globe theatre tour is (free ?) and worth your time.
    I second bodeans, theres a few of them around.
    Avoid chop shop, overpriced.
    Theres an austrian place, the tiroler hut, proper oompah music and stodgy grub.
    Camdens always interesting, need eyes in the back of your head though.
    Go see the 39 steps in the criterion theatre in picadilly, book in advance its only £15 a ticket great show.
    Visit the hms belfast or the iwm, or both.
    The science museum isnt shabby either they have the apollo 10 CM..
    Channel4’s movies at somerset house is kicking off on 8 aug, well worth a look.
    And not a drunken hen party in sight…
    And then there’s the who in hyde park, see you there ;)

  16. Niallo

    Oh, and have a blood chorizo and apple roll from the black pig its like black pudding and chorizo mixed togeomnomomnomnomnom.

  17. H

    Go into the City on a Sunday, you’ll think you’ve entered some sort of post apocalyptic world!

    I agree with the Greenwich suggestions and would also like to add Wapping, which is right next to the city so you could kill two birds there.

    I find this a great source of ideas for when I want to explore somewhere new http://londonist.com/

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