London Day Out guide

Rainy day in London

A bit of rain never ruined a London day out. The city is packed with indoor museums, covered markets, galleries and cosy corners. Here are rainy-day ideas — then spin a full indoor plan in seconds.

  • The British Museum

    Free
    Holborn

    The Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon marbles and the Great Court — free and colossal.

  • Natural History Museum

    Free
    South Kensington

    The blue whale skeleton, dinosaurs and a cathedral-like Hintze Hall — free.

  • The National Gallery

    Free
    Westminster

    Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Turner and 700 years of painting, free, on Trafalgar Square.

  • Victoria & Albert Museum

    Free
    South Kensington

    The world's leading museum of art and design, with a gorgeous courtyard café.

  • Tate Modern

    Free
    South Bank

    Modern art in a former power station, with the cavernous Turbine Hall installations.

  • Science Museum

    Free
    South Kensington

    Apollo capsules, Stephenson's Rocket and hands-on galleries — free entry.

  • Sir John Soane's Museum

    Free
    Holborn

    An architect's house left exactly as in 1837 — sarcophagi, mirrors and Hogarths, free.

  • Westminster Abbey

    Westminster

    The coronation church — Poets' Corner, royal tombs and 1,000 years of ceremony.

  • Churchill War Rooms

    Westminster

    The preserved underground bunker where Churchill ran WWII, plus the Churchill Museum.

  • Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club

    Soho

    London's most famous jazz club since 1959 — intimate tables, world-class players.

  • The Courtauld Gallery

    Covent Garden

    A jewel-box collection of Impressionists — Manet's barmaid, Van Gogh's bandaged ear.

  • London Eye

    South Bank

    A 30-minute rotation in a glass pod, 135m over the Thames — the classic first-timer's view.

Spin your rainy day

Turn these ideas into a timed, walkable plan — food, drinks and the best bits nearby. Pull the lever below.

Plan your day
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