The Ultimate Guide to Places to Visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line

A while back, I shared with you lots of free things to do in London along the Central Line – today, we’re going to travel together along the Piccadilly Line, another one of the most used Tube Lines in the city.

With Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Knightsbridge and South Kensington on the line, really, how could it be possible that it be not one of the most frequented lines, both by locals and tourists?

With a few free museums, some really cool clothing shops and other places to visit on a budget, this is the complete guide to amazing things to do along the Piccadilly Line!

The Ultimate Guide to Places to Visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line

If you’ve read a couple of London guides on The Working Line, you already know how much of a hidden gem lover I am – as such, I thought it was important to highlight some secret spots you don’t often see on blogs, Pinterest, and other social media.

I have also already written a lot of guides in the Curious Traveler series sharing hidden spots in many neighborhoods, and here are a few that might come in handy while you’re planning your trip to London:

• The Spitalfields neighborhood
• The Canary Wharf neighborhood
• The Bethnal Green neighborhood

Anyhoo – before you embark on the discovery of specific neighborhoods, here are all the best things to do in London along the Piccadilly Line!

Best Things to Do in London On the Piccadilly Line: Covent Garden

Let’s start with the Covent Garden neighborhood, one of the most visited in London, and still one in which you’ll find quite a few hidden gems, from colorful streets to amazing shops:

• The Actors’ Church is a historic church with a gorgeous interior and a 1920s replica of an old theater – the secret garden is well-hidden, and yet right behind the Covent Garden Piazza!
• You’ll also find some of London’s best makeup stores in Covent Garden – this means The Ordinary, MAC Cosmetics, Chanel, as well as Boots on Long Acre
• Covent Garden is filled with aesthetic streets, like Slingsby Place and its suspended colorful flowers, King Street, Henrietta Street and Langley Street
• One of the most unique shops in London, Stanfords, hidden away on Mercer Walk, is the only and oldest travel and map bookshop in town – with its multicolor balloons, globes and maps, it’s oh so instagrammable
• If you get hungry, one of my favorite places to have a gorgeous, à la française afternoon tea in London is Mariage Frères – also perfect to get all kinds of teas, from the most classic recipes to innovative blends

Best Places to visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line: Leicester Square

A short walk from Covent Garden and its secret alleys (Cecil Court, I’m looking at you!), you will find Leicester Square, which gets overly crowded whether it’s summer or Christmas:

• The Leicester Square Sculpture Trail is a favorite of mine when it comes to quirky, artistic hidden gems – you’ll find a sculpture of Batman looking down on you from the top of the Odeon cinema, as well as Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Bugs Bunny…
• Three shops in Leicester Square are also worth a visit:
  • The Lego shop, which is perfect for whoever would potentially be on the lookout for Harry Potter shops, as you have big Harry Potter sculptures made out of Lego both at street level and on the top floor
  • The M&Ms shop, huge, colorful, with all kinds of M&Ms candy and Skittles, and the perfect place to get foodie souvenirs in London
  • The Twinings shop, another tea shop, and a very British shop at that – gorgeous if only to admire the collections of tea boxes!

Best Things to Do in London On the Piccadilly Line: Piccadilly Circus

About three minutes on foot from Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus is one of the busiest places in town all year round.

Aside from checking out the huge Boots shop to get British makeup products, what I love doing there is enjoying the aesthetic buildings which disappear into Regent Street on one side, St James’ Street on the other side, and Piccadilly towards Green Park station.

Italianate buildings in London are less scarce than what you’d initially think, and Piccadilly Circus is one of the first places to check out for this type of architecture.

Best Places to visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line: Green Park

Higher up on Piccadilly, there are a couple of places I love popping by as soon as I get the chance:

• The Ritz for a gorgeous breakfast – English breakfast, continental, vegetarian… They’re all available and delicious
• Santa Maria Novella is one of my favorite perfume shops in London, initially established in Florence in the 13th century: if you love elegant scents with that je ne sais quoi, you really can’t miss this place
• Fortnum & Mason, one of London’s best department stores (and a must-visit for Christmas decorations!), is also located close to Green Park
• Maison Assouline and Hatchards, two of the most beautiful bookshops in town, are also located between Piccadilly Circus and Green Park – and close to the gorgeous Burlington Arcade

Best Things to Do in London On the Piccadilly Line: Knightsbridge

Next up, we have Knightsbridge, one of the poshest neighborhoods in London, and one in which you will find Harrods, a famous department store worth visiting even if you’re not planning to go shopping.

The Egyptian Hall at Harrods, in itself, is enough to make any art and history lover say ‘wow’ – a must-visit, of course, if you’re also looking for high-end clothing brands, perfumes, home decor, stationery…

And so many more things.

The Elan Cafe on Hans Crescent, an overly cute pink coffee shop with floral decor, is also accessible a couple of steps away from the Knightsbridge station.

And if you’re down to walk for a few more minutes, the Saatchi Gallery, one of London’s best free museums, is located close by – and always has the quirkiest exhibitions going!

Best Places to visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line: South Kensington

South Kensington is located right after Knightsbridge on the Piccadilly Line, and another one of the most visited stations – with good reason: that’s where you will find the three most famous museums in the city:

• The Victoria and Albert Museum
• The Science Museum
• And the Natural History Museum

All three are great to visit with kids, and for whoever loves sculptures, the V&A Museum is the one I always recommend more than the others – the V&A Museum Cafe is one of the most aesthetic cafes you’ll find in London, complete with columns and sculptures!

In South Kensington, you are also able to enjoy a colorful immersive experience at Dopamineland, which I took part in a couple of years ago, and absolutely loved – again, a great activity to do in London with kids.

Lastly, close to the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum, you have one of the entrances to Hyde Park – one of the biggest and most beautiful parks in town, complete with lakes, and great spaces to read, write and relax!

Best Things to Do in London On the Piccadilly Line: Gloucester Road

The Gloucester Road station in itself is worth a visit, in my opinion, but if you’re actually looking for something specific to do in the area, I do recommend you pop by the European Bookshop.

Back when I was learning Italian a few years ago, and before moving to Rome, I purchased my first Harry Potter books in Italian there – with books in German, French, Spanish and many other languages, it’s a really cool bookshop to visit.

Plus, the area around Gloucester Road station makes for one of the prettiest neighborhoods in London, great to walk around on a romantic date!

Best Places to visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line: Holborn

Next stop, Holborn!

We’re in one of the oldest areas in town, filled with historic sites like Lincoln’s Inn Fields – and picturesque places like the gorgeous Sicilian Avenue!

What I definitely recommend you visit when in the Holborn neighborhood is the Sir John Soane’s museum – former home of the architect, this free museum is filled with artifacts, sculptures and paintings from all over the world: Egyptian, Greek, Roman…

When you are done visiting, if you get hungry, pop by Oodles Chinese – it’s one of my favorite cheap eats in London, with huge noodle or rice boxes, and completely halal!

You’re also close to the Holborn Viaduct, a gorgeously colorful bridge topped with sculptures… Beautiful, and very local!

Best Things to Do in London On the Piccadilly Line: King’s Cross

Now, now, King’s Cross is probably much more famous than the Holborn area, and you’ll also find lots to do there, whether you’re traveling to London or living here on a budget:

• First up, for lovers of secret gardens, you’ll very much enjoy a moment in the newly renovated Pancras Square, complete with green spaces and fountains, surrounded by aesthetic towers
• Of course, King’s Cross station from the outside is also a symbol, a landmark of London – beautiful to use as a photo spot!
• And then, my favorite spot in the area: Coal Drops Yard… I can’t express how beautiful this place is – from King’s Cross station, a short walk through Pancras Square will bring you to the boats and Regent’s Canal, and then to Coal Drops Yard with its countless shops and industrial aesthetic

Best Places to visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line: Holloway

Having lived in North Finchley, Seven Sisters, Edmonton and Tottenham, Holloway is a place I have seen more times than I can recall – and it’s great for two things in particular:

• The Rabbit Hole Cafe, one of the only Alice in Wonderland-themed places in London, a gorgeous coffee shop/restaurant in which you’ll be able to enjoy beautiful decor and halal English Breakfast
• The many, many charity shops on Holloway Road – that’s where you’ll find some of the cheapest second hand books, clothes, homeware and accessories in town

Best Things to Do in London On the Piccadilly Line: Finsbury Park

Close to Holloway, Finsbury Park is another really local station on the Piccadilly Line, and one I spent a lot of time around since the park in itself has gorgeous spots, both to relax and to go rollerskating.

I used to rollerskate in London a lot before moving to Barcelona, and few places are as great as Finsbury Park to do so – except the Bethnal Green Gardens, RollerNation and Flippers World.

If you get hungry, Finsbury Park offers lots of cool cafes and restaurants, such as the Happening Bagel Bakery on the main road, as well as amazing charity shops for all kinds of cheap purchases.

Best Places to visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line: Wood Green

I chose to end this guide to cool places to visit along the Piccadilly Line at Wood Green, in North London – since I used to live in North Finchley, I spent a lot of time in this area as many bus lines go through Wood Green.

Wood Green is filled with budget shops, from makeup to shoes and clothing, and you’ll also find many cute little cafes and restaurants there:

• The shopping center at Wood Green has one of the biggest TK Maxx in London, and I’ve never seen such a large collection of DW Home candles, Sand and Fog, and other cheap Yankee Candles in any other TK Maxx store in London
• Wood Green also offers the only branch of the Turkish clothing brand Addax in London – the clothes are super trendy, (think Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing mixed with some Zara), and really affordable
• For affordable and halal sushi along with chicken katsu, check out Kokoro, a very small and great Japanese place!

The Ultimate Guide to Places to Visit in London Along the Piccadilly Line

There you have them, all the best shops, restaurants and places to visit in London along the Piccadilly Line!

Obviously, this is one person’s point of view, and there are many, many more amazing – and completely free things to do in London.

It does depend on what you’re looking to turn your trip to London into: want to create a bookish itinerary? Visit Maison Assouline and Hatchards, by all means.

Want something entirely on a budget? Pop by secret gardens like the Actors’ Church garden, Hyde Park, and why not Regent’s Park close to Piccadilly Circus!

Whether you’re spending summer in London or visiting in the dead of winter, you’ll always find incredibly amazing places to check out in the city…

Which is what makes London overly magical, right?

Until next time!

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