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Summer in London: 20 Fresh and Off The Beaten Path Places to Visit

By: Author The Working Line

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Spending the summer in London offers endless possibilities when it comes to visiting – I, for one, have spent more autumn and winter months living in London than in the summer, but come back for the warm days as soon as I get the chance.

If you’re planning your first trip to the city, or even if you are a through-and-through Londoner, the guide I have put together includes many off the beaten path places you might not have seen before…

And which are not only great to relax when the weather gets too hot, but also incredibly picturesque!

Summer in London: 20 Fresh and Off The Beaten Path Places to Visit

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For the purposes of this guide, I have included a few maritime areas you will enjoy as soon as the days get unbearably hot – as it often happens in the dead of summer in London.

In addition to beautiful, and some secret gardens, I have taken the liberty of including some unique shops and food spots to enjoy a meal or a snack surrounded by plants and flowers…

For even if spring is over, a connection to nature is something I very much need all year round, and which can make a trip to London even more enjoyable!

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Gardens at Marble Arch

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The gardens at Marble Arch have been renovated over the past years, and instead of the giant horse head sculpture which has been moved further down on Park Lane, we now have a stunning pond, crisp and clean.

This is a great place to write in London, but also to have a picnic with the view on Marble Arch, and all the Oxford Street shops easily accessible!

Read: The Most Secret Gardens in Central London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Colorful Houses at Notting Hill Gate

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On the Central Line, Notting Hill Gate is a station I definitely recommend visiting during the summer – especially during the week, and in the morning as you will avoid crowds of tourists pouring down Portobello Road.

Admiring Notting Hill’s colorful houses is something I enjoy very much whatever the time of the year…

But if you’re planning to use them as photo spots, there’s no better time than summer to do so.

Aside from Lancaster Road, one of London’s prettiest streets, I would recommend popping by Hillgate Place and Uxbridge Street for to see colorful houses without the crowds you can usually encounter around Lancaster Road and Portobello Road.

When you’re done, if you feel like shopping, you will find many of London’s coolest vintage shops along Portobello Road, including Alice’s, great for all types of vintage and antique bits and bobs!

Read: The Most Colorful Places to Visit in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: St Katharine Docks, Tower Bridge

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For those in search of natural places and water points, you can also visit some of London’s maritime neighborhoods, such as Limehouse, Shadwell, or Canary Wharf.

However, closer to Central London, St Katharine Docks is a picturesque marina filled with coffee shops and cute restaurants with a view on the boats.

It’s also a historical site, as St Katharine Docks was constructed as a commercial dock in the early 19th century – and one filled with hidden gems, such as the engraved rocks you’ll find on one side of the dock!

Read: The Prettiest Neighborhoods in East London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Barbican Water Gardens

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The Barbican Water Gardens is another place you’d do well to visit to spend a relaxing moment by the water – it’s not the Hampstead swimming ponds, but it’s water, and well, it works to get me relaxed when the days are too warm to do much.

What’s interesting is that you have the Barbican Centre right next to the gardens, with their ongoing free exhibitions and cafes inside, and even St Giles Cripplegate, a secret City of London church, to visit when you want to visit something new.

Read: The Best Free Study Spots in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Coal Drops Yard

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Coal Drops Yard, with its industrial aesthetic and proximity with King’s Cross station, is a quaint area which you can access by crossing Pancras Square and Regent’s Canal.

This is such a cute area that it would almost make you feel like you’re in a village!

For some reason, the very aesthetic buildings at Coal Drops Yard (in conjunction with Maya Magal, one of my favorite jewelry shops in London) always make me feel all types of ways – whether it’s summer, spring or winter.

Read: The Best Brunch Spots in King’s Cross

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Garden at the Museum of the Home, Hoxton

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The Museum of the Home in Hoxton, East London, is a completely free museum which takes you back in time as soon as you enter – the past-centuries parlors and their countless artifacts catch your attention, never let it go, and all of this?

For free!

If visiting museums is not in your plans, you might want to check out the gardens at the Museum of the Home: it’s a succession of small gardens which replicate those you would have found in the 17th century, 18th century,…

Complete with a few benches, it’s a favorite of mine when it comes to choosing a spot to read without being interrupted!

Read: The Prettiest Multicolor Places in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Horniman Museum & Garden

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Another really picturesque garden to pop by during summer in London is the Horniman Museum garden, with its quaint pergolas and fountain in the center.

In itself, the Horniman Museum is great to visit if you’re traveling to London with kids, since there are many interactive activities, an aquarium, and even a play room inside.

But the garden, with its structured design and its rock garden, is a place I love to hang out at for a quiet moments by myself or with friends.

Read: The Best Things to Do in Smithfield, London’s Historical Neighborhood

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Marylebone and Other Cute Villages

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Visiting some of London’s cutest villages can make for another perfect summer activity: if you’re staying close to Central London, pop by Smithfield, Spitalfields and Marylebone.

However, if you’re down to travel to other areas in town, I would definitely recommend visiting the Greenwich neighborhood.

There, you’ll find views of Canary Wharf, a historic ship, the Cutty Sark, as well as one of the best markets in London.

Other really picturesque villages include Balham, Clapham, Chiswick and Hampstead – all great to visit solo or on a romantic date!

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in North London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Elfin Oak and Kensington Gardens

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Sculpted in the 1920s, the Elfin Oak at Kensington Gardens is a hidden gem few people know about.

It’s tucked away from the main road (where you’ll find the luxurious Milestone Hotel I visited a few months ago), and a great sight to enjoy with kids.

Colorful, with princesses and elfs sculpted and painted on the wood of the tree, it is a cute thing to do off the beaten path before checking out the Peter Pan statue and the ponds of Kensington Gardens!

Read: The Best Cafes for Breakfast in North London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Mark Street Gardens, East London

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Mark Street Gardens is probably one of East London’s most secret gardens, a hidden gem in which nature and culture blend effortlessly – and beautifully.

We’re here between Hackney and Shoreditch, two of the most famous neighborhoods of the East End, and Mark Street Gardens, with its detailed buildings and climbing nature, makes for an oh-so-secret photo spot…

I’ve never seen crowds of people in this place!

Read: The Coolest Coffee Shops in Shoreditch

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Dutch Garden, Holland Park

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Holland Park is one of London’s biggest parks, with two not-so-secret gardens I love spending time at come spring and summer:

  • The Kyoto Garden: undeniably the prettiest Japanese garden in London with its peacocks and waterfall
  • The Dutch Garden: more structured, with hidden gems all around, from gorgeous buildings to a giant chess set and sculptures scattered around the garden

The Dutch Garden, with its tulips and many benches, is the one I would rather spend time at when it’s summer, as it’s simply bigger, and offers more seating space whatever the time of the day…

One of West London’s best hidden gems!

Read: The Complete Guide to Free Things to Do in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: King’s Cross Light Tunnel

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The light tunnel linking Pancras Square and the King’s Cross Underground station is a place I only discovered a few months ago, and so secret that you can easily use it as a background for pictures…

And if you love colorful places, do pop by the Captivated by Colour bridge in Canary Wharf for the same type of ‘wow’ effect.

Pancras Square is a gorgeous place to spend time at if you’re looking for water points and don’t want to go all the way to the bathing ponds in Hampstead… and offers a quiet retreat right behind King’s Cross!

Read: The Best Medieval Sites in London

Cute Shops and Cafes to Visit During Summer in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: The Vault Collective, Crystal Palace

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Let’s keep going with our summer visit to London with a few shops, cafes and restaurants, starting with The Vault Collective in Crystal Palace.

We’re here in one of London’s most secret cafes, completely vegan and established in a plant shop – this is one of the very instagrammable places you’ll have to check out at some point if you love nature.

The pastries at The Vault Collective are especially tasty, and if you’d like to get some special souvenirs from London, you’ll find anything from books to pots and even cute home decor there!

Read: The Coolest Shops in Central London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Press Coffee, City of London

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Press Coffee, off the historic Fleet Street in Central London, is another cute coffee shop to visit as soon as the weather is nice – the rustic decor with its plants and colorful latte recipes makes it a favorite of mine!

There are very few seats inside, but it doesn’t matter: why not take a coffee to go with a slice of the amazing, fresh cakes Press Coffee offers before visiting the gorgeous Lincoln’s Inn Chapel?

The Strand and all its hidden gems is also located really close, and that’s where you’ll see many sculptures and cool shops, including, of course, Superdrug for British makeup brands!

Read: The Best Shops for Cheap Makeup in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Colairo’s, Crystal Palace

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In Crystal Palace, and close to The Vault Collective, Colairo’s is another secret cafe I’ve mentioned in the past, as it’s one of the only coffee shops that offer red velvet doughnuts, and doubles as an Italian food shop – and a floral cafe!

The Crystal Palace neighborhood is one of my favorites in town, and not only because that’s where you’ll find huge dinosaur sculptures.

Nope – Crystal Palace is also filled with coffee shops and incredible vintage shops, including Maltpress Trading I’m talking about at the end of this guide – really a must-visit area for a calm afternoon!

Read: The Best Cafes for Breakfast in Central London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Aesthetic Daunt Books, Marylebone

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If you do end up visiting the village-like Marylebone area, Daunt Books is another stop to have on your bucket list, even if it does remind me more of a Harry Potter location than a proper summery one.

However, since there are so many travel books sold in this overly beautiful bookshop, it’s a stop I like to make every now and then to check out new destinations.

In addition to travel books, Daunt Books sells plenty of fiction and non-fiction, with a collection spanning from self-development to society matters, making it a useful and aesthetic destination.

Every time I spend time around the bookshop, I end up at FishWorks for lunch or dinner nearby – it’s one of London’s best seafood restaurants, with fresh platters and, a favorite of mine, grilled sea bass!

Read: The Best Budget Shops in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: The Ritz, Piccadilly

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Even if I admit that having breakfast at The Ritz is something I love doing as soon as Christmas time comes around, the restaurants downstairs are so beautiful that they’re a must-visit all year round.

The picture above shows the powder room, The Ritz’ restroom, which is instagrammable in another kind of way, and a gorgeous place to check out if you’re having breakfast, lunch or dinner in the grand rooms filled with sculptures.

Read: The Most Aesthetic Restaurants in Mayfair

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Mercato Mayfair

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Mercato Mayfair is undeniably one of London’s best food courts, complete with gelato and proper Italian food, but during summer, you’ll probably want to eat out in the open at places like Camden Market.

Anyway, I have included this stop because of the plant shop located at the entrance of Mercato Mayfair; there, you can also get plenty of artisanal souvenirs you can only really buy in London.

Then, when you’re done, you’ll find amazing hidden gems in Mayfair, starting with the terrace gardens at Brown Hart Gardens, as well as really cool shops in nearby Oxford Street and Bond Street.

Read: The Best British Shops in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Twinings Tea Shop, Leicester Square

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Again, if you’re visiting London for the first time and are looking for cool things to buy, a visit to the Twinings tea shop is something I always recommend, especially if you tend to get impressed easily.

The rows upon rows of Twinings tea boxes, the food gifts, and the overall vibe of the shop is something I particularly enjoy at Christmas, but still a must-visit during summer.

Plus, for Harry Potter lovers, the Lego shop is located next door, and offers beautiful Harry Potter sculptures made out of Lego, from Gringotts to Flourish & Blotts.

Read: The Best Harry Potter Things to Do in London

Best Places to Visit During Summer in London: Maltpress Trading, Crystal Palace

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Lastly, if you do happen to spend some time at some of the beautiful cafes I’ve mentioned earlier, like Colairo’s and The Vault Collective in Crystal Palace, you’d do well to visit Maltpress Trading along the way.

This is but one of the best vintage shops in London, complete with vintage postcards, retro mannequins, scarves, tights, pots, leather jackets – and so much more!

I do love shopping in London, whatever the time of the year, but the colorful, vintage vibe of Maltpress Trading makes it a place I don’t ever envision myself not visiting.

Read: The Best Cheap Clothing Shops in London

Summer in London: 20 Fresh and Off The Beaten Path Places to Visit

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Thus finishes our beautiful collection of must-visit places during summer in London – you’ll hopefully have found here a couple of spots you’d never heard of!

The warm season allows for another kind of visit you wouldn’t really spend so much time on if, say, you were only looking for autumn foliage or Christmas lights.

It allows you to live outside, and to make the most out of London’s historical sites, floral cafes with their cute terraces, and so much more – all that’s left to do is to actually visit them!

Until next time!

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The Working Line
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Sam is a certified fashion makeup artist, a freelance writer, a blogger and a digital nomad. Since 2019, she roams around the world, from London to Rome and shares her knowledge about makeup, scented candles, travel, blogging and the digital nomad lifestyle.