West London covers more ground than any other patch of the city on this site, and it earns every inch of it: three palaces, a Michelin-starred kitchen that trained half of London’s best chefs, and a garden that somehow relocated a slice of Kyoto to Holland Park.
“West London” isn’t really one place, it’s shorthand for a whole run of neighbourhoods that blur into each other: Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Richmond, Fulham and beyond, right out to Twickenham and Hampton Court if you’re willing to travel. That spread is what makes it hard to pin down in one guide, and also what makes it worth the effort: you can do a royal palace and a rollerblading disco in the same day here without it feeling odd.
We’ve grouped our favourites from across the whole area into one list rather than force you to bounce between separate guides, with the neighbourhood noted for each so you know how far you’re travelling.
The best things to do in West London
Get lost in the glasshouses at Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens, in Richmond, began life in the 18th century as the private gardens of one of West London’s many palaces and has since become one of the UK’s finest botanical collections. The gardens showcase an eclectic mix of plants from around the world, with regular flower shows and seasonal exhibitions, and the Victorian greenhouses are worth seeking out for their colourful tropical planting on their own.
Live out a royal fantasy at Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace, in Kensington itself, is one of the finest of West London’s palaces and a good way to spend an afternoon living out a royal fantasy. Members of the royal family still live here, but sections of the grounds and state rooms are open to the public, including grand halls and gardens shaped by generations of the monarchy. The palace is also a late work of Sir Christopher Wren, architect of St Paul’s Cathedral and a fair few other Wren buildings around London.
Find the view from King Henry’s Mound
Richmond Park’s deer get most of the attention, and rightly so, it’s genuinely striking that one of London’s best-known parks was once a royal hunting ground where the descendants of those same deer still roam. Less well known is King Henry’s Mound, a viewpoint with a protected sightline all the way to St Paul’s in central London, named for a king whose exact identity is still debated. The mound has been used as a burial site for thousands of years, which only adds to the mystery.
Watch rugby at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham is the home of English rugby, and catching a match here, with more than 80,000 fans in full voice, belongs on any serious sports fan’s list. The stadium is as grand as its reputation suggests, and because rugby draws smaller crowds than football, tickets tend to be more reasonably priced.
See a show under the dome at the Royal Albert Hall
Completed in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall has all the Victorian grandeur its reputation promises, from rococo trim on its archways and pillars to the vast dome that caps the whole building. The programme runs from classical concerts to stand-up comedy, and watching a show here means following in some fairly illustrious footsteps.
See contemporary art at the Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery, in Chelsea, has spent decades at the forefront of contemporary art, showing work from major names including Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol, some of it on permanent display. Temporary exhibitions cover everything from the rise of street art to photojournalism from recent American politics, and the programme rarely disappoints.
Sit by the waterfall in the Kyoto Garden
Tucked inside Holland Park in Kensington, the Kyoto Garden brings the character of a well-manicured Japanese garden to West London, complete with manicured lawns, stone lanterns and a resident peacock or two. The waterfall is the standout feature and makes the garden a genuinely calm spot to sit for a while. It was a gift from the government of Kyoto, marking the long-standing relationship between Japan and the UK.
Take your pick along Museum Mile
Kensington’s Museum Mile is home to some of the city’s best museums, and there’s more than enough here to fill several days rather than one. The Natural History Museum and the V&A sit across the road from each other, and the Science Museum is a short walk beyond, better tackled a day at a time than all at once.
Rollerblade at Flippers
Flippers Roller Boogie Palace combines a rollerblading rink with a pimped-out American diner serving elevated versions of classic dishes, including fries topped with cream cheese and caviar. The concept traces back to a star-studded 1970s roller disco in Los Angeles, and the London version, set up in part with Usher, is a genuinely good laugh whether or not you can actually skate.
Get lost in the maze at Hampton Court Palace
The hedge maze at Hampton Court Palace is the oldest surviving example in the UK, planted by William III around 1700, which means people have been getting lost in it for centuries. The palace itself, once the haunt of Henry VIII and his court, is worth the entry fee on its own, with grand halls that hosted lavish feasts in their day.
Hunt for famous graves in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is one of London’s Magnificent Seven, the grand Victorian cemeteries built to serve the city’s growing population, and it’s a genuinely peaceful place to walk, whatever reservations you might have about visiting a graveyard. Notable graves include the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and Dr John Snow, who identified cholera as a waterborne disease, along with the grave of a Native American chief. The catacombs are worth seeking out for anyone feeling brave.
Catch an exhibition at the Design Museum
The Design Museum tends to get overlooked given how much competition it has nearby, but it’s worth the detour for anyone interested in design. Its rotating exhibitions range from the practical, such as design’s role in building a more sustainable world, to major shows by names like Ai Weiwei.
Order a tiki cocktail at Trailer Happiness
Trailer Happiness has been pouring rum out of a Portobello Road basement since 2003, an award-winning tiki lounge run by Sly Augustin and his team, serving tiki-inspired cocktails in a room that manages to feel both sleek and laid-back. It’s a good spot for catching up with friends, impressing visiting family, or a date, and one of the reasons Notting Hill punches above its weight for a night out.
Order the beef rendang at Normah’s
Normah’s, in Bayswater, is a homely Malaysian restaurant with a genuinely good backstory: owner Normah grew up in a family of thirteen children and took on much of the cooking, a skillset she’s since put to excellent use feeding West London. The beef rendang, cooked low and slow in ginger and spices for at least four hours, is the dish to order, and it’s proof you can eat brilliantly in this part of town without spending a fortune.
Eat where London’s best chefs trained at The River Cafe
The River Cafe, in Hammersmith, has shaped the way London dines over several decades in business and has produced some of the country’s finest chefs along the way. The food is simple but exceptional, built around seasonal ingredients such as Cornish fish or Aberdeen steak, plated in an Italian style that’s earned the restaurant a Michelin star.
Dig for vintage finds on Portobello Road
Portobello Road is West London’s best-known shopping strip, known for vintage fashion, antiques and a good food market, and it’s drawn shoppers of all kinds for decades. The focus changes through the week, but Saturday is the day to go for vintage clothing, arrive early, as the best pieces go quickly.
Shop until you drop at Westfield
Westfield, in White City, is one of the largest shopping centres in London, home to practically every major brand and enough restaurants to make choosing dinner genuinely difficult. It lacks the charm of somewhere like Portobello Road, but makes up for it in scale.
Browse the boutiques on King’s Road
The King’s Road has long been the shopping strip of choice for Chelsea’s best-known residents, past and present. Big-name brands sit alongside a majority of boutique shops, with excellent fashion and a scattering of smaller art galleries, and a good bar is never far away for a post-shopping drink.
Gawp at the mammoth tusks in Harrods
Harrods is up there with the most recognisable department stores in the world and draws as many browsers as buyers. Its displays run from the ostentatious, like fossilised mammoth tusks, to the everyday, like scented candles, all under a motto, “all things for all people, everywhere”, that’s more aspiration than fact.
