LONDON has been named a top travel travel destination for 2025 – and we’ve given our expert advice on everything to do in the city this year.
Beating cities such as Rome, Barcelona and Paris, it was named in this year’s Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.
Topping both the “Top Destinations – Europe” list, it even came in no.1 on the best in the world too, beating places like Bali and Bangkok.
Crediting both being a city you can return to as well as one with exciting new exhibitions, Tripadvisor president Kristen Dalton said: “The city’s unique blend of history, innovation and culture continues to captivate travellers from all over the world.
From iconic landmarks and world-class museums to a dynamic culinary scene and vibrant cultural experiences, London sets the standard for what a destination can offer.”
Laura Citron OBE, CEO of VisitLondon.com, added: “In 2025, incredible new attractions like the V&A East Storehouse and the purpose-built Museum of Shakespeare in Shoreditch will open their doors.
“London isn’t a museum city; it’s a living global metropolis.”
And with the Sun Travel team either living or working in the city, we thought it best to give our top recommendations.
We have you covered when it comes to the best bars, restaurants and pubs, as well as museums and musicals, and even the best hotels to stay in. We’ve even thrown in a few spots we’ve been angling to visit ourselves.
For when you want something fancier than the pub but nothing as formal as a restaurant, the best bars in London have you covered (and a favourite pastime of mine is finest the newest and best).
A recent discovery of mind after a delayed train home was Spiritlands, tucked behind Central St Martens at Kings Cross and, dare I say it, is a hidden gem.
Having opened in 2017, the mid-century speakeasy has both a unique cocktail menu (a highlight being the pear and tomato concoction), cosy DJ tunes and a sleepy kitten curled up right next to the bar.
For something more fun, I always love a drink at Four Quarters in Peckham.
Less of an emphasis on drinks, the bar has retro arcade games lining the walls where you can put in quarters while perching your pint on the sticky side.
Swift – with bars in Soho, Shoreditch and Borough – is a great option when you want to show off a bit without too much pomp.
The menu is huge, depending on if you want a long or short drink, or a sweet or sour drink, but bar staff are the best at recommending one for your tastes.
And one on my list I am yet to try but all I head about is The Dreamery – a gelato and wine bar with beautiful multicoloured ceiling, which reopens today.
– Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
From the glitz of the Ritz to the budget urban cool of Z Hotels, it’s no wonder London comes out on top when you look at its buzzing hotel scene.
Where other capital cities offer eye-watering prices for pokey rooms and no pizazz, London delivers a vast range of hotel styles at all budgets.
At the top end, the recent most-talked about opening was Raffles London at the Old War Office.
An astonishing £1.5billion was sunk into transforming this historic building where Winston Churchill planned the D-Day landings into an opulent modern hotel with 120 rooms and suites, nine restaurants, three bars and an astonishing spa with 20metre pool.
While few could probably afford the average room rate of £1,100 a night, anyone is welcome to reserve a spot in the tiny Spy Bar, occupying an old interrogation room in the basement for a cheeky cocktail.
And at the other end of the scale – and proving just how diverse London’s hotel scene is – come the budget chains offering excellent stays at bargain prices.
I’m a big fan of Z Hotels – compact rooms with decent facilities in 11 brilliant central locations including Covent Garden, Holborn and the upcoming Leicester Square.
Best of all, who wouldn’t love their free cheese and wine for guests between 5pm and 8pm.
Head east to trendy Shoreditch and Whitechapel and there’s the New Road Hotel with rooms from just £99 a night in a former warehouse that screams New York loft style.
Or how about The Moxy at London Stratford, great for families and near the Olympic Park but with a relaxed vibe and cool interiors.
– Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
The Sun’s Head of Travel Caroline McGuire has named some of her favourites and why.
LONDON is chock full of fantastic pubs.
Whether you’re looking for an old man’s boozer, a gastro pub or a cosy pitstop with a roaring fire, there is the perfect pub for everyone in the capital.
My top tip? Try and avoid the ones in the tourist spots of Covent Garden, Leicester Square and so on, unless you’ve got a recommendation.
Here is a selection of our favourite London pubs, from some of the
heaviest drinkers we know…
Central London:
Outside of central London:
One of our capital’s greatest strengths is its culinary scene taking inspiration from all over the world – I’ve eaten international dishes that taste better in London than the place they were birthed.
Shout out to London Bridge’s Padella with its homemade saucy pastas and Coal Office in Kings Cross for its medley of sharing plates including one of the creamiest labneh’s I’ve ever eaten, topped with salty anchovies.
I’m lucky enough to work around the corner from one of my favourite foodie spots, Borough Market (food snobs will tell you it’s overrated, but don’t listen to them).
Check out The Black Pig for its signature honey truffle and parmesan sandwich loaded with slow-cooked pork. It’s £11, but so big you can share).
Just avoid the chocolate-covered strawberries – it’s a social media fad with stupidly long queues for something you can make for a fraction of the price at home.
For proper homely grub in a stereotypical London pub setting, The Devonshire has to be on your list.
It soared to the top of Londoners must-go lists when it opened in Soho late 2023 and it serves a regularly-changing menu of seasonal British classics – the current menu has a lamb hotpot for £24 and tender ribeye steaks for £36 plus duck fat chips (£6).
You’ll have to book in advance though, with tables released at 10.30am every Thursday for bookings up to three weeks in advance.
If you do want to shell out for something special, swing by Italian joint Luca Restaurant in Farringdon which, in my opinion, serves the most affordable Michelin-star dishes in the city, costing around £85 a head for an evening tasting menu.
– Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
I first moved to London eight years ago so have made the most of the free museums – along with the crowds of tourists too.
But a way to avoid the crowds is the little-known early morning tours of the British Museum, where experts lead small tour groups around the museum before it opens.
Gazing at the Rosetta Stone without loads of people in the way will forever stay with me, with tours costing £33 for a full-paying adult although you must book in advance online.
Equally, I love my Art Pass – a membership that can be used at 850 different places in the UK.
CAPITAL cities don’t usually have a reputation for being the most
child-friendly of places, but having raised a 6 year old in London I
can categorically say that is not the case here.
From parks, pubs and theatre to free museums and attractions, there is
enough to fill a month’s worth of family holiday.
One of our crowning glories has to be the parks, with huge amounts of
green space wherever you are in the city.
Take a pedalo on the Serpentine in Hyde Park, sign up for the Go Ape
tree tops ropes course in Battersea, followed by a pizza at the
playground restaurant (and then head over to the Power Station for the
Lego shop), clamber on the pirate ship at the Diana Princess of Wales
Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, or take a break at the
Coram’s Fields playground that is astonishingly huge for its Soho
location.
Of course, given its tendency to rain, there is plenty to do in bad
weather too.
Among my favourite museums are the free-to-enter Science Museum
(although remember to book the hugely popular Wonder Lab), the Postal Museum with its underground mail train and the Transport Museum, with its opportunity to get behind the wheel of a London bus.
Attractions-wise, my son is a huge fan of both the London Eye and the
London Eye river boat cruise, and there are always plenty of extra
activities at locations like the London Wildlife Trust centres, the
Southbank Centre and the Queen Elizabeth Hall during school holidays.
Failing that, why not hop on the London Underground or take a seat in
the front row of a double decker bus – you might see it as stinky old
public transport, but I can guarantee you that your child will be
enthralled.
When it comes to refuelling, plenty of London’s pubs are incredibly
child-friendly. One of my best recommendations would be the Brewdog
Pub In Waterloo, which has a slide inside, its own ice cream van and a
bowling alley – letting you sip your beer in peace.
Alternatively, try Sixes Social Cricket bars, which have cricket
batting simulators in all of their bars, along with excellent food and
drink.
And finally, you can’t hit London without seeing a show. The Unicorn
Theatre in London Bridge is designed especially for kids, with all of
its shows designed for children.
There are loads on at the West End theatres too. If you’re going to be
in the city in August, make use of the Kids Theatre Week offers that
let you get two-for-one seats to hugely popular family friendly shows.
Head of Travel, Caroline McGuire
The pass gives members reduced entry to exhibitions you need to pay for, so it’s worth the outlay if you go to museums a lot like me.
Tickets for London’s biggest exhibitions, like Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms (which ended its run in 2024) sell out quickly, so sign up for mailing lists to always be in the loop.
For something a little more contemporary, I’d recommend the Paradox Museum, an immersive museum that flips reality and provides some great photo opportunities.
Despite visiting a bulk of London’s museums, there are still some I need to go to with Frameless and London’s Moco Museum next on the list.
– Hope Brotherton, Travel Reporter
London is the home of fantastic theatre and musicals from the classic Phantom of the Opera to brand new Mrs Doubtfire, but these are my top picks from the stage.
2:22 A Ghost Story completely dominated the city with British stars Tom Felton, Matt Willis, Jaime Winstone and Stacey Dooley sharing the spotlight.
And you can never falter with The Play That Goes Wrong where every mishap is part of the entertainment factor.
As for musicals, The Lion King is a firm-favourite with an opening number you’ll never forget.
As a 90s girl, Matilda is a movie I was brought up on and have since seen it on stage three times! This may seem excessive, but it’s such a feel-good show.
SIX is a mix between a musical and a pop concert and the outfits are just as fabulous as the Queens onstage.
Then of course, Wicked. We’ve all seen the movie, but seeing ‘Defying Gravity’ live is unforgettable.
What will I see next? Broadway hit Mean Girls is on my list.
– Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
TOTTENHAM star Rodrigo Bentancur has provided an update from his hospital bed after his frightening on-field collapse.
The Spurs midfielder fell to the floor unchallenged during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool.
Bentancur landed awkwardly after attempting to head the ball away from a corner six minutes into the contest.
Teammate Pedro Porro rushed to his aid before medical staff worked on the Uruguayan for almost 10 minutes.
The 27-year-old was given oxygen and placed in a neck brace before being taken off on a stretcher.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, with boss Ange Postecoglou confirming after the game Bentancur was “conscious when he got to the dressing room.”
The Aussie said: “It was some sort of head injury, but he was conscious when he was coming off the field.
“He’s been taken to the hospital for observation. Hopefully he’ll be OK.”
Following the scary incident, the ex-Juventus man later provided a health update to his 2 million Instagram followers.
Smiling alongside girlfriend Melany La Banca and wearing a Spurs t-shirt, Bentancur confirmed he was “all good” with a thumbs up.
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He captioned the picture with a love heart emoji: “All good guys!
“Thank you for the messages. Congratulations on the victory boys!”
It’s not the first time this season Bentancur has been rocked by a head injury.
Back in August, he was stretchered off against Leicester after a sickening clash with winger Abdul Fatawu.
The midfielder subsequently missed Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Everton the following week and returned to action on September 1, eleven days after the KO.
Bentancur was replaced on Wednesday night by Brennan Johnson, with Tottenham taking the game to Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Reds were wasteful on the night and paid the price late on, with Lucas Bergvall netting to give Spurs a slender 1-0 advantage ahead of next month’s second leg.
But Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk was furious the Swede didn’t see red moments before netting the winner.
Bergvall escaped a second yellow despite wiping out Kostas Tsimikas, with ref Stuart Atwell choosing to play advantage.
Van Dijk raged: “It was quite obvious was going to be a second yellow, it was pretty clear.
“Then a minute later he scores the winner.
“The ref made a mistake and I told him that. It was quite obvious and everyone on the sideline knew it was a yellow.
“He should have been off. There is a linesman, fourth official, VAR and referee and he doesn’t get a second yellow.
“I’m not saying it is the reason why we lost but it was a big moment.”
JOSE MOURINHO has emerged as the shock bookies’ favourite to replace Sean Dyche as Everton boss.
The Special One is rated odds-on to move to Merseyside with new owners The Friedkin Group believed to be ready to dump Dyche by as early as next week.
Dyche admitted in the build–up to tonight’s FA Cup third-round clash with Peterborough United that TFG would not be doing their jobs if they were not considering the possibility of replacing him.
The Americans ARE doing so and ex–boss David Moyes is also in the frame to return to the club and take it into their new Bramley – Moore Dock home next summer.
The appointment of Mourinho could be seen as a spectacular coup – despite TFG billionaire owner Dan Friedin, also owner of Roma, sacking him a year ago.
The Portuguese was also twice axed by Chelsea as well as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan but he described his dismissal by Friedkin as the “one that most hurt”.
He took over Fenerbache last summer but is at war with Turkish authorities over the way Turkey’s Super Lig is being run.
Despite being so upset by the way Friedkin got rid of him the 61-year-old would love a chance for another tilt at the Premier League.
Dyche, almost two years in charge, is understood to have come to terms with the fact that his time at the club is coming to an end with fans turning on his style of football.
Everton takes on Posh in what he calls “a banana skin” encounter having won only three Prem games in 19 with the Toffees lying one point above the drop zone.
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Dyche declared of talk that TFG are sizing up replacements for him: “It should be.
“If you’re a business of this size and this club, then succession planning should be part of their diligence. I’ve got no problem with that at all.
“I think that should be ongoing at every football club.
“That’s part of the business, surely. I’m sure it is in what we’d call normal business life.”
JOSE MOURINHO launched a sarcastic blast at ref Clement Turpin after he was red-carded in his clash with former club Manchester United.
The Fenerbahce boss saw his side fight back to earn a point as United tossed away the lead for a third successive drawn Europa League match.
Mourinho was sent to the stands after raging against Turpin’s failure to award a penalty against Manuel Ugarte for a challenge on Bright Osayi-Samuel.
And Mourinho scowled: “The referee told me something incredible. He said at the same time he could see the action in the box and my behaviour on the touchline.
“I congratulate him because he is absolutely incredible. During the game, 100 miles per hour, he had one eye on the penalty situation and one eye on my behaviour on the bench. That’s the explanation he gave me.
“That is why he is one of the best referees in the world!”
What is almost certain is that the former Burnley manager is on the way out.
And defeat to Darren Ferguson’s League One club would only hasten his exit.
Канадські вчені констатують: людям, у яких немає патологічних порушень серцевої діяльності, приймати аспірин в профілактичних цілях не потрібно. Такий прийом цих ліків, на їхню думку, може серйозно нашкодити здоров’ю. Якщо у вас ніколи не було серцевого нападу або інсульту, а також немає схильності до цих порушень, не приймайте аспірин. З таким закликом до співгромадян звернулися […]