7 Less-Touristy London Walking Tour Ideas

Truthfully, I was never a fan of bustling metropolitan cities – but London was apparently quite a different breed. As a melting pot of hundreds of years of diverse cultures, the city is remarkably rich in characters and thus has left an imprint on my list of most wonderful memories back in Spring 2022, as I am sure it does many travellers and visitors alike.

Exploring the city on foot was absolutely my favourite activity. From initially following my strict itinerary to finally letting where my footsteps take me, I had eventually made several themed walks and thought they might be worth sharing here. If you are like me, who prefers shifting the landscape from the most touristy places such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London’s Eye, and so forth to the lesser famous, almost hidden gems sometimes, and make the most out of the local experiences instead, this recommendation might be just for you.

From lovely sights of flowers, splashes of colours, tranquil English villages, inspiring arts, eclectic shopping, and satisfying your tummy’s craving, these themed walks will take you through various experiences and even postcard-worthy photos that are beyond those famous red telephone boxes.

Wisteria Hysteria

What’s better than a row of neat, classic, brick-covered English houses? A row of neat, classic, brick-covered English houses covered in blooming wisterias.

I was strolling around the neighbourhood of Hampstead when I first started noticing these marvellous purple-coloured vines, cascading from pergolas or archways creating those dramatic elegant looks on the otherwise plain-looking old walls. It was the first week of May when I saw them all in full bloom. I was so fascinated by these lovelies that I decided to look up all the famous spots with pretty wisterias in London on the spur of the moment and visit them one by one. Unfortunately, by the first week of June when I finally had the chance to check out this new itinerary, most of them were no longer blossoming.

Chelsea would be a nice starting point for your wisteria hunting day if you are in the city from late April to early May – but keep an eye out wherever you are in the city, these beauties are basically everywhere!

Pastel-Coloured House Hunting

Still around Kensington borough, the delicacies of pastel-coloured houses of the neighbourhood never failed to amuse me. It was initially these pretty facades which made me fall for the idea of London, even way before I noticed how culturally rich the metropolis is.

Whenever you are in Kensington (or even other boroughs), keep an eye out for hidden mews, lanes, and alleyways with colourful shades of everything. Notting Hill, particularly, has some of London’s best-kept gems of these architectural gems. My personal favourite has to include Kynance Mews, Earl’s Court, and the lesser-known Godfrey St.

Hampstead Instead for Hump Days

Up north, there is this entire village with a completely different vibe from the busy central London. Rows of elegant, charming, yet unassuming English houses that make up perfect postcard pictures in a lush neighbourhood will greet you once you get to Hampstead. It was almost like a lite version of Cotswold. Surely not to miss if you are a fan of classic English village, or simply looking for a distraction from the hectic central London.

While you are here, pay a visit to The Hill Garden and Pergola as well as the Holly Village and the Highgate Cemetery for different ranges of experiences in a day.

Evening Thames River Stroll

I never had the chance to properly do this one, except partially during the short hours where my Couchsurfing host Zuzanna and I were walking along the London Bridge instead, admiring the busy Thames River sidewalk from the quiet upper side.

However, I did a morning walk along the pier from Tower Bridge, all the way to Borough Market, and it was quite lively. The atmosphere was bright (literally, because it was extremely sunny that day), airy, and vibrant, but I imagine it would shift into a more romantic and intimate scene in the evening.

If you happen to be in the city with a special someone, this would be the perfect idea you would hate to miss.

Vintage Store Retreat

From Camden Market, Brick Lane, Shoreditch, Upper Street, to random corners of the city where they hide these vintage gems, the options are endless.

My favourite is Brick Lane, for it is not as crowded and niche as Camden Market, with a lot of eye-stopping stores every few metres. (Which led me to a handful of irresistible pairs of cute earrings!) There is even an entire underground vintage market in Brick Lane where you could easily find yourself lost for hours if you have the biggest appetite for anything vintage: vinyl, art prints, preloved outfits, tote bags, and essentially almost anything else you can think of.

Art Gallery and Exhibition Hopping

There is always something going on in London, especially when we talk about art exhibitions. Whether for free or with an entrance fee and whichever your preference of arts is, you will never run out of choices.

Look for available exhibitions online and check out some of them whose themes and styles personally speak to you, such as this one for me. As a tip, look for the reviews as well since some of these exhibitions may look extra gorgeous in the heavily curated and edited photos, but may not be as terrific as advertised – which would be a bummer if it happens to cost you a ton as some of these exhibitions sometimes do.

Culinary Tour (and J.D. Wetherspoon Pubs Hopping)

Frankly, when I first thought about dining in London, I set the bar a little low due to my lack of awareness regarding how overwhelmingly diverse the city is. Thus, well, Britain’s beige food was all I could think about.

However, I was about to be proven very wrong. With its multitude of cross-cultures, London has some of the best culinary scenes, regardless of your taste and palate. The city has something, a lot of things even, for everyone.

It is a great chance for you to indulge yourself in food from cultures you may never experience before: from Syrian, Malay, Eastern European, and essentially every country or region you could think of, London has got you covered.

And on one of those days when you are not feeling adventurous and would like to stick with some classic Western comfort food instead, the J.D. Wetherspoon pubs could be your go-to place. The only downside is that it’s always very crowded because of the cheaper food price (but still overall good). But if you are into people-watching and eavesdropping the next table, or just want to be somewhere crammed with locals with high noise in the background, plus with relatively nice food that won’t break your wallet, the place is just for you.

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There are of course a bunch of other walking ideas that might last you a month – such as movie sets tour, architectural sight hopping, park walk, or live music hopping, but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to do those during my eleven-day trip to London.

A few extra things I did truly want to try were to go to one of those Sofar Sounds‘ intimate live music performances, even though they’re also available in many major cities around the world other than London; walk around the city the entire night, maybe spend a few hours in one of those 24-hour pubs or restaurants before eventually catch the sunrise from Primrose Hill; or watch one of those open-air cinemas.

But if you happen to pass through the city for a week and would like a slightly different, less touristy walking tour at your own pace every day, maybe give my list a try! And let me know if they beat squeezing yourself among thousands of other tourists in Westminster to get proper pictures of the typical landmarks.