Seasonal
The 6 Best Things to Do in London in April
April is when London exhales. The light stretches, the blossom turns, and the city's best annual fixtures arrive within a fortnight of each other. Our considered pick of what to do, where to eat and which terraces are worth the gamble.
In short: our top picks are The Boat Race, Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival and Kew Gardens in blossom. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
April is the month London stops bracing itself. The light comes back properly, the parks turn that almost embarrassing shade of green, and the diary fills up with things worth leaving the house for. It is also gloriously unreliable. You will get a morning of flat blue sky and a 4pm hailstorm in the same day, so the trick is to plan loosely and keep a jacket. What we love about April is the density of good annual fixtures: the Boat Race and the tulips and the first asparagus all land inside a few weeks, and none of them require a ticket bought in January. Below is what we would actually do, weighted towards the things that come round every year rather than the one-off that vanishes by May. Pair an event with a long lunch and a walk along the river and you have the better side of a London spring day.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Boat Race | Putney to Mortlake, SW London | |
| Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival | East Molesey, southwest London | ££ |
| Kew Gardens in blossom | Richmond, southwest London | ££ |
| The Dove | Hammersmith, west London | ££ |
| The Wallace Collection | Marylebone, central London | |
| St John | Smithfield, Clerkenwell | £££ |
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Editor’s choice
The Boat Race
Why we pick itOxford and Cambridge have rowed this four-and-a-bit-mile stretch of the Thames since the 1800s, and the early-April fixture is one of the great free days out in London. Stake a spot on the towpath at Putney or Hammersmith Bridge, or get to a riverside pub by late morning, and watch the crews thrash past in a few breathless minutes. Over 200,000 people line the banks, so the atmosphere does the heavy lifting.
Annual rowing event
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Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival
Why we pick itEvery April the gardens of Henry VIII's old party palace are planted with more than 100,000 tulips, which is exactly as much of a spectacle as it sounds. The Lower Orangery shows off rare and historic varieties, some of them four centuries old, a nod to Queen Mary II who first brought tulips here. It runs for most of the month and entry comes with your palace ticket, so you get the Tudor pile and the gardens in one go.
Spring garden festival
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Kew Gardens in blossom
Why we pick itKew in spring is one of the city's reliable pleasures. From mid-March into April the magnolias give way to cherry blossom south of the Palm House and along the Japanese Landscape, and by mid-April a haze of bluebells comes up around Queen Charlotte's Cottage. Go on a weekday morning if you can, when the crowds are thin and the light is kind, and give yourself a couple of hours to wander without a plan.
Botanic gardens, spring blossom
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The Dove
Why we pick itA Grade II listed Fuller's pub that has been pouring pints by the Thames since the early 1700s, with a snug front bar that holds the record as the smallest in Britain. The riverside terrace sits right above the water, which makes it a prime Boat Race perch and, on any mild April evening, one of the loveliest spots in west London to watch the sun go down. Hemingway and Dylan Thomas drank here, and William Morris lived next door.
Historic riverside pub
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The Wallace Collection
Why we pick itThe perfect April hedge against a sudden downpour: a free museum of Old Masters, armour and decorative arts in a Marylebone mansion, with no booking and rarely a crowd. The glass-roofed courtyard at its centre is a Peyton and Byrne brasserie doing a seasonal menu and a proper afternoon tea, which means you can shelter, look at a Fragonard or two, and have a long unhurried lunch under the canopy when the rain comes in.
Free art museum with courtyard restaurant
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St John
Why we pick itBritish asparagus season opens around St George's Day, and few kitchens treat spring produce with as much respect and as little fuss as Fergus Henderson's Smithfield original. The menu changes with what is good that week, so April brings the first asparagus, Jersey Royals and wild garlic alongside the famous bone marrow and parsley salad. Whitewashed, unfussy and quietly brilliant, with a bakery worth queuing for on the way out.
Modern British restaurant
Before you book
Weather is the only real variable. Check the forecast the night before and have an indoor fallback (a gallery, a long lunch) ready for the inevitable downpour. The Boat Race towpath at Putney and Hammersmith gets genuinely busy, so arrive early or claim a pub terrace by noon. For the gardens, weekday mornings are quieter and the blossom photographs better in soft light than in harsh midday sun. Bloom timings shift a week or two each year with the weather, so check the venue’s own page before you travel out to Kew or Hampton Court.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
The Boat Race is our editor's choice: Oxford and Cambridge have rowed this four-and-a-bit-mile stretch of the Thames since the 1800s, and the early-April fixture is one of the great free days out in London. Stake a spot on the towpath at Putney or Hammersmith Bridge, or get to a riverside pub by late morning, and watch the crews thrash past in a few breathless minutes. Over 200,000 people line the banks, so the atmosphere does the heavy lifting. The Boat Race, Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival and Kew Gardens in blossom lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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