Virtually London: things to do at home

Online concerts and music festivals

• Catch up on Glitterbox Virtual Festivals, events and DJ sets from London-based label Defected Records.
• Learn more about musicians and other notable people from Brent, last year's Mayor's London Borough of Culture, in a video series as part of Brent 2020 Unlocked.

Streamed shows and London theatre

• Head over to Official London Theatre's YouTube channel for your fix of theatre, behind-the-scenes videos and interviews...
• Hear a global cast read complete Shakespearean works with The Show Must Go Online.
• Watch as dancers from The Royal Ballet perform in The Nutcracker in Rehearsal on the Royal Opera House YouTube channel. 
• Get to know dance companies with Digital Stage in Focus and view full-length dance films and performances on Sadler’s Wells' Digital Stage.
• Make use of free content on Globe Player, Shakespeare’s Globe’s online platform, which also offers recordings of its productions for a small fee.
• Enjoy a virtual cabaret evening introduced by Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen and Jennifer Saunders in An Evening at Joe’s on YouTube. 
• Listen to Beethoven’s Prometheus narrated by Stephen Fry in a Philharmonia Session on YouTube. 
• Try the Morpheus experience, an immersive online theatre show that will leave you speechless. 
• Watch the We Begin Again musical on YouTube, starring the National Theatre’s Public Acts community members.

Paid-for live streamed performances

• Stream Royal Opera House shows as part of the #OurHouseToYourHouse series (from £3).
• Watch Othello, Mosquitoes, The Cherry Orchard and Julie with the National Theatre at Home (from £4.99).
• Rent some of English National Ballet's most popular dance films during the Digital Season, including Laid in Earth, La Sylphide and Le Corsaire with Ballet on Demand (from £3.49).
• Watch Tony and Olivier Award-winning stage productions from London's West End on Stage2View (from £4.99).
• Laugh out loud to an improvised show with Mischief Movie Night In, which streams movies every week (from £10).

Recipes and online cooking classes

• Brush up on your culinary skills with Borough Market’s online sessions on IGTV.
• Bring tastes from some of Carnaby’s top eateries into your home by recreating their favourite dishes: Crumbs and Doilies, The Detox Kitchen, Dishoom, Kaleido and Pizza Pilgrims are all involved.
• Gain new skills with recipes for beginners on The Cookery School at Little Portland Street’s blog.
• Experience Covent Garden cuisine from the comfort of your own home with easy-to-make recipes from Avobar, Frenchie and Frog by Adam Handling.
• Learn how to ice like a pro and create Insta-worthy biscuits as part of the Biscuiteers ice-olation challenge – things to do when you're bored never tasted so sweet!
• Try something new in the kitchen with the Cooking with Tom Aikens cookery classes.
• Pick up some simple and quick recipes to make in your kitchen with Itsu's Fake Off [the professionals] on Instagram.

Online art and craft workshops

• From costume making to hosting your own show to getting crafty with puppets, the Barbican’s Read, Watch & Listen activities are perfect for adults and bored kids alike.
• Embrace your inner fashionista while brushing up on new techniques, as well as hearing from top designers, makers and curators, on the Fashion and Textile Museum’s blog.

Gardening tips and tricks

• Keep your green fingers active with top tips from Covent Garden's Head Gardener and horticulture expert Kenny Raybould.

• Train like Anthony Joshua with Instagram sessions from his Chiltern Street boxing gym BXR London.  
• Get world-class ballet training at home from English National Ballet's team of instructors with BalletActive.
• Take your pick from classes by Third Space's personal trainers and yoga teachers on IGTV. 
• Catch up on JAB Boxing's boxing classes or punch your way to fitness with workouts from Kobox, on Instagram. 
• No kit, no problem! Check out Psycle's workouts on Instagram, including yoga and barre classes. 
• Take time out to try free yoga and barre with FLY LDN. 
• Find some inner calm during online meditation classes with Inner Space.
• Join a five-minute meditation with National Gallery, based on artist Odilon Redon’s painting Ophelia Among the Flowers.
• Soothe your soul with uplifting poetry from the National Poetry Library.
• Get the sweat flowing with Cirq’s 15-minute HIIT sessions. 

Keep watch on some of London’s top attractions with these webcams of London.

Museum and gallery virtual tours

• Visit the National Gallery without leaving the house – there are hundreds of paintings to explore, so put the kettle on and get ready for hours of exploration.
• Step inside the beating heart of the UK government as you go behind the scenes on a virtual tour of the Houses of Parliament, including the famous House of Commons Chamber. 
• Travel through time as you learn more about the objects that shaped history with the British Museum’s virtual tour.
• Get expert takes on exhibits and delve into the stories hidden within the Royal Museums Greenwich through videos, talks and archived material.
• Ride the underground Mail Rail, virtually, with The Postal Museum’s narrated 10-minute video.
• Experience a mix of digital content from various art forms, shared by the Barbican's Read, Watch & Listen programme.
• See animal exhibits, Hope the whale and many other natural wonders of the Natural History Museum using the Google Arts & Culture tour.
• Take a virtual tour of "Britain’s Sistine Chapel" and marvel at the Baroque interiors of the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College.
• Enjoy an online experience of the Royal Academy of Art's Summer Exhibition 2020.
• Experience a subterranean world of dark tunnels, disused stations and forgotten spaces, with the London Transport Museum's virtual Hidden London tours of the London Underground.

• It doesn’t come much more iconic than a tour of the Tower of London with a Beefeater – and you can now do it from home with a fact-filled video tour. 
• Step inside the regal walls of Buckingham Palace on a virtual tour of the Throne Room.
• Strap yourself into your favourite armchair and explore London with video installments of Twizy Tours' tours, all filmed from its quirky electric cars.
• Take a high-speed trip along the Thames with Thames Rockets’ 360-degree virtual RIB ride.
• Be amazed by the art deco interiors of Eltham Palace or explore its gardens on Google Arts & Culture virtual tours.
• See the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and the Coronation Chair on a virtual tour of Westminster Abbey, one of London's most iconic places of worship.
• Be guided around London with Golden Tours' virtual experiences of the capital.
• Check out the likes of The Beatles’ Abbey Road crossing and pretty Little Venice without moving from your spot with British Tours 360 images.
• Take in the tranquility of Kew Gardens with a video tour of the famous grounds, including its sparkling glasshouses.
• Time to walk the line... Greenwich’s art walkway, The Line, can now be explored online on a virtual interactive tour.
• Navigate around top sights on a 360-degree virtual tour of London attractions.

Online tour guides

• Keep an eye out for London Walks' donation-only virtual tours. Other virtual tours are available for a small fee.
• Delve into the history of some of London's much-loved areas with Alex Lacey's #GlobalTeaBreak series on Instagram.
• Follow Dani the Guide for quirky London history, its people and lesser-known stories.
• Find out more about London areas, sights and its notable people with Guide Emily.
• Join The Association Of Professional Tour Guides (APTG) for London-themed broadcasts on YouTube.
• Explore the capital's best bits from the comfort of your own home with Footprints of London virtual walking tours.

London virtual exhibitions

• Calling all Harry Potter fans... Magic, myths and witchcraft combine in an online version of the British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition.
• Join the curators of the Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern, as they give a room-by-room tour of the pop artist's life and works.
• Explore the monochrome works of Aubrey Beardsley at Tate Britain.
• See the world's longest public artwork online via a Google Arts & Culture tour of Illuminated River, taking in four of London's bridges at night. Or join tour guide Katie Wignall of Look Up London on a virtual guided tour of the installation.
• Delve into some of Picasso's most intriguing works on a virtual tour of the Royal Academy of Arts' exhibition Picasso and Paper.
• Become inspired by five pioneering Black British women, who have become leaders in their fields, with Stories of Black Leadership II: Breaking Barriers from the Black Cultural Archives.
• Take a look at the Florence Nightingale Museum’s online guide to learn more about “The Lady with the Lamp”.
• Step back to 1851, when Hyde Park hosted The Great Exhibition. Learn all about the industrial age with a virtual tour of this epic event housed in the “Crystal Palace”.
• Catch a glimpse of life in the UK during lockdown as the National Portrait Gallery hosts Hold Still. 

• Go behind the scenes and explore the British Museum's podcast.
• Learn fun facts about some of London's favourite parks and their inhabitants, from the St James’s Park pelicans and tiny bugs to Trooping the Colour, with the Royal Parks Podcast.
• Delve into lesser-known stories of art icons and movements with Tate's Walks of Art podcasts.
• Learn about the history of one of London's most famous landmarks with Tower Bridge podcasts.
• Mingle with thinkers, artists and performers with Southbank Centre’s podcasts.
• Gain insight from the world’s top playwrights in Royal Court Playwright’s Podcasts, including the co-writer of hit BBC3 series Normal People, Alice Birch.
• Join Stephen Fry and the Barbican for a look at music, art, mental health and a combination of all three with The Art of Change podcasts.
• Hear from world leaders and thinkers in the fields of science, engineering, health and business, with Imperial College London's monthly podcast.
• Learn more about the centre of government, from its furniture to sculptures, with free online talks from the Houses of Parliament.
• Explore further into the British Library’s collections with talks and discussions on its YouTube channel.
• Work through the history of the British Army, its conflicts and little-known stories, with the National Army Museum’s live talks.
• Join Imperial War Museum's new innovation hub, IWM Institute, for debates, podcasts and virtual festivals including Refugee Nights.

• Assemble a team for a quiz about Tower Bridge, put together by a team of expert guides and historians.
• Enjoy a quiz with a difference with Sink the Pink’s outlandish LGBT+ quiz night on IGTV, offering its usual mix of cabaret, drag and cocktails.
• Know your Mozart from your Monteverdi? Test your classical music knowledge with the London Symphony Orchestra’s quiz on Instagram Stories.
• Create a new masterpiece to share each day with the #RADailyDoodle on Twitter, set by the Royal Academy.
• Take part in online talks and quizzes with the Natural History Museum's Lates Online series. 

• Snuggle up to free short films from BFI Player.
• Relive classic London films from your collection, whether rom-com Notting Hill, thrill-a-minute James Bond or post-apocalyptic horror 28 Days Later. 

Creative kids activities from home

• Fancy bringing a touch of magic to your home? Have a go at film-making, costume design and more with Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
• Experience the magic of Disney's West End shows with a range of fun crafts for kids, from mask-making for the Lion King to creating Mary Poppins storyboards.
• Step into the Georgian era or the 1960s with fun tasks based around George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix at Handel & Hendrix in London.
• Keep the kids' art skills as sharp as ever while at home with Tate's range of activities, from games to online and offline resources.
• Get creative with book-themed fun with the British Library, from drawing The Gruffalo to making a tiny book.
• Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage is hosting dance workshops for children and over-60s.

Fun learning ideas

• Enjoy visiting the City of London from home, with everything from virtual exhibitions to activities for all ages.
• Be transported to another world with learning resources created by scientists and astronomers from the Royal Observatory.
• Mix art, science, coding and more with Royal Museums Greenwich's Cabin Fever: Maritime Home Learning.
• Make the most of transport-inspired activities, quizzes, games and learning resources for children from the London Transport Museum.
• Welcome to the Museum of Fundon. Take part in the Museum of London's family activities, from a Great Fire of London game and Roundhouse quiz, to puppetry.
• Stage a royal coronation, make your own secret sign language and play navigation games online with Westminster Abbey.
• Delve into history with the Imperial War Museums' new digital programme, Adventures in History, including virtual tours, collections and stories online.
• Keep the kids learning and entertained with the Science Museum's online activities, games and apps. The museum also joined forces with the BBC to provide Bitesize Lockdown Learning, a series of interactive online lessons using videos, quizzes and practice activities to help with home learning.

Behind the scenes at London attractions

• Watch as the zookeepers reveal behind-the-scenes footage in ZSL London zoo videos.
• Enjoy a look at the SEA LIFE London Aquarium with live streams taken by its team.

If you're chatting to friends and family online, you can experience London from home with stunning Zoom virtual backgrounds showing the best of the city.

Looking for more inspiration?

Make sure to head to Visit London’s IGTV to discover our London Stories video series, which shines a light on the people who make up the very fabric of the capital.

Plan ahead for things to do in London – from attractions, to key events and ideas for each month. We’ll see you again soon!