Are you looking for fun activities in the City of London?

The City of London has so much to offer in terms of historical monuments and new developments (a real contrast of old & new) amazing bars and restaurants, rooftop views and luxury retail. I have always loved exploring the winding streets and become immersed in the City’s beauty. This blog post gives you ideas of fun activities in the City of London!

Free views of the City of London

Stunning views of the City for free?! Yes, that is exactly what you can get at the Sky Garden and The Garden at 120. Access to the Sky Garden in the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ building right near Fenchurch Street is free of charge on weekdays 10am-6pm and weekends 11am-9pm.

Tickets must be booked in advance and there is a time limit of 1 hour from entry. They are available three weeks in advance and, given how popular the venue is being the capital’s highest public garden, I definitely recommend setting the alarm! If you fancy a longer visit, The Sky Garden also had two restaurants (Darwin Brasserie and Fenchurch Restaurant) and three bars (Sky Pod, City Garden and Fenchurch Terrace).

The Garden at 120 Fenchurch Street is the City of London’s largest public rooftop space at 15 stories high. The landscape is home to 85 Italian wisteria trees, over 30 fruit trees and a 200ft-long flowing water feature.

It is open Monday to Friday between 10am-6pm without a booking unless your group is 12 or more.

Swing your heart out at Mini Golf

If you’re looking for fun activities in the City of London, mini golf always provides entertainment! The best bit is that there are three venues that you can choose from to swing your heart out.

First up is Swingers which is situated right by the Gherkin. It has 2 bespoke crazy golf courses, 5 cocktail bars and 3 street food vendors (Pizza Pilgrims, Patty & Bun and Breddos Tacos) which makes it a great venue for an entire night out! It’s £13 per person for 1 round of crazy golf (9 holes) during peak hours or £10 per person off-peak (Monday-Wednesday before 5pm). Golf, food and drinks packages are also available.

Next up is Junkyard Golf, just moments away from Liverpool Street Station. As the name suggests, the different courses are literally made from pieces of junk / scrap which are cleverly designed to create themed courses. This includes ‘Bozo’ featuring circus freaks & fairground creeps or ‘Gary’ with scrapyard cars and auto-junk! The off-peak tickets (Sunday-Wednesday) are £11 per person and peak tickets (Thursday-Saturday) are £13 per person.

Puttshack is the newest crazy golf addition to the City, located near Bank. The main difference to Swingers and Junkyard Golf is that it’s tech infused mini golf with an auto scoring system! The golf balls automatically track your game so no one has to be in charge of adding up those scores. Off-peak tickets (Sunday only) are £10 per person and peak tickets are £13.50 per person. Food is available at Puttshuck with the menu featuring pizza, burgers, shareables and delights from the robata grill.

Get locked up in prison

Are you ready to enter Cell Block Two One Two in an unassuming location in the City and join the Alcotraz smuggling gang?!

Your first job is to smuggle in the liquor of your choice. Make sure you befriend the guards who will help you smuggle it past the Warden. You must put on your orange jumpsuit and you will be guided to your cell to pass your sentence! Make sure you tell the guards on duty behind the bar what you like in your cocktail. They will use your smuggled in liquor to concoct 4 cocktails during your 1hr 45min stay. They have a selection of homemade syrups, juices and bitters and are well trained in the job.

Alcotraz is designed to meet the growing trend for immersive nights out and is a great BYOB in the City. It’s open from Tuesday to Sunday at £35.99 a ticket which includes entry, four cocktails (you pay for the booze) and the entertainment.

Tower Bridge glass floor walk

Did you know that you can walk across Tower Bridge?! I didn’t realise this for ages and really loved the experience. The glass floor walkway offers awesome birds-eye views of London life from 42 metres above the River Thames and 33.5 metres above road level.

You get to see all of the cars (and of course the London buses) driving over the bridge as well as the boats sailing under it. If you don’t want to look down, the views also include The Shard, Monument, St Paul’s and many more London sights. Tickets are only £10.60 and include access to the Towers, West Walkway, Glass Floor and Engine Rooms. If you are a resident of Tower Hamlets, the City of London or Southwark, the entry is only £1!

Rooftop dining and drinking

The City of London is a prime spot for rooftop dining and drinking with beautiful views. Here are some of my favourites:

• Iris Bar situated on the 40^th dome floor of the Gherkin

• 14 Hills situated on the 14^th floor of 120 Fenchurch Street

• City Social located on the 24^th floor of Tower 42

• Coq D’Argent situated on the top of No.1 Poultry

• Sushi Samba located on the 38^th floor of The Heron Tower

• Savage Garden located on the 12^th floor of the DoubleTree Hilton

• Mercer Roof Terrace situated on the top of Vintry and Mercer hotel

• The Aviary located on the 10^th floor of the Montcalm Royal London House Hotel

Climb 311 steps to the top of Monument

Climbing The Monument was one of the first things I did when I moved to London and it remains a great place to visit in the City today. The Monument commemorates one of the most significant events in London’s history – the Great Fire of 1666. It stands 202 feet in height and width to the west of the spot where the Great Fire started on Pudding Lane.

311 spiral steps lead up to the public viewing platform which offers stunning views of London from 160 feet above ground. The Monument is only currently open at weekends but keep an eye on the website in case that changes. Tickets are available to purchase on the day and are a bargain price of £5.40. You even get a certificate to take home!

Play competitive interactive darts

This is not darts as you know it – this is electronic Social Darts at Flight Club right near Moorgate! You can play a selection of four games which are electronically scored for you (no maths needed here) in an oche playing area which can hold up to 12 guests.

It is only £10 per person for 90 minutes which is money well spent for this fun and competitive activity! Between Thursday and Sunday there is also the option to experience Brunch Social combining darts, pizza and bottomless prosecco. Who knows if your skills will improve the more fizz you drink…

Make sure you book well in advance (especially during peak times) as Flight Club unsurprisingly remains a very popular venue. 

This was a paid partnership with The City of London as part of their #SquareSmile campaign to encourage people to re-discover The City – all views are my own.

You may also be interested in my blog post on places to visit in the City of London