Apr 4, 2024 9 min read London

London for NERDS

A travel guide to a very dorky city.

Welcome to London, fellow dorks, geeks, nerds, bookworms, otakus and people who have a favourite My Little Pony! I'm sure you're already excited about London's major museums, very old buildings, pigeons, and other tourist highlights, but here are three lesser-known London itineraries specifically for geekier types (of all ages).

I'd suggest you allocate a full day for each adventure, so you've got plenty of time to accept side-quests you might find along the way. Depending on your budget and energy-levels, you might want to visit all of these places or just pick the ones that catch your eye.

See all these places on Google Maps.

Adventure 1: Soho and Chinatown

Nerd-vana for all ages.

If you're visiting London, do try to see at least one West End theatre show. Try LoveTheatre or TodayTix for discounted tickets, or check out this guide if you're really on a budget. Most of the theatres are around Soho, so this adventure is a perfect way to spend the afternoon before your show.

Start at the Forbidden Planet Megastore: a mega nerd shop on Shaftesbury Avenue. Great for collectables, merch and comics.
Nearby, check out Orcs Nest game shop for board games, Foyles for books, The Noble Collection for high-end merch, and Animetal for Anime collectibles, and SideQuest for e-sports. If you're feeling flush, do one of the Wands & Wizard Exploratorium experiences: potion-making, wizard's high tea or the wandmaker's workshop.
Make your way to Soho proper, which is most vibey around Greek Street and Dean Street. This is a great spot to stop for a drink and watch the people at any of the excellent pubs and bars. If you're feeling adventurous, there are plentiful hidden speakeasies in Soho, and half the fun is finding them. The Vault is hidden behind a bookcase, The Blind Pig is above a restaurant ... explore, ask around, or resort to Google. Do stop by Gosh!, one of my fave comic book shops in the city.
When it's getting close to dinner time, walk down to Chinatown. Leave yourself some time to wander around and browse the shops, where you'll find everything from K-beauty goops to waving lucky-cat sculptures. If you like rare antiquarian tomes, try Any Amount of Books, and if you like tiny bricks, try the LEGO store. Find somewhere for dinner: the food around here is generally excellent, but my faves are Plum Valley and Speedboat Bar (both have good vegan options).
Watch your show!
For a post-show drink, head to Waxy's Little Sister to try the fancy drinks elevator, or go back to Soho.

OPTIONAL SIDEQUEST - HOLBORN

If you've got LOTS of energy, you could add on a few quirky spots around Holborn at the start of this day, i.e. before you go to Forbidden Planet. It's a quick 15-minute walk or bus ride away.

Hunterian Museum for gory-but-fascinating surgical history and specimens in jars.
Novelty Automation for hilarious and bizarre hand-made arcade games. I cannot overstate how charming this place is.
Sir John Soane's Museum for classical sculptures and historical oddities.

If you're feeling ambitious, you could begin the day at the British Museum and look at all the excellent things the English stole from other countries, but you'd have to get a pretty early start - it's big.

Adventure 2: Camden

Great for otakus, goths and gamers.

On the weekends, I find Camden overwhelming and far too crowded, but if you've got a weekday to spare, you've got to check out Camden Market at least once in your life. Aim to spend about half a day here. Nerd highlights include plentiful Manga/goth/Anime/vintage/corset/comic shops, watching the ageing punks, Mega-City Comics for obscure back-issues, and Cyberdog for dressing like you're from the future. Full goths, check out Sai Sai (not for kids). If you're after a pair of stompy boots, skip the Doc Martens shop and rather head to The British Boot Company. Avoid the food at Camden Market itself, rather walk just 2-minutes to the far less busy Camden Lock Market.

When you are fully outpeopled, call it a day, or wander down the canal to Regent's Park, where you can sometimes spot the monkeys in the London Zoo. Alternatively, Camden's quite close to King's Cross, where you can see Platform 9 2/3 or go to the actually magical British Library.

Adventure 3: East London

Best for adults or older teens.

East London is more famous for hipsters than for nerds, but it's actually crammed full of dorky silliness if you know where to look. This is a fun one to do on a weekend if you can handle crowds, but still great on a weekday. I've got three variations of this depending on where you want to end up.

Note: Shoreditch itself can be pretty tiring, so if you're looking for a lower-energy afternoon, just begin route 1 or 2 in Hoxton.

Option 1: You want a quietish evening playing board games and crazy golf

Start in Shoreditch and head directly to Brick Lane for cool graffiti and East London vibes. Grab a breakfast/brunch/lunch snack at one of the many markets. Around here, you might want to check out the Brick Lane Vintage Market basement for odd old clothes, Rough Trade East for interesting new music inspiration, Freedom Press for anarchist literature, Libreria Bookshop which is tiny but adorable, Urbiana for affordable unusual jewellery, or trendy Spitalfields market. You could spend the whole day here, but rather pick just a couple of spots and then head on to the nerdier delights ahead of you. The one thing you should NOT miss is Dennis Severs' House (Thursday - Sundays only, best to buy tickets before you go), it's hard to describe, but it's basically an old house that tells a story through time.
When you're over the crowds and ready for some bigtime geekery, make your way up to Hoxton (a 15-30-minute walk or a quick bus/train away). Swing past the adorable Hoxton Street Monster Supplies where you can buy mermaid eggs and vials of human snot, then head to The Arcanist's Tavern, a tabletop gaming cafe with fantasy decor and tables for D&D and Warhammer. There's a themed cafe there if you just want to stop and refuel, or ensconce yourself for a few hours with a fantasy adventure. If you had a big morning in Shoreditch, or you're with young'uns, this is a perfectly good spot to end your day.
If you've still got some energy to spare though, walk (20-min) or bus (10-min) over to the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities for bizarro taxidermy. Afterwards, cross the road and walk down the steps to get onto the towpath that runs along the canal, then head west until you hit the Cat & Mutton bridge (5-min). Climb up the stairs there to Broadway, where you'll find many superb dinner spots (my faves are Koya Ko and Aya & Suki). After dinner, amble through the green London Fields to your final destination Plonk, for silly and cheerful late-night adventure golf and board games. Note that no under-18s are allowed after 5pm on weekdays, or at all on weekends.

Option 2: You want an evening playing board games in a buzzy area with the option to go catch some experimental live music, theatre or comedy afterwards

This route sees you spending the evening in Dalston, a rough-around-the-edges but fascinating hub of experimental music, theatre, comedy and arts. Plan your day by figuring out your evening plans and working backwards. I'd check what's on at EartH, Dalston Jazz Bar, the Arcola Theatre, Cafe OTO, The Jago, Ridley Road Market Bar, The Shacklewell Arms, and Rio Cinema. If you're after LGBTQ+ fun, try Dalston Superstore and The Divine. If nothing catches your fancy, try neighbouring Hackney Central (MOTH, Paper Dress, Hackney Empire, Two Palms, Oslo).

Start in Shoreditch and head directly to Brick Lane for cool graffiti and East London vibes. Grab a breakfast/brunch/lunch snack at one of the many markets. Around here, you might want to check out the Brick Lane Vintage Market basement for odd old clothes, Rough Trade East for interesting new music inspiration, Freedom Press for anarchist literature, Libreria Bookshop which is tiny but adorable, Urbiana for affordable unusual jewellery, or trendy Spitalfields market. You could spend the whole day here, but rather pick just a couple of spots and then head on to the nerdier delights ahead of you. The one thing you should NOT miss is Dennis Severs' House (Thursday - Sundays only, best to buy tickets before you go), it's hard to describe, but it's basically an old house that tells a story through time.
When you're over the crowds and ready for some bigtime geekery, you've got two choices. If you're more of a tabletop gaming nerd (D&D and Warhammer), make your way up to Hoxton (a 15-30-minute walk or a quick bus/train away). Swing past the adorable Hoxton Street Monster Supplies where you can buy mermaid eggs and vials of human snot, before ensconcing yourself at The Arcanist's Tavern, a tabletop gaming cafe with fantasy decor and tables for all your favourite games. Or, if you're more into board games, take the bus or Overground to Dalston Kingsland and head to Draughts, a gorgeous Art Deco board game club with an extensive games library, until it's time to go to your show.
End the evening doing your fun thing! Psst... both The Arcanist and Draughts serve food, but other good dinner options in Dalston are Acme Fire Cult, Voodoo Ray's and Mangal II.

Option 3: You want to brave London's nightlife and go clubbing, because geeks can contain multitudes?

If you're up for a proper Night Out at the Club, do this route backwards to end in Shoreditch.

Start your day grabbing lunch on Broadway in London Fields (if it's a weekend, there'll be a market, but there are plenty of cute brunch spots there any day of the week (my faves are Koya Ko and Aya & Suki). If you've got lots of energy, swing past the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities for bizarro taxidermy.
Take the bus, or walk down past Hackney City Farm to Hoxton (20-mins). If it's a Sunday, you could add a side-quest to the Columbia Road Flower Market, or head straight to The Arcanist's Tavern, a tabletop gaming cafe with fantasy decor and tables for D&D and Warhammer. There's a themed cafe there if you just want to stop and refuel, or ensconce yourself for a few hours with a fantasy adventure.
Continue on to the top of Brick Lane in Shoreditch for cool graffiti and East London vibes. Around here, you might want to check out the Brick Lane Vintage Market basement for odd old clothes, Rough Trade East for interesting new music inspiration, Freedom Press for anarchist literature, Libreria Bookshop which is tiny but adorable, Urbiana for affordable unusual jewellery, or trendy Spitalfields market. Explore Dennis Severs' House (Thursday - Sundays only, best to buy tickets before you go), it's hard to describe, but it's basically an old house that tells a story through time.
Have dinner in Shoreditch. For the quintessential London experience, it's got to be at at Dishoom, probably our most famous Indian restaurant, but I also like Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles and Brother Marcus. Follow your nose to any of Shoreditch's many many vibey bars and pubs for pre-drinks, before heading to a club. The big ones are Village Underground, XOYO and Queen of Hoxton.

A few more favourite nerdy London suggestions:

There are SO many delightful free nerdy lectures on every day of the week in the city, on any topic you can imagine. Check Gresham College, Royal Society, Conway Hall and the Lectures London directory.
London's big on immersive theatre/game type things. The most famous ones are by Punchdrunk, but it's often impossible to get tickets. Phantom Peak is WILD fun. It's like playable family-friendly Westworld. I've heard good things about the Stranger Things experience, and mixed reviews of the Doctor Who experience.
Walking tours are one of the best ways to get to know the city. Dig online, and you'll find tours relating to almost any topic you're into.
Japanophiles, there's a tiny but magical Japanese gallery in Islington that has original Studio Ghibli storyboards.
There are a bunch of real-world adventure games which take you around the city solving clues, kind of like escape rooms that also let you see the sights. Hidden City has some great ones.
Keep an eye out for candlelight concerts of your favourite fantasy/sci-fi soundtracks.
There are games pubs all around the city. The three big chains are Draughts (board games), Loading Bar (a mix of board games and consoles), and Four Quarters (really fun old-school arcades but with beer). There are plenty of e-sports bars around if you're missing your high-end gaming PC back home (try New Meta or SideQuest).
I haven't mentioned all the major museums and touristy things because you already know about them, but that doesn't mean they're not great. I particularly love the Tower of London, the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, the British Museum and the Science Museum. Small kids ADORE the Transport Museum and the Natural History Museum. The Young V&A is a lesser-known museum with brilliant free exhibitions for nerds-in-training.

Enjoy, fellow dorks! Let me know in the comments which of your favourite geeky activities I've missed.

Sam