Things to do in South London: From art and animals to green space

Looking for alt arts and a mix of cuisines and cultures? Cross the river, says Ben Norum 
Bright lights: The South Bank is the gateway to south of the river
Charles Bowman
Ben Norum6 April 2017

Our pick of the best events and attractions in South London:

Free

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Imperial War Museum near Kennington and both the Arcadia Missa Gallery and South London Gallery in Peckham are free and offer hours of entertainment — as is Tate Modern and the many attractions of the neighbouring Southbank Centre. For nature’s own art, take a walk along the Wandle Trail, which follows the route of the River Wandle from Wandsworth to Croydon and takes in all manner of flora and fauna en route.

Explore

Combine two of south London’s best explorative pursuits in one — walking and museums. Start at East Dulwich station and take in the nearby House of Dreams, created by artist Stephen Wright. It’s a remarkable space where every surface inside and out has been covered with found items including false teeth, dolls, bottle tops and wigs. Wander through the leafy streets to Dulwich Picture Gallery, where attractions include a Vanessa Bell exhibition, before a picturesque stroll through Dulwich Park to the quirky Horniman Museum.

Now

While you’re at the Horniman Museum, you might want to check out the Easter fair, complete with egg hunt that runs across the long weekend. It includes a selection of arts and crafts stalls plus a storytelling performance inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Alternatively, head for Easter fun at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo, where kids will love seeking out eggs hidden in the animal enclosures or having the chance to make their own rabbit ears while hanging out with bunnies.

In the house: Warm and winterproofed Hawker House

Eat

The food scene in South London is among the most diverse in the world, with options from almost every cuisine under the sun. There’s no better place to see these cultures collide than at Brixton Village, where jerk and Japanese rub shoulders with burgers, Beijing street food and the best of British. Hawker House in Canada Water is another hub: as well as taking street food to the next level it features eight bars. Closer to the centre, take a trip to the touristy but epic Borough Market and its more local sibling on Maltby Street.

There’s food for all the family in Brixton. During the day, Pop Brixton is the perfect place, with so much choice between street food and shipping container restaurants that there’ll be something to please everyone.

Try Franzina Trattoria for Sicilian, World of Wurst for international sausages, or Donut Round for fresh, warm doughnuts. Those wishing (and old enough) to partake can also pay Ghost Whale a visit for an array of unusual beers.

Visit standard.co.uk/thingstodo for our pick of the best events and attractions around London.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT