Curator’s statement
London has always felt like stepping into the pages of my favorite books—a city where stories come alive on every corner, from Shakespeare’s Globe to Bloomsbury’s quiet squares. Exploring its literary landmarks connects me to the voices of Austen, Dickens, Woolf, and so many others who have shaped the way I see the world. It’s a place where my love of history, words, and wonder all meet in one unforgettable journey.
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Things to do in London
48 Doughty Street was Charles Dickens’s home from March 25, 1837, to December 1839. When it came up for sale in 1920, it was saved by the Dickens Fellowship, which bought the property’s freehold. It was opened as a museum in 1925, 100 years ago.
Bloomsbury Literary Walking Tour: Explore the haunts of Woolf, the Stephensons, and the Bloomsbury Group.
Charles Dickens Museum (48 Doughty Street): Visit Dickens’s restored home with original manuscripts and intimate rooms.
Shakespeare’s Globe & Exhibition: Just south of the Thames, catch a tour and perhaps a family‑friendly matinee.
Keats House, Hampstead: A charming villa where John Keats composed his best works.
Westminster Abbey – Poets’ Corner: See memorials to Chaucer, T.S. Eliot, Austen, the Brontës, and more.
Places to eat & drink in London
One of the oldest pubs in London, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666
The Wolseley (Piccadilly): A grand café where writers, artists, and thinkers gather. Ian Fleming was a regular nearby, and it has that James Bond glamor. Perfect for elegant afternoon tea or breakfast.
The British Library Café (St Pancras): Sit just steps away from treasures like Shakespeare’s First Folio and Virginia Woolf’s notebooks. It’s a casual café, but the setting makes it thrilling for any literature lover.
Maison Bertaux (Soho): London’s oldest French patisserie (since 1871), long frequented by artists and bohemians. Francis Bacon, George Orwell, and even Derek Jarman were known to visit.
Poet Café at Keats House (Hampstead): A seasonal outdoor café next to John Keats’s former home and garden—imagine sipping coffee where he wrote “Ode to a Nightingale.”
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Fleet Street): One of the oldest pubs in London, rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666. Frequented by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Samuel Johnson. Its dark, winding rooms feel like stepping back in time.
The George Inn (Southwark): London’s only surviving galleried coaching inn, referenced by Dickens in Little Dorrit. Shakespeare’s actors likely performed here, and it’s still a bustling pub today.
The Lamb (Bloomsbury): A Victorian pub with “snob screens” once popular with the Bloomsbury Group. Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, and Lytton Strachey drank here.
Rules (Covent Garden): London’s oldest restaurant (est. 1798), mentioned in works by Dickens and Graham Greene. It’s all about classic British game dishes. You’ll dine surrounded by portraits and a sense of literary nostalgia.
Simpson’s in the Strand: Once a chess-playing hotspot for Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and other Victorian literati. Famous for traditional British roasts carved tableside.
Delaunay (Aldwych): While newer, this Viennese-inspired grand café is near the West End theaters and publishing houses. It’s a modern-day haunt for authors, playwrights, and critics.
Need to know
Join a literary walking tour: Local guides bring hidden stories, author anecdotes, and historic streets to life in ways you can’t get from a guidebook.
Pause in historic cafés or pubs: Don’t just sightsee—sit where writers like Dickens, Woolf, or Orwell once gathered, and soak in the atmosphere over tea or a pint.
See a play at Shakespeare’s Globe or the West End: Experience London’s literary magic onstage and feel part of the city’s living storytelling tradition.
Travel Advisor
Alyssa Shelton Curry
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For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our London page.