Cultural London
On SOAS's doorstep have world-famous galleries, museums, theatres, festivals, shops, markets and parks for you to explore - many of them for free.
Among the city’s 380 public libraries is the British Library, within walking distance of our central London campuses, and home to the Magna Carta, one of the most famous documents in the world. With over 200 professional theatres, you could visit a different show every weekend.
London is also home to more than 800 cinemas, including our own historic Regent Street Cinema, and over 32,000 music performances take place across the city each year. London is a lively, fashionable city where things happen and it often leads the way in art, music and fashion.
Museums and galleries
There are hundreds of museums and galleries across the city – here are just a few of the best known among them:
- British Library
- British Museum
- Design Museum
- Hayward Gallery
- Institute of Contemporary Arts
- Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
- Museum of London
- National Archives
- National Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- Natural History Museum
- Photographers' Gallery
- Saatchi Gallery
- Science Museum
- Tate Modern and Tate Britain
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Wallace Collection
- Wellcome Collection
Theatre
The West End is where all the best known theatres are. The best place to buy tickets is online at lastminute.com or boxoffice.co.uk.
Apart from the musicals and plays, you can also see theatre at the Globe, the Scoop and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre during the summer. The Scoop also shows free films.
There are also some good ‘fringe’ theatres, such as Battersea Arts Centre at Clapham Junction.
Don't miss the opportunity to visit the historic Royal Opera House.
London online
The following websites are useful resources that will help you find great things to do and deals and offers to make your time with us as productive and enjoyable as possible:
