London guides

Streatham sits in a green, well-connected pocket of south London, and a lot is close. All of these are reachable by bus or train in about half an hour.

• Streatham Common & The Rookery — A five to ten minute walk up from the flat. A wide green slope leading to a free ornamental garden with terraced flower beds and a rock garden, plus big views from the top. Free, gates close at dusk.
• Brixton Village & Market — About 15 minutes by bus (159, 133, 250) or train. Covered arcades packed with independent kitchens and shops. Free to wander; some restaurants close Mondays.
• The Horniman Museum & Gardens — About 25 to 35 minutes by bus. A free museum with the famous over-stuffed walrus, a ticketed aquarium, and 16 acres of gardens with one of the widest views over the city.
• Brockwell Park — About 15 minutes. A hilltop park with a walled garden, ponds, skyline views and an art-deco lido. Note the park hosts large festivals in summer that fence off part of it.
• Tooting Common & markets — About 10 to 15 minutes. A big flat common with an ornamental lake and lido, plus two covered food markets nearby where Franco Manca began.
• Crystal Palace Park & the dinosaurs — About 25 to 35 minutes. The Grade I-listed Victorian dinosaur sculptures, the first anywhere in the world, around the lake. Free and open through the day.
• Dulwich Picture Gallery — About 20 to 30 minutes by train to West Dulwich. England’s oldest purpose-built public gallery, Old Masters and a café. Ticketed, usually closed Mondays.

Three stations, Streatham, Streatham Common and Streatham Hill, run into Victoria, Blackfriars and London Bridge, and the Victoria line from Brixton reaches the West End in minutes. Tap in with a contactless card and your fares are capped for the day.

The free museums

• British Museum — About 40 to 45 minutes via Victoria. The Rosetta Stone, the mummies and the Parthenon sculptures. Free; a free timed ticket helps on busy days.
• South Kensington museums — The Natural History Museum, the V&A and the Science Museum on one street, about 40 to 45 minutes via Victoria. All free.
• Tate Modern & the South Bank — About 20 minutes on the Thameslink to Blackfriars, then over the river. Free gallery, riverside walk, and Borough Market a little further east.

The big sights

• Westminster — About 30 minutes via Victoria for the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, with Buckingham Palace and the royal parks a short walk on.
• Tower of London & Tower Bridge — About 40 to 50 minutes via London Bridge. The Crown Jewels and the Beefeaters; walking the bridge is free.
• Greenwich — About 50 to 60 minutes, nicest via the DLR. The Prime Meridian, the Cutty Sark, a free maritime museum and a covered market.
• Kew Gardens — About 45 to 55 minutes via Clapham Junction. 300 acres of gardens and glasshouses; ticketed, cheaper booked online.

Streatham eats well, and a short ride puts you in two of the best food scenes in south London. A quick word before you travel: independents change and opening days move, so it is worth a check, and we are happy to point you to whatever is best that week.

On the doorstep in Streatham

• Bravi Ragazzi — The neighbourhood’s much-loved wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria. Small and busy, so expect a wait at peak times.
• Hood — The grown-up option: modern British small plates and a good wine list. Worth booking at weekends.
• Franco Manca — Reliable, good-value sourdough pizza, and the chain began a few minutes away in Brixton Market.
• A proper pub — The Manor Arms for craft beer, or The Railway near Streatham Common for a Sunday roast and a garden.

A short ride away

• Brixton Village — Covered arcades of independent kitchens, a place to wander and decide on the spot. Boqueria nearby for a sit-down tapas treat.
• Tooting — Two covered markets and, on the streets around them, some of the best South Asian food in London at friendly prices.

We write our own local guides and keep them current. Message us any time for an up-to-date recommendation for your dates.

South London is greener than people expect, and Streatham sits in the middle of it. Most of these are flat and surfaced enough for a buggy; the hills are called out below.

• Streatham Common, The Rookery & Norwood Grove — The doorstep walk. About 1.5 to 2 miles, 45 to 75 minutes. Grassy and uphill to the ornamental gardens and the view at the top. Dogs off-lead on the Common.
• Tooting Common — About 15 to 20 minutes’ walk away. A flat 2.5 to 3 mile loop on wide avenues past the lake and lido. Excellent for prams and wheelchairs.
• Brockwell Park — The one with the view. A hilly 2 to 2.5 mile circuit to Brockwell Hall, with a walled garden, ponds and a skyline of the City and the Shard.
• The Capital Ring — London’s signposted orbital path passes through Streatham Common. Walk a half-section for 1.5 to 2 hours, with a station at each end so you can ride back.
• Crystal Palace Park — About 2 miles and an hour, hilly, taking in the Victorian dinosaurs, the lakes and the old terraces.
• Dulwich Park — The flat, accessible, pretty one. A 1.5 to 2 mile loop on wide surfaced paths, with a lake and, in late spring, spectacular rhododendrons.

A wet day is easy to fill from Streatham. For anything with set session times, the ice rink and pool especially, it is worth checking the current timetable before you head out.

• Skate or swim on the High Road — A leisure centre with a full-size ice rink alongside swimming pools, a short walk or bus from the flat. Public skating runs to a timetable, so book ahead.
• The Horniman Museum — Free, indoor, with the aquarium a reliable winner with children. About 25 to 35 minutes.
• Dulwich Picture Gallery — A calm, grown-up afternoon among Old Masters, with a good café. Ticketed; check hours.
• Brixton Village — Food, warmth and life entirely under cover, about 15 minutes away.
• A film at the Ritzy — Streatham has no cinema of its own, but the Ritzy in Brixton is one of London’s best-loved picture houses, about 15 minutes away.
• London’s free museums by train — Tate Modern (about 20 minutes to Blackfriars), the British Museum, and the South Kensington museums are all free and all indoors.