The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is one of the most beautiful and impressive parts of London.
Virtually spilling over with amazing museums, stunning architecture, pretty parks and fun attractions, you could easily spend a week’s holiday in this part of London alone.
Here are eight amazing things to do if you’re visiting Chelsea.
Shop in style
This is definitely one of London’s premium shopping neighbourhoods, home to some of the most prestigious designer stores and fashionable boutiques anywhere in the capital.
Arguably London’s most famous and iconic store, Harrods, is based just down from the Knightsbridge tube stop and should be visited even if you’re not in the market for designer clothes and handbags.
Just remember that the dress code can be quite strict, so make sure you’re not dressed down when you visit.
It’s also definitely worth visiting the hotspots of King’s Road and Sloane Street, which are both home to designer stores as well as trendy bars and restaurants.
A trip to Chelsea really isn’t complete without wandering around the shops – make sure you keep an eye out for celebrities, who can often he found spending their money here.
Relax in Hyde Park
Hyde Park is a large Royal Park, and one of London’s most popular green spaces. If you just fancy a wander round to see the sights, you can see a huge range of statues, memorials, fountains and sculptures.
Some of the most famous include the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial, as well as the Wellington Arch. There are also regular events that take place in the park so depending on when you’re visiting it can be worth checking out what’s on.
One particularly fun experience is to take a guided walking tour of the park. There are a number of different routes and they offer the chance to learn about the wildlife, culture and history of the park.
Dining with a reputation
There are only four restaurants in the UK that have achieved triple Michelin star status – and one of them sits in the heart of Chelsea.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, the flagship of the world-famous chef offers a truly exceptional dining experience, although unsurprisingly it does tend to get booked out quite a long time in advance.
If you’re looking for a more relaxed and casual dinner there’s a huge range of options in virtually every kind of world cuisine imaginable.
Another must-do culinary stop in the area is the local branch of The Hummingbird Bakery, where you can sample their incredible red velvet cupcakes and a range of other sweet treats.
The Italian gelato artisan Amorino also has a shop in Chelsea where you can sample a huge variety of delicious flavours.
Experience Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea is also home to one of the Premier League’s most well-known clubs. Stamford Bridge has been their stadium in 1905. Of course it’s changed a lot since then, and is now a very modern and comfortable place to watch football.
If a match is on when you happen to be visiting it’s definitely worth picking up some tickets and going to a game. This is a world-class stadium and world-class team, and the atmosphere inside the ground is good.
Pick up a Chelsea football kit to blend in with the home fans – this is a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Enjoy world class museums
This is a pretty special place in terms of the quality of the museums – there are several amazing exhibits to visit, all of which are free entry and only charge for special exhibitions.
The Victoria and Albert Museum – commonly referred to as the V&A – is a collection of art and design from across the world.
Opposite the V&A is the Natural History Museum, which is one of London’s most popular. It contains more than 70 million specimens and some of the most famous exhibits are undoubtedly the dinosaurs.
The Science Museum features exhibitions on space exploration, robots and much more. There is also the National Army Museum nearby, which charts the history of army across a number of collections.
If you’ve got the time to visit all four you will find all of them extremely rewarding no matter your age.
Explore the art galleries
Chelsea’s art galleries don’t have quite the same prestige as the museums, but there are some stunning collections here that are definitely worth visiting.
The Serpentine Gallery sits by the lake in Kensington Gardens and is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. There’s also the Saatchi Gallery which was opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 to exhibit his collection. Today it is a broader showcase of lesser known artists.
A world famous venue
The Royal Albert Hall is based here – it’s one of the UK’s most iconic venues with a year-round programme of music, theatre, comedy and other events. Check what’s on before your visit and book some tickets.
Freedom of speech
Chelsea is also home to a rather unique place – the original Speakers’ Corner. Found at the northeast corner of Hyde Park, this is an area where open-air public speaking and debate is allowed.
Speakers can talk on any subject, as long as it is with the boundaries of the law. It can be worth popping along just to listen to some of the topics being spoken about.
You might well find yourself listening to something insightful and interesting, or alternatively, downright bizarre.
