Indoor things to do in London when it rains

It rains here about one day in three, which is a statistic you only really feel while standing under a bus shelter working out whether the afternoon is still worth it. So everywhere on this site carries a wetness score: how much of the trip is under a roof, how far the door is from the tube, and whether you will walk in looking like you swam.

It is for people who live here and have run out of ideas. For a parent with a small person and two hours to fill. For anyone whose friend is visiting on Saturday and has just seen the forecast quietly dismantle the plan.

It exists because most guides to indoor London are the same twelve attractions in a different order, written by somebody who has never had to cross the city in a downpour. This one is free and there is nothing to log into.

There are 341 places listed so far, and 88 of them are free. The wetness score explains itself on the about page.

Where to start

• Museums in London: 71 places
• Historic Sites in London: 59 places
• Entertainment in London: 58 places
• Gaming in London: 39 places
• Galleries in London: 37 places
• Dining in London: 37 places
• Music Venues in London: 32 places
• Exhibitions in London: 26 places

From the blog

• Eight indoor places in London that will not defeat a pram: Lifts that exist, floors you can turn on, and somewhere to sit down afterwards. The rainy day criteria change completely once you are pushing something.
• Nine warm places in London for when the rain turns cold: August rain is an inconvenience. November rain is a different product entirely. These nine are picked for heat rather than interest, which turns out to be a better filter than it sounds.
• Seven places to be hungover in London, ranked by how much dark they offer: The requirements are narrow: dim, seated, warm, quiet, and nobody asking you to make a decision. It turns out London is quite well set up for this.
• Eight places in London where you can sit for hours and nobody will ask you to leave: The coffee shop economy has quietly made sitting down a purchase. These eight have not got the memo, and most of them are free.
• Nine London bars where you can lose at something indoors: Darts, ping pong, axe throwing and virtual clay pigeon shooting. The whole competitive socialising business, judged on the only measure that matters here, which is whether you arrive dry.
• Seven places worth leaving London for, all of them indoors: There is a point in a bad week of weather where the answer is not another London museum. It is a train, and somewhere with a roof at the other end.
• The West End is the driest night out in London and nobody says so: Three hours indoors, a bar, a cloakroom and a roof that has held since 1663. Theatre is the most weatherproof evening this city sells, and it is marketed on absolutely everything except that.