Business travelers to London always have plenty of options for exploring the city after the workday is done. But this fall, visitors have a few special evening activities to choose from in addition to the usual possibilities like the London Eye (open until 8:30 p.m. daily) and the observatory at The Shard, which offers London’s highest view until 10 p.m. daily through Oct. 31 (last entry at 9:30 p.m.).
The special events are being showcased by Visit London, the tourism agency, as part of its “Autumn Season of Culture” –http://www.visitlondon.com/autumn .
The Museum of London is hosting weeknight evenings with experts and curators on Oct. 15, 7 p.m.-9:45 p.m., in a program called “Uncovering the Crime Museum”; on Nov. 16, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m., with “Curating the Crime Museum Uncovered”; and Nov. 24 and Dec. 16, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., with “Crack the Case.”
The Natural History Museum is offering a “Science Uncovered” event Sept. 25, 3 p.m.-10:30 p.m., with 200 different activities from “science bars” and nature games to debates with scientists. A new exhibit about the Russian space program called “Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age” opens at the Science Museum Sept. 18; the museum is open Fridays until 10 p.m.
Museum of London Docklands is offering Halloween ghost tours, Oct. 31, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and 9 p.m.-11 p.m. Kensington Palace’s “Eerie Evening Tours,” featuring stories about royal residents, take place Oct. 29-31 and Dec. 12.
Other attractions with evening hours include the National Portrait Gallery, open Thursdays until 9 p.m., and the Camden Arts Centre, open Wednesdays until 9 p.m. On weekend evenings, options include the British Museum and National Gallery, both open until 8:30 p.m. Fridays; the Tate Modern, open until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, open until 10 p.m. on Fridays.
City Cruises offers a variety of “Rivernights” sightseeing boat rides on the Thames River. And the autumn schedule for the double-decker bus “Original Tour” includes a 6 p.m. departure from Coventry Street, Sept. 7-Nov. 1.
Ronnie Scott’s, the Soho jazz club, has a “Late Late Show” beginning at 11 a.m. Monday-Thursday and at 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Late-night dining options include the 24-hour Duck & Waffle, which offers views of the city from the 40th floor of the Heron Tower, and the VQ (Vingt-Quatre), a 24-hour cafe and diner on the Fulham Road, Chelsea and Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury. Tinseltown, a diner in Farringdon, is open midday to 4 a.m. Monday-Saturday and midday to 3 a.m. on Sundays.
In the future, weekend visitors to London may also be able to use the tube in the wee hours. A proposal to expand London’s tube schedule so that the trains run 24 hours on weekends has been in the works, but implementation has been delayed by an unresolved labor dispute.
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