The Top Instagrammable Places To Visit In London - London Instagram Guide

Sky Garden, London

Ad - If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that taking good photos and videos is essential for my work, so, over the years, I have picked up on which places in London have that wow factor. Some are picturesque, some provide views of London's many iconic buildings and sites, while others offer something unique and sometimes surprising. I know that a lot of you like to visit London and are very keen to take photos and videos to post on Instagram while you are there. As well as share with friends and family or look at later to remind you of a special day out or weekend break {and if you can hit some gorgeous London hot spots during that photo session then it's a double whammy!} So, with this in mind, I have put together a list of some of the most photogenic or shall we say, top Instagrammable places in London and a few ideas of what you can do in those areas.

You might also like:

The best restaurants in London

The best brunch spots in London

The best restaurants in New York

The best dog friendly restaurants in London

The best roast dinners in London

Shangri-La The Shard

I am going to start with some of the places where you can capture panoramic views of London.

Sky Garden - The Sky Garden, which is located on top of the Walkie Talkie building, is literally a garden in the sky. One that has access to fantastic bars and restaurants. I have eaten at both Darwin Brasserie {great for a family meal} and Fenchurch {the 'fancier'} of the two.  It offers fantastic views of London´s most famous rooftops. This indoor urban jungle is very Instagrammable, but you will get the most interesting shots from the open-air terrace.

The London Eye in the background 

The Shard - The Shard viewing platform also offers panoramic views of London. I wouldn't say the photos are as good as Sky Garden unless you stay in the Shangri-La hotel though. Check out the viewing platform if you must but I'd completely skip that and go straight to the Shangri-La hotel for afternoon tea or dinner, or even better: book a room and have a sleepover for the best private views. It's one of my favourite hotels in London. There's an incredible pool with the best views too. 

Now, let's look at a few ways to get interesting photos of the river and some of London's other bodies of water.

The London Eye - My first suggestion is The London Eye. Yes it's super touristy but it's a must see! I have actually had dinner inside the London Eye which is very rare but was a phenomenal experience. It is located on the South Bank of the Thames, opposite The Houses of Parliament. You will enjoy the river views and once you get up high enough will also be able to photograph many of London's iconic buildings. Including Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's, The Tate Museum, Tower Bridge and The Shard.

The Savoy 

Stay in the Savoy - The Savoy hotel is one of my favourite hotels in London. It is a stunning place to stay, especially if you book yourself a room with a river view or even better, the balcony room. Take a few daylight shots, but don't forget to take some at night too. I absolutely love their river view suite and of course, one of my favourite places to eat breakfast in London is the Savoy so you can always enjoy the views from their Thames River restaurant. You can read my review of The Savoy hotel. 

Take a boat trip - To see London from a different point of view, take a river trip. I highly recommend even the Uber Boat or Thames clipper, you get the most amazing views of London. I usually take it from Chelsea to Tower Hill. I absolutely LOVE the Tower Hill area of London, the views are amazing. Or, if you do not fancy that head to somewhere like Hyde or Regents Park and hire your very own boat for the day, for central park vibes in London. It is an enjoyable day out and there will be plenty of photo opportunities regardless of which option you choose. I often hire boats in Hyde Park during Summer, it's such a fun activity. 

Combine two pleasures – eating and photography! - For foodies, London is heaven. Last time I read, the city had 15,500 restaurant businesses. Some of which are chains that run out of multiple locations. So, when it comes to places to eat out, there is no shortage of choices. You could probably eat somewhere new every day for 20 years and still not try everywhere. So, there is a lot of competition with the best restaurants in London. A fact that pushes restaurateurs to offer something a bit different, which is one of the reasons there are so many instagrammable restaurants in London. Just click the link to find out about some of the best ones. As you will see, Sketch, which is one of my favourites, is on the list. You can read about my best restaurants in London too. I plan my London days around good food, you can sight see and eat at the best spots at the same time. 

Shopping photo ops - London is also a wonderful place to shop. It does not matter what you want, you will find it here. For combining photo opportunities with fantastic shopping, head to Liberty London {one of my favourites} just a beautiful - old school department store and right off Regent Street so you can enjoy the beauty of one of my favourite streets in London too, Harrods {another favourite} - don't miss the food hall and of course enjoy Knightsbridge afterwards, Covent Garden, Neal's Yard {an absolute must visit, so many little hidden gems in there}, Westbourne Grove and Belgravia - I always recommend heading to Ebury Street and Elizabeth Street, exploring those areas and then wandering over to Cafe Kitsune for gorgeous surrounding streets and buildings. 

If you are looking for colour, the markets are always interesting. The Columbia Road Flower Market is especially nice for people looking for photo opportunities and of course, Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill. For the best food markets, I like Duke Of York Square Market, Saturdays in Chelsea. Borough Market and Spitalfields Market. I always tell people to go to them! Who doesn't love ambling around and trying different food? 

No.50 Cheyne London

Taking beautiful photos of London’s natural spaces - Unless you live in London, the chances are you do not realise just how green the city is. Surprisingly, it has nearly as many trees as it has people, eight million at the last count! It is also home to 3,000 parks, which cover 18% of the land within the city. These parks and gardens are full of wonderful photo opportunities. They are also a wonderful place to stop for a picnic to enjoy a peaceful half hour while out shopping. For example, Golden Square Park is just a five-minute walk from the middle of Regent Street! My favourite parks are St James Park, Green Park, Regents Park, Kensington Palace Gardens and Hyde Park. They are all idyllic and beautiful no matter what the season! There's something different to see in each of them. I always recommend walking from Harrods to Hyde Park then you reach Kensington Palace Gardens and The Royal Albert Hall, from there you can walk through to Nottinghill. It's such a beautiful walk and such a gorgeous way to tick off so many favourite places in London {and of course, coffee shops!}

When it comes to instagrammable locations, in London, the above are just a few examples. If you want more take a look at some of my London days out videos or click here where you will find around 60 more suggestions.

Regent Street

Lots of love, Em x

This website uses Ad affiliate links, this doesn't cost you anything extra but means I may sometimes make a small % per sale.


Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin! to stay up to date with my posts!
I would also love it if you could subscribe to me on YouTube here!


Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Bloglovin | Pinterest | My Shop | Instagram: emshelx