Gift Experiences in London

If you’re looking for London gift experiences that go far beyond a box of chocolates, this is for you.

Treasure hunts like these give someone you care about 2-3 hours of escaping the real world while very much staying in it. What do I mean by that? Well, they’ll get to solve riddles and puzzles that take them to unseen corners of London with someone they love (maybe they’ll even invite you along!). 

Pubs, cafes and recommended places to visit are included along the way, and it’s much more heartfelt than a bunch of wilting flowers.

Not all London gift experiences include a healthy dose of competition, but this one does! 

Race Across The World: The Experience is the official live experience of the award-winning hit TV show, brought to life in a high stakes adventure across London.

Important Info: You must be 18+ to purchase tickets. The experience is designed to be accessible and inclusive. See FAQs for details.

Perfect for any Marple, Holmes or Glass Onion fan, this murder mystery adventure is the perfect balance between fact-finding and sleuthing.

Wind back the clock 200-ish years and re-enter the realm of The Ripper, London’s most notorious serial killer. So notorious was he that several murders have been attributed towards him without much question, and this is one of those cases.

Read snippets from the real investigation, visit places frequented by suspects and victims alike, and piece together the facts before declaring who you think “dunnit”.

Looking for London gift experiences that taste as good as they look? Keep reading.

A hamper is a lovely gift and always goes down a treat, but this particular experience makes the recipient work a little harder for their bounty. 

Through following clues and solving cryptic puzzles, they’ll dash around London hunting down unique spots to build a delicious mystery picnic. All food is included in the price and they get to enjoy the experience with whoever they fancy. Win-win!

Know a superfan of something? Does that person also like cake? We thought so.

Afternoon teas can only be made better by following some kind of a theme, and let’s be honest, this isn’t the first thing you think to plan for yourself. 

Do someone a favour and give them the gift of reveling in their favourite fandom, and tasting the delights of their chosen fictional world!

Fed up of hearing someone tell you how much you need to see that latest apocalypse series? This is for you.

Perfect for anybody who couldn’t get enough of The Last of Us or similar TV shows, Humanity’s Last is an outdoor escape room game with a twist. 

Players hunt down a cure to the (thankfully-fictional) Z virus while traversing London’s city streets in a race against the clock. Fun, fast-paced and interesting, players also get to visit some hidden London gems and stop off at interesting pubs and cafes along the way.

Yes, many of London’s museums and galleries are free to visit–but for a true art lover, a gift pass to those locked behind a paywall is basically like giving them the wardrobe containing Narnia. 

And it’s actually even better than that: the National Art Pass is true to its name and gives the recipient free access to 250 places across the country, as well as 50% off selected major exhibitions.

We all know we should spend more time outdoors, but that’s easier said than done during gloomier months of the year. 

Make it more fun for someone to get some fresh air by giving them the gift of an outdoor escape room game in London. It’s like an escape room in that you can choose a themed route with characters, and there are puzzles and riddles included. Unlike an escape room, the adventure takes you on a journey around London, and you can even take breaks in-between the fun without ruining your overall time. 

In other words, it’s the best of both worlds.

Looking for gift experiences in London that’ll please a gamer? Look no further.

Oddly nostalgic and great for inclusivity, arcade bars like these are a sure-fire way to give the gift of fun to a fast-thumbed friend. 

It doesn’t have to cost much more than buying them a pint (these days, anyway!) but it does give them the excuse to challenge you–or whoever they choose–to a game of Pacman. 

And that’s what they really want, isn’t it? 

Londoner or not, there’s always more to discover about this ever-evolving city. But unless you’re a tourist, it’s probably never occurred to you to do a tour somewhere before. Let’s change that.

Walking tours like these aren’t at all what you’re expecting. They’re self-guided, so you decide when you do it, and there’s no guide so it’s up to you to unlock directions. 

How do you do that, you ask? Well, by interacting with the city around you and solving clues sent to you through WhatsApp, you can have an adventure right around the corner from you that you never knew was possible.

As a huge book fan, I like my London gift experiences to be as bookish as possible, but I get that not everyone agrees. However, this isn’t your typical bookshop.

Word on The Water is a bookshop set on a 1920s Dutch canal boat moored on Regents Canal near Kings Cross. The experience part lies in getting to the bookshop and having a look around its unusual shelves, and best of all, leaving with a new story to delve into. Bliss!

Even though this has been around since the 17th century, chances are, you’ve never heard of it. 

Established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, this little gem was born out of a need to grow plants to be used as medicine. 

These days, it’s a fascinating place to take a look around (and they hold frequent workshops and events here too, if that’s of interest). Mostly though, it’s a gift experience that gets someone a little closer to nature, and much closer to preserving knowledge of earth’s hardest workers: plants.

If you’re looking for London gift experiences that allows someone to let their hair down and enjoy a glass of something while creating something magical, this is for you.

Brush and Bubbles is exactly what it sounds like: a paint and sip class that allows someone to improve their craft while enjoying a beverage. But it’s also more than that. It's an opportunity to hone creative expression in a calm, fun environment with some expert help close to hand.

Finally on our list of London gift experiences, a swanky spa day.

While the AIRE spa has been designed to mimic Greco-Roman spa traditions, the spa itself is actually located in the basement of J M Barrie’s former 17th-century home. 

Filled with 5 indulgent baths ranging in temperatures, there’s also a heart-shaped tub filled with alcohol-free Spanish wine to soak in post-massage. And if gaining entry to that courtesy of someone else doesn’t say “I care about you”, I don’t know what will.