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A largely residential area that takes in the best of Chelsea, Kensington, Pimlico and Victoria, London’s boujee Belgravia district is an affluent area, home to London’s movers and shakers giving Mayfair a run for its money in terms of millionaires per capita. As you’d expect, there are a lot of things to do in Belgravia to suit all tastes and budgets.
An array of architectural styles, marvellous mews and excellent eating and dining options, here is our guide to getting the best out of Belgravia, with the 14 top things to do in Belgravia, London:
Things to do in Belgravia, London
Table of Contents
1. Eccleston Yards
Belgravia is transforming. Ecclestone Yards is a former industrial yard near to Victoria station, a chic-cy little lair of former warehouses transformed into a cultural centre, full of cafes and bars (plus gyms and yoga studios so you can work it off afterwards).
Centred around an outdoor yard with picnic tables, colourful deck chairs and street art, regular and pop-up events include a Sunday craft market and outdoor aerobic sessions. A decadent destination for dining and drinking, Eccleston Yards doubles as an enclave of creative studios and small businesses, meaning there is more to discover on every time you visit.
YOU MIGHT LIKE: top things to do near Victoria Station >
2. Knightsbridge Shopping
From Harvey Nicks to Harrods, Knightsbridge is a world-class shopping destination with a wide and wonderful selection of stylish shopping options, although try not to get run over by the gold plated Lamborghinis which rev up and roar down in the area.
High end and luxury fashion chains in Knightsbridge include Burberry, Ted Baker, Rolex and Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani – shop ‘til you drop and bring along your plastic fantastic.
3. Cadogan Hall
How do you get to Cadogan Hall? Practice etc etc etc.
One of London’s top live music venues, Cadogan Hall is home to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (not literally – they leave at night) and is a historic hall in the heart of Chelsea dating back to 1907 when it first opened a church (it didn’t become an actual concert hall until 2004).
If you visit, do keep an eye out for the beautiful stained glass installation at the entrance and in and around the hall. A beautiful part of Belgravia indeed.
4. Peggy Porschen, Belgravia
Hello cupcake! Possibly the most photographed building and popular thing to do in Belgravia (due to its bright pink and faux floral AF exterior). If you are on Instagram or TikTok, you’ll likely have a sense of deja vu as you first approach Peggy Porschen.
The downside to this fame is that you may have to push aside posers and Instagram wannabes from outside the Peggy Porschen Belgravia entrance after their 100th attempt at a selfie (this is genuinely not an exaggeration – it happens every time we visit or pass by).
We’ve visited Peggy Porschen as part of a sweet and savoury food tour and we sat outside eating a variety of delicious cupcakes, all pretty as.
So once you‘re (finally) served, the cupcakes are worth staying for. We opted for ‘strawberry and champagne’, ‘salted caramel’ and ‘banoffee pie’. They all tasted terrific, but it was the banoffee pie with the large crunchy chocolate chips that won us over.
5. Duke of York Square Food Market
In the heart of Chelsea and in the shadow of Sloane Square, the weekly foodie market at the Duke of York Square is one of the best food markets in London.
Packed full of gourmet goodness and easy to picnic with as the lawn outside the Saatchi Gallery is often open, especially in the summer months.
One of our particular favourite food stalls at the Duke of York Saturday market is the canale seller, a sweet as dessert from the Bordeaux region in France. It is a delicate, French pastry flavored with rum and vanilla with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. Try the coconut one – you will not be disappointed.
We also really like the oyster stall where you can get fresh oysters with a glass of champagne – one heck of a boozy Belgravia brunch.
6. Elizabeth Street cafes, restaurants and shoppings
Belgravia’s Elizabeth Street has a sundry of cafes, restaurants and fine fashion stores, perfect for outdoor sessions and people watching. Most of the businesses (particularly the fashion and floral stores) band together to change their foliage displays out front seasonably.
Expect bright orange and yellow displays in the fall / autumn. Tomtom Coffee also get in on the theming action with their terrace the best place to sip a ‘spresso. TomTom too is the best place to watch all the Peggy Porschen photographic pulluva and pushing from afar. Definitely one of our best things to do in Belgravia.
7. Sloane Square and King’s Road, Chelsea
Cosmopolitan Chelsea and its iconic Kings Road (famous in the swinging 60s and now more for its antique shops and designer labels) is a millionaire’s playground – although with its sheer number of cafes, restaurants and every day high street chains, there is something to suit all budgets.
One of the best shopping areas is the new(ish) shopping village in Duke of York Square, with all manner of boutiques and eating options.
Another favourite eating and drinking destination nearer to Sloane Square is Pavilion Road, a popular pedestrianised area that has numerous outlets including the Chelsea General Store, Breadahead , Granger & Co and Wulf & Lamb.
8. Pimlico Road Farmers Market
Held every Saturday from 9am to 2pm, Pimlico Road Farmers’ Market has established itself over the last 20 years as one of London’s best farmers markets. This might explain why the queue for tomatoes on our last visit was sooo long – they must be blooming incredible.
Based around Orange Square under the watchful eye of a Mozart statue (this is where he once lived when he toured London as a small boy in the 1760s), the Pimlico Farmers Market has plenty of outdoor areas to picnic away or you can buy fresh fruit and veg, free range eggs, pasta plus meat, poultry and game galore.
9. Sweet Tooth Tours – the best of Belgravia’s food scene
2023 update: Sweet Tooth Tours are temporarily closed / unavailable
As you’d expect from such an affluent area of London, there are a lot of very good food and drink options in Belgravia. If you want to make the most of your tasting time here, we’d recommend you go on a Sweet Tooth Tour, particularly their ‘Sugar and Spice’ trip, essentially a morning of exploring London’s upmarket Belgravia by foot and discovering hidden foodie gems.
The itinerary consists of 5 different stops over 3 hours, sampling delicious sweet and savoury snacks, whilst incorporating the history and stories of the local area.
Our guide was Lynne (and also the owner of the tour company). She was just wonderful and super friendly, and with a background as a pastry chef, she knew exactly what makes a good dessert.
Read about our Belgravia Sweet Tooth tour here >
10. Belgrave Square Gardens
Home to many embassies (so lots of German, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese flags etc) which hopefully you don’t have to visit (unless you are becoming a citizen of the UK), Belgrave Square Gardens boasts a large number of beautiful statues including one of Columbus (the explorer – not to be confused with the statue of Columbo in Budapest)
It is also a really nice and quiet Belgravia park to sit or picnic in, particularly so at the weekends. Like Eaton square, the houses here date back from the 1820s and are largely white stucco in appearance.
11. Eaton Square
Although the park at the heart of Eaton Square is actually closed to members of the public (only those residents lucky enough to have a key get to explore this Garden of ahem…Eaton), it is still worth a visit as it is London’s largest square.
Ogle at the opulent exteriors and imagine what it would be like to live in such a lovely part of London. Notable residents in the past include former prime minister Neville Chamberlain, actor Rex Harrison and wannabe royal Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York). Begun in the 1820s, most of the houses are white stuccoed which is synonymous with Belgravia housing.
12. The Royal Court Theatre
Finally, culture vultures in London on the lookout for original plays need go no further than the Royal Court Theatre (and once actually known as the Belgravia Theatre).
It is a writers’ theatre meaning they generally focus on emerging or less well known authors and works. The grade II listed building (Italian gothic in style) is the home of the English Stage Company.
If your visit to the Royal Court doesn’t coincide with a performance that takes your fancy, their Royal Court Bar and Kitchen now open 11.30am to 7.30pm (closed Sundays) as at 2023.
13. Market Halls Victoria
Another of Belgravia’s foodie destinations is the Market Halls Victoria (right on the Belgravia border), housed in the former Pacha night club building and from the same peeps that produced the wonderful Oxford Circus and Canary Wharf food halls.
With two levels of street-food kiosks and an outdoor terrace overlooking Victoria train station, there is something to suit all tastes and budgets at Market Hall Victoria.
Popular with workers in the week and busy with the brunch set at the weekends, food stalls to choose from include Koya Ko noodles, rotis from Gopal’s Corner and negronis from practically everywhere!
Our final thing to do in Belgravia…
14. Grosvenor Gardens
Part park, part art pop-up hub, Grosvenor Gardens is the nearest green space to Victoria station near Belgravia.
Although Grosvenor Gardens park can be a little sketchy at night (heavy on the drinking and drugs), during the day, they sometimes have temporary art exhibitions or sculptures on display.
Also check out the rather impressive statue of Ferninand Foch on horseback and the strangely sublime shell grottos.
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