Three carefully planned routes through the best pub areas of London. Five pubs per crawl, all within comfortable walking distance, no bus or tube required between stops. Just good pubs, good walking and good company.
A great pub crawl is not about drinking as much as possible. It is about the journey, the variety, the conversation between stops, and the joy of discovering that the next pub is somehow even better than the last. We have designed these three routes to give you a proper tour of London's pub culture, with each stop offering something different.
Each route features five pubs you can walk between comfortably. We have included what to order at each stop and how long to linger. A gentle pace of about one pint or half per pub is recommended. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Route 1: The Southbank and Bankside River Walk
This route follows the Thames from London Bridge westward, passing through Borough Market and along the Southbank. Every pub has riverside character and you will walk some of the most beautiful stretches of London.
1
The Market Porter
Start at Borough Market with one of London's most extraordinary ale pubs. The rotating selection often features 12 or more ales at any time. This pub opens at 6am on weekday mornings for the market traders, so whatever time you arrive, you are not the earliest. A proper institution.
Order: Whatever the staff recommend from the cask ales. Trust them.
5 min walk along Clink Street ↓
2
The Rake
One of London's smallest pubs but one of its most significant for beer lovers, tucked beside Borough Market. The tap list is extraordinary, spanning Belgian lambics to hazy IPAs, and changes constantly. Standing room mostly, but the quality of the beer justifies the squeeze.
Order: A half of something Belgian. The lambic selection is usually superb.
8 min walk along Bankside ↓
3
The Anchor
A Bankside institution dating back to the early 1600s, sitting right on the Thames near Shakespeare's Globe. Samuel Johnson was a regular here through his friendship with the Thrale family who owned the adjacent brewery. The riverside terrace has views across to St Paul's Cathedral that will make you fall in love with London all over again.
Order: A pint of something traditional. Take it to the terrace for the view.
10 min walk past Tate Modern ↓
4
The George
London's last surviving galleried coaching inn, owned by the National Trust. Parts date to 1676 and Shakespeare almost certainly drank here. The cobbled courtyard is magical. Detour slightly inland from the river for this one; it is absolutely worth it.
Order: An ale in the cobbled courtyard. Explore the upstairs gallery rooms.
15 min walk along the river to Waterloo ↓
5
The Blackfriar
End on a high at this Art Nouveau masterpiece near Blackfriars Bridge. The wedge-shaped building is adorned with marble, bronze and mosaic monks, saved from demolition by Sir John Betjeman in the 1960s. The back room grotto is one of London's most extraordinary pub interiors.
Order: Your final pint in the vaulted back room. Take in the mosaics and bronze reliefs.
Route tips: Start around 1pm on a Saturday so you can browse Borough Market before the first pint. The walk between stops is flat and scenic. Wear comfortable shoes for the cobblestones around Bankside.
Route 2: The Shoreditch and East London Circuit
This route takes you through the heart of East London's pub culture, from community-saved ale houses to Michelin-rated gastropubs. It is the most diverse crawl on this list, with every stop offering a completely different atmosphere.
1
The Wenlock Arms
Start at this 19th-century ale house in Hoxton that was saved from redevelopment by a community campaign. Ten cask ales, ten keg lines and real ciders rotate constantly. Live jazz on Sundays. This is exactly the kind of pub worth saving.
Order: A cask ale and raise a glass to the community that saved it.
8 min walk south through Hoxton ↓
2
The Old Fountain
A brilliant real ale pub near Old Street with an incredible selection of craft and cask beers. Run by genuine enthusiasts, the rotating chalkboard always features interesting finds from independent breweries. Honest, no-frills, perfect.
Order: Trust the chalkboard. Ask the staff what just came in.
10 min walk along Hackney Road ↓
3
The Well & Bucket
A beautifully restored Bethnal Green pub on Bethnal Green Road with floor-to-ceiling windows and superb cocktails. The food menu features oysters and sliders, and a candlelit basement cocktail bar adds another dimension. A perfect blend of old and new East London in a single pub.
Order: A cocktail and an oyster or two. Yes, both. You need the fuel.
5 min walk east ↓
4
The Marksman
One of London's finest gastropubs and Michelin Pub of the Year. The food is imaginative and expertly executed but the ground-floor bar remains proper and unpretentious. Even if you are not eating, the beer list is excellent and the atmosphere is warm.
Order: A pint and their signature beef and barley bun if hunger strikes.
7 min walk through Bethnal Green ↓
5
The Culpeper
End the crawl at this Spitalfields pub-restaurant with a rooftop garden and greenhouse growing herbs and vegetables used in the kitchen below. Head up to the roof to finish your evening with a garden-to-glass cocktail and views over East London.
Order: A seasonal cocktail on the rooftop. A fitting finale.
Route tips: This crawl works best on a Saturday afternoon, starting around 2pm. The shift from old-school ale houses to modern gastropubs mirrors the evolution of East London itself. If you do this on a Sunday, the Wenlock Arms will have live jazz.
Route 3: The Hampstead and Highgate Heights
This is the most scenic crawl on the list, taking you through Hampstead village, across Hampstead Heath and up to Highgate. You will walk through one of London's great green spaces between pubs, making this as much about the journey as the destinations. Wear walking shoes.
1
The Horseshoe
Start right by Hampstead tube station at this handsome pub with an impressive range of craft beers and cosy leather booths. The perfect staging post before heading uphill into the village. Ease into the day with something sessionable.
Order: A half of something light. You have four pubs and a Heath crossing ahead of you.
5 min walk up through Hampstead village ↓
2
The Holly Bush
The jewel of Hampstead. An 18th-century pub with gas lamps, log fires and low-beamed rooms that feel utterly timeless. This is the kind of pub that people who have never been to London imagine when they think of an English pub. It is as good as the fantasy.
Order: A proper pint by the fire. Linger here. This is the highlight of the crawl.
15 min walk to the edge of the Heath ↓
3
The Spaniards Inn
One of London's oldest pubs, perched on the edge of Hampstead Heath since 1585. Dick Turpin, Keats and Dickens all drank here. The sprawling beer garden is perfect after a stretch of your legs on the Heath. Dogs are very welcome.
Order: An ale in the beer garden. Enjoy the Heath air. Pat a dog.
25 min walk across the Heath to Highgate ↓
4
The Flask
Highgate's crown jewel. There has been a pub on this spot since at least 1663 and the present buildings date from the early 18th century. The beer garden backs onto Highgate Cemetery and the interior is a warren of wood-panelled rooms and snugs. Dick Turpin is said to have stabled his horse Black Bess here. You have earned this one after the Heath crossing.
Order: A Fuller's ale in the snug. The cosiest seat in Highgate.
5 min walk down Highgate Hill ↓
5
The Bull & Last
End the crawl at one of London's greatest gastropubs, just down the hill from Highgate village. If you have worked up an appetite crossing the Heath, the food here is exceptional. Even if you just have a final pint, the atmosphere is convivial and warm.
Order: If hungry, the bone marrow. If not, a farewell pint of something dark.
Route tips: Start this one earlier, around noon, to give yourself time for the Heath crossing in daylight. This is a brilliant autumn crawl when the Heath is golden and the pubs have their fires lit. Bring a dog if you have one; nearly every stop is dog-friendly.
General Pub Crawl Rules
Pace yourself. Halves are perfectly acceptable and frankly sensible if you want to make all five stops. Eat something substantial before you start or at stop three. Drink water between stops. The walk between pubs is half the fun, so do not rush it. And if a pub is so good you cannot bring yourself to leave, that is not a failure. That is a pub doing its job.
All of these routes work in reverse too, so you can tailor the direction to your starting point. And if you only manage three of the five stops, that is still three good pubs. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
Plan your crawl on the map
Use the Map View in our directory to see all these pubs plotted out and plan your walking route between them.
Open the directory map →