12 Things To Do in Kings Cross & Things To Do Near Kings Cross!

This post may contain affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if you use these links.

---

Kings Cross is an area of London that shows just how quickly a neighbourhood can be redeveloped and changed. Londoners will tell you that it wasn’t long ago when you wouldn’t stop in Kings Cross, it wasn’t that safe and there was nothing to do there anyway!

However these days Kings Cross there are plenty of things to do in Kings Cross and the area is becoming more and more of a mecca in London for Restaurants, Hotels, High Rise Office Buildings and constantly improving Transport Links to the rest of the UK and Europe.

Kings Cross Station and Euston Station are still very much used as a passageway into and out of London by train if you’re coming into one of these stations from elsewhere in the UK or London, if this is the case, instead of getting on the train to head somewhere else in London, stay in Kings Cross because there are also many things to do near Kings Cross!

Or, if you live in London and you’re looking for a new area to explore, let me help you!

Things To Do in Kings Cross London

 

If you’re coming into London from elsewhere in the UK, Kings Cross is a great area to check out once you get off the train or before you go home. I’d recommend having a look at train tickets on The Train Line for the best prices.

Brunch in Kings Cross

I like to start the day with Brunch and so does London in general so let’s start there with the things to do in Kings Cross.

There are a number of really good places to eat brunch Kings Cross like Granger and Co, Caravan, Dishoom, German Gymnasium, Drake and Morgan, Spirtland and Vinoteca. All of these are very close to Kings Cross Station station and close to each other so if you see a queue at one place, why not head to another place to see if there’s a queue there or not.

Granary Square

After brunch I recommend you head across the canal into Granary Square. On the way there you’ll pass some nice shops such as Nike, Sweaty Betty and & Other Stories if shopping is on your list of things to do in Kings Cross!

Thanks to the recent redevelopment of Kings Cross this area is now a place where you can actually hang out and chill. Steps down to Regents Canal have been turned into seating, last summer they were a rainbow colour but when I went recently they were green with fake grass as you can see.

Lots of people were sitting here enjoying the sun, having some early afternoon drinks and socialising.

Granary Square is filled with seating in the square and under the trees. It’s really popular with families as the fountains have now turned into a children’s paddling pool when its warm which is really nice, but the area is big enough to avoid this if you want to.

Coal Drops Yard

A new addition to Kings Cross is Coal Drops Yard next to Granary Square, it’s been built on an area of wasteland but it holds a lot of history. It’s full of fancy shops, coffee shops and restaurants. It’s another development that Kings Cross as regenerated itself so quickly and is now the place to be with even more things to do in Kings Cross!

Regents Canal 

From here I would recommend having a slow walk to and along Regents Canal. There are some really cool and quirky canal boats along here usually. I would definitely recommend starting at Word on the Water which is a floating bookshop on a canal boat.

At the time I passed a girl who I assume is the owner’s daughter, was using the boat as a stage and singing, it was really cute and I read that they have many different people using the stage to do talks and open mic events so you never know what you might see.

Walk West along Regents Canal Towpath until you get to St Pancras lock. If you’re not from the UK or used to canals then I’m sure you’ll find this really interesting and it would be worth waiting to see the lock open!

On the left will be the old Gas Holders and again, this is a perfect example of the redevelopment of Kings Cross as in place of the old gas holders are flats, in the shape of the old holders!

Walk from Kings Cross to Camden

From here you could continue along the towpath and after 15 minutes or so you will end up in Camden Town and Camden Market. Continuing even further will take you to Regents Park and Little Venice. 

Related Post: Walking Guide to Camden, Regents Canal and Primrose Hill!

You could keep walking and turn back when you are ready or do as I did, which was to turn right after the Gasholder Park, turn right again along Handyside Street and continue walking until Lewis Cubitt Square and Park, then walk up the side of Lewis Cubitt Park to the Skip Garden which you will see right in front of you.

Related Post: A Guide to Camden Town!

Kings Cross Skip Garden

I had not even heard about Skip Garden until I told a friend at work I was out to explore Kings Cross at the weekend and she recommended it to me, so I’m seeing the Skip Garden as a local gem and hidden things to do in Kings Cross that I’ll hopefully be the first person to tell you about too!

Kings Cross Skip Garden is a sustainable, urban garden with a twist. Everything is built using recycled materials, mostly from the construction site nearby. It’s full of flowers, herbs and vegetables with greenhouses you can walk in to. There is a beehive and even an insect hotel. There’s lots of seating on various different levels and places within the garden, plus it has a great cafe serving coffee, drinks, healthy lunch options and some cakes too.

The Skip Garden is a total oasis amid the towering, modern offices and flats that surround it and it’s the perfect place to have a tea, a coffee, a cold drink and/or a freshly made snack.

Canopy Market

After this head back down towards Granary Square and if you are visiting on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday I would recommend heading to Canopy Market. I went in June and the market was outside as you can see in my photos, however for the rest of the year it’s home is inside West Handyside Canopy.

The market is full of street food stalls, unique arts and crafts stalls and usually, there will be some live music happening. To check out the timings and for more detail, have a look here.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

From here I would suggest heading to the extremely impressive building- St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

This building is my favourite building in London (along with the Natural History Museum) and I think it’s definitely worth coming off Euston Road to the front of the hotel to see it in all its glory and is one of the top things to see in Kings Cross!

British Library

Now for things to do near Kings Cross,

Next door is the British Library so if you feel like being a bit intellectual or the weather is particularly bad I would recommend going inside.

Woburn Walk Euston

Continue straight up Euston Road towards Euston Station but turn left down Dukes Road (alongside Costa Coffee) and in front of you, you’ll start seeing a bit of Old London which is, in fact, Woburn Walk, a Victorian Pedestrian Street designed in 1822 as the first purpose-built, pedestrian shopping street!

Much of the shop fronts and buildings have been preserved and kept their original designs and characteristics so its a really unique thing to see in the Euston area of London making it great to visit when looking into things to do near Kings Cross!

Tavistock Square Gardens

From here, I would recommend crossing the street to Tavistock Square Gardens. It’s a really chilled, quiet, little park. I can imagine that during the week it is full of office people taking a break from their desks, especially in the summer.

What I found interesting too is that in the middle of the park is a statue of Gandhi, it was placed here to commemorate the 125th anniversary of his birth and there were a few candles and flowers around it so I assume it’s an important shrine to some people too so a good place to visit in Euston.

Big Chill Kings Cross

From here, head back to Kings Cross and if you’re tired or in need of a drink after doing all of these things to do in Kings Cross, I’d recommend going to the rooftop bar at Big Chill in Kings Cross.

I spent a few hours here, it’s been decorated really nicely and it is the perfect place to be in the summer. They have a DJ, they sell food and bar snacks, plus lots of different cocktails and beers.

This should give you a great idea of what to do in Kings Cross and what to do in Euston and how to spend the perfect day here.

---

If you’re travelling into London from elsewhere in the UK, be sure to book your train in advance on The Train Line to get the best train ticket prices. A lot of regional trains go directly into Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston Station.

If you are visiting London for the day or won’t head to your hotel until later and need to store your bags whilst you explore, look into bag storage near King’s Cross!

If you want some more inspiration on things to do in Kings Cross and Euston, check out Sam from Yoko Meshi’s post: Seeing London: Things to do in King’s Cross and Euston

---

For more of my London posts see:

• For more of my London guide posts see:
• Things To Do in Camden Town!
• Things To Do in Hampstead!
• Things To Do in Shoreditch!
• Things To Do in Greenwich!

This post is in collaboration with Hotels.com but all thoughts and opinions are my own.