Top 5 things to do in London during summer as a student

Staying in London over summer? Siddhant shares his top tips for staying cool in the capital when the mercury is rising.

For me, London in the summertime has always felt like a completely different city. The days are out forever, the parks turn into living rooms, and everything that felt closed off in winter suddenly opens up. 

There are very few cities that do summer quite like London does, once you know where to look.

Whether you're sticking around for summer assessments, working through the break, or just soaking up the season before term starts again, here are five of my favourite ways to spend the warmer months, mixing big cultural moments with quieter spots that most people never find.

Hampstead Heath Ponds

Slipping into the deep, cool water of Hampstead Heath on a sticky summer afternoon feels like stepping completely out of London into the countryside. 

Where urban lidos are structured and paved, the Heath’s natural swimming ponds are wild, historic, and surrounded by lush green woods.

From £5 for an adult ticket, it’s one of the most affordable ways to reset during a hot week. However, because it's such an iconic spot, securing a ticket requires a bit of strategy.

Booking tip: tickets are released on the City of London website at 8:00pm seven days in advance of the swim date, and peak afternoon slots sell out within minutes. If you miss out, try setting an early alarm: heading there first thing in the morning means still water, crisp air, and far fewer crowds.

Swimming at Sea Lanes in Canary Wharf

If you prefer your swim with a modern backdrop, the open-air Sea Lanes pool at Eden Dock in Canary Wharf is a revelation. Swimming in a 50-metre open-air pool framed by towering glass skyscrapers creates a striking contrast between raw urban architecture and clear, cool water.

Standard adult tickets are £10, but if you’re a student aged 16–23, you can grab a concession ticket for £8.

Unlike the high-pressure ticket drop at Hampstead Heath, finding available swim slots at Sea Lanes is generally much easier. While you should still book a day or two in advance during major heatwaves, it’s a far more manageable option for a mid-week swim.

​Notting Hill Carnival

You can't talk about summer in London without talking about Notting Hill Carnival. It’s one of the largest street festivals in the world, filling West London with reggae, soca, vibrant costumes, and the irresistible smell of jerk chicken and plantain. The energy is infectious, celebrating Caribbean culture in a way that transforms the entire neighbourhood into a massive block party.

It’s worth knowing that Carnival is strictly a two-day event over the August Bank Holiday weekend, so you need to plan around it. It can also be intense: expect massive crowds; phone signal drops; and closed tube stations (like Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove). Pace yourself, pick a meeting spot with friends beforehand, and go with the flow of the street.

Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF)

If you love outdoor arts, theatre, and street performance, GDIF is one of the best parts of late summer. Running across East and South-East London, it brings world-class installations, street theatre, and dance performances directly to public spaces, and crucially for students, almost everything is completely free.

Because it runs for about two weeks from late August into early September, it has a limited window, but it’s remarkably accessible. Most events, including major spectacles like the 360 opening night party in Woolwich and the Greenwich Fair, require no prior booking at all. You can turn up, find a spot, and watch an immersive art piece unfold against the backdrop of the Royal Docks as the sun sets.

Something almost nobody talks about

To end on a quiet note, St Dunstan in the East is a hidden sanctuary tucked away between London Bridge and the Tower of London. It's the ruins of a medieval church destroyed during the Blitz, now overgrown with climbing ivy, wall-flowers, and quiet trees.

It feels like a secret garden hidden inside the financial district. 

It's completely free, and it stays open daily from 8:00am to 7:00pm.

Because it's small, it can get busy with city office workers during lunch hours on warm afternoons. My recommendation? Head over in the late afternoon with a book or an iced coffee, when the light filters through the ruined gothic windows and the crowds start to thin out.

Sometimes those quiet, ordinary-seeming moments are the ones that stay with you the longest.

Final thoughts

Summer in London moves fast, and between short festival windows and booking swim slots, it's easy to feel like you have to plan every second, but don't forget to leave room for the unscheduled moments too. Wander more than you plan. Take the long way home. Stay out until the sun finally sets at 10:00p,.  

I hope this season brings you long days, bright memories, and plenty of sunshine.

Image credit: Christoph Birken viaUnsplash