Things to do in Forest Hill named one of London's best places

Forest Hill was one of seven areas across the whole of London to be named as one of the best places to live in the UK in 2024 by The Sunday Times.

Following a visit by expert judges, Forest Hill was named on account of its leafy neighbourhood, nearby oak forests and views of the city skyline from the Horniman Gardens.

Forest Hill offers beautiful views of the city skyline (Image: Instagram user @emmaslittlewanderings)

• Read More: Why Forest Hill has been rated as the best place to live in London

Explore the Grade II* listed museum with free exhibitions and stunning gardens

If you’re a history buff, one of Forest Hill’s must-do attractions is Horniman Museum & Gardens, which offers guests three floors of free exhibitions to explore.

The Horniman Museum has a wide range of exhibitions (Image: Andrew Lee)

Exhibits range from natural history, with a huge collection of fossils, taxidermied animals and specimens, along with a range of exhibitions showcasing artefacts and musical instruments from around the world.

The Music Gallery (Image: Sophia Spring)

The museum also has several ticketed attractions, including an Aquarium with 15 exhibits featuring fish from around the world, as well as the Butterfly House with hundreds of butterflies to see close up.

The Aquarium features 15 exhibits (Image: Laura Mtungwazi)

If you fancy a stroll, explore the museum’s 16-acre grounds with its mix of 10 beautiful gardens and woodland areas, historic architecture, and city views from atop the hill to photograph.

The museum also has 16 acres of grounds to explore (Image: Andrew Lee)

Eat at one of its award-wining restaurants

If you’re a foodie, Forest Hill is home to some of south east London’s award-winning restaurants.

If you like Indian cuisine and want a fine-dining experience, head over to Babur near Honor Oak station, where you can enjoy a range of gourmet Indian dishes and a menu of crafted cocktails.

Babur is an award-winning Indian restaurant (Image: Cru Communications)

The business has won many awards in its 37 years in business, including Best Restaurant for London Suburbs at the Asian Restaurant Awards 2023, Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year at the Asian Curry Awards 2023 and Best Restaurant at the Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards 2023.

You can enjoy a range of gourmet Indian dishes at Babur (Image: Cru Communications)

If you’re a pizza fan, head over to Bona Pizzeria in Dartmouth Road, which was recently named as winner for Best Pizza award in the Deliveroo Awards 2024 for Greater London.

The restaurant specialises in serving Neapolitan pizza, along with other classic Italian foods like tiramisu and eight different styles of garlic bread, including a plant-based option made with vegan cheese.

Bona Pizzeria won the Best Pizza award in the Deliveroo Awards 2024 for Greater London (Image: Bona Pizzeria)

Some of the most popular pizzas on the menu, according to Deliveroo, include the newly added Pepperoni and Nduja pizza and the highly rated Calabrese pizza.

Bona Pizzeria specialises in Neapolitan pizza (Image: Bona Pizzeria)

Have a drink at its historical and CAMRA-awarded pub

If you’re a fan of ciders and real ales, the Blythe Hill Tavern might be the perfect drinking spot for you.

This Victorian Grade II listed building is a popular spot in Forest Hill and won the CAMRA South East London Pub of the Year in 2012.

The Blythe Hill Tavern is a CAMRA award-winning Victorian pub (Image: X user @Love_SE4)

It also offers a child-friendly garden as well as sports screens to watch sporting events and games.

From September until April the pub hosts quiz nights on Monday evenings and traditional Irish music on Thursday evenings all year round.

Shop for diverse and inclusive children’s books at Moon Lane Books

Distinctive with its bright blue shop front and window displays, Moon Lane Books can be found on Stanstead Road between Catford and Forest Hill.

Moon Lane Books is a bookshop run by non-profit organisation Moon Lane Ink, whose main goal is to champion diversity in children’s books.

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They stock a wide variety of children’s books, for youngsters from early years to teens, offering both fiction and non-fiction which represents diverse backgrounds, from disability to different cultures and religions.

They also host a variety of events with authors and celebrate different months with curated collections of books, if you’re looking for some inspiration of a new book to try.

Stop off for a coffee at the popular St David’s Coffee House

With its quirky interiors and inviting shop front, St David’s Coffee House is the perfect spot to stop off for a coffee on a wet and rainy day.

They serve a range of baked cakes and a selection of unusual coffees from Square Mile Coffee roasters in a variety of unusual flavours.

St David's Coffee shops serves a range of coffees and baked cakes (Image: Instagram user @emmaslittlewanderings)