A good London pub crawl is one of the best cheap days (or nights) out the capital has to offer, but "London" is a big place and not every route suits every group. Some are built for classic boozers and river views, some for craft beer, some for a big birthday or stag do that needs somewhere to actually be seated together. Below are seven of our favourite routes across the city — including the guided one we run ourselves — plus honest advice on planning your own.
1. The Bermondsey Beer Mile
Strictly speaking this is a taproom crawl rather than a pub crawl — you're visiting independent breweries in a run of railway arches in South East London, not traditional pubs — but it's become one of the most popular "crawl" days out in the city, and it's the one we know best. The route runs from Druid Street down through Enid Street and the Spa Terminus to the arches near South Bermondsey, taking in half a dozen or more taprooms depending how far you go. See our full Bermondsey Beer Mile map and route if you want to walk it yourself, or check the Ultimate Beer Mile Guide for a stop-by-stop breakdown of every brewery. We run a guided version of this route ourselves — more on that below.
2. Soho
Soho is the classic London pub crawl postcode: a tight grid of streets packed with pubs, bars and everything in between, all within a few minutes' walk of each other. It's brilliant for an evening that starts with a proper pub and ends up somewhere a bit livelier, and it's well served by Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road stations. Expect it to be busy and pricey by London standards, especially on a Friday — book tables ahead if your group is large.
3. Borough & the riverside
Starting near Borough Market and following the Thames path towards London Bridge and Bankside strings together some of London's oldest and most atmospheric pubs, several with genuine river views. It's a gentler, more scenic crawl than most — good for an afternoon that starts with lunch at the market. Pair it with our guide to things to do near London Bridge for the rest of the day, or add a proper history angle with our roundup of the history of the Bermondsey Beer Mile, which starts in the same neighbourhood.
4. Camden
North London's classic big-night-out crawl, built around Camden Market, the lock and a dense strip of bars and live music pubs. It's loud, sociable and easy to navigate even with a big group, which is why it's a longstanding favourite for birthdays and stag & hen dos. Expect queues at the busier venues on weekend nights.
5. Shoreditch
East London's answer to Soho — a warren of independent bars, rooftop spots and late openings around Old Street and Brick Lane. It suits a slightly younger, trendier crowd and rewards a bit of local knowledge, since the best places are often unmarked doors rather than obvious pub fronts. Good for groups who want variety in one compact area.
6. A central bar & club crawl
If your group wants the night to build towards dancing rather than winding down, a central London route linking a handful of bars and a club (rather than traditional pubs) is the better shout — particularly for stag and hen groups who want the logistics sorted for them. Central crawls like this tend to be pricier per venue than a neighbourhood pub crawl, since you're paying for guest-list entry as much as the drinks, so factor that in when you're comparing options. See our affiliate pick below if that's more your evening than a taproom tour.
7. Historic pubs, city-wide
Rather than one neighbourhood, this route hops across London by tube to hit specific historic pubs — Georgian coaching inns, riverside smugglers' haunts and centuries-old City taverns. It's less of a straight line and more of a treasure hunt, best done with a small group and a rough plan rather than a fixed route. It rewards a bit of research beforehand — pick four or five pubs with real history rather than trying to string together a continuous walking route, since some of London's oldest pubs are scattered a fair distance apart.
DIY crawl vs a guided one
Planning your own route is half the fun for a small group with time to figure it out. But the bigger the group, the more a DIY crawl tends to fall apart — venues won't hold a table for 15 people who "might" show up, and it only takes one lost phone to scatter everyone for an hour. That's exactly the gap a guided tour fills: a route that's pre-booked, a guide who keeps everyone together, and no admin for whoever organised it. Our own guided Bermondsey Beer Tasting Tour runs for 2–3.5 hours, visits four independent taprooms with a beer included at every stop, and costs £49 per person — it meets at Southwark Brewing Co, 46 Druid St. We've been running it since 2014, and we host private groups from 6 up to 60+ people via our private & group tours page.
Planning your own pub crawl: what actually matters
- Pick 5–6 stops, not 10. More venues sounds fun on paper but usually means less time enjoying any of them, and a higher chance of losing people.
- Book ahead for groups of six or more. Walk-in tables for big groups are increasingly rare on weekends, especially in Soho and Shoreditch.
- Eat before you start, and again halfway. A pub crawl with no food is a short pub crawl.
- Agree a meeting point for stragglers. Phones die, signal drops — a simple "if we're separated, meet at X" plan saves a lot of hassle.
- Bring ID. It's an over-18s activity and busier venues will often ask, whatever your age.
- Pace yourselves. Drink water between stops and don't feel obliged to finish every round — see our guide to tasting beer properly for ways to enjoy more while drinking less.
Which route suits your group?
For craft beer fans and anyone who wants to actually learn something along the way, Bermondsey wins. For a classic, no-fuss pub evening, Soho or the Borough riverside are safest. For a big, high-energy night, Camden or a central bar crawl are built for it. For a stag or hen do specifically, see our dedicated stag & hen do ideas for London — a private guided tour is consistently the option groups rate highest, because nobody has to organise anything on the day. And if you're hosting visitors who've never done a proper London pub crawl before, starting them off guided rather than throwing them into a packed Soho pub on a Friday tends to make for a much better first impression of the city.
More nights out in London
The links below are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only suggest experiences we'd recommend anyway.
- London Bar & Club Crawl (5 central venues) — a good pick if your group wants the night to end up dancing rather than in another pub.
- Shoreditch Pub Crawl — an organised route around East London's bars if you fancy Shoreditch without the planning.
- Camden Pub Crawl (5 venues, drink deals) — skip-the-queue entry and drink deals across Camden's best-known bars.
Whichever route you choose, a brewery tour also makes a brilliant gift for whoever's turning 30, 40 or just loves good beer — our gift vouchers are delivered instantly by email and never expire.