Called Putelei in the Domesday Book of 1086, Putney is most famous as the starting point of the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Barnes is less well known and more ‘villagey’ in feel. The best way to approach Putney is to follow the signs from Putney Bridge tube station for the footbridge (which runs parallel to the rail track), admiring the gorgeous riverside houses, with their gardens fronting the Thames, and thereby avoiding the tatty High St until the last minute.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.43 MILES
The world’s largest and oldest continuously occupied fortress, Windsor Castle is a majestic vision of battlements and towers. Used for state occasions, it…
4.79 MILES
A splendid mixture of architectural styles, Westminster Abbey is considered the finest example of Early English Gothic. It's not merely a beautiful place…
6.12 MILES
One of London's most amazing attractions, Tate Modern is an outstanding modern- and contemporary-art gallery housed in the creatively revamped Bankside…
2.91 MILES
With its thunderous, animatronic dinosaur, riveting displays about planet earth, outstanding Darwin Centre and architecture straight from a Gothic fairy…
6.36 MILES
Sir Christopher Wren’s 300-year-old architectural masterpiece is a London icon. Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that's been a…
7.03 MILES
Few parts of the UK are as steeped in history or as impregnated with legend and superstition as the titanic stonework of the Tower of London. Not only is…
6.22 MILES
Seeing a play at Shakespeare's Globe – ideally standing under the open-air "wooden O" – is experiencing the playwright's work at its best and most…
5.57 MILES
With almost six million visitors trooping through its doors annually, the British Museum in Bloomsbury, one of the oldest and finest museums in the world,…
Nearby Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court attractions
0.48 MILES
Within glorious stumbling distance of the Thames, this summer home of the bishops of London from 704 to 1975 is a lovely blend of architectural styles…
0.49 MILES
When it comes to atmospheric graveyards in the capital, Highgate in north London tends to dominate the headlines. But venture to Barnes Common in…
0.86 MILES
One of Europe’s largest inland wetland projects, this 42-hectare centre run by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust was transformed from four Victorian…
1.71 MILES
Tucked away in the coach house and basement of Kelmscott House (William Morris' former home), this small riverside museum stages temporary exhibitions on…
1.78 MILES
If you’re a beer fiend, hop (excuse the pun) on a tour to see it being brewed up and join in a good-old tasting session (over-18s only). Informative one…
1.79 MILES
Chelsea (aka the Blues) is one of London's wealthiest football clubs, and Stamford Bridge is hallowed turf for fans after a souvenir kit or a tour of the…
1.87 MILES
Designed by the third Earl of Burlington (1694–1753) – fired up with passion for all things Roman after his grand tour of Italy – this stunner of a neo…
1.88 MILES
Home between 1749 and 1764 to artist and social commentator William Hogarth, this small house displays his caricatures and engravings, with such works as…