Dulwich has a certain mistique for those of us who live elsewhere in South London. They’re all so wealthy over there!
The area is deeply suburban and firmly off the tourist trail. It is also a pain to get around - the traffic is absolutely appalling at all times so even long walks are the quickest option.
Dulwich Village is the poshest area, but mostly residential. East Dulwich is more grounded in reality and has many interesting shops and cafés.
The Dulwich Picture Gallery features a collection of Old Masters in a building by Sir John Soane.
I’m not that into Old Masters so was pleased that the temporary displays mix things up a bit and help to add some context to the paintings.
Half the gallery was dedicated to a temporary exhibition when I was there so It didn’t take long to see it all and retire to the very nice café.
I remembered not liking the Horniman Museum as a child so I wasn’t very excited to go back.
I was wrong though, it is great! The main thing to see is the world gallery, focused on anthropology.
The Natural History Gallery is closed until 2026 so the museum currently feels a bit small - I wouldn’t expect to be there for many hours.
Bon is a very small coffee shop on Lordship Lane, towards East Dulwich. There’s no indoor seating, just two benches outside.
The incredible traffic along Lordship Lane means you won’t stay long, but the coffee was good and they do a small selection of cakes and bread.
Dulwich Park is most notable for its very wide carriage drives, popular with families on bikes.
I wasn’t blown away by any impressive gardens but there are lots of facilities: a boating lake, a café and lots of sports fields.
Unusually, there’s a recumbent cycle shop in the park where you can hire them. I didn’t try them, but they look like they’re a lot of fun.
