A heartbroken cry is inevitable, but you don’t have to do it at home alone. Weep with a view, hide your tears on the tube, or mourn your lost love amongst the dead – these are the best crying spots in London

So, you’ve been dumped. Maybe it was a slow, agonising decline, or maybe they blindsided you over a lukewarm flat white. Either way, the heartbreak has set in, and now, everything reminds you of them. The city feels different — places you once loved together are now emotional minefields. The weight of it hits at the worst possible times, and suddenly, you’re blinking back tears in the middle of Pret.

Crying after a breakup is inevitable, but you don’t have to do it alone in your flat, surrounded by empty Deliveroo containers. 

And here’s the thing: crying in public isn’t just inevitable — it’s part of the healing process. Harvard researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain. And if you’re going to have a post-breakup breakdown, you might as well do it somewhere that complements the mood. Whether you need the drama of crying into the Thames or the quiet solitude of a hidden garden, London has plenty of places to let it all out.

Here’s your definitive guide to the best places to cry in public after a breakup.

1. A Bench on South Bank (A Cinematic Weep With a View)

If you want to cry like the main character in a sad indie film, South Bank is your spot. Find a bench facing the Thames — preferably one with a view of St. Paul’s — and let the heartbreak pour out of you. There’s something poetic about staring across the river, thinking about what was and what could have been. Plus, the sound of the water is oddly soothing, and passers-by will assume you’re just contemplating life, not mourning a love that turned out to be a total disappointment.

Bonus: If you really want to lean into the drama, time it for sunset and bring a melancholy playlist.

2. The Tate Modern (Become One With the Art and the Pain)

If you cry in the Tate Modern, you can pretend you’re part of the exhibition. Stare at something abstract, let the tears roll down your cheeks, and see if anyone mistakes your heartbreak for a deep appreciation of modern art. The vast, echoing halls offer a strange kind of comfort — you’re surrounded by the work of artists who also suffered for love.

Best strategy? Camp out in front of a particularly bleak piece and let strangers assume you’re an art installation about depression. 

Bonus: If you buy yourself a pretentious but necessary self-care book from the gift shop after.

3. The Central Line (Let the Chaos Consume You)

There’s no better place to cry anonymously than the Central Line. It’s so loud, hot, and aggressively unpleasant that no one will even notice your silent tears. If anything, your breakup-slash-breakdown might make you the most stable person in the carriage. Stare blankly at your reflection in the window, hold back a sob between Oxford Circus and Holborn, and let the sheer misery of London’s worst Tube line swallow you whole.

Bonus: The train screeching might drown out that voice in your head saying, “maybe they’ll come back”. (They won’t.)

4. Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden (A Peaceful Place to Fall Apart)

Not all post-breakup cries have to be messy and dramatic. If you need a quiet place to reflect (or just sob without an audience), Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden is ideal. It’s tucked away enough that you won’t have tourists gawking at you, plus the flowers, benches and general serenity make it feel like a safe space to let go.

You don’t have to be religious to appreciate the calm of a church garden. Sometimes, you just need a beautiful, quiet place to sit and accept that it’s over.

5. Highgate Cemetery (For When the Relationship is Truly Dead to You)

Sometimes, a breakup feels like a funeral. If you’re in that phase where it’s time to emotionally bury the relationship, what better place than Highgate Cemetery? It’s gothic, eerily quiet, and — best of all — no one will question someone crying in a graveyard. If anything, it’ll add to the atmosphere.

Wander the old pathways, sit beneath a weeping willow, and remind yourself that love isn’t dead, just this particular chapter of it. Plus, nothing puts heartbreak into perspective like realising that at least you’re still alive.

6. Hackney City Farm (Cry Into the Fur of an Emotional Support Goat)

If human beings have let you down, it’s time to turn to the animals. Hackney City Farm is full of emotional support goats, chickens and other small creatures who will never ghost you or say “I just don’t see a future with us”.

Blame your tears on hay fever, pet a donkey, and let the unconditional love of farm animals remind you that there are still pure things in the world.

London is full of places where you can let it out—whether you want to be swallowed by the crowd, sit in quiet reflection, or lean into the full tragic romance of it all.

And one day, you’ll walk past that bench, or that painting, or that Tube carriage, and realise you don’t feel like crying there anymore. And when that happens, you’ll know you’re healing.