London neighbourhoods

London neighbourhoods

My favourite things in each of the 20 parts of London (a very subjective way to divide the city into manageable chunks): Acton, Battersea, Brixton, Camden, Canary Wharf, Dalston, Finsbury Park, Greenwich, Hackney, Hampstead Heath, Islington, Kensington, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Peckham, Richmond, Soho, Southbank, Walthamstow and Wembley.

1. Acton

2. Battersea

  • One of the new neighbourhoods in London. See the Battersea Power Station that has been renovated into a shopping mall and flats, and exciting architecture of the surrounding residential buildings.
  • Battersea Park and Albert Bridge (lit up beautifully at night).

3. Brixton

  • Street art.
  • Brixton Windmill - an unexpected thing to see in London.
  • Parissi for a warm drink and a cake.

4. Camden

  • Regent’s Park; don’t miss Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens when roses are in bloom. Primrose Hill is a perfect spot for a picnic and/or sunset watching.
  • Little Venice. Floating Pocket Park in Paddington Basin. Don’t miss the Rolling Bridge.
  • Street art in the area around Camden Market.
  • Clifton Nurseries - one of London’s oldest garden centres, and it has a cafe.
  • Carreras Cigarette Factory - art-deco building with Egyptian cats guarding the entrance.
  • La Fauxmagerie - London’s first vegan cheese shop.

5. Canary Wharf

6. Dalston

  • Green spaces - Clissold Park, Abney Park Cemetery Trust (a beautiful cemetery, especially wonderful for a stroll on a hot summer day as it stays cool), New River Path (a narrow 1km park from (51.541842, -0.097758) to (51.547047, -0.092159)), Dalston Eastern Curve Garden.
  • De Beauvoir Town - lovely pedestrian streets between De Beauvoir Square and De Beauvoir Deli. Batch Baby is a coffee shop with great vibes.

Food:

  • Berber & Q Grill House - Middle-eastern flavours. Their Berber & Q Shawarma Bar in Islington is also good.
  • Oi Vita Pizzeria - awesome pizza, many vegan options.
  • Ethiopian food (many vegan options) - Laza Eritrean Ethiopian Restaurant and Andu Ethiopian.
  • The Dusty Knuckle Bakery for pastries.
  • Gelato: Romeo & Giulietta Artisan Gelateria.

7. Finsbury Park

  • Yum Bug Restaurant - the future is tasty. A must-try!
  • Parkland Walk - a lovely running/walking route connecting Finsbury Park and Highgate Wood.
  • Open water swimming in West Reservoir and/or birdwatching in Woodberry Wetlands.

8. Greenwich

  • Queen’s House - maritime paintings. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Old Royal Naval College - cheap tickets on First Sunday of every month.
  • National Maritime Museum - free until summer 2025. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Royal Observatory Greenwich (not free). Do walk to it via Prime Meridian Walk, even if you are not planning to buy a ticket. You’ll cross the Prime Meridian on your walk and you’ll be treated to amazing views of London from the top of the hill.
  • Take a ferry to Woolwich to pass through the Thames Barrier (51.496888, 0.037287).
  • Greenwich Peninsula’s Art Trail.
  • Greenwich Foot Tunnel is an exciting way to cross the Thames river on foot.

Food:

  • Eat Vietnam Bar B Grill 1 - great Vietnamese food.
  • 15grams Coffee House has great coffee.

9. Hackney

  • On Saturdays - Broadway Market and Netil Market, followed by a picnic in London Fields.
  • Victoria Park is huge, and you can continue into Hackney Marshes and onwards along the River Lea.
  • Olympic Park - a new neighbourhood. This includes East Bank - a new powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning. UCL, University of Arts London, Victoria and Albert Museum, BBC Music and Sadler’s Wells Theatre all have a location here.
  • Street art around Hackney Wick.
  • Hackney Downs Park and the area around Hackney Downs Studios.
  • London Sri Mahalakshmi Temple (South Indian) in East Ham (especially worth seeing if you’ve not yet been to India).

Food:

  • Pastries: Forno, Pophams (several locations), Pavilion Bakery (several locations), E5 Bakehouse, The Snapery East, Yeast Bakery.
  • Casa Fofó - tasting menu with a focus on local and seasonal. Vegetarian option available.
  • EDIT - vegan restaurant with a focus on local and seasonal; low on waste and environmental impact.
  • Silo London - tasting menu. They mill their own flour and make their own butter; and aim to eliminate food waste, so expect ice cream made from leftover sourdough bread.
  • Tamila in Hackney Bridge serves nice Indian food.

10. Hampstead Heath

  • Hampstead Heath - huge park extending into Highgate Wood in the north and Golders Hill Park in the west. Parliament Hill Viewpoint for great views of London.
  • On Saturdays - Parliament Hill Farmers’ Market, followed by a picnic in Hampstead Heath.

11. Islington

  • Regent’s Canal. From Angel station it goes east to Victoria Park. From there you can continue south to Limehouse or north to Olympic Park from which you can continue north along the River Lee or south to Royal Observatory Greenwich (crossing under the Thames via Greenwich foot tunnel).
  • Don’t miss the Antepavilion’s Sharks! visible from the Regent’s Canal, in the water or on the roof. They are a big deal.
  • Camden Passage - a charming bit of old London.
  • Upper street is a delightful place for a stroll. Islington Square is an new area created around the renovated 1990s General Post Office sorting depo.
  • Union Chapel - a beautiful venue hosting different types of events.
  • Get Stuffed - taxidermy shop fun to explore from the outside.
  • Richmond Avenue - many of the houses on this residential street are guarded by mini sphinxes and obelisks that were installed in 1841 at the height of Egypt-mania.
  • Exmouth Market - a wonderful place to hangout on a warm evening or for a morning coffee.
  • Neal’s Yard Dairy - an excellent shop of British and Irish cheeses. Several locations, this is the most non-touristy.

Food:

  • Tofu Vegan - vegan Chinese. Several locations.
  • Jam Delish - vegan Caribbean.
  • Berber & Q Shawarma Bar - Middle-eastern flavours. Their Berber & Q Grill House in Dalston is also good.
  • Zia Lucia - Italian pizzas, including their famous charcoal crust. Several locations.
  • Towpath - lovely outdoor restaurant on the canal in Islington, perfect for lunch or a dinner on a warm summer evening.
  • Cafe Tiffin - North Indian.
  • Pastries: Pophams, Sourdough Sophia (both with several locations).
  • Udderlicious for gelato (several locations).
  • Katsute 100 - a perfect place for a non-alcoholic drinks meeting in the evening.

12. Kensington

  • Architecture (including postcard classics): Parliament Square Garden with views of Big Ben, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey; beautiful mews, Marble Arch and Wellington Arch, 55 Broadway, 15 Gloucester Road, St Columba’s Church Of Scotland, etc.
  • Westminster Cathedral - an architectural gem that should be much more famous. Their handy online calendar allows you to pick a time to visit that doesn’t clash with religious services.
  • Book a tour to see the inside of the Big Ben Tower way in advance.
  • London’s beautiful parks - St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park. Hyde Park Rose Garden when roses are in bloom, St James’s Park for daffodils in spring. Don’t miss the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde park - two building on either side of the Serpentine Bridge.
  • Japan House London - free exhibitions and events.
  • Onion Garden - an unlikely place to stumble upon.
  • Nick Hornby sculpture on Orchard Place (51.498454, -0.132962).
  • Roca London Gallery - architecturally interesting place (a bathroom shop), great to visit when there is a free exhibition.
  • Westminster Station is really pretty inside.
  • Chelsea Common is a nice area for a stroll.

Museums, exhibitions and art:

Food:

  • Mali Vegan Thai - vegan Thai.
  • Gelato: Oddono’s (several locations).

13. King’s Cross

  • Known as the Knowledge Quarter - the location of British Library, Wellcome Trust, Alan Turing Institute, Francis Crick Institute, Google, Nature publishing, The Guardian and many more.
  • Architecture gems include Gasholder Park, Coal Drops Yard (read about its history here (51.535522, -0.126936) and visit architecturally exciting Samsung store on the top floor), Granary Square, Lewis Cubitt Square, community garden (51.538009, -0.124362), Pancras Square, St Pancras Station, the light tunnel (51.533144, -0.124917), etc. King’s Cross Visitor Centre is a great place to start; the model of the neighbourhood gives you an overview of what there is to explore. Jack has a great post about this area.
  • Wellcome Collection.
  • Regent’s Canal. From King’s Cross it goes west past Wembley, and you can follow it all the way to Slough or Kew Bridge.
  • Keystone Crescent (51.531825, -0.120135) - a charming bit of old London.
  • Crypt Gallery - an atmospheric gallery worth visiting, no matter what the exhibition is.
  • The Rooftop at The Standard - overpriced drinks are totally worth it on a warm sunny evening, as this bar has a unique view of the beautiful St Pancras Station.

Food:

  • Dishoom King’s Cross. I’m not sure why there is so much hype about this North Indian restaurant chain, but this specific location is truly special - a warehouse where goods and spices arrived from Bombay in the 1930s.
  • Merkato - Ethiopian food (many vegan options).
  • For pastries - look for Little Bread Pedlar stand at Canopy market or Real Food Market.

14. Liverpool Street

  • Horizon 22 - London’s highest observation deck (58th floor). Book free tickets in advance, bring binoculars. If no tickets available, try The Lookout or Sky Garden. There is really no need to pay for The View from The Shard or London Eye.
  • London Mithraeum - archaeological remains of a Roman temple, 3rd century AD. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Guildhall Art Gallery - art collection and London’s Roman Amphitheatre. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Sculptures: Sculpture in the city - an annual outdoor sculpture exhibition, new sculptures every June; Our Herd of Hope - a family of 21 life-sized bronze elephant statues around 1 Bishops Square; a sculpture by Yayoi Kusama in front of Liverpool Street Station (51.517648, -0.083399); etc.
  • Street art around Shoreditch - Brick lane, Whitecross street and much more.
  • Columbia Road Flower Market on Sundays. For the full experience, also visit Hackney City Farm nearby.
  • Walk from Liverpool Street station to Farringdon station underground following this guide.
  • The area around Old Street Station, nicknamed the “Silicon Roundabout”, has a fun origin story that started with a throwaway joke in 2008 and became UK government’s policy in 2010.
  • Monument to the Great Fire of London.
  • St. Katherine’s Docks.
  • Bank of England Museum - a chance to hold a bar of gold.
  • Bike Shed Moto Co. - is an interesting place, especially if you like motorbikes.

Architecture:

  • This area has a lot of remarkable modern buildings: Richard Rogers’ inside-out Lloyd’s building, Broadgate Tower (a raft building above rail tracks), 120 Fenchurch street, The Gherkin, Broadgate Circle, etc.
  • And a lot of remarkable old buildings: St Dunstan in the East Church Garden (beautiful old church with no roof), the Victorian Bath House, Leadenhall Market (Victorian indoor marketplace), etc.
  • The Barbican Estate - one of the largest examples of Brutalist style architecture, representing an utopian ideal for inner-city living. Have fun exploring.
  • St Paul’s cathedral.
  • Paternoster Square, including Temple Bar London - a renovated (and relocated) City of London gateway from the 1600s. This is the only one that survived, but there used to be 9 of them and it makes for a great walk. And don’t miss the Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden - a garden in the ruins of an 18th-century bombed out church.
  • Exchange Square for a great view of Liverpool Street Station; Aldgate Square.

Food:

  • Spitalfields area is becoming a vegan destination: Bubala (vegan or vegetarian tasting menu, also in Soho), Club Mexicana (vegan, also in Soho), Tofu Vegan (several locations), etc.
  • Nest - tasting menu that celebrates British vegetables. The menu is vegetarian during their vegetable season.
  • Photobookcafe - a perfect place for a non-alcoholic drinks meeting in the evening.
  • This is the destination for cocktail bars in London: Lounge Bohemia, Nightjar, Happiness Forgets, Looking Glass Cocktail Club (the cool bar is behind the mirror), The Gobpsy (Tue-Fri only; beneath a barber shop), City of London Distillery & Bar (gin-centric cocktails).

15. Peckham

  • Naifs - cosy vegan restaurant.
  • Persepolis - Persian vegetarian restaurant. The Feast menu is packed with flavours.

16. Richmond

  • Kew Gardens - one of the best botanical gardens in the world. Arrive at the opening time, as one day is not enough to see everything. Check the schedule of free walking tours at the information desk inside the main gift shop. Don’t miss the art galleries (included with the entrance ticket) - Marianne North Gallery (permanent exhibition) and Shirley Sherwood Gallery (temporary exhibitions) are both excellent. Check out the Cambridge Cottage and Duke’s Garden in front of it, if they are not rented out for an event. Check the website for evening events - spending time at Kew in the dark is truly magical.
  • Richmond Park - find the deer with huge antlers. Explore Isabella Plantation with 3 ponds (the best time to visit is in May when rhododendrons are in bloom).
  • London Wetland Centre is a lot of fun. Bring binoculars.

Food and drink:

  • Petersham Nurseries Café - a wonderful place to stop for a tea and a cake in a plant-filled glasshouse.
  • Kaffee Limited - Viennese coffee and cake.

17. Soho

  • Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
  • Gerrard Street - the heart of London’s Chinatown.
  • Fitzrovia Chapel - a hidden gem. Don’t miss “The one and the many” sculpture by Peter Randall-Page just outside the chapel.
  • Architecturally exciting campus of London School of Economics (LSE) - The Marshall Building (a gem of forward-thinking architecture), Square the Block sculpture (51.51508, -0.118539), etc.
  • Liberty London - a wonderful mock Tudor building.
  • Seven Dials and Neal’s Yard.
  • Victoria Embankment Gardens and Cleopatra’s Needle.
  • Outernet London (just outside Tottenham Court Road station) - huge screens showing art…or more often adverts.

Museums and galleries:

  • The British Museum and their Lates. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Sir John Soane’s Museum - the house of one of the greatest English architects; expect antiquities, sculptures, paintings and curiosities.
  • Hunterian Museum - the specimen collection of the 18th century surgeon anatomist John Hunter. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Grant Museum of Zoology - a small space densely packed with skeletons.
  • The National Gallery. Book free tickets in advance.
  • Mall galleries - exciting temporary exhibitions, often free. Wildlife Artist of the Year is my favourite.
  • Stroll past numerous private art galleries. My favourite ones to visit include White Cube Mason’s Yard, Waddington Custot and Phillips London at 30 Berkeley Square (glass walls makes it fun to visit even when it is closed).

Food:

  • Akoko - modern West African. Tasting menu with a vegan option.
  • NOPI - by Yotam Ottolenghi.
  • Kricket (Soho and Canary Wharf) - modern North Indian.
  • Tendril - naughty vegan restaurant (with a bit of cheese). Tasting menu is an option.
  • Masala Zone Piccadilly Circus. This is a chain of North Indian restaurants, but this specific location is magnificent - the dining room of the historic Criterion building.
  • Chettinad Restaurant - South Indian.
  • Mercato Mayfair - a food court in an old church. Totally worth it for the architecture, not the food.
  • Qima Cafe in Soho, the destination for both pastries and coffee.
  • Attendant Coffee Roasters - an awesome underground-restroom-turned-coffee-bar at Victorian-era urinals.
  • WatchHouse Somerset House - a great place for a tea and a pastry with a great view of beautiful Somerset House.
  • Gelato: Gelupo, La Gelatiera, Udderlicious.
  • Twinings The Strand tea shop in a historic building. Get any of their teas (even the most expensive one) in a takeaway cup for cheap. Alternatively, try Algerian Coffee Stores (they also do takeaway drinks).
  • Below Stone Nest - not what you’d expect in Soho. Go for a drink, go early and prepare to be surprised.
  • Wulf & Lamb - here you can try vegan Redefine Meat.

18. Southbank

  • Tate Modern and their Lates. Worth a visit even if you don’t like modern art, as it is located in the former Bankside Power Station, which operated until 1981.
  • Hayward Gallery (not free) - temporary exhibitions. There are numerous small (free) galleries in the area; my favourites include White Cube Bermondsey and London Glassblowing.
  • Southbank Centre - a buzzing area with public art, events, skateboarding area, views of London and more.
  • Tower Bridge (old) and Millennium Bridge (new).
  • Leake Street, also known as The Graffiti Tunnel.
  • National Theatre Archive - here you can watch recordings of all London theatre productions that are no longer showing on stage, for free. Booking required for specific time and a specific production you want to see. Also check out BFI Mediatheque (free).
  • Newport Street Gallery - a large space with temporary art exhibitions. Free.

Food:

19. Walthamstow

  • Epping Forest makes a great day out.
  • God’s Own Junkyard - a paradise of neon signs. Around it there are several breweries and Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace (gin-centric cocktail bar).
  • Markfield Beam Engine and Museum - the engine is a great thing to see, especially if you can catch it in operation.
  • Chuku’s - Nigerian tapas, many vegan options.
  • supperclub.tube - Latin American inspired tasting menu. A unique experience of dining on a 1967 Victoria Line tube carriage.

20. Wembley

  • Indian temples (especially worth seeing if you’ve not yet been to India): BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London (marble and wood) and Shri Sanatan Hindu Mandir (limestone).
  • Vasanta Bhavan Wembley - South Indian.