London Neighbourhoods
London is a city of villages. Each neighbourhood has its own character, its own high street and its own reasons to visit. What to see, where to eat and who each area suits.
London is often described as a city of villages. It grew by absorbing dozens of towns and hamlets, and many of them still have their own character, high street and history. Knowing the neighbourhoods helps you plan your days so you are not criss-crossing the city, and it makes choosing where to stay much easier.
Our guides cover the central areas most visitors know, such as Westminster, Soho and Covent Garden, as well as neighbourhoods further out that are well worth the journey, from Greenwich and Richmond to Brixton and Hampstead. For advice on where to base yourself, see the best areas to stay in London.
96 guides in this section.
Central London
Westminster
Parliament, the Abbey and the quieter streets behind them.
Soho
Food, theatres and a history that never sat still.
Covent Garden
The market, the street performers and Seven Dials.
Mayfair and St James's
Galleries, tailors and old-fashioned shops.
Marylebone
A village high street a short walk from Oxford Street.
Bloomsbury
Garden squares, bookshops and the British Museum.
King's Cross
Canal-side squares and a remarkable transformation.
The City of London
Roman walls, Wren churches and empty weekend streets.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
South and West London
The South Bank
The riverside walk, from the London Eye to Tate Modern and the Globe.
Borough and Bermondsey
Markets, warehouses and one of London's oldest churches.
South Kensington
The museum quarter and the Royal Albert Hall.
Chelsea
The King's Road, the Physic Garden and the river.
Notting Hill
Portobello Road, pastel houses and the carnival.
Brixton
The market, the arcades and a proud Caribbean history.
Richmond
Riverside pubs, a famous view and deer in the park.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
North, East and South-East London
Camden Town
The market, the canal and the live music.
Shoreditch
Street art, Brick Lane and East London nights.
Hampstead
A hilltop village beside the heath.
Islington
Upper Street, antiques and the canal.
Greenwich
Maritime history, the meridian and a view over the city.
Canary Wharf
Glass towers, docks and a museum about them.
Stratford
The Olympic Park, Westfield and a growing arts quarter.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
More of London
Leicester Square and Theatreland
The ticket booth, the premieres, and where not to eat.
The Isle of Dogs
A loop of the river, a foot tunnel, and the best view of Greenwich.
Clerkenwell
A medieval gate, an Italian church and a lot of design studios.
Fitzrovia
Literary pubs and good restaurants, minutes from Oxford Street.
Peckham
A car park with a view, and a very good food street.
Dalston and Stoke Newington
Turkish food, late bars, and a cemetery left to the foxes.
Hackney and London Fields
A heated outdoor pool, a Saturday market and the canal.
Whitechapel and the East End
Markets, a free gallery, and the history people come looking for.
Wimbledon Village and Town
A village on a hill, a town below, and the tennis between them.
Highgate and Crouch End
A hilltop village, a cemetery and a walk through the woods.
Battersea and Nine Elms
A rebuilt power station, a park, and a lot of new glass.
Pimlico and Victoria
Stucco terraces, a national gallery, and a very busy station.
Southwark and Bankside
Tate Modern, the Globe, the market, and a galleried coaching inn.
Wapping and Rotherhithe
Riverside pubs, Brunel's tunnel, and a path almost nobody walks.
Paddington and Bayswater
Where the Heathrow trains land, and what is actually nearby.
Earl's Court and West Brompton
Cheaper beds a few stops from the museums.
Walthamstow
A very long market, a free Morris gallery, and wetlands.
Ealing and West London
Film studios, parks, and a fast line into the centre.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
South of the river
Tooting
Two covered markets, a lido, and very good cheap food.
Balham and Streatham
Commons, an ice rink, and high streets that still work.
Herne Hill and Dulwich
The world's first purpose-built public gallery, and a lido.
Deptford and New Cross
A real market street, and cheap drinking to go with it.
Crystal Palace and Forest Hill
Antique shops, a pub triangle, and concrete dinosaurs below.
Kingston and Surbiton
A market town inside London, with boats to Hampton Court.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
West and north
Hammersmith and Barnes
The best riverside pub walk in London, start to finish.
Chiswick and Kew
A Georgian high street, and Kew across the bridge.
Southall
Sweets, cloth, and the best-value food in London.
Wembley
A stadium, an arena, an outlet mall and a marble temple.
Twickenham and the Richmond Riverside
Rugby, river pubs, and the only view protected by Act of Parliament.
St John's Wood and Maida Vale
Abbey Road, Lord's and the canal, all within a mile.
Angel and Finsbury Park
An antiques passage, a comedy circuit, and a very large park.
Kentish Town and Archway
Music venues, a lido, and the climb up to Highgate.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Corners with their own character
Seven Dials and Neal's Yard
Six faces on a seven-street sundial, and a painted courtyard.
Eel Pie Island, Twickenham
A private island that opens twice a year, and once had a blues club.
Hackney Wick and Fish Island
Warehouses, breweries and studios between the canal and the park.
Greenwich or Richmond for a Day Out?
One has the maritime history, the other has deer and a better walk.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Central areas the guides skip
Holborn
Lawyers, Soane's house and Lamb's Conduit Street. Nobody stays here.
The Barbican and Moorgate
Forty acres of walkways and a lake. How to find the way in.
Elephant and Castle
Rebuilt from the roundabout out. Where the Latin American traders went.
Vauxhall and Oval
A gyratory, a cricket ground and the arches. Better than it looks.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
South of the river, out past Greenwich
Blackheath
The village at the top of Greenwich Park, and the walk down to it.
Woolwich
Twelve minutes from Canary Wharf, with an arsenal and a free ferry.
Croydon
Trams, a Tudor palace and serious concrete, fifteen minutes out.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
West London beyond the museums
Fulham
Two grounds, a palace and the river path between them.
Shepherd's Bush and White City
Westfield, the old BBC, and a market street worth the walk.
Kilburn and Queen's Park
Irish Kilburn, a small perfect park, and a theatre worth the journey.
Brentford and Isleworth
Canal meets river opposite Kew, with an Adam palace on the bank.
Harrow on the Hill
A hill, a famous school and a country High Street, twenty minutes out.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
The East End past Whitechapel
Bow and Mile End
Match girls, a canal and a cemetery gone wild. Ten minutes out.
Poplar and Blackwall
Under the towers: a company chapel, a market and the old docks.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
One street, one page
Hatton Garden
Three hundred jewellers in one street. How to buy without being fleeced.
Cecil Court and London's Book Streets
An alley of antiquarian booksellers, and what is left nearby.
Lamb's Conduit Street
Independent shops, two listed pubs, no national chains. Fifteen minutes east of the Museum.
Marylebone Lane
It curves because a river runs under it. And the shops are the best kind.
Bermondsey Street
Half a mile of restaurants, a pink museum, and nobody from the coach.
Exmouth Market
Busiest at weekday lunch, dead on Sunday. What to queue for.
Whitecross Street
Street food beside the Barbican. Weekdays only, finished by two.
St Christopher's Place and the Alleys Off Oxford Street
Forty metres off Oxford Street, and the crowd never finds it.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
North London beyond the Heath
Barnet and Finchley
A medieval market town at the end of the Northern line.
Golders Green and Hendon
The best Jewish food in London, and a hundred aircraft up the road.
Enfield Town and the Lea Valley Edge
A market from 1303 and the world's first cash machine.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
East London past the Olympic Park
Romford and Havering
A market since 1247, and countryside where the Elizabeth line ends.
Ilford and Redbridge
Eighteen minutes out, with a mansion, a park and a great high street.
Barking and Dagenham
An abbey, a moated Tudor manor, and a new town on the river.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
South London past Croydon
Lewisham and Catford
A giant fibreglass cat, a real market, and cheap good food.
Bromley and Beckenham
Wells was born here and Bowie grew up here. Twenty minutes out.
Sutton and Carshalton
A village pond, a Tudor manor and lavender fields in July.
Mitcham and Morden
Cricket since 1685, and a National Trust park at the end of the line.
Sydenham and Penge
Where the Crystal Palace stood, and the dinosaurs that outlived it.
Bexleyheath and Erith
Morris's Red House, a Tudor hall, and the Thames half a mile wide.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
West London past Chiswick
Putney and Wandsworth
Where the Boat Race starts, and the best river walking nearby.
Acton and Hanwell
A transport depot open a few days a year, and a Brunel viaduct.
Hounslow and Osterley
An Adam house and a park, one stop before Heathrow.
Uxbridge and Ruislip
A Battle of Britain bunker, a lido with a beach, and real countryside.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.