Weekends In

London

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London

Travel guide for a weekend in London including food, art, walks and parks, from someone who was once a local. This guide takes you through a bit of South, East and West London.

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Friday afternoon

South London

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Hoyoung Choi on Unsplash⁠

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Start at St. Pauls, and if you want an impressive view of the city go to

One New Change⁠

(a mall across the road), take the elevator to the top floor. From there, you can almost walk a straight line via the

Millenium Bridge⁠

, crossing the Thames.

🎨 You’ll end up at the

Tate Modern⁠

on Southbank. The permanent collections at the Tate are free, but the paid exhibitions are usually worth it. After the Tate you can head down to

The Boot & Flogger⁠

, a wine bar and dining room that's been around since the 60s.

🍻 If you're looking for something more lively than make your way down to Brixton. For more people watching, and outdoor food and drinks check out

Pop Brixton⁠

. So much good food here, fun music and a lively crowd. Check out the neighborhood while you're here including Brixton Market, or go to

The Craft Beer Co.⁠

for a beer.

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Saturday

East London

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Anjana Menon on Unsplash⁠

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Definitely aim to visit at least one Market when you’re in London. I would recommend going to

Broadway Market⁠

on Saturday which has great food stalls surrounded by good cafes and a few interesting shops. You can combine it with a walk along Regents Canal and talk a stroll through London Fields park after.

My recommendations for snacks at the market are: the scotch eggs stall in front of Cat & Mutton, the brownie stand Bad Brownie right next to it (try the salted caramel brownie with a sign ‘voted best brownie’), the mushroom risotto place is also good. The market continues in the inner court of London Primary School, which is not totally obvious so make sure you check that out too. There’s also a nice flea market very close called

Netil Market⁠

with a few more food stalls (try a place called Bao for buns).

Afterwards you can head down to

Shoreditch High St.⁠

, there are buses that go there or you can take the overground. Now you should basically explore the triangle between Old St, Great Eastern St and Shoreditch High St.

🛍 I would recommend going down Old St and making a right on Curtain Rd. There are some interesting shops to browse around there like SCP and Good Hood. For more shops, walk back down Shoreditch High St and towards Redchurch St. You’ll find lots of little stores to explore here, including: Labour & Wait (household). If you need a coffee break, make sure to grab one at

Allpress⁠

🍽 For dinner, you can't go wrong with

Dishoom⁠

, a popular Indian restaurant with Locations in London. For meat lovers,

St John Bread and Wine⁠

is a very London spot. You can also try

Andina⁠

, a great Peruvian restaurant on Redchurch St. Good food options around here are

On The Bab⁠

(korean buns, you will likely have to wait, but it’s worth it) and

Homeslice⁠

(Pizza, casual).

Flat Iron⁠

is a good option for a £10 steak.

🍻 If you're feeling thirsty and ready for a cocktail, we like

Lounge Bohemia⁠

Callooh Callay⁠

. For a beer, pretty much any pub will do but

The Owl & Pussycat⁠

isn't a bad option, or

BrewDog Shoreditch⁠

for a craft beer.

💃 East London on a Saturday is a great place to go out. Any bar or pub will be crowded in Shoreditch or Dalston. We recommend

Oval Space⁠

in Haggerston for a larger club-like scene, or

Brilliant Corners⁠

in Dalston for a more intimate dance party.

From here you can continue to Brick Lane - where you can find market stalls, asian food and vintage shopping.

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Sunday

West London

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Photo by Ugur Akdemir on Unsplash⁠

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Begin your day at

Saint Espresso⁠

for a coffee, and then head for a walk in

Regents Park⁠

. The parks in London are iconic. You can try Regents, Hampstead Heath or Hyde Park depending on where you are staying.

After Regents Park, take a walk down Marylebone. Take a peek into the

Conran Shop⁠

, a design shop with a few floors worth just browsing. Continue down the street to

Daunt Books Marlybone⁠

, a famous bookshop that specializes in travel books.

If you're looking for a classy break, then we recommend

afternoon tea at The Wallace⁠

, the museum cafe of the

Wallace Collection⁠

. It's in a bright inner courtyard with a glass roof, and afterwards you can check out the art collection for free. If tea time is not you're thing, you can try lunch at

Wahaca⁠

, a tasty taco chain, near Oxford Circus

By now you should be feeling rested and ready for crowds and shopping, which is what the next part of West London, Oxford Circus, is known for.

🛍 Five minutes down from the Wallace Collection, is the next stop:

Selfridges⁠

, a luxury department store complete with a cafe, bar and all the hip and luxury brands. Even if you don't buy anything, it's worth a look if you're at all interested in clothes, shoes and the like. After head down to Carnaby street, beginning with another famous department store:

Liberty London⁠

. Set within a Tudor style building, the architecture is the more interesting part of this store. Continue down Carnaby St, if you want to check out other shops. If you're looking for a snack try

Bao Soho⁠

, there's usually a giant line but it's worth it.

🎨 Skipping shopping is also an option. Instead you can check out some art galleries including:

The Photographers Gallery⁠

Pace Gallery⁠

and

Halcyon Gallery⁠

🍽 For dinner, there's no better place or more crowded than Soho. Even if the lines are long and it's basically impossible to get a table, it's still fun to try. We like

Hoppers Soho⁠

for Sri Lankan food, while you wait you can grab a Cocktail at

Bar Termini⁠

If you don't feel like waiting in line then try

Brasserie Zedel⁠

closer to Oxford Circus. It's a French style bistro with a cheap but tasty steak. Or if you want something extra classy and instagrammable then we highly recommend

Sketch⁠

it's perfect for a special occasion.

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Food

Neighborhood

Name

Description

Price

Link

Shoreditch

Andina

Trendy peruvian

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Map

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Dishoom

Trendy and amazing indian

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Map

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On the Bap

Super tasy baos, no regrets

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Map

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Fabrique Bakery

Bakery, cinnamon rolls!

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Map

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Dalston

Berber & Q

Middle eastern, grilled veg and meats yum

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Map

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Chick-n-Sours

Fried chicken

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Map

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Islington

Black Axe Mangal

bbq

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Map

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Trullo

Classy and simple italian

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Map

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Duke of Cambridge

pub w/organic food

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Map

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Gail’s

bakery with sandwiches and coffee during the day

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Map

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Breddos

Trendy taqueria

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Map

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London Fields

Fish House

Classic fish & chips spot

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Map

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Covent Garden

Kanada-Ya

Wait in line for a dope ramen

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Map

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Art

Neighborhood

Museum

Text

Link

Southwark

Tate Modern

Very big, very cool modern art museum next to the river. Free exhibitions.

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Maps

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White Cube Gallery

Small contemporary art gallery. Free.

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Maps

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Hackney

Whitechapel Gallery

Medium contemporary art. Usually paid exhibitions.

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Maps

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Islington

Welcome Collection

Science and archival themed museum. Large free exhibition.

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Maps

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West London

Hauser & Wirth

Swanky art gallery.

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Maps

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General advice

If your VISA card has NFC you don’t need an Oyster card to use any bus or subway(!)

Wave the bus down - it won’t stop at the station otherwise

If you’re out’n’about and you need a quick snack go to a kiosk and get a meal deal: sandwich, bag of crisps and drink for £3

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Cover photo by

Artificial Photography⁠

Unsplash⁠

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