The best London area guide from a local

Visiting London for the first time can feel overwhelming. It is a big city, after all, with so many different areas and so much to see and do. I remember when I first visited London, I stayed in Soho and thought that this was London. But what makes this city so great is the fact that every area is so different, you might feel like you have stepped into a whole other city. So if you are still not too familiar with London, or want to learn more insider tips from a local, I have put together a comprehensive London area guide broken down by categories.

Best areas for: city strolls

One of the best things to do in London is to just take a walk. In doing this you will discover so many amazing places you never knew existed, such as hidden gems and cafes. Particularly these days when we are not allowed to do much else here but walk, I have explored a lot of London by foot. Below I have included some of my favourite places in London to ensure that you make the most out of your walk.

Chelsea

• 

• 

• 

Chelsea is an area which I never get tired of. Although I have lived here for 10 years, today I am still discovering new things. Chelsea is not just a ‘posh area’, which a lot of people perceive it as – I think it’s a lot more than that. There are so many cute and small streets, unique cafes and restaurants that you are guaranteed to have a nice day here.

What my ideal day would look like:

🚶‍♀️ Take a walk down King’s Road and get a juice at Joe & the Juice.

🍽 Then walk to Chelsea Green to the restaurant called Wild Tavern. Here you can grab a takeaway crepe – either savoury or sweet. My tip is to get the spinach crepe which also comes with truffle!

🍕 If you don’t fancy a crepe, you can get a pizza from Cinquecento which offers very authentic Neapolitan pizza.

☕️ Then head to Sloane Avenue and grab a coffee and a pastry from The Good Life Eatery. From here on you can explore more of South Kensington and the surrounding area.

You can also check out my guide to the most Instagrammable cafes in Chelsea here.

Notting Hill

• 

• 

• 

This would not be a London area guide without Notting Hill. If you have seen the movie then you know exactly why Notting Hill is arguably one of the best areas in London. A few of my favourite things about this area are the colourful buildings, the Portobello Road market and the abundance of food and drink places!

What my ideal day would look like:

🌸 I would take a walk along Portobello road and visit the vintage shops here. Maybe I would also buy a bouquet of tulips

🍔 I would get an egg sandwich from Eggsult – it is like a burger but with egg (trust me it’s amazing)!

 🍝 Another option would be to get some pasta from Mediterrano, which is an authentic Italian restaurant

☕️ I would get a coffee at Notting Hill Coffee project

Hampstead

• 

• 

• 

In my opinion, Hampstead is the most unexpected area – it is not what you expect London to look like. At all.

The best way to describe it is that is feels almost rural, like you are visiting a little village outside London. The Hampstead Heath is an amazing and huge park you can explore, with stunning views over the whole of London. You can walk around, admiring the huge houses, or visit the high street where you can find very nice restaurants, cafes and shops.

What my ideal day would look like:

🚶🏼‍♀️ Spend hours walking around and admiring the beautiful houses

🍨 Visit the High Street and queue up for the famous crepe place, La Creperie de Hampstead

🌳 Go to Hampstead Heath and admire the sunset views over London

Best areas for: food markets

When writing an area guide of London, I couldn’t not include food markets. I don’t know about you, but I am an absolute sucker for food markets. It is the one thing I look forward to every weekend and it is by far the best thing to do in London on a sunny day. Most of the markets I mention below are open on weekdays as well as weekends, so be aware of this when planning your visit. They get very crowded on the weekends so if you want to avoid this, best to visit on a weekday!

London Bridge

In my opinion, London Bridge has the best food markets in the whole of London.

First, I have to mention Borough Market, which is a favourite of mine and offers a whole variety of food. Whether you want to buy some fancy cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, oysters, fresh fish or craft beer, Borough Market has it all. There is also a hot food section where you can buy a hot dish from a variety of stalls. My favourite stall is Mei Mei, which offers Singaporean food made by a Michelin star chef Elizabeth Haigh.

• 

• 

The second of my favourite markets in London Bridge is Maltby Street market. This one is a smaller market, very popular with the locals. Along with some delicious food and drink stalls, you can also find some restaurants and bars here. One place I would definitely recommend to visit is Bon Vino Enoteca – here you can enjoy some nice wine and wood fired pizza which is made right in front of you!

Camden

Camden is a very cool area an I would definitely recommend visiting the Camden market to check out the food market and shop there for some vintage items. This area is very different from central London – it is full of young people, alternative shops and a lot of wall art.

There are loads of food stalls to choose from here, so you will probably get lost at first 🙊 . My favourite food item to try here was the Mac and Cheese from The Cheese Bar – if you are also a huge fan of everything and anything cheese then you will definitely need to try this place!

Camden Coffee also has some very good coffee if you are a coffee lover.

Shoreditch

Shoreditch is also one of my favourite areas in London. There is so much to do and see here, including visiting food markets and restaurants during the day and partying in a cool (and relatively cheap) bar or club.

The most notable food market not far from Shoreditch is the Old Spitafields Market. This is one of the oldest markets in London, and has been operating for over 300 years. There is a lot of choice here too, but my go-to has to be the Bleeker burger stall. This is a chain and can also be found in Victoria, but there is something about the burger that is just very juicy and delicious. Be careful once you start as you might not be able to stop!

Best areas for: restaurants and nightlife

London is not very fun without its restaurants and nightlife. I am saying this from the perspective of someone who has spent the last 5 months of lockdown in London – so this is the part of London that I really miss! The signature food scene and night life is what makes London what it is. Here are some of my favourite areas for restaurants and nightlife that I absolutely had to include in this area guide of London.

Soho

Soho, in my opinion, is the heart of London. With its cute boutique shops on Carnaby Street, and restaurants for every taste, you will not run out of options in Soho. The whole area is very much worth exploring by foot, but Carnaby Street and Kingly Court is where you will find the hub of all the shops and restaurants.

Here are some suggestions:

🍜  Try Shoruy Ramen at Kingly Court. They have outside seating so this can also be a nice plan for when the weather is nice.

☕️ Grab some hot chocolate from Said – 2 minutes walk from Carnaby street. This cafe is a lot more than just a takeaway hot chocolate place. Here they cover your cup in chocolate, dip your strawberries in chocolate and sell the best chocolate cakes ever. To sum up, it is not far from chocolate heaven.

Leicester Square

The Leicester Square area is also a hub spot for all restaurants in London. However, there are many tourists traps which you should also try to avoid – take this from someone who’s been there! Definitely try to avoid Angus Steakhouse, Rainforest Cafe and do not visit the cinemas there as all of them are overpriced.

Instead, here are a couple suggestions of what you could try:

🍚 Go to Chinatown (right next to Leicester Square) and have some Dim Sum dumplings

🍣 Check out Eat Tokyo which is 2 minute walk from the station. This is authentic sushi and bento boxes for £12.50

🍔. Eat at Burger and Lobster, which is a very well known chain.

Mayfair

Mayfair also offers a variety of restaurants but on the more pricey side. If you have a special occasion to celebrate, or want to experience fine dining, then Mayfair is definitely the place to go. Just a warning – make sure to look at the prices before you go so that it doesn’t come as a shock!

Here are some of my favourite Mayfair restaurants:

Novikov restaurant and bar = this restaurants is a two in one, with an Asian restaurant and an Italian restaurant inside. The Italian is usually my preferred choice – if you have always dreamed about having pasta in a cheese wheel, them this is where you should be going. They also have a nice bar downstairs for a post dinner drink.

Amazonico = this aesthetically stunning restaurant is worth visiting just to check out the interior. With Latin American style food, cocktails and decor, you will feel like you are stepping inside the Amazon. But this restaurants is very expensive – you will not be able to spend anything less than £100 per person here.

Sketch = Sketch is also a very beautiful restaurants worth visiting for the experience. You would have definitely seen the egg shaped Sketch toilets once in your life, which is the major attraction here. The food in Sketch is not that great, so I would recommend visiting it for a drink only.

Best for: signature London feeling

I want to be honest here to make sure that my London area guide meets your expectations. Although I have lived in London for over 10 years, I still remember that feeling of arriving here, and I saw the city I had been seeing in pictures with my own eyes. This is what everyone arriving to London wants to feel – that ‘I am in London’ feeling. Although it is quite likely that London will be very different from what you expect, below are some areas that might be what you think of when you think of London.

Westminster

Westminster is a must if you want to visit all the famous London landmarks, such as the London eye and Big Ben. Here are some tips from a local: do not go on the London Eye, you can see much better views of London from Sky Garden. Instead, cross Westminster Bridge, then turn right, and there you will have the most perfect unobstructed view of the London eye. This is the best spot for pictures!

If you are hoping to see Big Ben, it is unfortunately not the best time to see it as it’s currently under construction until 2022. Instead, you can walk to St James’s Park, which is one of the most beautiful parks in all of London and will definitely still give you that London feeling.

City of London

The City is a whole other side of London, but it is a very important one. This is a very impressive area, but it gets very empty during the weekend. However, it is still worth visiting to find yourself surrounded by skyscrapers in the middle of London.

Some places you really have to visit include the St Paul’s Cathedral (which is one of the most instagrammable spots in London), and my favourite hidden gem Saint Dunstan In The East. This is a beatiful church garden right in the middle of the City. You can come here for a nice stroll and take some pictures.

• 

• 

• 

Southbank

Southbank is a very nice area that I never get tired of. Walking by the river is always a great plan, as you overlook the London eye and shop for some vintage books by the National Theatre.

It is best to come here at sunset, as you can see the sky turning all sorts of beautiful colours. If you want to take some cool pictures, there is also an opportunity to go down towards the river and take sunset pictures across from St Paul’s.

Best for: shopping

If you have come to London with the hopes of doing some shopping, this one’s for you! Being a shopaholic myself, I had to include this category in this London area guide. There are so many shops and cool boutiques everywhere, but the below areas will give you a good idea of where to go.

Oxford Street

This is the main shopping street in the whole of London. You can find absolutely anything you need here, from clothes shops, to malls, to the Disney store. I really enjoy visiting Oxford street when I want to spend the day shopping. Unless you know exactly which shops you want to visit, it is very easy to spend hours wandering aound here.

Insider tip: The main flagship Topshop store on Oxford Street has unfortunately closed indefinitely. So don’t go there expecting to find Topshop. Instead, you can visit a huge H&M or & Other Stories shops.

Marylebone

I had to include Marylebone in this area guide of London because this is an area I really enjoy visiting. Marylebone is a very nice area full of shops, restaurants and cafes. If you are looking to visit small and unique boutique shops, then you should definitely check out Marylebone.

Knightsbridge

On the more expensive side of things, Knightsbridge is perfect if you want to treat yourself or your loved ones. You can find all the designer shops in this area and of course in the one and only designer shopping mall, Harrods.

Harrods is worth visiting even if you don’t have a budget for all the expensive things – it’s really great for window shopping, too!

I always enjoy going to admire the expensive designer items and to smell the expensive perfumes. There is also a Princess Diana memorial on the lower ground floor of the mall, which is interesting to visit too.

So, to sum up, I hope you enjoyed my London area guide and it helped you get a better understanding of specific areas in London. There are so many sides to this city – Westminster is so different from Hampstead, and Chelsea is nothing like London Bridge. Whether you are going to visit London for the first time, or already know the city like the back of your hand, I hope that this guide gave you some useful information which you can use.

What is your favourite area to visit in London? Let me know in the comments below!

Pin it for later!