Returning to London for the umpteenth time, I decided to plan an itinerary off the beaten path. After several visits to the swinging city, already knowing the main city attractions, this time I wanted to see something different, a new perspective of the city and so here is uncommon London. But let's start with the more practical aspects. Here are some tips that will save you time and money and guarantee you an authentic London style experience. Flight: To reach London in the easiest way possible, I recommend landing at London City Airport: you'll be right in the center and avoid the classic long transfers required at other airports. Accommodation: London hotels, in the more central areas, are quite expensive. To avoid unpleasant surprises, you need to make a careful selection, paying particular attention to other guests' reviews. If you want to experience an authentic British stay but in style, I recommend looking for accommodation on Airbnb. For my stay, I booked a union jack style room with a shared bathroom in a country house in East Finchley (a beautiful residential area in north London that will be the starting point of my journey) with a large garden where squirrels would peek out during breakfast. This solution is also really very cheap...40€ per night per person with breakfast... but where else in London can you find that?
And now let's move on to the itinerary.... If you are staying in East Finchley, you are already on the right track! You can reach most of the attractions planned in my program simply by walking around this beautiful neighborhood, home to many celebrities including the late George Michael. Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House If you have seen the film Notting Hill, this place will be familiar to you. Do you remember the big park with that huge white mansion in the background where Julia Roberts was filming a period movie? Well, that was Kenwood House and the Hampstead Heath estate: a large public green space that covers about 3.2 km² made up of ancient woods, ponds, and lakes where you can swim and fish. Even Karl Marx, when he lived with his family in London, used to come to Hampstead Heath on Sundays to have lunch in nature. It is truly relaxing to walk along the avenues of this centuries-old garden and be fascinated by the countless views where you will find painters intent on capturing them. The park overlooks the entire city and the view of London from above, with all its skyscrapers in its quietness, is truly special and unique. The feeling of the city being close yet intangible, silent and wrapped in this bucolic atmosphere, is truly priceless!
Highgate Cemetery You read that right, yes, it is a cemetery. The Highgate Cemetery, listed as a monument of special historical interest in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, is divided into two parts and contains 170,000 people buried in about 53,000 graves. It is known both for some of the people buried there (Karl Marx, George Michael, George Eliot, Michael Faraday, and many others) and for its status as a nature reserve. The cemetery gardens are full of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, most of which have been planted and grown without human influence and are a refuge for birds and small animals such as foxes. The Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon (topped by a huge cedar of Lebanon) feature tombs, vaults, and paths carved into the hillside. For its protection, the oldest part, which houses an impressive collection of Victorian mausoleums and tombstones, as well as carved graves, allows entry only to groups of tourists. The eastern part, which contains a mix of Victorian and modern statuary, can be visited without a guide. I recommend seeing both parts and taking a guided tour with the "Friends of Highgate Cemetery" association: it will be an experience with a gothic charm and who knows, you might even encounter the infamous Highgate Vampire.
Borough Market We move with the legendary tube to reach the center of London and, more precisely, Borough Market: a wholesale and retail food market located in the Southwark district. It is one of the largest of its kind in the world and is considered among the best quality in the country, with a great variety of goods from all over the world. It is truly fascinating to stroll among the stalls and shops and discover countless delicacies, be captivated by the aromas of spices, the size of Dorset oysters and, why not, try many small tastings of more or less well-known foods. An unmissable stop is lunch based on fish & chips at FISH! Here you can taste delicious breaded and fried fish in different ways. I recommend sitting in the outdoor area or in the futuristic indoor room and delighting yourself with this local specialty. What a treat!
Hay's Gallery We move with a short walk, skirting the Thames and with London Bridge in the background, to reach Hay's Gallery. It is an old building converted for commercial and residential use. In the past, it was one of the most important docks for the delivery of tea and dry goods imported into London, which is why it was nicknamed "the larder of London." Following containerization, the maritime industry moved to deeper water ports south of the Thames, leading to the closure of Hay's dock in 1970. In 1980, it was decided to convert the dock into a gallery with shops, restaurants, and offices. The entire space was restored and enclosed by a glass roof. In the center of the gallery, a huge bronze sculpture called "The Navigators" was installed to commemorate the Gallery's maritime heritage. Take a tour and lose yourself admiring its structure and then, as you leave, enjoy the view of the city and the delightful walk along the Thames riverbank.
Pop Brixton One of the trendiest places in London: Pop Brixton is a village of former containers converted into a new avant-garde space created for the Brixton community with the aim of showcasing the best and most exciting independent start-ups and local businesses, where people can share space, skills, and ideas. It's a recreational place to meet for a drink with friends or grab something to eat, to feel immersed in an engaging spot among the concrete of Brixton. Pop Brixton hosts the next generation of local food and drink entrepreneurs, retail outlets, artist areas, and an event space. It’s a low-cost mini-city, energy-efficient, with a fresh design and a strong focus on sustainability and space efficiency. The converted mini-units create cozy spaces for every need, from studios to retail, from offices to flexible cultural spaces in one of London’s most vibrant communities. Opened on May 29, 2015, Pop Brixton has already become one of the city's most attractive urban spaces. Enjoy a relaxing morning wandering among the containers and admiring the reconstruction of this urban space. At lunchtime, take a seat on the pop-style urban terrace and have fun hopping between the food corners to taste all the culinary specialties on offer, ranging from East to West, reflecting the ethnicities present in the city.
And here this itinerary off the usual tourist paths comes to an end, which I hope will allow you to see and savor a different London or rather... uncommon!