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Area of London, England
Photo: Ben Brooksbank, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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A vast shopping, eating, entertainment and (primarily) business complex, home to Britain's second tallest skyscraper, One Canada Square. Now increasingly lively at weekends as well, but still at its most impressive during the week. Spectacular main exit from the Jubilee line Tube station. There is a substantial amount of information about the history and the architecture of the development on the website of Canary Wharf Group, the company that owns the development.
The restoration of the nave was completed in September 2004, and this church is still a striking building designed by Sir Nicholas Hawksmoor with a particularly tall, pointed spire. Hawksmoor's design was significantly altered in the 19th century, and present continuing restoration is intended to restore it to Hawksmoor's original vision. Christ Church was built as part of the 50 Churches for London project.
Built as a townhouse belonging to a wealthy Huguenot merchant family in the 18th century, the late artist Dennis Severs has returned its interior to how it might have looked in those early days. But this is no mere museum; there are no exhibits or glass cases. Instead, Dennis Severs' House offers a completely immersive journey into the past with each room appearing, feeling and smelling as if its occupant had just left. A must for history lovers.
Tells the story of the development of the Docklands from Roman and Viking times to the present day.
Exhibits an eclectic variety of contemporary art and street art by British and International artists, focusing mainly on exhibiting emerging and mid-career artists. They present an integrated programme of exhibitions, including solo-shows as well as group exhibitions, introducing innovative developments in painting, sculpture, photography, performance, video and works on paper.
Museum of Childhood
The Victoria and Albert Museum's East London branch has a focus on childhood and is particularly known for its large collection of toys throughout the ages. Great for children of all ages.
Vicky Park
At 87 hectares this is the largest open green space in the district.
Whitechapel has been a champion of Modern Art since 1901, and has held exhibitions of greats such as Picasso, Pollock and Frida Kahlo and supported British Artists such as Gilbert & George and Lucian Freud. The space continues to hold regular new exhibitions with additional linked events on Thursday evenings. There is a cafe and a small art bookshop. Free entry. There are excellent facilities for disabled people (visual, hearing and physical).
Wilton's
Wilton's Music Hall is the oldest Grand Music Hall in the world. Built in 1858 it has had a long and colourful history. Wilton's has been the haunt of Victorian sailors (and their ladies), become a Mission, survived two world wars, being a rag warehouse, being forgotten, becoming derelict and has ended up as a theatre once more. It is now a performance space offering entertainment of as wide a variety as puppetry to poetry and has launched a capital appeal to save it from crumbling.
A small museum is set in a Victorian house near the infamous Battle of Cable Street. There are 5 floors including the basement, each dedicated to several aspects of famous murders starting with a recreation of Mitre Square on the first floor, Jack the Ripper's sitting room on the second floor, the police station on the third, a victim's bedroom on the fourth and the mortuary in the basement. There is also a walking tour. Book tickets online to save money, there is also a Halloween special deal.
If you feel adventurous then spend a sunny Sunday afternoon walking the north bank of the River Thames to Tower Bridge in the City of London.
Walk up the Regent's Canal to Islington via Haggerston.
Walk over the Green Bridge, a unique structure that joins Mile End Park together with its urban nature reserve, taking the park over the busy A11 road, ensuring uninterrupted greenery for several miles, from Limehouse to the top of the beautiful Victoria Park.
Hire a bike and cycle around the island. There are lots of cycle paths and great riverside views of the City of London and Greenwich.
Ice skating with a café and bar, in the smart Canada Square park surrounded by glittering office tower blocks. Winter only.
For those of you with a morbid fascination with this 19th-century murderer, this will hopefully feed your curiosity. Approx 2 hours. Book through website.
Paintballing centre.
Mudchute City Farm
City farm with a shop and a café.
A tour of the constantly changing street art around this part of the East End. Saturday times may vary.
Lunchtime menus include a mixture of continental and international meals. A snack menu is available in the evening. Two mezzanine areas at the bar for private party bookings.
The Argentinian cowboy, the gaucho, made famous the tradition of cooking fresh meat over charcoal grills. The large horseshoe bar offers traditional South American cocktails and beer.
Modern French restaurant, part of the Conran restaurants group. More informal Bar and Grill includes steak grills and hearty regional French dishes. Two bars.
International classics for breakfast and northern Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner. The Tuscan Sunday Brunch and cocktails at bar Quadrato should not be missed. Watching chef Sebastiano Spriveri at work is a main attraction.
Popular restaurant with a great view of the Thames River. Decorated with Royal China gives a contemporary feel. Enjoy dim-sum and an extensive menu.
Serves authentic pastas and pizzas. During the summer a large riverside terrace affords sweeping views over the River Thames. A chain restaurant.
A cosy restaurant serving burgers with unusual and exotic ingredients, along with more traditional fare such as chicken or beef. Salads and steaks also available.
Remarkable gastropub.
A good place for chilled-out lunches.
Good food, good value, pleasant atmosphere and good service.
A local institution, Beigel Bake is more celebrated of the two and rated by some as the freshest most delicious beigel you will ever have. Their salt beef is more highly rated than Beigel Shop and a salt beef beigel with mustard and pickle is highly recommended for a post-clubbing snack.
While less celebrated than its near neighbour, Beigel Shop is still well worth a visit. While Beigel Bake is a local institution, it is reflected in its limited range. As a result, Beigel Shop works harder for your cash, providing a wider range of fillings and an excellent sausage roll, making it the preferred destination for those who aren't enamoured with salt beef.
Long established and arguably the best South Asian restaurant in the Whitechapel area. Serves traditional food in a pleasant if slightly frenetic atmosphere. Good value and fast efficient service. Particularly recommended are the mixed grills to share and the delicious mango or banana lassi drinks which are similar to milkshakes. Book or arrive early on Friday or Saturday as the restaurant is so popular you may have to queue.
Good value, extremely friendly staff and is able to cater to big groups (up to 20 people). Plus, it has a BYOB licence, keeping costs down.
Indoor weekend market with lots of stalls serving cuisine from all over the world, from Tibetan dumplings to Venezuelan arepas. Has a lively street food atmosphere and an excellent array of vegan options.
Great Turkish grilled food.
The banh mi sandwich is a crusty baguette filled with terrines, meats, lightly pickled vegetables, fragrant herbs and almost always mayonnaise.
Possibly the best greasy spoon caff in the country (and one of very few left), this old pad, frequented by celebrities from X-Factor winners to the Krays, is well worth the effort. Cheap as chips by the London standard and well worth the value for money.
Expensive Indian cuisine. Tandooris, Biryanis, and other specialties. View of the docks, full bar.
Family-run Spanish restaurant established in 1982. Amazing Spanish food. Great for lunch when at the flower market.
A trendy mall built out of shipping containers, full of hipsters and groups of twentysomethings at the weekend.
Restaurant where motorcycles ride past you at your table. You can ride in and park your motorbike near the tables, or come without a bike just for the atmosphere.
Authentic northern Chinese cuisine. The specialty is a classic Shaanxi dish, the thick biang biang noodles in the restaurant's name.
Delicious brunch spot and coffee shop. No reservations on weekends, walk-ins only. Well-behaved dogs welcome.
The Mahogany Bar was built around 1725 and has always been a public house, trading under many names over the years including the Albion Saloon and the Prince of Denmark. In 1828 it was luxuriously and elaborately refurbished with a magnificent mahogany bar and fittings which was unprecedented for a pub interior at that time and arguably set the look for the iconic Victorian pub. The fixtures and fittings of this bar have been stripped away over the years but the atmosphere lingers on. This is the charming bar inside the dilapidated Wilton's music Hall. Visit on a Monday for free live music from 8PM.
J D Wetherspoon
Although the view is not so good, is probably the cheapest pub in Canary Wharf.
18th-century pub with real fires, a terrace where you can sit and stare at the Millennium Dome over the river, and pistachio nuts behind the bar. A haven of warmth after a trek through JG Ballard-style Docklands wasteland (empty streets, vast satellite dishes and rusting industrial machinery).
A riverside local since 1583.
An East End Boozer with weekend drag acts.
A traditional East End boozer. Now set in the middle of Mile End Park, originally it was surrounded by houses and a factory. Its incongruous surroundings only add to the charm, however. You may recognise the interior from the number of film and TV appearances the pub has made as an "authentic" location. On Saturday nights the locals crowd into the front bar for a sing-song and the back bar is jammed with trendy students from Queen Mary's college. The presence of a student population mean this pub has less a threatening air than other East End locals.
Locally well-known boozer. The attached restaurant also serves some tasty, albeit pricey fare.
This club/bar is made up of three areas: downstairs a loungey bar with low-lit sofa seating everywhere and chilled out music, the main room with a full on sweaty dancefloor (where the headline DJs/bands perform) and an upstairs bar which is a mix of the two, plus a large cobbled area outside for the summer. Mon-Thur is mainly live music, and the weekend has the line up of eclectic DJs playing a variety of hip-hop, house and rock music. Charge on the door for gigs, on F Sa usually free before 9PM, £5 after. No dress code.
A large, lively place, which features a large courtyard and several floors for drinking and dancing. Hosts salsa classes too.
Contrary to the name, this is another club/bar with a courtyard, which has a gourmet BBQ, next to the entrance. Can get very crowded on the weekend, with several other bars in the enclousre and the famous Rough Trade record store, which supports gigs (sometimes, surprise performances from a big band like Radiohead).
A two-floor bar with plenty of table football machines to thrash away at. If you can not get a table the bar has a few sofas to wait for your turn in the quirky surroundings. It is a friendly place, where there is a mix of trendy boys and girls and suits from the city.
A slightly shabby but friendly bar on the small strip of bars on Kingsland Road. Downstairs they have limited seating and draught beer, but upstairs is where it is happening. In the week you can catch live bands and on the weekends there are DJs playing xfm music mixed with a bit of cheese. It is also free to get in. Bargain.
Gastropub.
Named after a pirate with a noose through the non-descript entrance.
The Pelican, Devil’s Tavern
Oldest riverside tavern in London, with a pewter bar and views across the river.
A cosy pub
An economy London hotel in the Docklands area. The 87 guestrooms have a satellite TV and internet access. On site cafe. City Airport is 5 km from the hotel, and there is secure onsite parking for up to 30 cars.
A fairly average two-star hotel at typical London prices, however the rooms are clean and provide the basic facilities you need. The area isn't pretty but you are close to where all the action is. WiFi £5/day.
Affordbable for London. It is a modern branch of the ubiquitous budget hotel chain, but is well located almost next to East India DLR station, which has links directly to central London, and is just a few stops from Canary Wharf. Ask for a room on the front to avoid the busy road at the back.
126 guest rooms, and event spaces for gatherings.
Extremely modern three star hotel.
Chic buzzing hotel in Shoreditch. Assistance dogs only.
Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf
Five-star hotel and the most upmarket hotel in the area with views across the Thames or Canary Wharf, offering the kind of 5 star luxury to be expected from this chain.
Looking out over Canary Wharf's beautiful district, the Marriott combines elegance and comfort to create a welcoming environment.
Gorgeous small hotel in two Georgian buildings. Assistance dogs only.
Traditionally the East End market where nearly anything could be found (legal or not) now mostly cheaper mainstream clothes. Main market Sunday, smaller market M-F in Wentworth St.
The traditional fruit and vegetable market for The City moved into the suburbs in 1991. The existing buildings were threatened with complete demolition by developers, but saved partially by local action and the establishment of an organic market on the empty site. It has slowly been shrunk to a third of its size by development in the area. It still features a good variety of clothing, crafts and food stalls and shops, but very little organic anymore. M-F - upmarket stalls operate on the edge of the new buildings. Towards end of week more eclectic stalls can be found in old market area. Sunday hosts the full market in both old and new areas but tends to be increasingly more expensive and exclusive as traders are squeezed for higher rents.
The Whitechapel end of Brick Lane is filled with South Asian (mainly Bangladeshi) shops and restaurants, selling music, spices, tasty sweets and sari material.
Secondhand clothing (male and female).
Secondhand clothing (male and female).
Selling second hand clothes, bric-a-brac, books, household goods and electronics.
Little shop specialising in accessories for men and women, such as volume level brooches and newspaper print ties.
A small street market selling food and spices, clothing, jewellery, carpets and the odd dodgy stereo.
A shopping centre with the usual High Street shops, plus a John Lewis department store and a Waitrose food store which has the most stunning range of produce. Pleasant upmarket shopping centre, made up of three arcades: Canada, Cabot, and Jubilee Place. The three arcades encircle Jubilee Park and the Tube station, and house over 200 shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes that are open seven days a week. A relaxed shopping environment, especially good for clothes.
A mix of traditional goods, from high street brands to fish, lying just outside the traditional East End, but has the character. Roman has it all. Market runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until 5PM.
Boasts a large vinyl selection, books, merchandise, and hosts live events 7 days a week.
By Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
Much of Docklands used to be poorly connected to the rest of London, with the development of the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) and the extension of the Jubilee Underground line, transportation has…
By train
London Overground's Windrush line (formerly the East London Line (ELL)) goes from Highbury & Islington to West Croydon and connects various stations in the inner East End, running through Haggerston,…
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