East London

While east London has not traditionally been a magnet for tourists, with redevelopment, gentrification and a vibrancy long-known to its locals, it is full of charms and surprises.  And with the Olympic Games 2012 due to take place in its heart, east London is buzzing with change and anticipation. However, with the presence of several famous Banksy graffiti pieces scattered around, they serve as a reminder of the raw and rebellious East End.

Stratford

While not entirely without charms, as home to the Theatre Royal and Stratford Circus, the buzz around Stratford is in the not-too-distant-future developments, most notably the Olympic Park for the London 2012 games. East Londoners have been treated by the opening of Westfield Stratford City, a monster of a shopping mall to rival its West London cousin in Shepherd’s Bush, with some 300 stores under its roof. Transport links have improved considerably to allow easy access for the 2012 Games and beyond.

Tube: Stratford

The shabby chic of Shoreditch is translated through a seemingly unkempt facade, of those who dwell and mingle there as well as the buildings themselves. Arguably a nod to the days of it being a haven for the broke and the artistic, it is now a reasonably pricey but definitely cool place to live and comes alive at night, with the full range of restaurants, pubs and bars from the highest of high end, to the grittiest of boozers.  

Tube: Old Street

Check out our virtual tours of one of the trendiest cocktail bars in Shoreditch, the Hoxton Pony:

Docklands

A history of extremes, having really benefited from being the starting point of London as a city, as the largest port in the world, to a derelict wasteland when London’s docks had closed by the 1980s, it is today a fully redeveloped financial and residential district, home to the sky-scraping Canary Wharf and London City Airport.

Tube: Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf

A major financial and business district, where once West India Docks stood, Canary Wharf boasts some of London’s tallest buildings and has the feel of a concrete island, in amongst a tightly packed residential area of east London. Beneath the imposing buildings such as One Canada Square, there lies a warren-like series of shopping malls, providing the busy banker with everything they might need without veering too far from the office. It makes for a relatively quiet alternative to the bustle of Oxford Street.

Tube: Canary Wharf