In honor of the Olympic games, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite spots in London plus a day outing to the countryside. Read on to learn of the best places to shop and eat, and we’ll even share a few of London’s best-kept secrets.
1. Columbia Road Flower Market
Columbia Road, E2 7RG
Sunday 8am-3pm
020 7613 0876
http://columbiaroad.info/
Open every Sunday, Columbia Road Flower Market provides gorgeous cut flowers, fragrant fresh herbs, and assorted plants, bulbs, and shrubs from a variety of vendors. Beautiful antiques and imported goods can be found in nearby stores, and within walking distance are a number of charming coffee shops and eateries.
2. Old Spitalfields London
Brushfield Street, E1 6EW
0207 247 8556
http://oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/
3. Sunday (Up)Market
The Old Truman Brewery, E1 6QL
020 7770 6028
http://sundayupmarket.co.uk/
Old Spitalfields is a favorite of natives and tourists alike, and with good reason: the market actually originated in the Victorian era, and it remains popular today for its seamless integration of old – a historic location, stalls concentrating in antiques – and new – contemporary fashion boutiques; on-trend dining; coffee, wine, and tapas bars. Though the market is open seven days a week, we recommend going on a Sunday, so that you can then peruse the nearby Sunday (Up)Market for great finds by local artists and designers.
4. A Gold
42 Brushfield Street,
E1 6AG
020 727 2487
http://agoldshop.com
When you’ve finished exploring Old Spitalfields, be sure to stop by A Gold for small-scale production foodstocks from around the country. Here you can stock up on tea, biscuits, chutney, and your other favorite English edible treasures.
5. Artillery Lane
Shoreditch, E1 Nearest tube is Liverpool Street Station
Nearby Spitalfields market, is a beautiful romantic cobblestone lane called Artillery Lane. The windy lane with great shops and lively pubs will give you a glimpse into historic London.
6. Arthur Beale
194 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2
020 7836 9034
Certainly the most unconventional attraction featured on this list, Arthur Beale is a yacht chandler; that is, the store deals specifically in equipment for ships and boats. But the stock – including ship bells, barometers, and tools for navigation in addition to a variety of ropes, boots, and lifejackets – is as fascinating to browse as it is necessary for sailing.
7. “Ballgowns” Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
020 7942 2000
http://vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/ballgowns/
Six decades’ worth of exquisite ballgowns are displayed on two floors for the “Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950” exhibition. Highlights include dresses designed specifically for Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana, and evening apparel by Alexander McQueen, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders, Hussein Chalayan, and Zandra Rhodes. We’re sure that fashion-lovers will find the high glamour quotient of the exhibition’s sixty-plus gowns simply irresistible.
8. Beyond Retro
110-112 Cheshire Street,
E2 6EJ
020 7613 3636
http://beyondretro.com/
Supplying handpicked clothing and accessories from every decade of the last century, Beyond Retro undoubtedly offers one of the best and biggest selections of vintage in East London. And, when you’ve finished stocking your wardrobe with vintage goodies, visit The Carpenter’s Arms, located directly across the street, for the best pub roast that East London has to offer.
9. The Carpenter's Arms
73 Cheshire Street,
E2 6EG
020 7739 6342
http://carpentersarmsfreehouse.com/
And last but not least, if the hustle and bustle of the hosting Olympic city is too much for you, get on the train and head to the coutryside to see Giffords Circus.
Giffords is a boutique vintage 1920s circus that travels throughout the Cotswolds, situated near old mills and towns of thatched roofs and honey-colored stone, in short, rural London at it's best. It’s a circus the way your parents remember it, with beautifully intricate costumes (Carrie was in fact the designer for two seasons), classic clowns, a live band, Cossack riders, and, of course, great acrobatic and jugging acts. After the show, Circus Sauce delivers a fresh, farm-to-table three-course meal that is sure to be the most intimate dining experience you'll ever have; you might even catch a glimpse there of some of the circus performers.
Giffords Circus
West Country
01451 820 378
http://giffordscircus.com/
Enjoy!!!