Curious London: a weekend guide

Friday

Evening - Make your escape

British Airways operates daily, worldwide flights to three of London’s major airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and London City – so you’re bound to a find a flight time that suits you.

If you’re flying into London City Airport, you’ll get spectacular aerial views of the capital, especially the burgeoning development East along the Thames corridor. Check in at nearby Lincoln Plaza, a supremely stylish and luxurious hotel based in Canary Wharf. Known as a major financial and business district, the area boasts boutique shopping and various bars, restaurants and cafes. If you’d rather stay closer to the centre of town, but still want to hang out with the hip crowds, try The Curtain in the achingly trendy Shoreditch area.

As you’re already east, take the Docklands Light Railway over to Rotherhithe, and sink a pint on the river terrace of the Mayflower pub – the oldest on the Thames – which takes its current name from the ship that took the Pilgrim Fathers from the nearby church to the New World. From here it’s a short walk to the indoor street food market, Hawker House where you can gorge on cheap eats, from pork belly buns to giant prawns, to fuel the weekend ahead. If the weather’s good, why not end the evening with a nightcap at the Midnight Apothecary, the garden bar on top of the entry shaft to Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Thames Tunnel (aka the world’s first footway under a river).

Saturday

10:00 – Going for gold

After breakfast at your hotel, take a walk from the Thames up Bow Creek and the River Lea, to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, home to the London 2012 Olympics, for swim at Zaha Hadid’s Aquatic Centre. After that refreshing dip, take the 388 bus from Stratford to Shoreditch High Street and drop in at the Pure Evil Gallery, owned and run by Charles Uzzell Edwards, the second most successful British street artist after Banksy. Original works by cutting-edge talents will cost you, but prints of Pure Evil’s vampire bunny tag or ‘crying celebrities’ series are reasonable.

13:00 – Bagel break

You have a choice of lunch venues on Brick Lane. Drop in at the 24-hour Brick Lane Beigel Bake, a London institution where fresh, filled bagels can be enjoyed for a couple of pounds. 

14:00 – High life

Walk over London Bridge – not to be confused with Tower Bridge – and discover Borough Market, a foodie paradise of artisan market stalls. After you’ve had your fill, whizz up to the top of western Europe’s tallest building and enjoy an unparalleled view of London from the Shard’s viewing platform, a dizzying 800 feet above the city.

15:30 – Get high

After a stroll around the vintage clothing, homeware and record stalls at Spitalfields Market take the speedy glass lift up to the 38th floor of the Heron Tower for a punchy mid-afternoon cocktail at the bar of restaurant Sushisamba – try the Coconut Seviche, an intriguing mix of citrusy yuzu and passion fruit with coconut gin and dark chocolate liqueur. You don’t have to book and show ID as you do at the nearby Sky Garden on top of 20 Fenchurch Street, aka ‘The Walkie-Talkie’, but there is a dress code and preference is given to restaurant diners.

19:30 – Culture vulture

The National Theatre, Old Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe are within easy reach – but so too are Southwark Playhouse and the Menier Chocolate Factory, both kooky theatres with buzzy bars in former industrial premises, which punch above their weight in terms of star casting and innovative drama. The Menier is particularly strong on musicals, staging recent revivals of Funny Girl and Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins.

22:00 – Vintage nightcap

Drop in for a drink at LASSCO Ropewalk to finish off the day – a bar in an antique shop on Maltby Street near London Bridge Station. The bar is peppered with unique finds – all with a price tag that you can buy. Pick up some antique door knobs or marvel at some vintage maps as you sip on a botanical gin and tonic.

Sunday

11:00 – Breakfast of kings

Start the day with breakfast in one of the upmarket restaurants in the new developments around King’s Cross, including hearty Australian food at pared-back Granger and Co and German Gymnasium, a restaurant converted from London’s first Victorian gym. Then head for a pint at the Queen’s Head, a deliciously old-school Victorian boozer that is always packed (in a good way).

13:00 – Grills gone wild

If you want a bit more of a lie in, head for a later brunch at restaurant-of-the-moment, Berber & Q grill house in Haggerston. You’ll be lucky to get a seat in this no-reservations hotspot in the evening, but it recently launched a brunch menu which is under-the-radar – for now. Opt for the Israeli breakfast (think warm pita bread, avocado, boiled egg, feta, olives and dips) – it’s certainly Instagram-worthy. For an alternative, pop next door to Draughts, London’s first board game café and play Scrabble under the railway arches.

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