Hampstead is characterised by its green spaces – in particular, 800-acre Hampstead Heath with its woodland, ponds and sports grounds. A London-wide attraction, nearby Kenwood House holds regular events, including open-air concerts and theatre performances throughout the year. For spectacular views over London make the effort to visit Parliament Hill. The district is also famous for its pioneering architecture, from 17th century Fenton House to the Modernist Isokon Flats.

However, a big part of the area’s appeal lies in its villagey atmosphere, with pubs, bars and restaurants, chi-chi boutiques and famous name shops stretching all the way from Hampstead High Street to the bottom of Rosslyn Hill.

Belsize Park was once the gardens of Belsize House. Now, the streets are filled with huge Victorian and Edwardian town houses, many converted into flats but still giving a good impression of how the area might have looked a hundred years ago. Stroll around for an afternoon to see how the other half lived, including a visit to the tiny, pedestrian Belsize Park Village, with its eclectic mix of cafes and shops.
There’s no denying it’s loud and crowded, especially at weekends. But a visit here is an essential part of any trip to the capital.  It's got everything – cutting edge music and fashion, world cuisine, varied architectural styles, a rich artistic and cultural life, diverse local communities and even the odd quiet spot in which to relax.

History

It wasn’t always like this. Until the end of the 18th Century, Camden Town was open countryside. Soon though, the arrival of the Regent’s Canal and the railway changed the area forever, bringing warehouses, depots and homes for labourers and immigrants.
Even then Camden Town was a magnet for artists, musicians and actors, something that’s still true today and which helps give the area its unique buzz.

Visiting

Don’t even think of driving – the area is very congested and parking restricted. Bus and train links are good, although because of overcrowding the London Underground station at Camden Town is exit-only at weekends.

Once you’re here, what should you head for? The High Street, Market and Lock are packed with shops, and you can buy almost anything, from clothes and shoes to jewellery and furniture. And there’s no shortage of bars, pubs and restaurants in which to recover.

As well as shopping Camden Town is also famous for entertainment. A focus for the British music industry for many years, it was at the centre of the 1990's 'Britpop' movement. Many record labels are based here, as is MTV Europe. It’s a good place to hear live music – the Jazz Café and Lock 17, formerly known as Dingwalls, are two leading venues. There’s also a thriving comedy scene as well as one of London’s most unusual venues, the Roundhouse, currently undergoing a multi-million pound transformation.

Luckily, there’s a quieter side to Camden Town – after all, real people live here, too. A good place for reflection is the Jewish Museum, with its exhibitions on Jewish history, culture and art. And if it’s fresh air you’re after, why not try a trip on the canal from Camden Lock to Little Venice?

The bigger of the two is the famous Regent’s Park, London’s second largest green space after Hyde Park. Originally part of the Great Middlesex Forest, King Henry VIII used the land for hunting. 250 years later a grand scheme was hatched to convert the area into a fabulous park, including a new royal palace and hundreds of elegant villas. The money ran out and the scheme was never completed, but the city was left with a park that today many think is the most attractive in London.

Bordered to the north by Regent’s Canal the park offers endless possibilities, with sports facilities including tennis courts and football pitches, a boating lake, a bandstand and a spectacular rose garden. All London life is here, from office workers to tourists, but it’s still possible to find a peaceful spot or even a softball game to join in with. There’s also an open-air theatre running a programme of theatre, opera and ballet performances throughout the year.

London Zoo, one of the capital’s top ten attractions can be found within Regent’s Park. Opened to the public in 1847 its reptile house, aquarium, insect house and children’s zoo were all the first of their kind in England and the Penguin House, built in 1934 was one of the first buildings of the Modernist movement.
Although it is the setting for Dodie Smith’s book 101 Dalmatians, Primrose Hill is not quite so well known. Yet it rewards visitors with some of the best views of the city – perhaps one of the reasons it hosts so many film and television shoots these days. Spend an afternoon strolling the quiet residential streets nearby then bag one of the benches and watch the sun set over some of London’s most famous landmarks.
Holborn and Covent Garden are in the south of Camden, the heart of central London.
Covent Garden should already be on your 'to do' list – the area attracts thousands of visitors every year as one of the best places for shopping, eating and drinking in the capital.

Not all of Covent Garden falls within the borough of Camden but there is still plenty to see and experience besides the famous covered market! In the area around Seven Dials, with its wonderfully restored sundial monument, is a fabulous array of shops and watering holes, including well-known stores, smaller boutiques, arcades and specialist food shops and cafes in Neal's Yard.

Nearby Holborn is a more businesslike sort of place but no less worthy of a visit. In the 14th century the great and the good of the legal profession established the Inns of Court here. Today, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Gray’s Inn Fields and the surrounding areas are fascinating places to explore, with their open squares, historic legal chambers and, occasionally, a be-wigged barrister.

The other big business here is jewellery. Hatton Garden is one of the world’s largest jewellery quarters, with more than 300 diamond traders, designers, manufacturers and retailers all crammed into just a few streets.

If Holborn feels like London with a capital L, it’s partly because there’s a real sense of history here. This is reflected in the area’s cultural attractions, including the Hunterian Museum, which displays the Royal College of Surgeon’s collection of anatomical paraphernalia. Sir John Soane’s Museum contains an eclectic mix of artefacts – from paintings and sculpture to period timepieces, furniture and stained glass. It also houses a superb collection of architectural drawings, including Sir John Soane’s own plans for the Bank of England. Or there’s the Dickens House Museum, where writer Charles Dickens lived during the period he published ‘Oliver Twist’ and ‘Nicholas Nickleby’.

Not surprisingly, Holborn and Covent Garden are easily reached using public transport, with good bus and London Underground links, although Covent Garden station can get very crowded, especially at weekends. There’s also a plentiful supply of mid-range and luxury hotels in the area, making it worth considering as a base.