London/Hampstead

(WT-shared) Burmesedays

By tube

• Hampstead (Northern Line) – Zones 2+3
• Belsize Park (Northern Line) – Zone 2
• Chalk Farm (Northern Line) – Zone 2
• Golders Green (Northern Line) – Zone 3
• Swiss Cottage (Jubilee Line) – Zone 2
• Finchley Road (Jubilee Line and Metropolitan Line) – Zone 2
• West Hampstead (Jubilee Line and Overground) – Zone 2

By train

• Hampstead Heath and Gospel Oak stations are on the London Overground line, and both are convenient stops for Hampstead Heath. Further west in the district, the Overground also stops at Finchley Rd & Frognal and West Hampstead. The area is serviced by tube stations Belsize Park and Hampstead on the Northern Line.
• West Hampstead is also on the main Thameslink Line, allowing easy access from the English Midlands and from Brighton in the south of the country.
• South Hampstead is on the London Euston to Watford main line with about 4 trains per hour stopping there.

By bus

• Finchley Rd is a major bus route through London. Bus numbers 13, 139 and 82 all originate in central London and pass along the length of Finchley Rd, allowing easy access to Swiss Cottage and West Hampstead.
• Hampstead and Belsize Park are less well served, with the only direct connection from central London being bus number 46, originating at Farringdon St.
• Night bus N5 is an excellent and convenient way to get to Hampstead, Belsize Park and Golders Green, after a night out in the West End. Originating in Trafalgar Square, this service makes its way north through King's Cross and Camden Town, before travelling through the district along Chalk Farm Rd, Haverstock Hill, Hampstead High St and North End Way. Runs approximately every 15 minutes from just after midnight until 6AM.

By road

• A41 north from Marylebone Rd at Baker St. The A41 becomes Finchley Rd in this district.
• A4200 (Eversholt St) north from Euston Station to Camden High St, and then the A502 which runs through the heart of the district as first Chalk Farm Rd, then Haverstock Hill and then Hampstead High St.

By bus

• Bus number 268 is a convenient, regular service that connects Golders Green, Hampstead, Belsize Park, Swiss Cottage and Finchley Rd in both directions. Stops are frequent in key areas such as Heath St, Hampstead High St, Haverstock Hill and Finchley Rd, and are not hard to find.
• Bus number 210 is a useful service for getting to Kenwood House, close to Highgate Cemetery and Waterlow Park, and any other area along the extent of Spaniard's Rd and Hampstead Lane. It runs from Golders Green Station south down North End Rd, turns east along Spaniard's Rd, and then runs the whole length of Hampstead Lane before terminating out of the district at Finsbury Park. The return route is identical in reverse.

ceridwen

• 2 Willow Road

  phone: +44 20 7435-6166
  address: 2 Willow Rd, NW3 1TH
  A house designed by Erno Goldfinger in 1939 and regarded as an icon of modernist architecture. The contents are just as impressive as the house and include original works by Henry Moore and Max Ernst. Local lore has it that Hampstead resident of the time Ian Fleming objected so strongly to Goldfinger's modernist design that he named his famous Bond villain after him.

• Burgh House and Hampstead Museum

  phone: +44 20 7431-0144
  address: New End Sq, NW3 1LT
  This beautiful grade I listed Georgian building houses the Hampstead Museum, which has an interesting collection of exhibits on the history of the local area.

• Camden Arts Centre

  phone: +44 20 7472-5500
  address: Arkwright Rd, NW3 6DG
  A contemporary arts centre with exhibitions focused on exposing new talent. Housed in a lovely Victorian mansion.

• Fenton House

  phone: +44 20 7435-3471
  address: Hampstead Gr, NW3 6SP
  A magnificent old house dating from 1667 that is administered by the National Trust. It is most famous for its globally important collection of early keyboard instruments, and there is also a fine collection of art and porcelain. Frequently hosts recitals.

//www.flickr.com/photos/nakedcharlton/

• Freud Museum

  phone: +44 20 7435-2002
  address: 20 Maresfield Gdns, NW3 5SX
  The former home of Sigmund Freud. A wide range of exhibits, most famously including the psycho-analytic couch that all of his patients used. Freud was an avid collector of antiquities and there is a fine collection of Greek, Roman and Oriental pieces on show.

• Hampstead Parish Church

  phone: +44 20 7794-5808
  address: Church Row, NW3 6UU
  The church building is rather lovely but it is the graveyard that will most interest visitors. Notable personalities buried here include Sir John Constable (artist), Hugh Gaitskell (Labour Party leader and Chancellor of the Exchequer), Kay Kendall (actress) and several members of the du Maurier family. Tomb trails are available at the church. Visiting should be OK in daylight hours, but check ahead if you are making a special trip.

• Highgate Cemetery

  phone: +44 20 8340-1834
  address: Swain's Ln, N6 6JP
  Take a guided tour of the overgrown Western Cemetery which gives it a special beauty and charm, or visit the East Cemetery unaccompanied where you will find the grave of Karl Marx. There are at least 850 notable people buried at Highgate, from Douglas Adams and George Eliot, to Jean Simmons and Michael Faraday; high society Victorians wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else. It has been said that Highgate has the finest collection of Victorian funerary architecture in the country, and the cemetery certainly has more than its fair share of ghosts. There's even a resident vampire!

Mike Quinn

• Keats House

  phone: +44 20 7332-3868
  address: Keats Gr, NW3 2RR
  The poet John Keats lived here from 1818 to 1820 until he travelled to Rome where he died of tuberculosis, aged just 25. The house was restored in 2009 as a museum with period decor, furnishings and a collection of Keatsiana. Some events take place in the building next door within the grounds (Ten Keats Grove); the building also houses a volunteer-run public library, with a collection of books and periodicals, and free internet access.

• Primrose Hill

  address: off Regent's Park Rd, NW1
  A large open grassed hill just to the north of Regent's Park. Offers a free panorama of Central London. The views are probably only bettered by those from Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath.

• Waterlow Park

  phone: +44 20 7974-8810
  address: Swain's Ln N6
  A secret jewel of a park. Beautiful landscaped grounds, hills, mature trees, lakes, a walled garden, visitor's centre, café, tennis courts, and children's playgrounds. Bequeathed to the public as a "garden for the gardenless" by Sir Sidney Waterlow in 1889. A visit here combines very well with Highgate Cemetery.

Hampstead Heath

Richard Slessor

Cultural inspirations

• John Constable painted numerous landscapes both from sitting in the upper level of his house at nearby Well Walk, and from on the heath itself. As you take in the splendid vistas over the heath, it is not difficult to see how Constable was so inspired here.
• John Keats composed his great Ode to a Nightingale whilst sitting at the Spaniard's Inn and hearing the sound of a nightingale on the heath. The nightingales have sadly gone, but the heath still has a very healthy wild bird population.
• CS Lewis was inspired to write The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe whilst wandering Hampstead Heath on a snowy winter's day.
• In contemporary literature, Hampstead Heath is the setting for the village of Ham in Will Self's superb The Book of Dave.
• The cult movie Scenes of a Sexual Nature was shot entirely on Hampstead Heath.

Orientation

• The main part of Hampstead Heath is bounded by Spaniards Rd and Hampstead Lane to the north, Highgate Rd to the east, the North London railway line to the south, and East Heath Rd and Spaniards Rd (again) to the east. A line of ponds runs along each side of the heath here: Highgate Ponds on the eastern side, Hampstead Ponds on the western side. The northern part of this section is occupied by Kenwood House, looked after by English Heritage and the only part of the heath not administered by the City of London Corporation. Parliament Hill forms the southern part of this section.
• West Heath is across Spaniards Rd and North End Rd from the main section, and includes Golder's Hill Park, The Pergola and The Hill Garden, as well as large tracts of mature oak, hornbeam and birch woodland.
• Sandy Heath is north-west of Spaniard's Rd and consists mostly of beautiful, mature oak woodland.
• The Hampstead Heath Extension is north of Sandy Heath bordering suburban Golders Green, and consists mostly of sports pitches. Older locals still call this area the "gunsite" as it was exactly that during World War II, and was not cleared until the 1960s.

Specific attractions on Hampstead Heath

• The Bathing PondsThere are three notable outdoor bathing ponds on the heath. The Men's Pond and Women's Pond are both part of the line of small lakes on the eastern edge of the heath known as Highgate Ponds, and the Mixed Pond is part of Hampstead Ponds on the opposite side. Swimming hours are seasonal, complicated, age-dependent and change frequently, so it is worth checking before making a special trip.

//www.flickr.com/photos/blahflowers/

• Golders Hill Park

  address: North End Way, NW3
  A more formal tended area of the heath at its north-western extremity. Has as a small aviary and zoo that kids always enjoy.

• The Hill Garden and Pergola

  address: N End Way, NW3
  A quite beautiful hidden garden on West Heath, which is little known even to many Londoners. It was originally part of the gardens of 19th century Inverforth House built by Viscount Leverhulme (the then owner of Lever Brothers, now Unilever). The gardens are now common land and part of Hampstead Heath, and the most impressive feature is a restored timber pergola, covered with various climbing plants including roses, honeysuckle, clematis, wisteria and various vines. The pergola offers two stunning views from its north-western point. You can look straight out and over the heath's canopy and see nothing but mature trees. Alternatively, you can look down and see the beautifully manicured herb garden and the length of the pergola stretching out before you. The adjacent Hill Garden offers a complete contrast to the wildness of the pergola. The garden is beautifully manicured and is a favourite haunt for artists. The bench by the ornamental fish pond here gives a stunning view of Hampstead Heath with the towers of urban London as the backdrop.

Fan Yang

• Kenwood House

  phone: +44 20 8348-1286
  address: Hampstead Ln, NW3 7JR
  A splendid Regency house with enormous gardens and woodlands. The gardens alone are worth the visit and are a superb example of 18th century landscaping. On show at the house is art by masters such as Rembrandt, Turner, Reynolds and Vermeer, and the gardens have a very notable sculpture by Henry Moore. A regular program of outdoor opera takes place here every summer. Movie buffs will recognise Kenwood from Mansfield Park among other famous films. Administered by English Heritage, separately from the rest of Hampstead Heath.

• Parliament HillThis is a high part of the Heath with clear open vistas, and the views looking south over the city are quite wonderful. Highly recommended on a clear morning, when you can see from Canary Wharf in the east all the way to Battersea Power Station in the west.

• Everyman Cinema

  phone: +44 870 066 4777
  address: 5 Hollybush Vale, NW3 6TX
  One of London's most notable art house cinemas which offers a high quality experience. You pay for it, but the environment is very classy indeed. Has a sister cinema just down the hill in Belsize Park - The Everyman Belsize Park.

• Hampstead Theatre

  phone: +44 20 7722-9301
  address: Eton Ave, NW3 3EU
  A repertory theatre that is about as far removed from glitzy west end productions as you could imagine. Dedicated to exposing new writing talent. Harold Pinter gained some of his earliest experience here.

• Pentameters Theatre

  phone: +44 20 7435-3648
  address: 28 Heath St, NW3 6TE
  Small, intimate theatre known for edgy, high quality productions. Located above The Horseshoe pub.

• Daunt Books

  phone: +44 20 7794-4006
  address: 193 Haverstock Hill, NW3 4QL
  A wonderful, old-style independent book shop which has a second branch up the hill at 51 South End Rd.

• Farmer's Market

  phone: +44 20 7833 0338
  address: Parliament Hill Fields
  A regular farmer's market selling fresh organic produce every Saturday

• Hampstead Antiques Emporium

  phone: +44 20 7794-3297
  address: 12 Heath St, NW3 6TE
  More than 30 antique dealers permanently occupy this small arcade and adjacent courtyard. Several genres represented including furniture, paintings, toys and textiles.

• Hampstead Community Centre

  phone: +44 20 7794-8313
  address: 78 Hampstead High St, NW3 1RE
  On Saturdays, turns into a mini-market selling a variety of things, including a second hand book stall with a fantastic selection.

• Keith Fawkes Books

  phone: +44 20 7435-0614
  address: 1–3 Flask Walk, NW3 1HJ
  A rare and antiquarian bookshop with a special focus on the great literary characters who lived in Hampstead. Also carries a huge stock of more run-of-the-mill secondhand titles. An absolute must for booklovers.

Budget

• La Creperie de Hampstead

  address: 77 Hampstead High St, NW3 1RE
  A crepe stall in front of the King William IV pub. A wide variety of tasty sweet and savoury crepes for under a fiver. Queues can get long at the weekends. Been around a long time and passes the longevity test.

• Jin Kichi

  phone: +44 20 7794-6158
  address: 73 Heath St, NW3 6UG
  Really good value, no frills sushi restaurant.

• Nautilus

  phone: +44 20 7435-2532
  address: 27-29 Fortune Green Rd, NW6 1DT
  A very well known fish and chip shop. The great British invention to either take away or eat in. Locals travel a long way to buy here.

• Parliament Hill Café

  phone: +44 20 7485-6606
  The only cafe actually on Hampstead Heath, and a nice place to stop for a drink or quick bite after exploring the heath.

Stephen McKay

Mid-range

• Caffe Nero

  phone: +44 20 7431-5958
  address: 1 Hampstead High St, NW3 1UN
  Modern coffee shop chain just around the corner from Hampstead tube station. Serves decent coffee with cakes and savoury snacks at slightly lower prices than elsewhere in Hampstead Village. Part of a large chain.

• Carluccio's

  phone: +44 20 7794-2184
  address: 32 Rosslyn Hill, NW3 1NH
  Serves cheap and decent, if not terribly inspired, Italian food. Good value for this area. Also has a deli attached. Part of a large chain.

• Czechoslovak

  phone: +44 20 7372 1193
  address: 74 West End Ln, West Hampstead, NW6 2LX
  Serves traditional Czech-Slovak dishes such as svíčková and guláš at reasonable prices, also has plenty of memorabilia on display as well as a small library of books.

• Freemason's Arms

  phone: +44 20 7433-6811
  address: 32 Downshire Hill, NW3 1NT
  A gastro pub offering both homely dishes and some more ambitious options. Good location only one minute walk from Hampstead Heath. Has a large open garden with many tables which is lovely in the summer.

• Little Bay Kilburn

  phone: +44 20 7372-4699
  address: 228 Belsize Rd, NW6 4BT
  European cuisine.

• Manna

  phone: +44 20 7722-8028
  address: 4 Erskine Rd, NW3 3AJ
  The UK's oldest vegetarian restaurant which has been in operation since 1966. That says a lot about the quality of the food, and the presentation and service are also top notch.

• Mimmo la Bufala

  phone: +44 20 7435-7814
  address: 45a S End Rd, NW3 2QB
  Italian bistro with an extensive menu of pizzas and grill items.

Splurge

• Goldfish

  phone: +44 20 7794-6666
  address: 82 Hampstead High St, NW3 1RE
  Asian fusion eatery boasts a menu that is distinctly modern Chinese, with main courses such as wasabi prawns, mocha spare ribs and pan-fry roasted duck with special curry sauce and apple salsa.

• Odette's

  phone: +44 20 7586-8569
  address: 130 Regent's Park Rd, NW1 8XL
  Modern European cooking in the Primrose Hill district. Interesting set degustation menu for £60 per head.

Hampstead Village and around

• The Flask

  phone: +44 20 7435-4580
  address: 14 Flask Walk, NW3 1HE
  The name dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, when Hampstead was known as an area with many freshwater springs and people went there to take the waters. The current building has been a pub since 1874. Two bar rooms and a separate dining area.

Ewan Munro

• The Holly Bush

  phone: +44 20 7435-2892
  address: 22 Holly Mount, NW3 6SG
  Been around since 1807 and an absolute traditional favorite. Two bar rooms with open fireplaces. Consistently rated as one of the best traditional pubs in the whole of London.

• The King William IV

  phone: +44 20 7435-5747
  address: 77 Hampstead High St, NW3 1RE
  London's oldest established gay pub and a pleasant place for a drink whether you are gay or straight. Three bar rooms and a pleasant, if small, outdoor beer garden at the rear. Right in the heart of Hampstead village.

• The Old Bull and Bush

  phone: +44 20 8905-5456
  address: N End Rd, NW3 7HE
  This former farmhouse gained its first licence to sell liquor in 1721 and is the pub that gave rise to famous Victorian music hall song "Down at The Old Bull and Bush". Today it is a thriving pub and one which has modernised sympathetically. A great place to go for a drink and imagine the characters who have done likewise here over the past nearly 300 years.

• The Spaniard's Inn

  phone: +44 20 8731-8406
  address: Spaniard's Rd, NW3 7JJ
  Been around since 1585 and has just claims to be one of the most famous pubs in London. Keats, Shelly and Byron all drank here and Dickens mentions it in Pickwick Papers. Local lore has it that Dick Turpin used the pub and that his ghost still does. These days it is a decent pub with a real countryside atmosphere.

Elsewhere

• The Lansdowne

  phone: +44 20 7483-0409
  address: 90 Gloucester Ave, NW1 8HX
  Local favourite with a lively bar downstairs and excellent restaurant on the first floor.

• The Pembroke Castle

  phone: +44 20 7483 2927
  address: 150 Gloucester Ave, NW1 8JA
  Intimate pub with a cozy inside bar and a very popular beer garden which gets packed in summer.

• The Princess of Wales

  phone: +44 20 7722 0354
  address: 22 Chalcot Rd, NW1 8LL
  Traditional pub which offers a fine selection of beers and has a relatively broad food menu. Traditional jazz is played on Thursday nights. One of the more reasonably priced pubs in the area.

• The Sir Richard Steele

  phone: +44 20 7483-1261
  address: 97 Haverstock Hill, NW3 4RL
  Old fashioned London pub which runs a regular program of themed nights including some quite eclectic musical themes. Saturday is comedy night and especially popular. Named after the notable Georgian journalist and writer whose home was formerly on this site,

• Charlotte Guest House

  phone: +44 20 7794-6476
  address: 195-197 Sumatra Rd, NW6 1PF
  Traditional B&B with 43 rooms ranging from singles to family suites. The cheapest rooms do not have private bathrooms.

• Dawson House

  phone: +44 20 7624-0079
  address: 72 Canfield Gdns, NW6 3EG
  Budget guest house with 15 rooms including family options. A five minute walk to the West Hampstead stations.

• Dillons

  phone: +44 20 7794-3360
  address: 21 Belsize Pk, NW3 4DU
  Bed and breakfast in an old converted Victorian building in Belsize Park. Quiet and reserved residential neighbourhood but easy access to Hampstead Village.

• La Gaffe

  phone: +44 20 7435-8965
  address: 107-111 Heath St, NW3 6SS
  Charming boutique-type bed and breakfast accommodation above a restaurant and wine bar of the same name. Family owned and managed.

• Langorf Hotel and Apartments

  phone: +44 20 7794-4483
  address: 20 Frognal, NW3 6AG
  Converted townhouse within walking distance of Hampstead Village.

• Palmer's Lodge Hostel

  phone: +44 20 7483-8470
  address: 40 College Cres, NW3 5LB
  A high quality, multi award-winning hostel in a converted Victorian mansion. Has private rooms as well as a number of dorm options. Offers free WiFi, breakfast included in the price and nice touches such as serving free trade coffee only.

• Swiss Cottage Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7722-2281
  address: 4 Adamson Rd, NW3 3HP
  Converted Victorian townhouse with 59 rooms. Two minute walk to Swiss Cottage tube station.

Internet outlets

• Belsize Library

  phone: +44 20 7974-6518
  address: Antrim Rd, NW3 4XN
  A small public library run by Camden Council which offers free public internet access. The queues are often long though.

• Queen's Internet Cafe

  phone: +44 20 7485-1558
  address: 191 Queen's Cres, NW5 4DS
  A rather quirky place which doubles as an internet cafe and a supplier of hair grooming products! Very friendly and a reliable, fast connection.

• Swiss Cottage Library

  phone: +44 20 7974-6522
  address: 88 Avenue Rd, NW3 3HA
  A public library run by Camden Council which offers free WiFi and a limited number of desktop stations.

• Kentish Town Police Station

  phone: 101
  address: 10-12A Holmes Road, NW5 3AE

• Hampstead and Highgate Express

  phone: +44 20 7433-0000
  address: 100A Avenue Rd, NW3 3HF
  Very few London districts have their own proper local newspaper (as opposed to a free sheet), but it is no surprise that literary Hampstead does. A great source of local news, events and listings. Published each Thursday, and widely available at newsagents and other outlets throughout the district.

• Royal Free Hospital

  phone: +44 20 7794-0500
  address: 23 E Heath Rd, NW3 1DU
  One of London's largest and most famous hospitals. Has a full A&E department.

• Camden Town with its wonderfully eclectic markets and shops, is just a couple of stops south on the Northern Line.
• From the south of the district, you can easily walk to Oxford Street and elsewhere in the West End, through the lovely Regent's Park.