The Curious Traveler’s Guide to Bethnal Green, East London’s Urban Neighborhood

The East London neighborhood of Bethnal Green is known for its vibrant streets, its gorgeous and completely free library, and its many cafes and charity shops.

As such, it’s a great spot to have on your bucket list, especially if you’re traveling to London for the first time.

Bethnal Green’s proximity with Brick Lane, Shoreditch, Spitalfields and on the other side, Whitechapel, Stepney Green and Mile End makes it a top choice for people moving to London as well.

Since I lived in Bethnal Green for over a year, and even recently stayed at Hostelle on Bethnal Green Road, an all-female hostel (which I recommend!), I’ve found lots of things to do in the area over time.

The Curious Traveler’s Guide to Bethnal Green, East London’s Urban Neighborhood

One thing I might add, before we get started with all the cool places to visit in Bethnal Green and surroundings, is that if you are a roller skater, you will want to pop by the Bethnal Green Gardens at some point.

There are many cool places to go roller skating in London, but if there’s a really famous outdoorsy one, it is the garden right outside of the Tube station.

And since Bethnal Green is located on the Central Line, this means you can easily get to many different places with the Tube:

• Stratford, which houses one of London’s best shopping centers
• The incredible Fleet Street, one of London’s most beautiful streets
• Holborn and Chancery Lane with their gorgeous medieval sites
• Marble Arch and its Superdrug store, one of the biggest and best makeup shops in London

And many more places – do check out the guide I’ve written to completely free things to do along the Central Line, and you’ll find lots of great places to visit from Bethnal Green!

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road

Let’s start with one of London’s free museums, the V&A Museum of Childhood, which can be found on the bustling Cambridge Heath Road.

The V&A Museum of Childhood is, quite obviously, an amazing place to spend some time in London with kids, a unique museum with more dollhouses you will ever see in your life, and a vast collection of toys, games and costumes to back up this already striking feature of the museum.

I especially love admiring the dollhouses’ details for a moment, and if you are interested in historical places, the museum offers plenty of insight in the evolution of toys and childhood history.

Perfect if you’re living in London on a budget, or would just like, even as an adult, to learn about techniques of the past before walking back to Bethnal Green station for other hidden gems.

Read: The Curious Traveler’s Guide to Smithfield, London’s Forgotten Neighborhood

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Paradise Gardens

As you walk down Cambridge Heath Road to reach Bethnal Green station, you will find a small, well-curated garden on your right, which makes the angle with Bethnal Green Road.

Whether you want to have a picnic or would like to find new writing spots (and don’t want to head to the Bethnal Green Gardens on the other side of the road), this really cute garden is seemingly one of London’s forgotten pocket parks.

It is also located to the Beehive, not only a perfect study cafe in Bethnal Green, but also a very relaxed place to enjoy fresh pastries and delicious latte.

Read: The Most Secret Church Gardens in London

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Jambala Bookshop

If you are coming from Cambridge Heath Road and take a left at the crossroads with Bethnal Green station, a few minutes’ walk will bring you to the Jambala Bookshop.

There are plenty of really cool charity shops in Bethnal Green, from Oxfam to the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, but Jambala Bookshop is different in that it, well, focuses on books.

You will find there a great selection of new and second hand books, in a unique shop which probably offers one of the most comforting shop windows and a really old school vibe.

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in South London

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Globe Primary School Mosaics

When you leave the Jambala Bookshop and take a left, you will find, not even 5 minutes away, one of Bethnal Green’s best hidden gems: the Globe Primary School mosaics.

The first time I came across this colorful place, I was blown away as I did not expect such street art in this quite residential area.

The mosaics, made by the Artyface collective with the children’s help, depict all kinds of animals in a colorful fresco which wraps itself all around the building.

If you are interested in finding other artistic hidden gems of the kind, Artyface has also worked on mosaics for other London schools, like the nearby John Scurr school in Stepney Green.

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in West London

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Peary Place

When you are done admiring the Globe Primary School mosaics, walk back up Globe Road to the Jambala Bookshop, and instead of heading back to the station, take a left on Roman Road.

About thirty seconds away, you will be able to admire the gorgeous Peary Place, a quiet and impressive mews street with offers the whole shindig, from emerald tiles to cobblestones.

This is one of the places in London that remind me most of Harry Potter locations, and Peary Place, if I may, also makes for a very secret photo spot that even locals seem to miss when going about their day.

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in Oxford Street

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Mural on Rickman House

Walking down Roman Road will bring you to places like the gorgeous Victoria Park and its Chinese Pergola, Mile End, and further down the road (much further), the Roman Road Market.

But this will be for another time; for now, we are going to leave Peary Place, and walk up Globe Road until we find Colebert Avenue on the right, and let ourselves be impressed by the colorful mural on Rickman House.

Beyond a simple street art piece, the mural created in 2022 by Magic Me and BTMC was designed to bring together the community and engage the residents.

It is a really cool spot to visit if you are looking for other free things to do in London, and have never really taken, or had the time to discover Bethnal Green!

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in London Bridge

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Chance Street, Off Bethnal Green Road

If you are not too tired – or if it’s not raining in London, let’s now walk back up Bethnal Green Road, all the way to the famous Brick Lane.

If you want to stop and admire Brick Lane’s street art, take a left and walk down the road, where you will find all kinds of really cool hidden gems as well:

• the Kahaila cafe, a community coffee shop with the best rainbow cake in town
• Fashion Street, Hanbury Street and Buxton Street with amazing stickers, stencil art and murals
• some really cool study cafes as well, quiet enough that you can also come with a good book

When you are done checking out Brick Lane (if you get hungry, try Sleazy Pizza, a hidden food gem where you’ll be able to try some of the best Neapolitan pizza in London!), pop by Chance Street.

Facing Boxpark and its really unique shops, restaurants and snack spots, Chance Street is one of the most colorful places in London, filled with eclectic murals painted on old-world buildings.

We’re on the edge of the lively Shoreditch neighborhood, and a visit to Chance Street, and nearby Fenchurch Street is a must when walking around!

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in North London

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Museum of the Home, Hoxton

Two options if you want to visit the completely free Museum of the Home in Hoxton, not too far from Bethnal Green:

• either walk there if it’s a beautiful spring day
• or take the bus, which will give you more time to fit in other spots on your bucket list

Formerly known as the Geffrye Museum, the Museum of the Home is one of my favorite free museums in London, with strong ties to the past as the collection journeys through several centuries of English home life.

The exhibition shows different parlors and living rooms from the 17th century onwards, as well as small rooms showing the evolution of the English lifestyle with various pieces of furniture, and even a room with a couch and a vintage gaming console!

Read: The Best Hidden Gems in East London

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Spitalfields

If beautiful streets is what you are after, you would do well to visit the historic Spitalfields neighborhood as well, which is conveniently located between Shoreditch and Liverpool Street.

The Liverpool Street area is filled with more hidden gems than you would initially suspect, from sculptures to hidden courtyards, and Spitalfields is quite similar, with a more retro atmosphere.

The Old Spitalfields Market is a must-visit for anything from antiques to street food (another one of the best Neapolitan pizza spots can be found there – Sud Italia, which also double as a quite cheap pizza place!), fashion and makeup.

The Georgian townhouses all around Spitalfields are a sight, their facades still bearing names of century-old establishment, and if I could only recommend one must-visit place there, it would be Charnel House at Bishop’s Square.

However, secret alleys like Artillery Passage are also worth a visit, as well as Puma Court which faces the Old Spitalfields Market, great to relish before checking out vintage shops nearby.

Read: The Best Free Secret Gardens in London

Places to Eat Near Bethnal Green

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Quarantacinque Coffee Shop

Now, Bethnal Green is known for its cafes – study cafes or not, many of which are either Italian, Indian (Chaiiwala), or downright controversial (Fckoffee).

The Quarantacinque coffee shop, close to the Jambala Bookshop and the Globe Primary School, is one of my favorite Italian cafes in London, and a very cozy one at that.

Proper Italian breakfast, with strong La Romana coffee, fresh croissants and focaccia, is what you can expect at this small cafe, which offers a very cute retro vibe, what with its books lining one side of the cafe.

Whenever I am in Bethnal Green, Quarantacinque is a cafe I have to spend some time in, especially when I’m missing the Roman breakfast bites I am so used to when living in Rome.

Read: 34 Secret Places in London You Won’t Believe Actually Exist

Best Places to Eat Near Bethnal Green London: Beigel Bake, Brick Lane

At the beginning of Brick Lane, right off Bethnal Green Road, Beigel Bake is an institution you shouldn’t miss for classic salt beef bagels or other smoked salmon and cream cheese bages.

Beigel Bake is not a secret food spot anymore; has it ever been, really – but it is the perfect place to get the best bagels in London, and it’s open 24/7!

We’re here in one of the oldest bakeries in London as well, since beyond just beigels, Beigel Bake also offers a myriad of sweet treats to enjoy while checking out the shops on Brick Lane.

Read: Shopping in Central London – 8 Very Unique Shops to Visit

Best Things to Do in Bethnal Green London: Cake Box, Bethnal Green Road

Cake Box on Bethnal Green Road is a cake shop I’ve been a regular customer at for years now; the franchise is famous for baking the tastiest egg-free cakes ever.

You will find other branches of Cake Box in various areas of London, but since both the cakes and the service are excellent in the Bethnal Green branch, that is the one I visit whenever I get the chance.

A piece of cake retails for about 3.50 pounds, which is quite affordable considering the prices you usually pay for cake in chain cafes and bakeries, with delicious flavors and gorgeous cream.

Read: The Curious Traveler’s Guide to Covent Garden, London

Best Places to Eat in East London: Grounded, Bow

Now, if you are willing to leave Bethnal Green for a bit, we are going to hop on the bus to the Bow neighborhood – you’re not going to regret the effort for a second when you have the best breakfast ever at Grounded.

Grounded, also known as Grounded Coffee Company, cooks up the best halal breakfast ever, and even offers vegetarian and vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cakes.

Since the branch has only recently opened, Grounded Bow is still one of the most secret cafes in London, but it makes no doubt that it will become ever more popular, like the first branch in Aldgate East.

When you are done having breakfast – or studying, as Grounded Bow is also one of the coolest study cafes in East London, why not walk back to nearby Mile End and visit one of my two favorites places around:

• The Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in London, filled with sculptures and winding paths
• The Ragged School Museum, a Victorian charity school with strong ties to the Mile End neighborhood, and whose brick walls and still-intact classrooms are a must-see when in the area

Read: Bookish London Itinerary: 13 Unique & Secret Places to Visit

The Curious Traveler’s Guide to Bethnal Green, East London’s Urban Neighborhood

Thus finishes the Curious Traveler’s guide to Bethnal Green, one of the trendiest East London neighborhoods, and one I have spent so much time in that it still feels like home.

Dedicating a half day, or a full day in London to the East End is always a great idea.

Despite the fact that it’s so young in terms of inhabitants, Bethnal Green, and neighboring Stepney Green, Shoreditch, Spitalfields and Liverpool Street are all extremely rich in history.

A different kind of history than you would find in places like the Barbican neighborhood or the City of London, and one that helps you piece together the city’s vibe and personality, making us fall ever deeper in love with London!

Until next time!

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