The most Instagrammable places in London, according to someone who lives there

The most Instagrammable places in London, according to someone who lives there

02/29/2020
  • I've lived in London for almost my entire life, and, for the last few years, I've explored the city's history, art, and culture by way of Instagram.
  • From Greenwich Park to Dulwich, my recommendations are popular haunts that cover the best the UK's capital has to offer.
  • Head to Hampstead for endless Insta-worthy houses and Hampstead Heath, a sprawling, beautiful park that might make you forget you're in London.
  • Whether you're a tourist or Londoner, Covent Garden is always a good idea thanks to the market square's changing — and picture-perfect — installations.
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Elizabeth Street, Belgravia, sees hundreds of fashion bloggers and Instagrammers posing in front of storefronts to rack in all the likes.

While you're there, drop by cake shop heaven Peggy Porschen, whose client list includes the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, super chic boutiques Papouelli (Princess Charlotte and Prince George have shoes from here), flower-covered Moyses Stevens and the seriously popular perfumery, Les Senteurs. Some advice: Bring a phone charger.

Annabel's, a members-only club on Mayfair's Berkeley Square, isn't open to the public but the flower-covered exterior attracts an Instagram crowd.

London's most exclusive members-only club may open its doors to the city's elite, but that hasn't stopped people from posting photos of the floral installation at Annabel's.

The best flowers in the installation are up during the Chelsea Flower Show (pictured above) and Halloween.

Even though there are hundreds of pictures of Neal's Yard, Covent Garden, many people — including Londoners — often forget this colorful courtyard exists.

Dripping in bright yellows, oranges, blues, and greens, Neal's Yard is perfect for Instagram.

There's also a ton of awesome restaurants — do not leave without devouring a 20-inch pizza at Homeslice — and some cool astronomy shops, as well as a mural of Princess Diana dressed as Disney icon Mary Poppins.

Dulwich Village is a bit of a trek from the city center but the glitz and glamour of southeast London's answer to Wisteria Lane make the trip worth it.

Home of Instagram icon Bell Cottage, everything about Dulwich is "Desperate Housewives" personified: There's a local baker, organic grocery store, verdant park, famous art gallery, rows on rows of mansions with pristine lawns (and some with hot gardeners), and a flower shop opposite a grand old pub.

As a proud south Londoner, I say spend all your time on College Road to see all the best bits, including the cottage and the very regal-looking Dulwich College.

Mayfair's Brook Street is a great place for snapping photos and spotting celebrities.

If you want to live like (and see loads of) celebrities, head to Brook Street.

The pretty Mayfair road is lined with hundreds of Georgian facades and remnants of the Victorian era, and you can get the ultimate Instagram at the glitzy hotel Claridge's. The hotel is a favorite of celebrities and the British royals — I've seen Princess Eugenie have afternoon tea there.

Cult Mayfair flower shop Wild Things Flowers on nearby Davies Street is also worth a 'gram or two.

It's worth visiting around the holidays, too; with big fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Cartier, and Burberry cutting through Brook Street, there are some seriously Insta-friendly Christmas decorations.

Many tourists visit central London's Covent Garden for shopping, but the iconic market square is also one of the city's most photogenic spots.

I've been going to Covent Garden since I was a child and have seen it go from a grotty tourist trap to wannabe Rodeo Drive (there's a Chanel and Tom Ford, so it's almost there).

Stay in the piazza to get all the usual shots on travelers' bucket lists — especially if you want to take pictures of the square's many installations. Past attractions include a giant pumpkin, and cars, pianos, and shop facades draped in seasonal blooms.

Tip: Head into the Royal Opera House to get an awesome panorama of the bustling square and city views.

Hampstead, in north London, is basically a slice of the countryside in the city.

Jump off the tube at Hampstead Underground Station, run up Holly Hill, and you'll see rows of beautiful facades waiting to be photographed.

While you're there, visit Holly Mount, home to the Insta-famous pub The Holly Bush, and Windmill Hill, where you can take pictures of some of north London's grandest mansions.

End your Hampstead pilgrimage on Hampstead Heath — a sprawling, beautiful park where you might forget you're in London — with a visit to Kenwood House, one of the finest remaining examples of a stately home in the capital.

Every Instagram influencer in London seems to have visited the Mayfair restaurant Sketch.

This fine Mayfair institution has been popular for years thanks to its instantly recognizable Gallery — known as the "pink room," among the Instagram crowd, and furnished with velvet millennial-pink chairs and David Shrigley artwork.

Most descend on the restaurant to have afternoon tea in the pink room, ignoring all the other supremely arty spaces it has to offer.

My advice is to ditch the pink room at Sketch, and dine like a dandy Impressionist in the Glade instead.

You'll feel like you are in one grand Monet painting as you sip, eat, and Instagram in the Glade room, decorated in deep blue, purple and green hues.

Visit Hackney's Conservatory Archives and Columbia Road in east London for the perfect flower-filled Instagram.

At Hackney's Conservatory Archives and Columbia Road, browse and take home a vast selection of Insta-ready houseplants, roses, hydrangeas, sunflowers, orchids, and peonies.

Pretty rows of pastel-colored houses light up Primrose Hill in north London.

Just across the street from the equally Insta-friendly Regent's Park, Primose Hill offers some pretty amazing views of the city and beyond. In fact, the views are so good that the top of the hill remains one of the six protected viewpoints in London.

Aside from great cityscapes, there are rows of cutesy multicolored townhouses (the ones on Chalcot Crescent and Chalcot Square are best), fragrant flower shops, and some traditional pubs that serve a mean Sunday roast as well as local craft beers.

All the mews in Kensington are Instagrammable, but none more so than Kynance Mews, tucked between west London's Gloucester Road and Launceston Place.

Author David Tucker wrote that Kynance Mews are for those who want "sheer, rustic, rose-petal-perfect-pretty."

He's right.

Come spring and autumn, a giant hanging ivy explodes into life, and transforms from a lush green to a deep shade of electric red over the months. Continue further up the mews and you'll eye a house covered in lashings of wisteria in the warmer months, along with some adorable French-style period houses and stables.

Little Venice is a peaceful pocket of the city located where the Grand Union Canal meets the Regent's Canal.

Snap everything from canal boats to countless designer puppies, the most adorable duckies, cobbled streets, and stunning houses.

St James's Park is a hit with tourists, given its proximity to Buckingham Palace. It's also, hands down, London's prettiest park all year round.

In winter, it's a gothic frost-covered dreamscape; in spring, a bright-yellow daffodil haven; in summer, it's the boozy picnic spot; and in fall, a vision of burnt orange, red, and brown.

In the middle of the park, there's the Blue Bridge, where on one side you'll get an epic view of Buckingham Palace (reflection in the water included), and on the other, the London Eye.

The Connaught Hotel in Mayfair has a seriously Instagrammable staircase.

Many people flock to the grand staircase at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in King's Cross to get a shot of themselves laid out on the steps, inspired by the Spice Girls (the band filmed the music video for "Wannabe" here) — but the novelty is beginning to wear off.

The Connaught's staircase is a regal-looking alternative, with polished oak bannisters winding up six floors to a bright, airy glass ceiling. Once you reach the top, tilt your camera (or phone camera) lens down for an optimal staircase shot. On the way up and down, you can admire the portraits of cute dogs lining the walls.

West London's Notting Hill looks like it was built with Instagram in mind.

Go to St. Luke's Mews for pretty-in-pink houses, Portobello Road for a mishmash of antique curios, Westbourne Park Road for flower heartthrob Wild at Heart, Kensington Park Road for cake store Biscuiteers and bookstore Lutyens & Rubinstein, and Kensington Church Street for a sight of The Churchill Arms – the city's most Instagrammed pub, where you can also find some great Thai food.

Southeast London's Greenwich Park is an idyllic place for a springtime stroll, and the pink blossoms will make any photo pop.

The best time to visit Greenwich Park is arguably in the spring, when Cherry Blossom Avenue booms into life. (My advice: Check the park's website in the spring to find out when that happens before you visit.)

Located on the very top of the hill beyond the Royal Observatory and cricket pitch, a line of candyfloss floral arches makes every snap you take look like a painting. Get there early in the day so you can get a picture without crowds of people getting in your way.

You'll find an urban jungle in the Conservatory at the Barbican Centre.

Deep in the heart of the Brutalist concrete jungle that is the Barbican Estate, you'll find London's second-largest conservatory (after Kew Gardens' Palm House), where you can see over 1,500 species of plants and trees as well as tropical fish, the odd terrapin, and a cactus room.

Before you go, check the website, as it's only open to the public on select Sundays throughout the month. A major bonus is that it's free — a price we all love in London town.

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