Hampstead is one of the best neighbourhoods in London! No wonder so many celebs live there (for one, they can afford to!). It’s one of the Londons we see in movies so it’s exactly how we picture the city to be. Or, what I like to call, “Pinterest London”.
A lot of people know Hampstead for one particular thing: the Heath. Ok, maybe Diane Keaton’s movie of the same name and, more recently, also the name of an Ariana Grande song. But back to the Heath! It’s one of the best green spaces in London. The village itself, though, is worth just as much of your time: steep cobbled streets, SO many blue plaques and some of the best independent cafes in north London.
This is for anyone planning a day in Hampstead. Whether you’re thinking of a walk across the heath, a wander round the village or both. Below you’ll find:
- where Hampstead actually is
- how to get to Hampstead from Central London
- where to eat in Hampstead
- + 14 best things to do in Hampstead
Quick Guide
Location: Hampstead, north-west London, in the borough of Camden
Getting there: Hampstead station (Northern line) for the village, Hampstead Heath station (London Overground) for the heath side
Currency: Pounds sterling (GBP)
Best time to visit: Spring and autumn for the heath’s colours, any time for the village itself
Don’t miss: Parliament Hill at sunset, for one of the best free views in London
Where Is Hampstead in London?
Hampstead sits in the London Borough of Camden, in north-west London, about 4 miles from central London. It’s roughly 20 to 30 minutes from the West End by tube depending on the time of day. It’s often lumped in with “Hampstead Heath” as if they’re the same place, but the heath is the (massive!) green space and Hampstead is the village next to it and they’re worth treating as two separate stops on the same day out.
If you’re coming from central London, the Northern line runs straight to Hampstead station, which puts you right in the village. For the heath side, Hampstead Heath Overground or Gospel Oak are better options, closer to the ponds and Parliament Hill. Hampstead Heath for the often overlooked South End Green part of the neighbourhood. Personally, it’s got more of a villagey feel for me than the village by Hampstead tube. It was also my home for many years!
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The 15 Best Things to Do in Hampstead
Wander Church Row and Flask Walk
Hampstead’s village streets are the reason to come even if you couldn’t care less about the heath. Church Row is the postcard version with Georgian houses lined up in a row. Flask Walk has the better mix of pubs, shops and cafes if you want somewhere to actually stop. Flask Walk is probably the most popular lane in Hampstead! The shop façades alone is worth the stroll. Combine it with a visit to boulangerie Bon Matin or maybe pop in to The Flask for a drink.
Keats House
The Romantic poet John Keats lived here for a couple of years. It’s now a small museum dedicated to his time in Hampstead, including the garden where he’s said to have written Ode to a Nightingale. It’s a quick visit rather than a full afternoon, so it pairs well with a wander round the village.
Catch a Film at the Everyman Cinema
One of London’s original boutique cinemas, all sofas and side tables rather than rows of standard seats. Worth booking ahead if there’s something on you want to see. Also a great rainy-day alternative!
Browse the Independent Shops and Bookshops
Hampstead has held onto its independent shops better than a lot of London. You’ll find various indie shops selling antiques, (overpriced) clothes and books. It’s home to a Waterstones but also the excellent Daunt Books on South End Green, perfect for those who love travel books!
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Grab a Coffee or Brunch at One of the Local Cafes
Browsing London bookshops and grabbing coffee at local cafes is one of my favourite things to do in London in general! So it made sense for me to list one after the other here.
Hampstead has no shortage of wonderful cafes and bakeries, including one of the best bakeries in London, Sourdough Sophia. The passion fruit bow is 100% worth the hype! And I’ll also recommend the brown butter pain suisse. Ginger & White is a great place for a delicious brunch or, if you just want something to go, stop by their window for one of their indulgent pastries.
I have to mention Hagen as well. Apparently they have the best cinnamon rolls in London and I haven’t been able to try yet! Can you grab me one while you’re at it?
Eat a Crepe From La Crêperie de Hampstead
La Crêperie de Hampstead has been there for as long as I can remember! But, more recently, social media made it super popular. While Hampstead is one of the most famous neighbourhoods in London, La Crêperie is one of its most popular attractions. Weekends can bring long lines so keep that in mind. Or try to go during the week when the neighbourhood sees mostly residents and local workers!
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Fenton House
Run by the National Trust, it’s a 17th-century merchant’s house tucked just off Hampstead Grove. Its walled garden is easy to miss from the street and you’ll find a collection of early keyboard instruments inside. It’s a smaller stop than Kenwood House, 30 to 45 minutes rather than a half-day, so it slots in well on the walk between the village and the heath.
The Freud Museum
This was Sigmund Freud’s last home, where he lived after fleeing Vienna in 1938. It’s been preserved more or less as he left it, including the original psychoanalytic couch. A niche stop rather than one for everyone, but worth it if you’ve got any interest in the subject.
Willow Road
A modernist house built by architect Ernő Goldfinger in 1939. Deliberately plain-looking from the outside and stuffed with modernist art and furniture inside. A good contrast if you’ve just come from the Georgian streets around Church Row. This is the other side of Hampstead’s architectural history entirely.
Have a Pint at The Holly Bush
A pub worth naming rather than just filing under “shops and cafes”: tucked up a hill on Holly Mount, gas-lit and largely unchanged for a couple of hundred years. It’s one of the most famous places in Hampstead and possibly one of the most famous pubs in London. I think Ariana Grande talks about it in a song?! Or maybe she just talks about Hampstead? She does frequent The Holly Bush though! In fact, Hampstead is a mecca for spotting actors and musicians… I lived there for a few years and, apparently, Liam Gallagher lived across the road but I only saw him once taking his kid to Mc Donald’s!
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Walk Up to Parliament Hill
One of the best free views in London, looking straight down over the city skyline from the Shard to the BT Tower. It’s a bit of a climb to get up there, nothing technical, but wear shoes that can handle mud if it’s rained recently.
This wasn’t the best day for a Parliament Hill view as it was an overcast one, but here you go from last autumn:
Kenwood House
A grand white house at the northern edge of the heath, free to go in, with a truly good art collection including a Vermeer and a Rembrandt self-portrait. The grounds alone are worth the walk up from the village and the lakeside side of the house is the spot everyone photographs.
In the summer, Kenwood House hosts various concerts including icons like Blondie and Garbage!
Swim in the Hampstead Heath Ponds
Three swimming ponds, Ladies’, Men’s and Mixed, are open for outdoor swimming most of the year, cold water and all. It’s one of the only places in London you can swim outdoors legally without a wetsuit rule and it’s worth doing at least once even if the water temperature makes you regret it immediately.
Golders Hill Park
A quieter, more manicured corner of the heath at the Golders Green end, with a small zoo enclosure of deer and flamingos and a walled garden. Easy to miss if you’re only doing the Parliament Hill loop, but worth the detour if you’ve got the whole day.
The Hill Garden and Pergola
While you’re at it… a raised Edwardian walkway right next to Golders Hill Park, wisteria and ivy climbing over stone columns for a couple of hundred metres, built originally as part of a private estate and now free and open to everyone. It’s one of the more photographed corners of the heath but still gets missed by anyone doing the standard Parliament Hill and Kenwood House route, since it’s tucked off North End Way rather than on the way to anything else.
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Is Hampstead Heath Safe?
Yes, by and large. It’s a huge, well-used green space with dog walkers and joggers around for most of the day, though like any large park in a city it’s worth sticking to the more populated paths after dark rather than cutting across the quieter woodland at night.
There was a time I used to live across the road from Hampstead Heath station and work in Highgate so I liked walking to and from work. But coming back on those shorter autumn/winter days when it got dark earlier was not fun… I used to actually run instead 🫠 Ya know, part of the “solo women safety tips” 101 guide book (although the safety tip here would probably be to take a different route OUTSIDE the park!).
Where to Eat in Hampstead
Here are some recommendations for where to eat in Hampstead whether you’re around the South End Green or up the hill looking for food near Hampstead tube station.
Breakfast and brunch: Ginger & White, Silverberry, Rose & Rose
Lunch in the village: La Creperie de Hampstead, Oliviya
Coffee and Pastries: Ginger & White, Sourdough Sophia, Hagen, WatchHouse
Dinner: The Fleet Tavern, Nine-O Thai Bistro, Oliviya
A proper pub: The Holly Bush, The Wells Tavern, Freemasons Arms, The Fleet Tavern
Getting Around Hampstead
Hampstead is hillier than most of London and it catches people out. The walk from the Hampstead Heath overground station on South End Green up to Hampstead station is a proper incline and it’s another 15 to 20 minutes uphill from there to Kenwood House at the top of the heath. Wear shoes that are actually comfortable, this isn’t a flat afternoon.
The village and the heath are close together but not the same stop. If you’re only doing one, decide which before you set off. The tube to Hampstead station gets you to the village but not particularly close to the ponds or Parliament Hill. Hampstead Heath Overground station is the better option for the heath side / Parliament Hill and Golders Green tube also works if you’re heading for Golders Hill Park specifically.
Where to Stay in Hampstead
Hampstead isn’t a major hotel hub, most visitors base themselves elsewhere in London and treat this as a day out, if they make it to Hampstead at all! It’s not exactly a touristy area, more of a hidden gem in London for those with more time to spare or locals looking to explore the neighbourhood. But there are a handful of options if you’d rather stay in the area itself, particularly useful if you’re combining it with a longer stay exploring north London.
However, you can find rooms at the King William IV pub, for instance, La Gaffe B&B or book an apartment stay like one of my friends usually does.
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A Full Day in Hampstead
If you want to do both sides properly, start in the village for coffee and a wander round Church Row and Flask Walk. Then walk up through the heath towards Kenwood House, loop back via Parliament Hill for the view and finish back in the village for dinner. Roughly: an hour or so in the village to start, 45 minutes at Fenton House or the Freud Museum if you’re stopping at one of them, an hour or more at Kenwood House including the grounds, then the walk up to Parliament Hill and back down into the village for the evening. It adds up to a full day rather than a rushed half-day, especially if you stop properly at Kenwood House rather than just walking past it.
Personally, I LOVE to take photos so I really take my time. Even a full day might not be enough for that. If you’re like me, keep that in mind!
Time it for late afternoon if you want the Parliament Hill view at its best: aim to be up there an hour or so before sunset. You won’t see the sun setting over the city because that’s not really the right spot for that. However, the colours will be beautiful depending on the weather!
Pack for the weather rather than the season, the heath has very little shelter once you’re away from the treeline. If you’re doing the ponds, bring a towel and something warm for afterwards, the changing facilities are basic.
I’ve written more on walking routes like this one in my London walks post.
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FAQ: Things to Do in Hampstead
About 4 miles / 6.5km. Roughly 20 to 30 minutes by Northern line from the West End depending on the time of day and where you start.
Hampstead Heath, its Georgian village streets and a long list of former residents including Keats, Freud and George Orwell, all of whom lived in the area at some point. Also a long list of current residents (when in town). I’ve seen Chris Martin, Liam Gallagher, Ricky Gervais…
It’s in the London Borough of Camden, in north-west London, bordering Highgate to the east.
Yes, it’s a busy, well-used park during the day. Stick to the main paths if you’re there after dark.
The heath and the village sit right next to each other. The village is on the south-western edge of the heath, so it’s easy to combine both in one day without much extra travel.
Yes, the ponds are open year-round. The Mixed Pond closes over winter in some years, so check ahead if you’re planning a cold-weather swim.
The heath covers around 320 hectares. A full loop taking in Parliament Hill, Kenwood House and the ponds is realistically a couple of hours of walking on top of any time spent stopping at each one.
It’s one of London’s pricier residential areas, but visiting doesn’t have to be. The heath, Parliament Hill and Kenwood House are all free. The cost is really just food, drink and whatever you spend in the village shops.
Personally, it’s one of my favourite areas in London. If you’re short on time, I’d say no. Unless you’re more interested in how Londoners live, the more residential areas and what I like to call “Pinterest London”.
For more of London and beyond outside the tourist areas:
