At Hotel Indigo London - Aldgate, design inspired by Victorian textile warehouses reflects the neighbourhood's fascinating fusion of East End tradition and contemporary creativity. Our rooms and suites combine aged leather and soft velvets with spa bathrooms and complimentary WiFi. Chef Theo Randall's Theo’s Italian Kitchen takes inspiration from the historic markets in Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Columbia Road, and our Drum & Press serves Italian deli treats and locally brewed craft beers. Outside, galleries and boutiques sit in the shadow of City skyscrapers, and the two worlds come together by night in the area's vibrant bars and cool clubs. The South Bank and Tate Modern sit across the River Thames, and an excellent transport network puts the attractions of London right at your feet.
Browse a street-food market, gawk at some of the most audacious skyscrapers modern architecture has conjured up, check out vintage fashion or higher end pieces: Hotel Indigo London – Aldgate is smack bang in the middle of one of the richest collections of sights you'll find if you visit London.
As well as the world-famous pastrami-stuffed bagels of Brick Lane, try steaming-fresh Venezuelan arepa tacos or savoury Japanese pancakes at the Old Truman Brewery's Sunday UpMarket. Deep-dive into the pre-loved clothing emporia of Spitalfields or dip into the designer boutiques around Royal Exchange. Gaze skywards on a street tour at the Gherkin, Walkie Talkie and other billion-pound buildings etched on the city's silhouette. You'll find fewer fun things to do in London than in these busy, historic streets.
Breathe in the irresistible aroma of classic Italian home cooking at the hotel’s stylish all-day trattoria, run in association with acclaimed chef Theo Randall. The relaxed space, full of sparkling glass, industrial tiles and funky modern furniture, is inspired by the congenial atmosphere of the neighbourhood’s famous markets.
Complementing Theo’s Italian Kitchen, the hotel’s Drum and Press invites you to discover merenda, an Italian afternoon tradition of convivial deli-style snacks. In the evening it becomes a popular bar and neighbourhood hangout for both locals and guests, serving artisan craft beers from a nearby East End brewery.
Great thing about The Piano Works? You don't have to squeeze in a meal and then rush through unfamiliar streets to make a performance. The live piano music in this former Victorian warehouse is non-stop from early evening or afternoon and, even more friendly, consists entirely of audience requests. There are brunch, dinner and bar food menus, too.
Fancy Japanese tonight? What about Vietnamese? With Yuu Kitchen's pan-Asian sharing menu, you don't have to choose. Tuna tataki sits alongside succulent chicken san choy bau parcels and – this walk-in joint is nothing if not accommodating – Hawaiian poke salad. If that all seems like too much choice, lean over to the chefs in the open kitchen and ask for their suggestions.
Few sights offer as compelling, if sometimes blood-soaked, a vision of Britain's royal past. See it all here: the plus-sized armour built for Henry VIII; the courtyard where two of the bulbous king's poor wives were beheaded; the enormous 'Mountain of Light' diamond of the late Queen Mother's platinum crown – and the haunting, ever-present ravens.
Few are the alleys and passageways of this ever-so trendy London neighbourhood that haven't been colonised by a hole-in-the-wall clubbing-gear boutique or single-estate-coffee vendor. Discreetly tailing the most interesting-looking locals is one way to log your own fab finds: just start at Old Street Tube Station and, as so many have this past decade or so, head east!
Seat of power of the City of London for more than eight centuries, the Guildhall is one of the capital's best-preserved historic sights. Its central Great Hall is a stirring Gothic masterpiece; within hang mythic statues and banners of the City's ancient ruling guilds. Further east, the avant-garde Whitechapel Gallery sits amid a buzzing, ethnically-mixed London district.
A wonderful little island of calm amid a sometimes frenetic quarter of the capital, this garden occupies the ruins of a 12th-century church scorched by the Great Fire of London in 1666 and then largely destroyed in the Blitz bombing bombardment of World War II. It's very near The Monument, Christopher Wren's tower commemorating the Great Fire.
There's no more traditional London entertainment than a jolly knees-up at a music hall, and Wilton's is the oldest surviving grand music hall in the world. The venue, recently restored to something like its 19th century splendour, doesn't just reheat Victorian variety acts, though. It reinterprets the genre in a clever mix of cabaret acts, puppetry, opera, magic and more.
Brutalist to some, modernist masterpiece to others, the Barbican is a vast housing estate and venue for some of the most thought-provoking arts in the capital. There are galleries, cinemas, concert halls, eating and drinking spots throughout and even a tropical conservatory. Architecture fans can take a learned tour of the sobering concrete structure.
A postwar concrete cultural palace on the South Bank of the Thames, the Royal Festival Hall is a stage for top classical and world-music performances. Noted for its acoustics, the complex also has vast indoor open areas, with bars and eating areas, that make a great place to meet or just hang out at after a riverside stroll.
Originally housed in the East End's Brick Lane but relocated to the Docklands, this cheery venue combines traditional variety shows with more up-to-date interpretations of the crowd-pleasing genre. Popular with coach parties, it offers dinner and a show beneath glitter balls and chandeliers, with Union Jacks and bunting galore.
