Islington

Introduction

Islington is an inner-city area of north London, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, stretching from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields and Regent's Canal.

The area takes in the surroundings of the busy High Street, along with Upper Street, Essex Road, and Southgate Road to the east.

Before you go

Islington sits immediately north of the City of London, and its southern edge borders Clerkenwell and the City itself. That southern part was long regarded as the poor relation of those neighbours, but from the 1990s its Victorian houses became highly desirable and the area gentrified into a fashionable address. Bear this split in mind when you plan: the south is grander and more polished, while further north the district turns quieter and more residential.

The character shifts again at the edges. In the north-east, Finsbury Park grew up around a major railway interchange and gives the densely built-up area a large and important green space. In the north-west, Highgate takes on much of the feel of neighbouring Hampstead. Politically, Islington has a long left-wing tradition, and festivals of a distinctly left-wing character are held here; it is also the birthplace of the writer and explorer Mary Kingsley. For practical matters, the London Borough of Islington Council website is the local information source.

Getting there

Getting around

Islington sits close enough to central London to explore much of it on foot, and it is well served by Tube, National Rail, London Overground and bus services. Public transport is organised around a zonal fare system, with Islington's stations falling into fare zones 1, 2 and 3. The Angel, at the southern end of the district, is in Zone 1, while most other stations sit in Zone 2, with a few reaching into Zone 3. The closer you are to central London, the lower the zone, and the easier it is to walk between attractions rather than pay for another journey. Tickets and passes are not sold separately by each operator, so the same ticket or pass covers Tube, rail, Overground and bus travel within the relevant zones. If you plan to make several journeys in a day, a travelcard or day pass for the zones you need is usually more economical than buying single tickets each time. Note that Islington has no tram network.

Tube stations include Angel on the Northern line, Highbury & Islington on the Victoria line, and Finsbury Park, Holloway Road, Caledonian Road and Arsenal on the Piccadilly line, among others. For mainline services, the nearest major stations are London King's Cross and London St Pancras International, just over the border in Camden; within the borough there are National Rail stations at Highbury & Islington, Essex Road, Canonbury, Finsbury Park and Upper Holloway. London Overground stations, all in Zone 2, run west to east as Caledonian Road & Barnsbury, Highbury & Islington and Canonbury, with services to Stratford, Clapham Junction, Willesden Junction, Richmond, New Cross and West Croydon. Buses serve the main hubs: Archway, Finsbury Park and The Angel, and they are handy for short hops along Upper Street and Essex Road or for places between Tube stations. Taxis and ride-hailing are easiest to arrange along the busy High Street, Upper Street and around The Angel, and are convenient for late nights or journeys involving several changes, though they cost more than public transport. Walking links the stations and hubs well, and the Regent's Canal runs in a tunnel from Colebrook Row east of the Angel to Muriel Street near Caledonian Road; because there is no towpath inside the tunnel, the stretch above it is marked with pavement plaques to guide walkers from one entrance to the other. East of the tunnel and north of City Road, the canal opens out around the City Road Basin and Wenlock Basin, where old industrial buildings are now residential or small creative work units.

Where to stay

Food & drink

Islington is a strong area for eating out, and Upper Street between Angel and Highbury & Islington is the place to start: Mediterranean cooking dominates, but Indian, Afghan, Italian, French, Thai and South American kitchens are all represented, across a wide spread of prices. Near Angel the emphasis falls on daytime sandwiches and coffee, while from Islington Green onwards you tend to find nicer restaurants at better value; as a rule, the closer you get to Highbury & Islington the cheaper it becomes, though quality does not necessarily drop. Wander the side-streets too, since some of the best restaurants, pubs and bars sit off the main drag. Budget options include the Afghan Kitchen on Islington Green, Gallipoli Cafe & Bistro for Turkish meals, the cosy French restaurant Le Mercury, and Tortilla opposite Angel station for Californian and Mexican take-away. For something mid-range, try Masala Zone for Indian, Mem & Laz for Mediterranean, Kipferl in Camden Passage for Austrian food and patisserie, or the plant-based menu at Mildreds.

Elsewhere, Finsbury Park's mix of Algerian, Greek, Turkish and sub-Saharan African communities gives it one of the most diverse ranges of restaurants in London; Sim Sim on Blackstock Road is a locals' favourite, and The Red Zone just outside the station on Seven Sisters Road offers cheap but good food. Sunderban on Blackstock Road serves North Indian and Bangladeshi cooking, while Laza on Newington Green Road serves Eritrean food on injera flatbread, eaten with your fingers, with good vegetarian and vegan options. Iberia on Caledonian Road is a Georgian restaurant with an all-Georgian wine list, and Sweet Handz on Holloway Road serves Ghanaian food. In Archway, the two kebab houses on Junction Road are nothing special despite their competing slogans, but Holloway Road has other interesting little restaurants; a few minutes up Highgate Hill brings you to Highgate, with a selection of cafes, restaurants and pubs, and Swain's Lane near Hampstead Heath has a few nice places to eat.

For drinking, the Angel and Highbury area has the jazz and blues bar at the Islington Town House, the seasonal cocktails at 69 Colebrook Row, and pubs including The Nag's Head and The York. Archway has plenty of pubs, some livelier or more stylish than the typical local, among them The Archway Tavern, The Landseer Arms, the Tufnell Park Tavern and The Charlotte Despard. In Finsbury Park, The Twelve Pins gets very busy on Arsenal match days, The Faultering Fullback is popular with locals watching football over Thai food, and T-Bird Bar has an open mic night on Thursdays.

What to see and do

Three days in Islington

Day one: Start around Angel, where the Tube brings you into the borough on the Northern line. Walk the length of Upper Street, the main artery of Islington, and let the parade of shops and eating places set the tone. Branch off onto Essex Road or Southgate Road when you want a quieter stretch, and follow the Regent's Canal where it cuts through the area for a waterside walk. In the evening, stay close to Upper Street for dinner.

Day two: Head north to Highbury Fields for open space and a look at the surrounding Victorian streets, then continue to Highbury or Arsenal if you want to keep walking. Holloway Road and Caledonian Road give you a sense of the busier, more everyday side of the borough, and Finsbury Park sits at the northern edge. If you have energy left, push on to Highgate or Hampstead for the villages and heath beyond Islington.

Day three: Turn south and west toward Clerkenwell and the City, both within easy reach of Islington. Use the Tube from Angel, Highbury, Tufnell Park or Archway, all on the Northern line, or the Piccadilly line from Finsbury Park, and note that most of the borough falls within Zone 1 and 2. Fill your last hours with the streets around Mary Kingsley and the council's own patch, then make your way back to Upper Street for a final meal before you leave.