Greenwich To the southeast of London, this suburb, which contains the prime meridian -- "zero" for the reckoning of terrestrial longitudes -- enjoyed its heyday under the Tudors. Henry VIII and both of his daughters, Mary I and Elizabeth I, were born here. Greenwich Palace, Henry's favorite, is long gone, though. Today's visitors come to this lovely port village for nautical sights along the Thames, including visits to the tiny Gipsy Moth IV, a 16m (52-ft.) ketch in which Sir Francis Chichester sailed solo around the world from 1966 to 1967. Other attractions include the National Maritime Museum.
Hampstead This residential suburb of north London, beloved by Keats and Hogarth, is a favorite excursion for Londoners. Everyone from Sigmund Freud and D. H. Lawrence to Anna Pavlova and John Le Carré has lived here, and it's still one of the most desirable districts in the Greater London area. It has few hotels and, of course, is quite far from central London. Nonetheless, it's an attractive residential area, and many visitors appreciate its charms. Hampstead's centerpiece is Hampstead Heath, nearly 320 hectares (790 acres) of meadows and woodland; it maintains its rural atmosphere even though it's surrounded by cityscapes on all sides. The hilltop village of Hampstead is filled with cafes, tearooms, and restaurants, and there are pubs galore, some with historic pedigrees. Take the Northern Line to Hampstead Heath station.
Highgate Along with Hampstead, Highgate in north London is another choice residential area, particularly on or near Pond Square and along Highgate High Street. Once celebrated for its "sweet salutarie airs," Highgate has long been a desirable place for Londoners to live; locals still flock to its taverns and pubs for "exercise and harmless merriment" as they did in the old days. Today most visitors come to see Highgate Cemetery, London's most famous burial ground. It's the final resting place of such figures as Karl Marx and George Eliot.
Hammersmith Sitting on the north bank of the Thames, just to the west of Kensington, Hammersmith will fool you at first into thinking it's an industrial park, thanks to the stretch of factories between Putney and Hammersmith bridges. Actually, the area is predominantly residential. Its most attractive feature is its waterfront, filled with boathouses, small businesses, some very good restaurants, and artists' studios. Beyond Hammersmith Bridge, the neighborhood blossoms with 18th-century homes behind lime and catalpa trees, more boathouses, and pubs that spill out onto the riverbank as soon as warm weather hits. Some of London's best chefs have fled the heart of the West End and its ridiculous rents to open quality dining rooms here.
Nearby is the delightful old village of Barnes, with its ironwork-decorated Barnes Terrace. Hammersmith Terrace, a favorite stamping ground of artists, adds color to the neighborhood. Another stretch of gracious homes lies along Chiswick Mall, curling into Church Street. This area imitates an English village before thrusting you back into London along Great West Road.
