While Camden is a large area of London, I believe it contains the very best of what the city has to offer. In this blog, I hope to convince you to spend lots of time here—or even to rent accommodation here in your second and third years and beyond!
Camden Market
Starting with the obvious, Camden Market is a lovely place to walk around, get food, and socialise with friends. The market features numerous stalls selling tasty, fresh food—my personal favourite is the Malaysian street market stall, which offers amazing chicken, noodles, and rice. There is a whole plethora of eateries that are great for grabbing food on the go or enjoying in the little glass gazebos set up all around the market, which I find quite fun.
Green spaces
The next main attraction of Camden for me is Regent’s Park and by extension, Primrose Hill. Primrose Hill boasts arguably the best view of London, where you can see Canary Wharf, the City, and the Shard, all from peaceful, green surroundings. Regent’s Park, on the other hand, offers a great space to play sports, take a walk, or have a picnic. It contains eight full-size football pitches, three rugby pitches, and a lacrosse pitch at the back of the park in winter. In summer, those pitches are turned into spaces for cricket, rounders and frisbee. Right next to these pitches you’ll also find London Zoo, which I personally find to be a very cool attachment to the park.
The great thing about Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill is there’s fun to be had all year round there. In winter, Primrose Hill offers a great venue from which to watch the London fireworks on New Year’s Eve. In summer, Regent’s Park hosts festivals such as the Taste of London food festival and the Regent’s Park Music Festival, which are excellent ways for festival lovers to enjoy the summer sun in London. So, whether you’re more of an outdoor enthusiast, a sightseer, an animal lover, or just someone looking for a fun day out, Regent’s Park definitely has something for you!
Where to eat and drink
Camden also features lots of charming spots for brunch, coffee, or shopping. It might be my bias since I live there, but Belsize Park must be the top pick for this kind of thing. It is a lovely, safe area to walk around in Camden and is especially great for a brunch outing, with plenty of independent, character-filled cafés serving excellent food and drinks. Chamomile would definitely be my suggestion.
If coffee isn’t your thing and you’d rather go out for a pint, Camden also has a wide selection of pubs perfect for socialising. My personal favourite is the Ice Wharf pub by Camden Lock. It offers very student-friendly prices, a fantastic atmosphere, and a great setting right by the dock, with excellent travel links.
Arts and culture
For those who want to experience the more theatrical and creative side of London, make sure to visit the Roundhouse in Camden Town. It hosts performances from some of the top UK theatre companies, as well as films, art exhibitions, and gigs on the weekends. Don’t just take my word for it—queues for shows here can sometimes stretch hundreds of metres long, so it’s clearly the place to be!
Regent’s Canal
Lastly, I couldn’t write about Camden without mentioning Regent’s Canal. It was the first place I stumbled across while exploring my local area in Camden, and I was immediately intrigued. You can rent a boat for a return trip to Little Venice, which takes you all around Camden—a journey I highly recommend!
