Holiday Rentals in Happening Hackney, London

A lot of tourists never get a glimpse of the London that exists outside of guidebooks. New York Habitat is here to change all that! To really see the city, venture off the beaten path, break free of Zone 1—and head over to Hackney, where some of our best holiday rentals are awaiting savvy visitors to take advantage of them.

Located in London’s East End, Hackney is an expansive area where Hitchcock filmed one of his first films, the art scene is alive and thriving, and over one hundred languages are spoken in a single day. Hoxton Square in Hackney’s southwestern corner is a hotbed for scenesters, artists and locals out for some sun. It’s surrounded by hip places to eat, laidback cafés, and galleries like White Cube that will make you wonder why you don’t live here permanently. Hackney Empire and Hothouse are edgy and progressive performance spaces, the Lux Cinema shows stuff that can’t be seen anywhere else without taking itself too seriously, and Hackney Marsh has the largest number of football pitches (er…soccer fields) in Europe, if you fancy a game or just want to watch some World Cup-worthy play.

Add to that the gorgeous gardens at the Geffrye Museum, historic buildings and blue plaque houses (including those once belonging to Marc Bolan, Mary Wollstonecroft and Edgar Allen Poe), a Burberry factory store hidden off Morning Lane (which is a pretty well-kept secret, so don’t tell anyone!), and bars and social spaces in happening SoSho (South of Shoreditch) that stay ahead of the trends…and you’ll start wondering why anyone is bothering with the West End at all.

Or, since you’re already up, stop at the Broadway and Ridley Road food markets, where you can smell the spices from blocks off. Buy handmade cheeses, organic breads, Turkish dates and fair trade coffee for a light lunch in your funky furnished studio in Shoreditch, Hackney (LN-506), which is in the basement of a refurbished building used as a frame workshop in the ’20s.

In the afternoon, follow an architectural walk like the one suggested on Hackney Walks: Hackney Central that takes you to many of Hackney’s historical sights—though you’ll be hard-pressed to find one as aesthetically pleasing as your own furnished studio in Shoreditch, Hackney (LN-536), with stainless steel shower and decorative fireplace.

After “bending it like Batista” at Hackney Marshes or London Fields (are you with me, Argentina fans?), go back to your super-stylish 3-bedroom rental in Shoreditch, Hackney (LN-434) and take in the sunset from your balcony overlooking Regents Canal.

Our client testimonial raves: “The apartment was excellent. I think it is better than any hotel I’ve ever been [to].” Hear that, all you overpriced Holiday Inns in the West End?

Enjoy the spaciousness of your accommodation as you get ready for dinner at the eco-chic, canal-side Water House Restaurant, then follow it up with a drink at Hackney Central (a converted railroad station), a show at the Empire or a game at the Hackney Snooker Club, where a friendly local will gladly explain the rules of snooker before soundly schooling you.

Finally, on your short walk back to your Hackney vacation rental, remind yourself that a perfect day out in London doesn’t have to be expensive—not in the East End, anyway.

Have anything to add to our Hackney itinerary? Please leave your comments below.