East London
East London is the outer eastern part of London, north of the River Thames.
Understand
Many outer areas of East London were once part of the county of Essex. Essex is sometimes used as part of the postal address for these areas.
East London consists of the following boroughs:
- Barking and Dagenham — the borough includes:
- Barking
- Dagenham
- Havering — the borough includes:
- Hornchurch
- Romford
- Upminster
- Newham — the borough includes:
- Stratford - Location of the London 2012 Olympic Games. (Don't confuse this Stratford with Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, the birthplace of Shakespeare.)
- East Ham
- West Ham
- Redbridge — the borough includes:
- Ilford
- Woodford
- Waltham Forest — the borough includes:
- Walthamstow - This town was made famous by a teen pop band East 17 (the postcode of the area) who came from here and had a number of hits. Soak up the multicultural atmosphere.
- Chingford
- Leyton
- Leytonstone the birth place of Alfred Hitchcock
Get in
Map of London/East
By plane
1 London City Airport (LCY IATA). London's fifth largest airport. A commuter airport close to the City's financial district, and specialising in short-haul business flights to other major European cities. There are also routes to holiday destinations that include Malaga, Ibiza and Mallorca. 
The airport is 11 km (6.8 mi) east of the City of London and a short distance east from Canary Wharf. It mainly offers flights to major European cities by full service carriers. British Airways operates one flight a day to New York JFK using an Airbus A318 in an entirely business class configuration.
You may find that this may be your cheapest London airport to fly to, especially if you add £10 or more in transfer costs from outlying airports. It has a convenient link to the Docklands Light Rail (DLR). Minimum check-in time for most airlines is around 30 minutes, with some offering 15-minute check-in deadlines. Queues for security can be long at peak business times. Touchdown to the DLR (including taxi, disembarkation, immigration and baggage reclaim) can be as fast at 5 minutes, although 15 minutes is normal.
To get to the city centre the following options exist:
- By Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The DLR runs to Bank station. Change to the Jubilee line at Canning Town (for Canary Wharf or Stratford). Travelcard valid.
- By taxi. Journey time approximately 30 min. £20-35.
- By car. 10 km (6 mi).
- By bus. Take the 474 bus to Canning Town station and then the 115 or N15 into central London. Travelcard valid.
By Tube
- Victoria Line (Light Blue) to Walthamstow.
- Central Line (Red) to Woodford or Hainault.
- Hammersmith and City Line (Pink) to Barking.
- District Line (Green) to Upminster.
- Jubilee Line (Silver) to Stratford.
By DLR
- DLR to Canning Town then branches to Beckton, or London City Airport and Woolwich.
By train
- From London Liverpool Street: to Chingford and Ilford.
- From London Fenchurch Street: to Southend or Grays.
- From Stansted Airport: to Ipswich, Colchester and Norwich to Liverpool Street.
By Overground
- The Overground line (Orange) is useful for getting across the district from Barking to Blackhorse Road.
See
- 1 Epping Forest (tube: Central Line), ☏ +44 20 8508 0028, epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk. Dawn-dusk. Large expanse of green space stretching 12 miles (19 km) from Forest Gate into Essex. Despite the name it is not completely wooded: in medieval times "forest" meant a royal hunting ground. Free.
- 2 Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, 6 Ranger's Road, Chingford, London E4 7QH (Within walking distance of Chingford OGD station (London Overground from Liverpool Street, Zone 5)), ☏ +44 20 7332 1911. Tu-Su 10AM–5PM, closed Mondays. Excellently preserved and unusual example of a Tudor-era timber-framed "hunting stand". Built for King Henry VIII, contrary to the popular name of the building. The building houses exhibitions on Tudor culture and the top floor still provides a fine view of Epping Forest. Free.
- 3 Wanstead Park / The Temple (tube: Wanstead or Redbridge CEN ), ☏ +44 20 7332 1911. Remaining grounds of the 18th century mansion Wanstead House, with woods and ornamental lakes. The Temple (opening hours vary, check website) is the visitor centre covering the history of the park. Free.
Stratford
- 4 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (tube: Stratford / Stratford International). 24 hours. Site of the London 2012 Olympics and the ArcelorMittal Orbit with the world's longest slide. Free.
Walthamstow
- 5 Walthamstow Wetlands, 2 Forest Road, N17 9NH (tube: Blackhorse Road VIC OGD , Tottenham Hale VIC ). Nature reserve set around reservoirs, one of the largest urban wetlands in Europe. Opened to the public in October 2017. Free.
- 6 Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road, E17 9NH (tube/rail: Walthamstow Central VIC OGD ), ☏ +44 20 8496-4391, vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk. W–Su 10AM–5PM. Presents the history of Waltham Forest. The building was constructed to be a work house and has since been used as a police station and a private home. Its collection includes the Bremer car, built by engineer Frederick Bremer in 1892 it has a claim to being this first petrol-driven car made in Britain. Free.
- 7 Walthamstow Village (tube: Walthamstow Central VIC OGD / rail: Walthamstow Central/Wood Street). The ancient nucleus of present-day Walthamstow centred around the 12th-century St. Mary's Church.
- 8 William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Rd, E17 4PP (tube/rail: Walthamstow Central VIC OGD ), ☏ +44 20 8496-4390, wmg.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk. W–Su 10AM-5PM. Dedicated to William Morris, the Victorian arts & crafts designer and writer. Located in his old Georgian family home, Water House, which is now a Grade II* listed building. Free.
- 9 God's Own Junkyard, Unit 12, Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street, E17 9HQ. open F-Su only. A museum displaying hundreds of illuminated signs (neon and bulb signs) including signs of businesses, decorative signs, movie props and artworks.
Ilford
- 10 [dead link] Redbridge Central Library & Museum, Clements Rd, IG1 1EA (rail: Ilford). M–F 9:30AM–8PM, Sa 9AM–4PM. Interesting structure from an architectural point of view. Unfortunately it is also the locale of choice for the native rude-boys to hang out, alas this is not due to the educational value of the institution.
- 11 Valentines Park (tube: Gants Hill). A pleasant green area, Essex County Cricket team used to play on the pitch in the western side of the park.
Barking
- 12 Eastbury Manor House, Eastbury Square, Barking, IG11 9SN, ☏ +44 20 8227-5216, eastburymanor@nationaltrust.org.uk.
Do
Stratford
- 1 Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, E15 1BN (tube: Stratford CEN JUB DLR OGD ELI ), ☏ +44 20 8534-0310. Watch a live performance: comedy, music and more. £12.50–22 depending on time and seating.
- 2 West Ham United, London Stadium, E20 2ST (tube: Statford / Stratford International DLR ). You can also watch football at West Ham United , who play in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home ground is London Stadium, capacity 60,000, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Their women's team plays in the Women's Super League, with home games at Rush Green in Romford.
Royal Docks
- 3 ExCeL London, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock (tube: Custom House DLR ), ☏ +44 20 7069500, info@excel-london.co.uk. Exhibition and conference centre. The venue hosts such public events as the London Boat Show, the British Motor Show, MCM London Comic Con, the London Triathlon, and many others. It was a venue for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics for sports such as boxing, table tennis, and fencing.
Walthamstow
- Bicycle along the River Lea or Epping Forest.
Buy
Stratford
- 1 Westfield Stratford City (tube/rail: Stratford CEN JUB OGD DLR , Stratford International DLR ). Mo–Fr 10AM–9PM, Sa 9AM–9PM, Su 12PM-6PM. Vast shopping mall between the station and the Olympic Park. Also has many restaurants, a cinema, and a bowling alley.
Walthamstow
- 2 Walthamstow Market, High Street (tube: Walthamstow Central VIC OGD , St James Street OGD ). Tu–Fr 8AM–5PM, Sa 8AM–5:30PM. The longest outdoor street market in Europe, stretching for roughly a kilometre. All manner of items may be purchased here.
- 3 The Mall Walthamstow (Selborne Walk) (tube: Walthamstow Central VIC OGD ; just over the road). Walthamstow's shopping mall, with the usual selection of shopping mall type shops. Part of it remains closed since a major fire in July 2019.
Ilford
- 4 The Exchange Shopping Centre, High Road, Ilford, IG1 1RS (tube: Ilford ELI ), ☏ +44 20 8553 3000, admin@exchangeilford.com. It was one of the largest American-style malls when it was constructed in the early 1990s. Although now it has an extensive array of shops now it can only really be considered a bog standard shopping centre. The town centre has most high street chain shops.
Eat
Goodmayes is a great area for really good cheap Indian/Pakistani food.
- The Pantry Café (ten seconds' walk from Stratford High Street DLR, on the same side of the road). Traditional British café. Different menu options are placed on the wall to make ordering easier "I want a 4, I'd like a 9" but the friendly owner will of course accept any variation you want. This café beats the chain hotel breakfasts for price and quality. Stay away if you want haute cuisine.
Newham
- 1 Albina, 239 Barking Rd, Plaistow, E13 8EQ (directions: Canning Town JUB DLR ), ☏ +44 20 7474 0244. W-Th: 3pm-11pm, F-Sa: 3pm-1:30am, M-Tu: Closed. Tasty Ukrainian food in a rustic restaurant. I recommend trying the golubtsi (cabbage rolls) and the cutlets.
Walthamstow
There are a number of cafés and restaurants down the high street.
- Kebabish, Hoe St. Does a nice kebab and also tasty Indian food.
- Thainese, Hoe St (turn right from Walthamstow Central), ☏ +44 20 8509-9668. Noon-midnight. Halal Singaporean Chinese and Thai, black pepper crabs, chilli lobster, private rooms, prayer rooms expensive.
Drink
Walthamstow
- 1 The Ferry Boat Inn, Ferry Lane, N17 9NG (tube: Tottenham Hale VIC /Blackhorse Rd VIC OGD ), ☏ +44 20 8808-4980, ferryboatinn.tottenham@stonegatepubs.com. Daily noon-11PM. A quaint country-style pub in a lovely river side setting.
- 2 The Goose, 264 Hoe St, E17 3AX (tube: Walthamstow Central VIC OGD , opposite), ☏ +44 20 8520-4751, goose.walthamstow@stonegatepubs.com. Su–Th 10AM-midnight; F Sa 10AM–1AM. Updated Victorian gin palace. Popular with commuters.
Sleep
- 1 Ibis Hotel Stratford, 1A Romford Rd, Stratford E15 4LJ (tube: Stratford), ☏ +44 20 8536-3700. 104-room hotel with the usual identikit, Ibis set-up. From about £50.
- 2 Newham Hotel, 349-353 Romford Rd, Forest Gate, E7 8AA (rail: Forest Gate / tube: Wanstead Park), ☏ +44 20 8534-8400, info@newhamhotel.co.uk. Budget hotel in the Forest Gate area of Newham From £44.
- 3 Viking Hotel, 162 Romford Rd, Stratford, E15 4LD (tube: Stratford), ☏ +44 20 8534-7861, fax: +44 20 8503-0863, viking@leventishotels.co.uk.
- 4 Devonshire Hotel, 94 Station Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 6LX (tube: Hornchurch), ☏ +44 1708 440088, info@devonshirehotelhornchurch.co.uk. Opened in 2011, it is a family-run boutique hotel with free wi-fi and secure parking. Some rooms have been adapted to allow for easier access. Breakfast & homemade snacks available.
- 5 Travelodge London Stratford, High Street, Stratford, E15 2JG (five-minute walk from Stratford stations (walk to the High Street, turn right). Even nearer to Stratford High Street DLR (come out, turn left)), ☏ +44 871 984 6502, londonstratf.mgr@travelodge.co.uk. Usual Travelodge set-up. New hotel, spotless rooms with private facilities. 24-hour bar. Friendly staff prepared to go the extra mile. Price - depends, can be as low as £30 for a double room if you pay well in advance and pay up front ("Saver Rate").
- 6 Sunborn London (Sunborn Yacht Hotel), Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1AA, ☏ +44 20 3714 8111, info@sunbornlondon.com. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Luxurious 4-star yacht hotel. London's only and one of a kind yacht hotel situated at the Royal Victoria Dock in London. This floating hotel boast of their surrounding views of Canary Wharf, ExCeL and O2 Arena and the hospitality. It also has a sea themed tea room named Under The Sea Afternoon Tea. from £131.
- 7 Ridgeway Hotel, 115-117 The Ridgeway,North Chingford, London E4 6QU (rail:Chingford), ☏ +44 20 8529 1964, reception@ridgewayhotel.co.uk.
Connect
Go next
| Routes through East |
| The City ← East End ← | W  E |
→ Epping, Essex → END |
| The City ← East End ← | W  E |
→ END |
| The City ← East End ← | W  E |
→ END |
| Westminster ← Greenwich ← | W  E |
→ END |
| Bloomsbury ← North London ← | S  N |
→ END |
| The City ← East End ← Beckton branch ← | W  E |
→ Beckton branch → END |
| Southwark-Lewisham ← East End ← Stratford branch ← | S N |
→ Stratford branch → END |
| The City ← East End ← Woolwich branch ← | W E |
→ Woolwich branch → Greenwich → END |
| Camden ← Hackney ← North London Line ← | W  E |
→ North London Line → END |
| Hampstead ← North London ← Gospel Oak to Barking Line ← | W E |
→ Gospel Oak to Barking Line → END |
| Routes through East |
| Cambridge ← Old Harlow ← | N  S |
→ END |
| Central London ← Stratford ← | W  E |
→ Brentwood → Chelmsford |
| The City ← Tower Hamlets ← | W  E |
→ Tilbury → Southend-on-Sea |