12 hours in London's East End

This hotel's location in the trendy and bohemian Shoreditch is ideal if you want to explore the surroundings. The chick interior design, the friendly personnel and reasonable prices, everything leaves a very good impression.
If booking in advance, it is possible to get a lovely room for two people for £80 per night, which is not much at all in a cruel price world of London's hotels. Just recently this hotel had a crazy offer for just £1 per room.

Cafe Ozone is very easy to miss – it looks exactly the same as the rest of the old warehouses on Leonard Street. Inside, you will find a huge mirror on the wall, an open kitchen where chefs prepare food, and a huge bar with shiny and glossy coffee makers. Here, locals are enjoying breakfast and coffee, with a morning newspaper.

Regents Canal is an old waterway built for the transportation of commercial goods. Today it is a very popular place where Londoners take a break from the busy streets. Banks of the canal are popular among runners and cyclists, and on warm days you will see people in the canoe.

Broadway Market is held every Saturday in the Fields Park. It's always very crowded, but the market is definitely worth it. Mostly you will find local food and drinks. Some stands have accessories and jewelry made by the local designers from the Hackney district. Take a look at Miss Crofton’s Homemade Underwear, which looks attractive and is reasonably priced.

Artwords Bookshop can be proud of the most unique and special collection of books and magazines. The albums of cult magazine photographers like Helmut Newton and Tim Walker, design, culture and architectural books, a rare magazine with just a couple of editions, all this you will find in Artwords. A very friendly staff is always ready to look for the rarest items just for you.

On a Sunday, make sure to visit the flower market on Columbia Rd with fresh cut flowers, as well as potted plants, which people buy by the armful. “Ten flowers for ten pounds!” can be heard everywhere. Peek into the alleys around Columbia Rd, with many little cafes, where you can have excellent lunch of fresh oysters with a Bloody Mary, or just have a coffee break.

Goodhood store proudly carries excellent variety of modern fashion brands for men and women. You can find creations of Scandinavian and Japanese trendy designers like WoodWood and Junya Watanabe, as well as a collection of well picked accessories: watches, bracelets, valets and magazines.

The main artery of Shoreditch is Shoreditch Hight Street, always crowded with fashionistas. No wonder there are lots of shops and restaurants on it. One of them is Present London menswear. There, they sell anything a guy can possibly dream of: stylish apparel, ideal shoes, notebooks and accessories for a dandy. Prufrock coffee is right inside the store, and is considered by some the best coffee in Shoreditch.

“Anthem” is literally an anthem for yachtsmen: here you will find raincoats, coarse knit sweaters and other necessary accoutrements of a sailor. Even if you are not planning to go sailing, a classic stripe shirt by Breton will look good with just about anything.

Half produce stand, half cafe, a place where the locals go. The host, smiling and friendly Leila McAlister, will make your lunch out of fresh ingredients.

Albion has its' own bakery with wonderful pastries and a market where British carrots and cauliflower are creatively laid out. The most delicious colored peppers are placed outside in bins.

Elegant clothing by APC brand is being made in France, but worn in all trendy capitals. Across from APC is one of the few Aesop shops in London, where you will find make up from Australia. If you are ready to spend money, take a look at travel kits, otherwise, anyone can try multiple testers.

Labour and Wait is a shop with authentic english utensils. A nice interior and a bunch of household trifles: pans, knives, ropes and picturesque household instruments, history books about London East End, and a few clothing choices make Labour and Wait an unusual place.

In the recent years it is harder and harder to find anything affordable in Brick Lane second hand shops. That's because it has become crazy popular among tourists. However, there is at least one exception, Vintage Emporium. As soon as you walk in, you are in a Victorian mansion cafe, located in an alley by Brick Lane. There, you can enjoy a drink or a snack, but the real reason for visiting is down in the basement. In this paradise for vintage lovers you can find clothes from the beginning of the XX century – hats, shoes, dresses and lace tops, looking like they are from museum showcases. Of course, you don't pay per weight, but prices are pretty reasonable.

You need to make special arrangements with the owners if you want to visit LN-CC. This fact, undoubtedly, cools off the desire to visit the store, but trust me, it's worth it. A short email to appointments@ln-cc.com with the date and time when you would like to stop by is just enough. Once you have made arrangements, a few completely different rooms with clothes, books and music will open up for you. To make your way to LN-CC, walk down the street from the metro station to the building 18. Just to the right of it you will see a small hallway with a closed door in the end. That's where you need to ring the bell. Right behind the door you will find a cement room with designer clothing, a wooden room with street wear, another one – a library – with the most unique books, and the last one with records of russian jazz and japanese bossanova.

London is famous for its' Indian food, but Dishoom is one of the best with a very high quality curry. The creators wanted to keep the ambience of Bombei cafes from the 1960's in the kitchen and in the dining room. Sea motives, antiqued pictures on the walls, ceiling fans and, of course, lamb Kacchi and their specialty, spicy Pav Bhaji. You can wait for a table at the bar with a good variety of cocktails.

Queen of Hoxton is located in a three-storey building for concerts, theatre performances, it even has its own game room and a huge roof top bar. During summer the roof garden blooms, but you get can a wonderful view onto the East End all year round. We recommend trying ice cream and cocktails.

You don't have to look far to find a pub on the East End. There is one on every corner, and most of them are pretty decent. To figure out what awaits inside one, just take a look at the people hanging out by the door. A great gastropub, The Owl and The Pussycat, offers a great variety of beer on tap and a wonderful decor.

The absolute king of night time snacking, Beigel Baker on Brick Lane. This Jewish bagel bakery (the oldest one in London) works 24/7 and feeds everyone, from hipsters and partiers, to workers, finishing up their shift at the construction site. The authenticity of this place is what makes it so charming.