Islington

The Regent's Canal cuts through Islington on its way east, and it shapes how people spend time here as much as any street or square. Towpaths give way to canalside pubs like NarrowBoat, where you can watch boats work through the locks with a pint in hand, and the water threads the borough together in a way that makes it easy to wander from one neighbourhood to the next without much of a plan.

Away from the canal, Islington is a borough of terraced streets, market squares and small parks rather than grand landmarks, and that domestic scale is part of its appeal. Visitors tend to base themselves around the main hubs near Upper Street and Angel, close to the shops and restaurants, though the borough stretches further out towards Archway and Holloway, where things feel quieter and more residential.

Families find plenty to do beyond the canal itself. Barnard Park Adventure Playground and Kidz Adventure Zone give children room to burn off energy, Clay Time Pottery Place CIC offers something more hands-on and creative, and Archway Leisure Centre covers the sportier end of things, from swimming to general fitness.

It's this density and variety of eating out, paired with the everyday pleasure of the canal and its towpaths, that makes Islington worth spending a proper afternoon and evening in rather than just passing through.