Things To Do
Hackney Marshes
A beautiful expansive park along the River Lea, which demarcates the old boundary between London and Essex (now it's all part of Greater London). Great for birdwatching. You can walk down toward Stratford and pass by the facilities for the 2012 Olympic Games.
London Fields Lido
This is a heated outdoor pool that's open year round. If you fancy a wintry dip, the vibe is unbeatable!
Cafe OTO
Great place to catch experimental live music and performance. Always interesting billing.
Dennis Severs' House
An immersive "still-life drama" and historical art installation that recreates the living history of a fictional family of Huguenot silk weavers from the 18th to the early 20th century. It is not a conventional museum but a unique, multi-sensory experience designed to transport visitors back in time. The house's Latin motto is "Aut Visum Aut Non!": "You either see it or you don't."
Community Sauna Baths - Hackney Wick
Little smurf village with saunas, cold plunges in a community center in Hackey Wick. You have to make a reservation.
Sir John Soane's Museum
Sir John Soane's Museum - The eccentric, atmospheric former home of a brilliant 19th-century architect, crammed with antiquities, paintings, and architectural fragments. Think: dramatic lighting, hidden mirrors, an Egyptian sarcophagus in the basement, and rooms that feel like a gentleman's cabinet of curiosities came to life. It's free, quirky, and utterly unique.