34 Famous Streets in London to explore

From Regent Street to Brick Lane: This is a locals guide to London's iconic streets

Famous Streets in London Image of Shaftesbury Avenue at night

About the author: David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian with 30+years experience exploring Europe. His work regularly appears in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Guardian.

The most famous streets in London make a fascinating introduction to the British capital.

London’s most famous streets are steeped in history, or immortalized in song or literature. Others are renowned worldwide as shopping destinations or for their London street markets.

I’ve been visiting London for over 40 years and am lucky that my wife lived in London when we met. So we spent thousands of hours walking the wonderful streets of London, our favourite city in the world.

I’ve covered over thirty of the best streets to visit in London. Each of these London streets reveals a different side to this intoxicating city. So even if you only get to see a few of them you’ll get to see how incredibly diverse London is.

And hopefully you’ll become as enchanted with it as we are.

Good to know: To help you discover London I created a map indicating the location of all the streets in London I’ve mentioned in this article. As you can see below some of these famous London streets are located very close together. London is a great city to explore on foot as you get to see so much.

Top Tip: When exploring look out for the blue plaques on houses and buildings. These are historical markets run by the English Heritage and they show that notable people from the past lived or worked there.

To use this map, simply use your fingers or mouse to zoom in and out, and click on the icons to see more information about each location.

These are the most famous streets in London

1. Abbey Road

Image of the Abbey Road Shop sign in London
The Shop sign gets the graffiti nowadays, as the street signs were pilfered long ago
Image of the famous zebra crossing on Abbey Road London.
The famous zebra crossing where the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover was shot

That zebra crossing and album cover….

Abbey Road is home to the world’s most famous zebra crossing.  This happens to be just outside Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles were recording their album – titled Abbey Road – in 1969. The album cover was finished within a ten-minute shoot, with police holding up traffic either side.

It has gone on to become one of the most iconic album covers of all time, and many make the pilgrimage to St John’s Wood to make the crossing, shoot their own images or videos, and scratch graffiti on signs and walls nearby.

Nearest Tube: St John’s Wood

2. Baker Street

Image of the Sherlock Holmes Museum Baker Street London
The Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street
Image of the Sherlock Holmes blue plaque on Baker Street London

The home of Sherlock Holmes

This busy famous London street owes its fame to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes wasn’t the first fictional detective, but he is arguably the most famous.

Conan Doyle wrote 60 Holmes books, and many films and TV series have been based around the Holmes character. We recommend the BBC Sherlock series, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Holmes. To put the fame of the character in perspective, a series of Sherlock Holmes TV films was commissioned in the USSR, running through the early 1980s.

Holmes and his lodger-cum-assistant John Watson resided at 221b Baker Street, you can visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum that occupies the ground floor of the building. A commemorative blue plaque also marks the location on the wall above.

A statue of Holmes can be found around the corner, on Marylebone Road, close to Madame Tussauds waxworks museum.

Fact: Baker Street Tube station is on the world’s first underground railway, the Metropolitan Line, which opened on January 10, 1863. It is the oldest underground station in the world.

Nearest Tube: Baker Street

3. Bond Street

Image of Fenwick department store on the famous London Street New Bond Street
The upmarket Fenwick department store on New Bond Street
Image of Delvaux luxury leather store Bond Street London
Delvaux, purveyors of fine luxury leather goods, also on New Bond Street

Also one of the most expensive streets in London

Bond Street is two streets in London that are collectively called ‘Bond Street’. They are New Bond Street and Old Bond Street, located in Mayfair. We will use the term ‘Bond Street’ to make it simple.

Bond Street goes from north to south, starting from Oxford Street and ending at Piccadilly. New Bond Street is connected to Oxford Street, and Old Bond Street goes until Piccadilly, ending near Burlington House and the Royal Academy famous buildings in London. and well worth a visit.

Bond Street is one of the best streets in London for high end shopping. This is London Boutique Central, with all the prestigious big brands in clothing, jewellery and accessories (Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tiffany, Jimmy Choo and many more) well represented.

Famous past residents Bond Street London

Lord Horatio Nelson, one of the greatest naval commanders, lived at 103 New Bond Street, Mayfair, London. The building has a blue plaque commemorating him.

Nearest Tube: Bond Street or Green Park

4. Brick Lane

Image of Brick Lane street signs in English and Bengali.  One of the most famous streets in East London
Image of the Brick Lane Beigel Bake shop in London
Image of bars on Brick Lane London at night
Brick Lane nightlife is a huge draw – and there’s much more to it than curry houses

History, street art and great food, it’s got it all

Brick Lane, one of the most famous streets in East London, is home to one of the best weekend markets London is famous for. On Sundays, the street is packed with great food stalls, and vendors selling everything from apparel to furniture. It’s sometimes referred to as Brick Lane vintage market, though we’ve found that stalls can vary from week to week.

The street has always been associated with immigration. Over the centuries, French Huguenots, Irish, eastern European Jews, and most recently Bangladeshis have made the area their home.

In recent times Brick Lane has become the unofficial curry capital of the UK and there’s a great choice of restaurants along the street.

At the Shoreditch (northern) end, two fantastic Brick Lane bagel bakeries keep this wonderful Jewish tradition alive, with queues often through the door day and night.

Brick Lane also has a range of bars, pubs and clubs, with the best gig venue 93 Feet East in the old Truman Brewery.

Brick Lane has also become one of the richest cultural streets and areas in London. There is a wealth of excellent Brick Lane street art, and tours that cover the artworks in great detail. It also has probably the best record store in the UK in Rough Trade East. If you love Camden, you’ll probably adore Brick Lane too.

Famous past residents of Brick Lane

Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was a key figure in the anti-slavery movement of 1834 and a prominent social reformer. He played a crucial role in securing the abolition of slavery. From 1808 to 1815, he lived at the Directors’ House, located at Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London. Today, there is a blue plaque commemorating his residence at this location.

Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street or Aldgate East

5. Camden High Street

What to visit in London Image of Camden Lock bridge and market stalls
Image of shops on Camden High Street London
Image of Camden High Street shop fronts London
Some of the iconic Camden shop fronts
Image of a busy street scene on Camden High Street London.  One of the best known streets in London

The ‘alternative’ heart of London – and much more

Camden Market is right up there with the most famous markets in London. It’s not a single market as such, rather a series of them spread either side of the northern reaches of Camden High Street.

Camden has long been something of an alternative mecca, with a great live music scene going back to the 1970s and the heyday of punk.

Some of the music venues from that time are still going, but most people visiting Camden come to explore one of the best shopping areas in London.

This is where you’ll find some of the best vintage clothes shops in London. You’ll also find many London souvenir stalls, and punk, Goth and steampunk gear galore.

As well as the market stalls, the shops on Camden High Street stand out, with giant Doc Martens, angels and elephants adorning the building fronts.

There’s also an enormous range of street food stalls to try out (we love Kim’s Vietnamese Food Hut). Most of the action is to the north of Camden Town Tube station. It’s a shameless London tourist trap, and I love the place.

Nearest Tube: Camden Town or Chalk Farm

6. Carnaby Street

Image of the Shakespeare's Head pub off Carnaby Street in London
The Shakespeare’s Head is one of several watering holes around Carnaby Street
Image of the Carnaby Street Union Jack London.  Carnaby street is one of the most famous streets in London England

Dedicated followers of fashion head this way

Carnaby Street is the nearest thing there is to a London fashion district. It’s a pedestrianised street in the north of Soho, close to the Liberty department store and Oxford and Regent Streets.

The heyday of Carnaby Street was in the Swinging Sixties, when many boutiques and fashion outlets opened on the street and close by. The likes of John Stephen, Mary Quant, Lord John and Irvine Sellars all opened shops there by the mid-‘60s.

Carnaby Street was especially popular with mods in the late ‘60s, and the Who, Small Faces and Rolling Stones all frequented the street around this time. Ray Davies of the Kinks lampooned the street and trends in his 1966 song Dedicated Follower of Fashion.

This famous street in London still has a wide range of fashion stores, and there’s a good selection of pubs and restaurants in the surrounding streets.

Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus

7. Cheyne Walk

Image of fine townhouses on Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London.  One of the most expensive streets in london for real estate.
Image of Chelsea Old Church and St Thomas More Statue Cheyne Walk London
St Thomas More and Chelsea Old Church on Cheyne Walk

Blue Plaque Central by the Thames

Chelsea’s second most famous road sits discreetly back from the Thames, with the beautiful Albert Bridge close to one end.

Cheyne Walk is one of the most expensive streets in London. Properties there go for eye-watering prices, and you’d need an 8-digit bank account balance in pounds to buy one of the magnificent townhouses there. It’s one of the most beautiful old streets in London, which is a huge factor, of course.

Cheyne Walk has had a rich and colourful history. England’s King Henry VIII once had a manor house there. Many famous faces have resided there since, including no less than three Rolling Stones, painters JMW Turner and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, authors George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, Ian Fleming, poet TS Eliot and footballer George Best have all resided there. 

Chelsea Old Church, halfway along, is also well worth a visit. A fine statue of the English martyr St Thomas More, who sang in the choir there, sits outside.

Nearest Tube: South Kensington or Sloane Square

8. Downing Street

Image of the Downing Street London street sign.  One of the most famous streets in London UK
The Downing Street sign is all most people get to see of the heart of British Government

The nerve centre of UK Government

Downing Street is one of the most well-known streets in London, but very few visitors get to see anything of it. It’s a small side street off Whitehall, yet it’s the focal point of British politics. Number 10 Downing Street is the official residence of the Prime Minister of the UK.

Number 11, meanwhile, is the official home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The latter sets annual government budgets, and it has been known for the resident of Number 11 to move next door.

Nearest Tube: Westminster

9. Fleet Street

Image of St Dunstan in the West and the Royal Courts of Justice on Fleet Street London at sunset
St Dunstan in the West on Fleet St at Sunset
Image of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub sign and St Paul's Cathedral London
Looking the other way along Fleet Street towards St Paul’s Cathedral

Once home to the UK press, still home to some of the best old pubs in London

Fleet Street is one of the great historic streets in London. It continues on from The Strand, occupying the western part of the City of London financial district.

Its heyday lasted over 200 years until the 1980s, when the main UK newspapers moved operations elsewhere. Some buildings remain from this era, including the fine Art Deco Daily Express building.

If you’re interested in historic London pubs, then Fleet Street is a great place to start. The Old Bank of England has one of the most opulent pub interiors in the city.

Further along, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was once the watering hole of Charles Dickens. It’s a wonderful labyrinth of darkened dining rooms. The Old Bell Tavern, across the street from there, is another of the best pubs in central London.

Add in St Bride’s Church, whose tiered spire inspired the wedding cake, and some of the most interesting lanes and alleyways in London, and you have enough to detain you at least half a day.

Nearest Tube: Blackfriars

Image of St Bride's Church Fleet Street tower London
St Bride’s Fleet Street, supposedly the church that inspired the design of the tiered wedding cake

10. King’s Road

Image of King's Road street sign Chelsea London
Image of King's Road Art Gallery Chelsea London
Image of World's End shop owned by Vivienne Westwood King's Road Chelsea London
The shop on this site gave the world the classic punk look

Once home to fashion and counterculture, long since gentrified

King’s Road – often referred to as ‘the King’s Road’ – started out as a private road for King Charles II. It was around 170 years later, in 1830, that it finally became a public road.

King’s Road became one of the main London fashion streets, with Mary Quant opening her first boutique in the building now occupied by the Santander Bank. It was one of the birthplaces of the miniskirt, and very much part of Swinging London in the mid to late ‘60s.

It had a strong countercultural emphasis right through until the end of the 1970s. The shop at number 430, World’s End, is still owned by one of the great British designers, Vivienne Westwood.

She co-owned the boutique SEX which was in the same building. This small shop gave birth to the famous punk look, spiky hair and all. 

It’s also where one of the two biggest bands in British punk, the Sex Pistols, were brought together by the other co-owner, Malcolm McLaren.

Nowadays it takes quite a leap of the imagination to picture King’s Road as a bastion of alternative culture. The street and surrounding area is completely gentrified. These days you can expect plenty of small boutiques and art galleries, as well as pretty shops with Instagrammable arches of flowers.

King’s Road’s most notable recent contribution to culture is the excellent Saatchi Gallery. This outstanding contemporary art collection is housed in the Duke of York’s Headquarters, near the Sloane Square end of the street.

Nearest Tube: Sloane Square or South Kensington

11. Ludgate Hill

Image of Ludgate Hill and St Paul's Cathedral London
Looking up Ludgate Hill to magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral

The road leading to St Paul’s Cathedral

Ludgate Hill is the eastward continuation of Fleet Street, at the heart of the City of London. It’s a fairly short thoroughfare, and may not be among the best-known London street names. It’s also walkable in less than five minutes.

It’s on our list for one reason alone: the awe-inspiring view up the hill towards one of the finest buildings in London and one of the most famous landmarks in England, St Paul’s Cathedral. The approach up Ludgate Hill is magnificent, towards the grand west front flanked by twin towers, with the spectacular dome behind.

It’s a great street to walk up, the left / north side offering the better view.  Halfway up, a much smaller church by Sir Christopher Wren, St Martin Ludgate, is well worth a look around. Otherwise, try to bag a seat at the front of a double-decker bus for the grandstand view.

Nearest Tube: Blackfriars

12. Old Compton Street

Image of rainbow flags outside the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho London
Image of Algerian Coffee Stores Old Compton Street London
Seriously the best smelling shop in the world – The Algerian Coffee Store

The home of gay London, and one of the city’s best coffee shops

Soho has long been the heart of gay London, and Old Compton Street is the epicentre.

It’s one of the most popular streets in London, and one of my personal favourites. You’ll often see rainbow flags hanging from the likes of G-A-Y nightclub and the Admiral Duncan pub. The latter has some hilarious drag shows, which are often audible in the street outside.

There are also a host of places to eat with sushi, Italian, fish and chips and Herman Ze German all vying for your custom. Special mention goes to our nomination for the best-smelling shop on the planet. It’s the Algerian Coffee Stores, next door to the Admiral Duncan at number 52.

Nearest Tube: Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus

13. Oxford Street

Image of the Christmas lights on Oxford Street London

If shopping is your thing….

Oxford Street is the most famous shopping street in London. If you were to ask people to name one of the most famous streets in London, Oxford Street would be near the top of most people’s list.

It’s home to many flagship stores of prominent UK retailers, so it’s where you’ll find some of the best shopping in London for clothes. Oxford Street shopping is the reason many people come to London, and there’s a huge choice of stores.

Sadly in recent years, Oxford Street has seen the closure of some major retailers like Top Shop, Debenhams, and House of Fraser. However, you will still find large stores of well-known brands, including John Lewis, Next, Marks and Spencer, Selfridges, Uniqlo, Adidas, and Primark.

Nearest Tube: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road

14. Piccadilly

Image of London underground sign
Image of Piccadilly street in London

From the Royal Academy to the Ritz – and much more

Piccadilly is one of the most famous London roads to visit. It has Fortnum & Mason, a grand department store dating back to 1707, which is undoubtedly one of the best shops in London, and the Grocer to the Queen, no less.

It has one of the most unusual street names in London. It is named after a wide lace collar fashionable around the early 17th century called a piccadill or pickadill, which was sold at a shop there.

You can also explore the Piccadilly Circus shopping at one end, and browse some of the finest shopping arcades in London. The Burlington Arcade is full of luxury stores and boutiques.

It was opened in 1819, and is still patrolled by watchmen, or beadles, who ensure that appropriate decorum is kept and that visitors do not behave in a raucous and boisterous manner!

Piccadilly is also home to Hatchards, the oldest bookshop in the UK, and the flagship Waterstones store. The latter is the UK’s biggest book retailer.

Burlington House, next to Burlington Arcade, is home to several august national institutions, including the Royal Academy, the Royal Astronomical Society and Royal Geographical Society.

Several of the best luxury hotels in London are on Piccadilly, including the Ritz (a famous UK landmark), the Intercontinental, the Athenaeum and Park Lane Hotel. Some rooms in the Ritz overlook Green Park, which occupies the south side of Piccadilly on its journey to its end at Wellington Arch and Hyde Park Corner.

Famous London Streets nearby: Savile Row, Bond Street, Jermyn Street, The Mall, Shaftesbury Avenue, Old Compton Street, The Mall

Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus or Green Park

Image of the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly, London
Image of the Fortnum & Mason store Piccadilly London
The famous clock on the facade of Fortnum & Mason
Image of St James's Church Piccadilly London
St James’s Piccadilly, another of the Christopher Wren London churches

15. Portobello Road

Image of Alice's Antiques Portobello Road London
Alice’s Antiques doubled as Gruber’s Antiques in Paddington 2`
Image of houses on Portabello Road Notting Hill.  One of the most famous streets in London

London’s most famous street market – and a popular film location

Portobello Road is a long narrow street running through the heart of Notting Hill in West London. It starts out as a quiet residential street before morphing into one of the busiest of all London markets.

Parts of Portobello Road Market run throughout the week, but Saturday is the one day to visit if you want to see all the stalls. This is when most visitors come to see the Market, with the result that they outnumber locals for large parts of it.

You can buy anything from antiques to bric-a-brac to clothes to furniture to street food there.  The busiest areas we saw were the southern end, around the antique shops and stalls, up to the Westway bridge. North of there the crowds thinned out considerably.

Portobello Road is one of the best-known movie locations in London. Most famously, much of Notting Hill was shot there and nearby, and The Travel Bookshop, with its poster of Julia Roberts in the window, still draws the crowds.

Alice’s Antiques shop has doubled as Gruber’s Antiques for Paddington 2. It’s one our favourite shops to visit in London with fantastic displays inside and out on the street.

Nearest Tube: Notting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove

Image of colourful houses on Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London

16. Regent Street

Image of Hamley's Toy Store Regent Street London
Image of Regent Street Christmas lights London
Image of Union Jacks on Regent Street London
Union Jacks hanging on Regent Street

More retail – but in a grander setting

Regent Street – which intersects with Oxford Street – is another main shopping street in London.  It’s a grander affair than Oxford Street, with many of its buildings dating from the time it was built, in the early 19th century.

This London main street was named after the Prince Regent, later King George IV. It runs from the University of Westminster down to Piccadilly Circus.  It has some of the best places to shop in London.

Our top tip is Hamley’s Toy Store, a paradise for kids, with brilliant staff who put on a great show to draw the crowds in. I saw two of them dancing in greatcoats on one of the hottest days of the summer – good on them!

If it’s your thing, there are plenty more Regent Street shopping options, with the likes of Zara, Superdry, Burberry and Anthropologie all having a big presence there.

It’s also one of the best places in London to visit at Christmas time to see the Christmas lights.

Also close to: Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Piccadilly

Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus

17. Savile Row

Image of Savile Row street sign London
Image of Gieves and Hawkes store on Savile Row London
Gieves and Hawkes are one of the oldest established names on Savile Row

For the finest suits north of the English Channel….

Savile Row is one of the most exclusive shopping streets in London. This Mayfair street is home to some of the finest tailors and gentlemen’s outfitters in the UK. They include the likes of Gieves & Hawkes, Ozwald Boateng and Huntsman & Sons.

Savile Row is another London street with a place in music history. The rooftop of number 3 was where the Beatles last played live.

Also close to: Bond Street, Piccadilly

Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus or Green Park

18. Shaftesbury Avenue

Image of theatres along Shaftesbury Avenue London West End
Image of theatre signs along Shaftesbury Avenue one of the most famous streets in Soho London
The bright lights of West End London

The main street in the West End of London

Shaftesbury Avenue isn’t just in the London West End, it is the London West End, and one of the most famous streets in Soho. It runs from High Holborn in the north to Piccadilly Circus, in the south.

The street signs all signify you’re in Theatreland, and you pass several along the way. The Palace, Queen’s, Gielgud and Apollo theatres are all along the Avenue. It passes Covent Garden and Chinatown on one side and Soho on the other so is right at the heart of London nightlife.

Also close to: Old Compton Street, Piccadilly

Nearest Tube: Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus

19. The Mall

Image of the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London
Image of Buckingham Palace London England UK
Image of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in Trooping the Colour London going along the Mall, one of the most famous historical streets in London
The late Queen and Prince Philip enjoying a coach ride along The Mall

A red carpet of a road for royal processions

The Mall is the main royal ceremonial and processional route in London and one of the most famous historical streets in London. It runs from Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch, to the Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace, the King’s London residence.

Unusually for London streets the road surface is coloured red. The purpose of this is to create the effect of a long red carpet all the way to the Palace. The Mall passes glorious St James’s Park on one side and St James’s Palace and Green Park on the other.

The Mall is one of the few main streets in London without any London traffic. The Mall isn’t part of the main London road network. Instead it is separately maintained by the Royal Parks. No buses ply this route – you make your own way or take a black cab on weekdays.

Also close to: Whitehall, Downing Street, The Strand, Piccadilly

Nearest Tube: Charing Cross or Green Park

20. The Strand

image of the Savoy Hotel on the Strand.  One of the most famous hotels in London .

It’s rather grand along The Strand

The Strand is one of the grandest central London streets, linking Trafalgar Square with Fleet Street and the City of London. It’s on the edge of Theatreland, boasting fine theatres such as the Adelphi and Vaudeville.

The Strand also has some of the best luxury London hotels, including the Savoy, a famous London landmark. One of the oldest restaurants in London, Simpson’s on the Strand, can be found a few doors along the street. The fantastic centuries-old Twinings tea shop is further to the east, near the Royal Courts of Justice.

One of the finest buildings in London, Somerset House, stands between The Strand and the river Thames.   Two churches stand on islands in the middle of the street – St Mary-le-Strand and St Clement Danes.

The latter has strong links with the Royal Air Force. However, it’s better known for being mentioned in the famous “Oranges and lemons say the bells of St Clement’s” nursery rhyme.

Add in a few specialist shops, part of King’s College London and a ‘ghost’ Tube station and you have one of the most intriguing streets in all of London.

Also close to: Shaftesbury Avenue, Whitehall, Downing Street, The Mall

Nearest Tube: Charing Cross, Covent Garden or Temple

21. Whitehall

Image of Whitehall looking towards Big Ben London England UK.  Whitehall is one of the most famous streets of London
Image of Banqueting House London on Whitehall, one of the most famous streets in Central London
Inigo Jones’ splendid Banqueting House is the only surviving part of the Palace of Whitehall

Like Downing Street, synonymous with British government

Whitehall is the street running between Downing Street and Trafalgar Square and of the most famous streets in Central London. It’s one of the main streets in London, right at the nexus of British history and politics. It’s home to several government ministries, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Cabinet Office.

The sublime Banqueting House, the only surviving part of the original Palace of Whitehall, stands stately on the east side, just across the road from the entrance to Horse Guards Parade.

This is one of the most popular tourist spots in London, where crowds gather for photos of the mounted guards. The famous Changing of the Life Guard ceremony also takes place in the parade ground through the archway.

Nearest Tube: Westminster or Charing Cross

22. Denmark Street

London’s Tin Pan Alley is just about hanging in there

Tiny Denmark Street, in a far-flung corner of the West End off Charing Cross Road, is known as the Tin Pan Alley of England. It was the home of music publishers and the UK music press in the 1950s and ‘60s, and later home to several recording studios.

It played a massive role in London music history – the Rolling Stones and Kinks recorded there, David Bowie got his first backing band together there, the Sex Pistols rehearsed there – and this heritage has been afforded some, albeit limited, protection.

The street is now best-known as one of the best places in London to buy musical instruments, with several long-established stores there and some clubs and bars.

Much of the surrounding area was wiped away by the Crossrail development but Denmark Street is still, just about, hanging in there. Long may it do so.

Nearest Tube – Tottenham Court Road

23. Greek Street

Image of guitars in a shop window on Denmark Street London
Guitars for sale in a Denmark Street music shop
Image of shop signs on Greek Street Soho London
The night lights on busy Greek Street

One of the best streets in Soho

Greek Street is one of the busiest and best streets in Soho, running from Shaftesbury Avenue to Soho Square and meeting with Old Compton Street on the way. It’s crammed with history, culture and places to eat.

At the southern end, Maison Bertaux is one of the best French patisseries and cafes in London. The Coach & Horses pub on the corner with Romilly Street was once a hotbed of political gossip, but times have changed and it has recently been granted a nudist licence.

Further up the street, the Pillars of Hercules pub was a well-known literary haunt, patronised by the likes of Clive James, Martin Amis and Ian McEwan . It has recently reopened as Bar Hercules. Two doors down, Jazz After Dark was the venue for many performances by a certain Amy Winehouse early in her career.

Nearest Tube – Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road

24. Cable Street

Image of the Cable Street mural London
The famous Cable Street mural in London’s East End

Street best known for the 1936 Battle which stopped a fascist march

Cable Street in London’s East End runs from Tower Hill to Stepney via Shadwell, and runs parallel with the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) its entire length.

A lot of London East End history is packed into this street,  including the famous 1936 Battle of Cable Street, which is commemorated on a mural on the side of St George’s Town Hall. This was a huge street battle with local left-wing, anarchist and Jewish groups confronting – and stopping – a march by Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists.

Also look out for two fine London landmarks just off Cable Street – the gorgeous 19th century Wilton’s Music Hall on Grace’s Alley, and the splendid St George in the East church, one of six churches in London built by Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Nearest DLR – Shadwell

25. The Bishops Avenue

Image of The Bishops Avenue street sign London
Image of a mansion on The Bishops Avenue London
Palladian porticos do not come cheap

Ersatz grandeur and gardens full of weeds – the empty mansions of the mega-rich

The Bishops Avenue – in Hampstead Garden Suburb, linking East Finchley with Hampstead Heath – is one of the most bizarre streets in London. It’s nicknamed Billionaires’ Row, and a few years ago was estimated to be the second most expensive street to buy property in the UK. You’re often looking at £60 million and upwards for one of the mansions here.

It’s one of the most famous residential streets in London, and what’s bizarre is that many of these properties – acquired by exceedingly wealthy owners from overseas – lie empty and derelict. Indeed, some have been for decades. Continue to the top of the hill for a pint at the 18th-century Spaniard’s Inn, or a walk on Hampstead Heath.  

Nearest Tube – East Finchley

26. Threadneedle Street

Image of The Bank of England and Royal Exchange London at night
Image of Threadneedle Street sign City of London
The street was also home to tailors for centuries

Home to the Bank of England

One of the most famous roads in London,  Threadneedle Street owes its fame to the Bank of England, which is located at its western end. It has been at the same site since 1734, and is home to the fascinating Bank of England Museum.

Threadneedle Street may well owe its name to the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, who have had their headquarters there since the 14th century.

Nearest Tube – Bank

27. Harley Street

Image of street sign Harley Street London
Harley Street

Bypass the hospital queues at one of the many private health practices

Whatever type of ailment afflicts you, there’s probably a specialist on Harley Street London to treat it. The street runs between Marylebone Road and Regent’s Park to the north and Cavendish Square to the south.

There has been a significant number of private medical practices there since the 18th century, and it’s believed that it developed in this way because of its good transport links (close to several main London stations) and suitable housing. Over 3,000 people are now employed in the health industry in Harley Street.

Nearest Tube – Oxford Circus

28. Lombard Street

Image of golden grasshopper house sign on Lombard Street London
The distinctive golden grasshopper house sign on Lombard Street

One of the most famous street names in the financial world

For centuries, Lombard Street has been the epicentre of the London banking world. Its name is derived from the Lombards – northern Italians – who came to London after Edward I expelled the Jewish population in the late 13th century.

Insurers Lloyd’s of London started out there in 1691 as Lloyd’s Coffee House, and three of the UK’s five high major banks have had their headquarters there.

Lombard Street is one of the more unusual streets in London, as it starts out as a main thoroughfare, petering out into a narrow lane at the church of St Mary Woolnoth. The narrow part of the street is the most intriguing, with several old signs hanging outside buldings.

These include a cat with a fiddle and a golden grasshopper, the latter the Gresham family crest originating in the 16th century. A rare glimpse of the City before the 1666 Great Fire.

Nearest Tube – Bank

29. Leadenhall Street

Image of Lloyds Building on Leadenhall Street London
The striking exterior of Lloyd’s Building

Where London landmarks abound

This London street is lined with several major London landmarks. The most recent of these, the Leadenhall Building, is better known as the Cheese Grater, soaring 225 metres (738 feet) high.

As you walk from west to east, starting at the Cheese Grater, you’ll soon notice the ‘Inside Out Building’ of Lloyds of London, which was completed in 1986, and a few metres along on the left you’ll see 30 St Mary Axe, better known as the Gherkin.

Further along on the left, the lovely early 17th century St Katharine Cree church is one of the few City of London churches to escape the Great Fire and the Blitz unscathed.

Nearest Tube – Liverpool Street or Aldgate

30. Frith Street

Image of Bar Italia Soho London
Bar Italia has been caffeinating customers on Frith Street since 1949

Home to Mozart and Bar Italia

Frith Street is another of the most popular streets in Soho, and is packed with history and life. The likes of painter John Constable and Mozart have called it home, and nowadays it hosts several Italian restaurants and bars, including the classic vintage Bar Italia café, which has been open since 1949.

John Logie Baird first demonstrated television in the same building – number 22 – in 1926. The famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Bar is just across the street.

Nearest Tube – Tottenham Court Road

31. Electric Avenue, Brixton

Brixton market street named after its street lights

Home to my favourite London street name, Electric Avenue in Brixton, south London was the first market street in the world to have electric lighting, back in the late 19th century.

It’s just around the corner from Brixton Underground station (last stop on the Victoria line), and the perfect place to introduce yourself to Brixton Market.

I’ve always loved it for the Caribbean food – among the best you’ll find in the UK – but you’ll also find African and Asian places aplenty. Readers of a certain vintage will remember Eddy Grant’s 1982 hit named after the street.

Nearest Tube – Brixton

32. Neals Yard, Covent Garden

One of the most colourful corners of London

Neal’s Yard is a narrow side street in Covent Garden , just a couple of minutes’ walk from Seven Dials. It has been one of the most Instagrammable streets in London since …well, the inception of Instagram, with photographers seeking out its brightly painted house facades and window frames.

It links Shorts Gardens and Monmouth Street, and is currently occupied by a mixture of cafes, bakeries and beauty stores. It’s also the original home of world-famous Neal’s Yard Remedies. Easily one of the prettiest streets in London.

Nearest Tube – Covent Garden

33. Jermyn Street

Where to maintain one’s sartorial elegance – in other words, where to buy a £1,000 shirt

Jermyn Street, which runs parallel to Piccadilly one block south, is where gentlemen shop for accessories and apparel after being fitted out for their suits on nearby Savile Row. 

It’s one of the best shopping places in London, and several luxury brands have stores on Jermyn Street, selling shirts, shoes, shaving brushes, hats and more.

There’s a statue of Beau Brummell on the street, a nod to the sartorial elegance for which it’s known. The street has been in existence since 1664, during which time the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, the Duke of Marlborough and Louis Napoleon have resided there.

Nearest Tube –  Green Park or Piccadilly Circus

34. Columbia Road 

Home to the famous flower market

Columbia Road is one of my wife’s favourite places to visit in London on a Sunday. She’s been going there for over 20 years and we have regularly been together.  It is famous for its flower market a riot of colour and market store owners calling out their prices. 

Even if you don’t plan on buying anything it is a wonderful place to visit off the beaten path and to get a real taste of local London life.

There is often live music and a great vibe to the place.  It has grown a lot since she first started going over 20 years ago and now has over sixty independent businesses from small art galleries, cupcake shops, vintage clothes, delis and some great restaurants, cafes and pubs .

It is also very close to one of our favourite museums and Brick Lane, another of the best streets in London UK.  The perfect Sunday in London. 

Famous Streets in London Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to get under the skin of London, don’t miss out on exploring the famous roads in London. These iconic landmarks are more than just tourist attractions – they embody the spirit and character of the city.

Whether you’re strolling down the colorful streets of Notting Hill or browsing the boutiques of Carnaby Street, you’re sure to feel the pulse of London’s vibrant culture. So, put on your walking shoes, grab your camera, and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and stories of London’s famous streets.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to the famous streets in London and find it helpful. You may find these other London travel guides useful

Image of David Angel found of Delve into Europe Travel Blog / Website

David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times.  David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.