London/Hackney

Hackney is a district of London. Hackney has a diverse population and the area has undergone massive regeneration in recent decades. Hackney is now very fashionable with a thriving arts scene in the south of the district for example.

Understand
Hackney staged some of the events during the 2012 London Summer Olympics such as hockey in the Lea Valley Arena and hosted the world's media. Many of the big events happened in the nearby Olympic Stadium and VeloPark. This was a hot spot for tourists and locals during the action.

In the far north of the district near Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill is the centre of the Hassidic and Adeni Jewish communities in London and the largest in Europe. A visit here certainly provides a very different cultural experience to anywhere else in Britain.

Hackney is also known for its wide open green spaces such as Hackney Marshes, (home of 88 football pitches) being the most notable and known as the spiritual home of grass roots soccer in the UK.

Visitor information

 * Hackney Council

By bus
Hackney is well served by buses from all over the capital, with the routes converging on Hackney Central, Dalston and Stoke Newington. Bus routes serving Hackney include the 30, 38, 48, 55, 56, 67, 76, 106, 149, 242, 243, 253, 254, 277, 488 and D6



By train
The London Overground network has many stations throughout Hackney across different lines:

Chingford Line
The Chingford line goes from Chingford to London Liverpool St via Walthamstow:


 * Clapton (Zone 2 + 3)
 * Hackney Downs (Zone 2)

East London Line (ELL)
The East London Line (ELL) goes from Highbury & Islington to Croydon:
 * Dalston Junction (Zone 2)
 * Haggerston (Zone 2)
 * Hoxton (Zone 1 & Zone 2)

Enfield & Cheshunt line
The Enfield & Cheshunt line goes from Cheshunt to London Liverpool St via Stratford:
 * Stoke Newington (Zone 2)
 * Stamford Hill (Zone 3)

North London Line (NLL)
The North London Line (NLL) goes from Richmond to Stratford via Willesden Junction:


 * Dalston Kingsland (Zone 2)
 * Hackney Central (Zone 2)
 * Homerton (Zone 2)
 * Hackney Wick (Zone 2)

By tube
There are no stations in the district but northern parts can be easily reached from these stations on the Piccadilly line:


 * Finsbury Park (Zone 2)
 * Manor House (Zones 2 + 3)

Get around
The best way to get around the borough is to walk or get buses. The many parks and green spaces dotted around make Hackney much nicer to walk around than its inner London location would suggest.

Galleries

 * Elevator Gallery and the Chocolate Factory both near Hackney Downs on Stoke Newington Rd.
 * Elevator Gallery and the Chocolate Factory both near Hackney Downs on Stoke Newington Rd.
 * Elevator Gallery and the Chocolate Factory both near Hackney Downs on Stoke Newington Rd.

Eat
Stoke Newington (Church Street), Broadway market and Hackney Central have a variety of gastropubs and restaurants. There are many great Turkish and Asian restaurants on Kingsland Road. To the south of Mare Street there are a great number of very reasonable Vietnamese restaurants. Some also have the bonus of being able to bring your own alcohol, which brings down cost considerably.

Stay safe
Hackney is safe provided you're careful. Most violent crime occurs amongst the gangs in the rougher parts of the borough, which you'll be unlikely to encounter, especially if you stick to the areas where the main entertainment establishments are based. Avoid walking alone at night around Hackney Wick, housing estates and anywhere that looks rough.