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Travel & Experiences

London off the beaten path

Things might get a little spooky on Alan Aspinall's Wraiths of London guided ghost walk. Sure, you'll want to visit the usual monuments, historic buildings and churches, but leave time to explore the British capital's low-key, lesser-known side, such as the ghost walk. If nothing else, it's a good escape from the hordes descending on the city this summer.

Things might get a little spooky on Alan Aspinall’s Wraiths of London guided ghost walk. Sure, you’ll want to visit the usual monuments, historic buildings and churches, but leave time to explore the British capital’s low-key, lesser-known side, such as the ghost walk. If nothing else, it’s a good escape from the hordes descending on the city this summer.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

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Stepping away from the city’s famous sites, you see a different, less daunting London. There’s lugubrious London, luscious London, Latino London, liquid London, even low-key and sometimes low-cost London. And if even those get to be too much, there’s always leaving London.

Luscious London

Guests sample the goods at Ladurée, which is said to have invented the double-decker macaron. The shop in London’s Burlington Arcade is part of a luscious chocolate tour.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Luscious London

Fortnum & Mason, another stop on the chocolate tour, features truffles celebrating the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Luscious London

It’s all about chocolate, including violet and rose crèmes, at Charbonnel et Walker. The shop, founded in 1875, is also on the delectable chocolate tour.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Latino London

Rooms at the Church Street Hotel in London’s Camberwell district are washed in bright colors and have Latin-flavored touches.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Latino London

Next door to the Church Street Hotel is Angels & Gypsies, a restaurant with an Iberian-influenced menu. Among the small plates: jamón serrano and jamón ibérico.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Latino London

What better way to put out the fire of a pork pibil taco than vanilla ice cream topped with roasted pumpkin seeds and cajeta sauce, a caramelized milk, at Wahaca in London.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-cost London

St. Giles Church is in the Camberwell area of London, where a visitor’s hotel dollars stretch further than in the central city.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-cost London

The new H10 Hotel on Waterloo Road in southern London caters to business and budget travelers.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-cost London

The green door opens to the Bonnington Cafe in London, which serves low-cost vegetarian and vegan meals.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-cost London

Lunch at the Bonnington Cafe in London, a community restaurant, cost 5 pounds (about $8) and came with a salad and vegetarian squash and chickpea curry.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-key London

The Olympic rings decorate a lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens, or Kew, near London. Beginning in July, England’s capital is hosting the Summer Games.  (Oli Scarff / Getty Images)

Low-key London

Plenty of waterfowl can be found at Kew Gardens. Providing a photogenic backdrop is Museum No. 1.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-key London

Walkers pace along Regent’s Canal in London on a sunny day.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-key London

A bridal couple pose for photos at Rembrandt Gardens in the Little Venice area of London.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Low-key London

Patrons relax at the Waterside Cafe on a barge in the Pool of Little Venice along Regent’s Canal in London.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Liquid London

Umbrellas flood a display area at James Smith & Sons, which has been keeping Londoners -- and visitors -- dry for decades. The company, founded in 1830, has been on New Oxford Street since 1857. The sign is a bit misleading. It’s been in business since 1830 and in the same shop, virtually unchanged, for more than 140 years.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Liquid London

Once, the Cutty Sark carried tea from China (and later wool from Australia). Nowadays, the 1869 clipper ship sits in a steel cradle in Greenwich, England, its beauty restored after a fire nearly five years ago.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Leaving London

For a change of scenery, hop the Eurostar for a meal in Paris. The trip takes a little more than two hours. Perfect timing for dinner in the City of Light.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Leaving London

After a Eurostar trip from London, travelers will alight at the Gare du Nord station in Paris, making it an easy escape from the hubbub of the British capital.   (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Leaving London

The Terminus Nord is a Paris bistro across the street from the Gare du Nord, where the Eurostar disembarks. It’s an easy spot for a romantic dinner in the French capital.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

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