This term indicates the eastern part of the City, once known to be one of the most infamous areas of the capital.
Unlike the West End, the vast elegant area to which central London has moved over the past two centuries, the East End has always been an area of poor and high-crime neighbourhoods, characterized by a disorderly urbanism that makes it look like an immense suburb.
But things have changed and today the East End is considered one of the coolest areas by young people, thanks to its ability to continually reinvent itself, following the wave of new trends.
Among the districts of Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green and Hackney, you will find art galleries, international street food, designer shops, bars and clubs.
It is worth mentioning that ten years ago the 2012 Olympic Games were held in the East End and therefore the area has been modernized and “cleaned up” for good.
There are many tours on foot one can do in London, both self-guided or guided but one of the most popular walking tours is the one that tells the story of Jack the ripper and his victims, following in his footsteps between the neighbourhoods of Spitalfields and Whitechapel.
The tour is really interesting and a bit creepy and it consists of a stroll through the alleys of East London, during which the guide will tell facts and stories of the time related to Jack's murders, creating a veil of mystery in the reconstruction of the events.
These types of tours are usually free but, at the end of the visit, the guides collect tips from the participants (without any obligation or fixed amount) as recognition for the work done.
It is not difficult to come across graffiti and murals walking through the streets of East London, the ‘epicentre’ of cultural and artistic ferment.
In London, street art is a real form of art which is left free expression between walls and buildings in neighbourhoods such as Shoreditch and Brick Lane, giving it a very underground character.
You can start your own tour of this open-air museum from Shoreditch High Street station, along the street of the same name and then continue on Rivington Street and Great Eastern Street and be curious to delve into the back streets of the area as well.
The walls of Brick Lane are an explosion of colour thanks to the mix of murals that are constantly changing and other forms of art such as posters and small sculptures in the most unlikely corners, so keep your eyes peeled.
In the Shoreditch area, the market for all tastes is Old Spitalfields Market, a stone's throw from Liverpool Street.
It is an indoor market (therefore perfect for rainy days!), where you will find stands with international street food, crafts and vintage, as well as clothing stores, home furnishings and many bars and restaurants.
East London
There is even an East End soap opera called EastEnders, which is broadcast by the BBC and it is said that in the East End you can find the majority of Londoners who still speak Cockney, the London dialect.
Truth is the rise in property prices in the East End and particularly in Shoreditch a few years ago forced East London's most creative minds to move to the north of this neighbourhood, called Dalston, transforming the area into one of London's best places to go out at night.
I love visiting the area for its art galleries and especially for its jazz clubs.
