Shoreditch

What makes it special

Brick Lane is the spine of the district. Its market began in the 17th century as a single farmers' market held on Sundays. The stalls now sell street food, jewellery, household goods and flea-market finds, with retro fashion boutiques along the pavement.

Halfway down stands the Old Truman Brewery, once London's largest brewery. Its buildings on both sides of the street now hold several markets, food halls, studios and event space.

The street art is the other half of the visit. The walls around Brick Lane, Redchurch Street and Hanbury Street change constantly: some pieces have stood for a decade, and others are painted over overnight by the next artist. A few early-2000s pieces survive, one of them at the Old Truman Brewery.

Many of the best pieces are painted on shop shutters, which only show when the shops are closed. To see them, walk Redchurch Street and Hanbury Street again once the shops have shut for the day.

Visiting

Easiest from Shoreditch High Street station, the walk runs south down Brick Lane. By the station, stacked shipping containers form a court of food and retail stalls, and almost every corner from there on carries artwork on its walls.

Walk down Brick Lane through the street market, eating as you go from the stalls along it. At the Old Truman Brewery, go into the indoor markets, among them the food hall and the Brick Lane Flea Market.

Afterwards, turn off along Hanbury Street and Redchurch Street for the murals.

Tips

On a Sunday the crowd makes browsing the clothes rails hard and the food hall queues run long, so shop the rails before you stop to eat. Walk past any tout who tries to steer you into a Brick Lane restaurant and choose for yourself.

For photographs of the walls, pick an overcast day, when there are no shadows. You need no guide, since the art is on public walls; a guided walk of two to three hours adds the background on each piece rather than access.