I went in to update my post about the best Instagram Locations in London, but honestly it somehow has become so outdated so fast (Instagram life, amiright?), that I thought it’d be easier to re-write it from scratch. It includes all the old favourites, but also a whole heap of new Instagram Locations that have risen to Insta-fame in London in the past few months. Enjoy!
London Instagram Locations #1: PASTEL STREETS
London is awash with picturesque pastel streets, particularly the well-trodden spots in the Notting Hill area, but also further north in Camden and Kentish Town.
West London is chock-a-block with Instagram locations, and where you’ll find the Insta-famous houses around Portobello. The streets to head for are Lancaster Street, Westbourne Park Road, Denbigh Terrace, and Hillgate Place. You’ll be fighting for space amongst all the fashion bloggers, but it’s worth it for the quintessential Notting Hill shot. The last image is of Colville Houses – apologies, I didn’t know the name when I made the graphic!
My very favourite spot is Primrose Hill, where you’ll find Chalcot Crescent, Chalcot Square, and Chalcot Road. Also in the area is Kelly Street in nearby Kentish Town.
A few other notable mentions include Hartland Road in Camden which boasts some seriously saccharine pastel hues, and Bywater Street in Chelsea. Not a pastel street as such but Trevor Square in Knightsbridge is home to one of Instagram’s favourite pink houses.
London Instagram Locations #2: LONDON IN BLOOM
London has gone flower crazy in the past year! More and more Instagram locations are boasting impressive faux displays, alongside a pretty impressive cherry blossom season in Spring that always provides good Insta fodder.
Elizabeth Street is awash with cafes and shops decked out in floral displays – you’ll find Instagram content for days along here but one of the most popular displays is outside Les Senteurs.
For real blooms, head to the Kew Botanical Gardens in Richmond for the magnificent Palm House – you’ll end up sweating buckets in the humidity but it’s worth it to pretend you’ve escaped the city for somewhere tropical.
London’s cherry blossom season is short but sweet. Notting Hill tends to show off some impressive foliage, with this house on Kensington Park Gardens becoming Insta famous in Spring.
Another Notting Hill gem and blogger favourite Instagram location, flower shop Wild At Heart on Westbourne Grove is all sorts of pretty with it’s turquoise tiles and overflowing floral displays.
Covent Garden Piazza has regularly updated displays such as their floral swings, to sit in and watch the world go by (or pose for 35789 photos…).
Annabel’s display popped up recently and soon became an Instagram mainstay, with the entire Berkeley Square townhouse adorned in pink blooms. Come early, or you’ll be fighting the crowds for a shot (I learned this the hard way, don’t make the same mistake!). Check ahead, they don’t always have a display up.
London Instagram Locations #3: THE CAFES
Floral cafes are everywhere right now, with more and more popping up what feels like daily. If you’re not eating your avo and toast under a flower wall, are you even living?
You’ve probably been living under a rock (or have stumbled on this blog post completely by accident and have no interest whatsoever in Instagram…) if you haven’t seen Peggy Porschen on your feed. It’s pretty much the ULTIMATE London Instagram location. In millennial pink with regularly changing displays, it’s #Insta-gold if you can fend off all the other Instagrammers keen to get the snap. Find it on Ebury Street (just off the aforementioned Elizabeth Street).
Elan Cafe is another cafe that featured on every London influencer’s feed this year. Both their Park Lane and Brompton Road branches feature the flower wall that has made them Insta-famous. Fair warning, it’s on the pricey side, and does feel a bit of an Insta-cliche when literally everyone has their phones out taking selfies with their eggs.
Not so much a cafe than a restaurant, head down to Kings Road for a picture outside The Ivy, who do lovely seasonal displays that always attract crowds of snappers.
Butterscotch on James Street is a lovely little spot just off Oxford Street serving up cakes and afternoon tea against a beautiful backdrop of white faux flowers. The staff were lovely, and it was empty when I went which meant I could snap away to my hearts content (I did get there at opening though!). Warning: lot’s of grammers have edited it pink, but it’s actually white! (Update: Butterscotch is sadly now closed, though they do have a location in White City!)
Just down the road is Feya Cafe, who serve up dainty multi-coloured breakfast options that almost look too pretty to eat.
Drunch is a brunch restaurant with seriously strong floral game – I’ve never been in so can’t comment on the food, but the exterior is impressive! Head to Woodstock Street to grab the snap.
Mamason’s on Kentish Town Road is a Filipino ice-cream parlour serving up exotic flavours, decorated in super grammable marble, pink, and palms.
Biscuiteers is yet another Notting Hill hotspot (yep Notting Hill is basically Insta heaven). Head to Kensington Park Road to try their biscuits and photograph their ornate exterior.
Dalloway Terrace boasts a beautiful flower wall with slightly punchier colours than the usual pastel affairs. Try their tasty brunch on Great Russel Street.
Another great Elizabeth Street spot, Dominique Ansel Bakery was already famous across the pond in NYC for their cronuts (part croissant, part doughnut, fully delicious). They have a brightly-hued flower wall that’s replicated in their outdoor area, and always do well on Instgram.
Saint Aymes absolutely blew up thanks to their trifecta of Instagram must-haves: the faux-wysteria exterior, pretty pastel interior, and a flower wall. Add to that their menu of chocolate treats and fancy looking hot chocolates, and you’re basically in heaven (if heaven was designed by a 20-something Instagram girl…). Find them on Connaught Street, not far from Marble Arch station. I’d recommend getting there at opening so you’re not fighting for photo ops!
London Instagram Locations #4: CLASSIC LONDON
If you’re visiting London on holiday, you’ll want to get those classic shots that make the city so iconic. There’s more than possible to list (red buses, taxis, the tube logo), but I’ve popped together a few of my classic London Instagram locations.
London is swarming with iconic red phone booths, but for this particularly grammable row head to Broad Court off Bow Street in Covent Garden.
Tower Bridge is always a great shot – the first photo is taken on the bridge (to get it without people go super early, or learn to Photoshop!), whilst the second is from Southbank.
They appear in pretty much every tourist photo album of London, but the Houses of Parliament are beautiful enough to not feel cliche. Unfortunately Big Ben is having a makeover, but you can still get a decent shot on Westminster Bridge.
My personal fave though is the breathtaking St Pancras Renaissance Hotel on Euston Road, Kings Cross. The stunning building looks like something out of Harry Potter, and the inside (check out the endless staircase, below, scene of many an Instagram) is equally pretty. I’ve never stayed they, but if you’ve got the dough I’m sure it’s an amazing experience!
London Instagram Locations #5: AMAZING BUILDINGS
The staircase inside the St Pancras Renaissance is pretty darn majestic and offers all sorts of photo ops – technically the area is only for guests, but who’s going to know?
Leadenhall Market on Gracechurch Street is a beautiful spot in East London, painted in bright hues and satisfyingly symmetrical for photo ops.
You can’t come to London and not stop by Harrods on Brompton Road, at the very least to take a look at the impressive exterior. Pop yourself across the road to get as much of the building in shot, and hopefully you’ll get a black cab or London bus in shot too to make it extra Londony. If you’re willing to brave the crowds, head inside to ogle the amazing display in the food court, the array of life size bears in the toy area, and the jaw-dropping prices of designer fashion!
I’d love to know if you’ve got any other London Instagram location recommendations, and if you’d like to see more guides like this. Gimme a shout in the comments!
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These beautiful colours, wow! Thank you for sharing, Anoushka, the cafes in bloom are on the top of my list! I’m with Explorest and we built an app that helps people discover 125 beautiful photo locations in UK, and I think you’d enjoy it! We include the exact GPS coordinates & tips by the state’s best photographers. We also have locations in New York, California, Michigan, across Asia and will be debuting in Germany soon. If you have a moment, check it out! https://www.explorest.com/