It’s less than a month to go til schools are out for the Easter holidays, and pretty soon families will be racking their brains for ways to entertain their youngsters. But with rising costs, we’re all living in a crunch.
Exploring London doesn’t have to cost the world, though, and our brilliant publishers prove that! Below we’ve collected some of our favourite recently published maps and guides for the capital city covering the following key areas: kid-friendly, food & drink, art & culture, architecture, history, and nature! Reach out to your local Turnaround sales rep to order stock before the Easter break.
Kid-Friendly
Entertaining little ones doesn’t have to be a stressful whirlwind of queuing for hours at museums, or worrying about where to dine out with picky eaters. These kid-friendly guides from Hoxton Mini Press and September Publishing offer great recommendations for parents with kids of every age!
An Opinionated Guide to Big Kids’ London by Emmy Watts
9781914314216 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £10.95
From climbing walls to trampoline parks, interactive art galleries to slime-making workshops, discover Emmy’s unabashedly opinionated selection of the coolest, most creative places in the capital — guaranteed to inspire adults and big kids alike.
An Opinionated Guide to Kids’ London by Emmy Watts
9781910566985 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £9.95
An insider’s guide to London’s best kid-friendly hangouts! From the most innovative outdoor playgrounds to the best place for a proper coffee while they slurp a babyccino, this handy little guide is full of shops, places, activities and cafés that we love visiting just as much as our under-five companions.
The London Underground: 50 Things to See and Do By Geoff Marshall & Vicki Pipe
September Publishing / 9781912836253 / PB / £10.99
Social media has turned its attention to trains in recent years, and there is no train system in the UK more captivating than the London tube. The London Underground: 50 Things to See and Do delves deep into the London underground: its engineering, history, social impact, and more. All travellers need to do for an underground adventure is tap in!
Food & Drink
Breaking the mould of afternoon teas at the Ritz, Hoxton Mini Press’ guides to London’s food scene help foodies chow down on more than just overpriced “traditional” cuisines. In fact, their guide to vegan London shows off the most innovative places cutting out animal products, and their sell-out guide to East London food takes you deep into the very best of what London’s food scene has to offer. Dig into these expert guides to start eating out in the city!
East London Food: Second Edition by Rosie Birkett & Helen Cathcart
9781910566763 / Hoxton Mini Press / HB / £30
An updated edition of the sell-out book covering London’s most exciting food scene with 20 new places.
An Opinionated Guide to London Pubs by Matthew Curtis & Orlando Gili
9781910566817 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £9.95
An unashamedly opinionated guide to London’s very best and most stylish pub.
An Opinionated Guide to Vegan London: 2nd Edition by Emmy Watts
9781914314315 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £10.95
The new and improved guide to the very best places to eat modern vegan food in London.
Arts & Culture
Like any good European capital, London is a hub of culture that even the most insatiable art-lovers would struggle to get tired of. But when there are over 192 museums and galleries packed into one city, it’s daunting for travellers to decide where to spend their precious time. From grassroots art galleries, to free lectures in art history and literary walking tours, the following guides cover everything travellers and locals need to get stuck into the art and culture of London.
An Opinionated Guide to Art London by Christina Brown
9781914314308 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £10.95
An insider’s guide to the best of London’s art scene, from galleries and museums to walks and workshops.
100 Best Paintings in London by Geoffrey Smith
9781623717896 / Interlink Books / PB / £20.99
The only book to provide a single volume introduction to the finest art in London. This book is a brilliant way for travellers to find out which paintings are where, and for locals to delve further into the capital’s brilliant art collections.
John Le Carré’s London
9781739897116 / Herb Lester Associates / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £12
For mystery fans, John Le Carré’s London immerses readers in London’s secret world of espionage, with places drawn from all of his most famous works. Rigorously researched and meticulously plotted, this is an essential companion for fans of spy fiction.
History
London is the kind of city with pockets of history hidden around every corner. You don’t have to fork out a small fortune for museum tickets, or spend your whole day inside listening to audio guides (although I do love a good audio guide myself). Instead, travellers are now finding ways to guide themselves around the city with walking tours, guides and specialist maps like the ones you’ll find below! Guiding your own historical experience allows you to take your time, tailor the experience, and save money without missing any of the wonderful secrets this city has to offer.
The Secret City: A Spy’s Guide to London by Richard Hutt
& Matt Stevens
9781838216726 / Herb Lester Associates / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £12
The Secret City: A Spy’s Guide to London is a brilliant way to explore London’s most exciting secrets, as explorers are taken through locations where the course of history has been altered, from the early 20th century to the present day through assassinations, arrests and assignations.
Black History London Map by Jody Burton, Avril Nanton
& Jake Green
9781912018215 / Blue Crow Media / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £9
Part of Blue Crow Media’s line of specialist city maps — this time examining the impact Black history has made on London and the must-see spaces from its history.
The English Heritage Guide to London’s Blue Plaques
9781912836055 / September Publishing / PB / £19.99
Whether they be musicians, scientists, sports stars, artists, actors, inventors or politicians — this compact English Heritage guide reveals, with wit and insight, the stories of over 950 of London’s most extraordinary people and the homes in which they lived.
Nature
Did you know that London is classified as a forest by the UN? With approximately 8.5 million trees compared to its 9 million people, London is the world’s largest urban forest. Outdoors-y folks will be inspired by these guides to London’s parks, rivers, walks, and more!
London National Park City: Greater London Area Urban Nature Map by Urban Good
9781914432002 / Urban Good / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £9.99
Large, folded, beautiful, green city maps showing parks, rivers, walks, and more to inspire people of all ages to explore.
An Opinionated Guide to London Green Spaces by Harry Ades & Marco Kesseler
9781910566688 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £9.95
An unashamedly opinionated guide to the best parks and lesser-known green spaces in London.
Wild London
9781910023686 / Herb Lester Associates / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £4
Wild London provides both travellers and Londoners alike with the chance to escape the swathes of concrete, brick, and crowds, and towards spaces untouched by human hand. These heartening spots show visitors a new side of London, where nature has taken root amid concrete and brick.
Great Trees of London Map by Paul Wood & Derek Lamberton
9781912018765 / Blue Crow Media / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £8
Discover London’s urban flora in this bestselling map guide!
Architecture
Walking tours have always been a great way to see the city, get some fresh air, and learn new facts about wherever you’re visiting! Self-guided tours give you the flexibility to walk at your own pace, make longer stops to take in your surroundings, and pop into local businesses along the way. Blue Crow’s large range of maps give travellers the option to deep dive into specific architectural styles and history; from the London underground, to the bedazzling architecture of the Art Deco style.
Art Deco London Map by Henrietta Billings & Simon Phipps
9780993193460 / Blue Crow Media / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £8
This two-sided folding map features over seventy leading examples of Art Deco architecture in London, from Eltham Palace to the Hoover Building. The reverse side of the map features an introduction to Art Deco by Henrietta Billings, photos by Simon Phipps and details about each building.
Nicholas Hawksmoor London Map by Owen Hopkins
9781912018932 / Blue Crow Media / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £9
Few have left their mark on London’s skyline quite like architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Out of the ashes of the Great Fire of London, Hawksmoor designed many of London’s most powerful and certainly most enigmatic buildings; all plotted and detailed here.
Brutalist London Map: Second Edition by Henrietta Billings & Simon Phipps
9781912018833 / Blue Crow Media / SHEET MAP FOLDED / £9
Take a look into London’s iconic Brutalist architecture. Celebrated Brutalist buildings such as the Trellick Tower, the Barbican and the National Theatre are included along with lesser known, yet equally influential buildings.
On a Shoestring
An Opinionated Guide to Free London by Emmy Watts
9781914314322 / Hoxton Mini Press / PB / £10.95
For extra budget-friendly options, look no further than Hoxton Mini Press’ Opinionated Guide to Free London, which hits shelves on 16th March — they’ve packed it with culture, relaxation, and entertainment that won’t cost a single penny!
For Canine Companions
Dog Friendly London by Four & Sons
9781910566916 / Hoxton Mini Press / HB / £17.95
From the preppy little dachshunds of Hackney, to the wild and galivanting Labradors on Hampstead Heath; London is a city that LOVES dogs. Now, going out or travelling in the city is even easier for dog lovers, because Hoxton Mini Press have made the perfect guide just for them: Dog-Friendly London!
