A creative, hip and youthful crowd meets in Shoreditch. This energetic East End district has witnessed many changes from its ancient origins. It was the location for one of England’s first theaters in 1576, a hub for the textile industry and a Victorian-era entertainment zone. Visit Shoreditch today for avant-garde galleries, markets, pop-up stores, mouthwatering cuisine and a revered nightlife scene.

Brick Lane, which stretches into neighboring Spitalfields, is a one-stop destination for antiques, fresh produce, kitsch wares and retro clothing. It’s especially lively at weekends for the Brick Lane Sunday Market. Browse for homeware, retro fashion, vinyl records and everything in between at weekday markets inside the old Truman Brewery. Mix shopping with culinary adventures at dozens of Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants.

Independent shops, dive bars, taprooms and traditional English pubs line the Great Eastern Street, Old Street and Shoreditch High Street triangle. Discover emerging music acts at the not-for-profit Village Underground. Shop for unique garments and feast on street food at BOXPARK Shoreditch, a pop-up mall set in refurbished shipping containers.

Contemporary and urban street art is the predominant theme of the area’s galleries. Peruse exhibitions at The Brick Lane Gallery, Hales Gallery and Pure Evil Gallery. See Banksy’s Designated Graffiti Area and Stefan Powers’s Lets Adore and Endure Each Other. St. Leonard’s Church, which is mentioned in the Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme, puts on rotating art exhibitions and live music recitals.

Enjoy picnics and excellent people-watching at leafy Hoxton Square. This 330-year-old square is a favorite hangout of everyone from flamboyantly dressed locals to suited city workers. For a change of scenery, Sunday’s Columbia Road Flower Market is a sensory overload of aromas and colors.

Shoreditch is easy to travel to by taking the train to Shoreditch High Street station and the underground to Old Street station. It’s about a 25-minute train ride from Leicester Square, in Central London. The neighborhood borders Hackney, Hoxton and Spitalfields.