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Joanna Kolan | TRAVEL |📍LONDON

@joannakolan

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✈️ Curated Travel | Travel guides & itineraries - London and beyond 📷 Travel creator | Ex-TripAdvisor.
🌎 londonandtheworld.com
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I truly believe it’s the smallest art gallery not only in London but in the entire world! It’s hiding just off Brick Lane 🖼️!

Most people walk straight past it. It sits at pavement level of Princelet Street, tucked into the bottom of a wall, so you have to crouch down to see inside: tiny windows, tiny frames, a whole exhibition no bigger than a shoebox. It was created by McKay Lenker Bayer of the Tiny Art Show, illustrator Holly Welch, and small spaces builder and artist John Connors.

The Wee Tiny Gallery is one of those little East London secrets that makes me love this city. It’s free, it’s open 24/7, and it takes two minutes to see it all! 😃

📍 Brick Lane / Princelet Street, East London

Save this for your next London day out 📩

#hiddenlondon #bricklane #londonhiddengems #thingstodoinlondon #eastlondon taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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5 days ago

Have you ever stumbled upon a place so flamboyant, so quirky, and theatrical, it feels like stepping into an alternate universe? 😃💫🎭

Last week, that’s exactly what happened when I discovered Sarastro, right in the very heart of London’s Covent Garden. 🥳

From being seated in a balcony that looks straight out of a real opera house, to tucking into mouthwatering Mediterranean dishes, I absolutely loved the experience.✨🧡

Here’s the secret: The best time to come is when Sarastro turns into a stage for live music shows. 🎼🎹🎺

But if you visit earlier in the afternoon, you get the whole place to yourself, free to wander and soak up every artwork, and eccentric detail.✨🎭

It’s also the perfect prelude to a night at the theatre or opera in London. So if you’re looking for a restaurant that is truly unusual and one of a kind, Sarastro is waiting for you! 🎺🎼

Save this for your next London night out 🤗🎺

#designmynightlondon #coventgardenlondon #londonrestaurants #sarastrorestaurant #coventgardenrestaurants taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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14 days ago

Canterbury bucket list: everything worth your time in one of England’s most atmospheric cities, located just under an hour from London by fast train 🚂💫

Here is my list of places to go:

1. Gardens: Westgate Gardens (with Alluvia, the underwater sculpture 💫), The Franciscan Gardens (hidden and intimate), and Dane John Gardens (where you can walk along the old city walls)

2. The Canterbury Tales Experience is an immersive, walk-through storytelling attraction inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The special effects, cinematic projections, and atmospheric sound and scenery are absolutely amazing!

3. Museums: The Roman Museum (built around a real Roman townhouse), and The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge (free and one of the most beautiful buildings in the city).

4. UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Canterbury Cathedral (where Thomas Becket was murdered), St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church.

5. The Goods Shed Market. A farmers’ market and restaurant in an old railway shed, right next to Canterbury West station.

6. Eastbridge Hospital. It was built to shelter poor pilgrims after Becket’s death, and you can still walk through the chapel and the undercroft. It’s only open a few days a week, so check before you go.

7. The Crooked House. A 17th-century house that leans at an impossible angle! It’s said to have inspired a passage in Dickens’ David Copperfield 🧐, it’s a bookshop now.

8. Marlowe Theatre, Bulkhead & the Gulbenkian. The theatre is named after Christopher Marlowe, who was born here. Look for Bulkhead, the giant sculpted face and catch a show or film at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre.

9. Punting on the River Stour - Possibly the loveliest way to see the city! 🍂🍁

🍽 Where to eat: The Goods Shed, The Refectory Kitchen, Café Marrakech, Café du Soleil, The Parrot are one of the best dining options. 🥗

🛏 Where to stay: The Falstaff Hotel for a central location, 15th-century historic charm, beautifully styled rooms, and extreme cosiness! 💫

Save this for your next day trip from London 🤍

📍 Canterbury, UK 🇬🇧
 #canterbury #daytripfromlondon #englandtravel #visitcanterbury #canterburykent taken in Canterbury, England, UK by @joannakolan

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18 days ago

✨ Wish you could step into history, not just read about it? 🕰️

At Beamish Museum, the past isn’t locked behind glass. Instead, you’re invited to wander through history, stroll along cobbled Edwardian streets, climb aboard a vintage tram, or amble through a Georgian landscape. 👣

Here’s how you can dive into different eras:

🍃 1820s Georgian Landscape - Lose yourself in tranquil parkland and charming period gardens.

🏘️ 1900s Town & Pit Village – Browse bustling shops, peek into a dentist’s surgery or a bank, or taste handmade sweets from the sweet shop. Step inside the homes of a music teacher or a solicitor to glimpse daily life from over a century ago.

🚜 Working 1940s Farm – Experience rural life during wartime.

🥤 Retro 1950s Town – Sip a creamy milkshake from the authentic milk bar, catch a movie or giggle at vintage adverts in the 1950s cinema.

Save this idea for your next adventure outside the city🚂

#BeamishMuseum #VisitEngland #VisitBritain #UKTravel #TripsFromLondon taken in Beamish Museum by @joannakolan

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3 months ago

Spooky season has landed in London!!🕷️🎃🍁 Here’s a Covent Garden Halloween bucket list for this October 👇

1. Snap a seasonal selfie with the Halloween installation on the West Piazza. They never disappoint!📸

2. Sip on sinister potion cocktails in a creepy setting at The Hunting Pop-Up Bar (9 Russell Street). Perfect for an eerie night out (just be sure to book ahead!) 🍹

3. Indulge in amazing autumn flavours across the area:

* Halloween-inspired crepes from The Crêpe Stop & and a pumpkin spiced Espresso Martini from the Thirsty Farrier (28/10-1/11)🥞
* Indulgent pumpkin spice drinks and pumpkin pies at EL&N Cafe (my favourite cafe in Covent Garden for unique pastries and drinks!)🎃
* A spooky cocktail with a twist, the Ghost of Venezia, at Fumo 🍸
* A Halloween Orange Wine Tasting at Courtyard Wine Cellars 🍷
* Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate topped with toasted marshmallow at Santa Nata 🍫 (until 10/11)

4. Dance the night away at the Halloween Silent Disco at the London Transport Museum on October 31st. 💃

5. Head to The Yards Covent Garden for Día de los Muertos celebrations, enjoy tequila and mezcal cocktails alongside Catrina face painting! 🎃

Planning a Halloween day out in London? Save this for later 📌

#halloweeninlondon #halloweencoventgarden #coventgardenlondon #autumninlondon visitlondon taken in Covent Garden London by @joannakolan

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9 days ago

If you’re looking for the most insane Halloween pop-up in London, you don’t need to look far! 👻🎃

The Haunting on Russell Street has recently opened in Covent Garden! 🕷️💀

I just checked out this incredible two-floor immersive experience, and let’s just say the drinks are just as eerie as the decor. 🍸🍵😱

You can sip on twisted cocktail creations (nothing short of wicked) like the CLOWN PEAR-ANOIA, WHAT LIES BENEATH, or the POISON APPLE 🍏. Plus they are served in the creepiest glassware, from cauldron and clown mugs to actual doll heads! 🧙

If you love immersive London events, this one is absolutely worth a try. It’s open for a limited time until November 1, 2026 so now is the best time to try it for a healthy dose of spookiness!🕯️🔮

#thehauntingonrussellstreet #londonhalloween #HalloweenInLondon #visitlondon #coventgardenlondon taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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10 days ago

🚂I just got back from a solo trip to Canterbury, and I enjoyed it more than I could’ve imagined! 💫✨

🍳I ate my way through local favourites, explored corners I’d never had time for on previous visits, and even challenged myself to early mornings, dragging myself out of bed at 5 am to take photos of the Cathedral at sunrise (the views were spectacular!).💫

🏨This time, I stayed one night at @thefalstaff: a beautiful, design-led hotel steeped in history, right in the city centre. I can’t imagine a cosier and more atmospheric place to reset. It’s full of character and endlessly photogenic, the perfect base for a getaway from London.💫

#visitcanterbury #VisitKent
#thefalstaff #canterburyhotels #ukgetaways taken in Canterbury, England, UK by @joannakolan

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a month ago

💫If you’re looking for a unique food hall in London, Mercato Mayfair might be the place for you! 💫🍧

💫Nestled inside St Mark’s, a deconsecrated 19th-century church, this beautiful food market is a feast for the senses.

💫You can try anything here from homemade Italian pasta and Asian ramen to Spanish tapas and sushi, all while admiring the stunning architecture 🍜🍱🍕

💫During one of my last visits, my friend and I booked a table at Soleado for a delicious Spanish cuisine (highly recommend).

💫If you’re just after a quick drink, you may head out to the terrace, or step into the crypt for a glass of good wine in an atmospheric setting. 🍷

💁‍♀️Pro tip:

💫Restaurants open at 12 pm, which is the best time to visit for lunch before it gets really crowded. But if you want to take photos or just admire the architecture, visit the market hall at 9 am when it opens. The building is almost completely empty then.

💫Save this for your next London adventure!💫

#mercatometropolitano #londonhiddengems #explorelondon #visitlondon #londonfood taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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2 months ago

Save this for your next Kent day trip! 📌 6 unmissable things to see in Canterbury 🇬🇧👇

Canterbury is one of my favourite historic cities in the UK, perfect for a relaxed weekend away or an easy day trip from London. Here’s my ideal one-day Canterbury itinerary:

1. Canterbury Tales - Step straight into Geoffrey Chaucer’s world. This reimagined medieval storytelling experience is fun, atmospheric, and fully immersive. I was impressed by the high tech special effects and cinematic holograms! 💫

2. Canterbury Cathedral – The breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and has been a pilgrimage site since the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170.

3. The Historic Gardens – Stroll through Westgate Gardens, Franciscan Gardens, and Greyfriars Gardens. In Westgate Gardens, keep an eye out for Alluvia, an underwater sculpture on the riverbed inspired by Millais’s painting Ophelia. You can also hop on a punt from Greyfriars and glide right along the River Stour. 🌿

4. The Museums – Discover local heritage at the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge, which is free to enter. Look out for the Victorian cabinet of curiosities, complete with taxidermy specimens like a Chinese pangolin and a platypus. You can also visit Canterbury Roman Museum, built around a Roman mosaic pavement uncovered when WWII bombing exposed the remains of a Roman courtyard house beneath the site.

5. The Goods Shed Market & Restaurant - Hands down one of the best food spots in Kent. You can grab artisan produce or sit down for an incredible farm-to-fork meal at the Goods Shed restaurant.

6. St Augustine’s Abbey – Wander through the ancient monastic ruins to escape the crowds. Fun fact: founded in 598 AD by St Augustine himself, it’s one of the oldest monastic sites in England and part of the same UNESCO World Heritage Site as Canterbury Cathedral.

🚂 Getting there: It takes under 1 hour on the high-speed train from London St Pancras to Canterbury West!

💬 Which of these spots would you head to first? Let me know below!

📍 Location: Canterbury, Kent, UK

#Canterbury #VisitKent #VisitEngland #DayTripsFromLondon uktrav taken in Canterbury, Kent by @joannakolan

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a month ago

I’m quite late to the London colour hunting challenge but I’ve always wanted to jump on this trend so here we go, let’s have some fun while exploring the city! 😃🎨✨

London isn’t just gray stone & rain :) It’s full of vibrant street art, pastel houses, splashes of colour everywhere, if we know where to look and pay close attention. 🌈🧑‍🎨

Shoreditch/Spitalfields are my top picks for colour hunting, but Camden, Nottinghill & Covent Garden are full of surprises too. Wherever you wander, a burst of colour will capture your eye.

Ps: This reel was mainly shot in Regent Street but I took photos for it in various London locations, mainly East London… I must admit, to shoot this video I had to step outside my comfort zone which wasn’t easy. Sprinting down Regent Street in neon wigs on a busy weekend definitely drew some curious glances and gave the bus drivers something to laugh about!🙈😅But was the experience worth it? - definitely! 🙌

#colourhunting #colourhuntingchallenge #colourhuntingtrend #visitlondon #thingstodoinlondon taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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a day ago

Need a prescription for a heartbreak, burnout, fatigue, or sadness?💊🙂🩹📖

Tucked away on the first floor of Lush Spa on Oxford Street, you’ll find The Poetry Pharmacy, tiny literary emporium complete with its own coffee house.

Instead of medicine, this unusual pharmacy is dispensing poetry. Their glass bottles are filled with poetic extracts to inspire joy and soothe the soul.

☕️ Why go: it’s a wonderful spot to slow down, sip a coffee, or pick up a deeply personal gift for someone you care about (including yourself!) 💐💝

📍 Location: Oxford Street (inside Lush Spa, 1st Floor) 📌 Save this for your next trip to Central London.

#poetrypharmacy #londonhiddengems #thingstodoinlondon #hiddenlondon #visitlondon taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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2 months ago

I came across London Alpacas online and instantly knew I had to go! 🦙✨

(Huge thanks to Time Out for this discovery 😄)

As a huge animal lover, passing this up was out of the question, so I dragged my friend along for the adventure and we both loved it! 🍃

🚇 + 🚖 How to Get There:

It couldn’t be easier: take the Central Line all the way to Epping, and then a quick 4-minute taxi ride from the station straight to the farm.

💫The Experience:

We booked a private experience (there are group options, too), which meant it was just the two of us hanging out with the alpacas! 🦙

Getting up close with these gentle creatures was so much fun, and I fell in love with friendly and sociable Blackberry who craved human attention and loved being petted (you’ll learn all cute alpaca names once you’re there!).

Sander, who showed us around, shared so many fascinating facts about alpacas. We both left with giant smiles and a newfound alpaca obsession! 🤗🧡

🌟 If you’re looking to shake up your weekend routine, love animals, or just want a peaceful escape from the city hustle, definitely put the Alpaca Farm on your bucket list! If you go soon, you’ll have a chance to see the new born baby alpacas too! 😍❤️

#londonalpacas #hiddenlondon #londondaytrip #explorelondon #uniquelondon taken in London, United Kingdom by @joannakolan

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2 months ago