A complete guide to Highgate Village: Highgate Cemetery, Waterlow Park, the historic High Street, the best pubs, getting there, and how it compares to Hampstead.
Highgate Village Guide: What to See, Eat, and Do in North London
Highgate is one of London's best-preserved hilltop villages — a cluster of Georgian houses, literary associations, and green space perched above the city, a short walk from Hampstead Heath's eastern edge. Its headline draw is Highgate Cemetery, resting place of Karl Marx and George Eliot, but the village rewards a slower visit: a steep, handsome High Street, the quietly grand Waterlow Park, and some of north London's finest historic pubs. Here is what makes it worth the trip, and how to spend a half-day — or a full one — there.
Key Takeaways
- Highgate sits on a ridge opposite Hampstead (postcodes N6 and N19), connected via the Heath Extension and Kenwood
- Highgate Cemetery is the headline attraction — Karl Marx, George Eliot, and one of London's great Victorian landscapes
- Waterlow Park, the High Street, and a cluster of excellent pubs make it an easy half-day out
- It is quieter and less commercial than Hampstead, with a more residential, villagey feel
- The best approach is to combine it with a walk across the Heath from Hampstead — one of London's finest free experiences
Where Highgate Is and How to Get There
Highgate sits on a hill in north London (postcodes N6 and N19), directly across Hampstead Heath from Hampstead village itself. The two are connected on foot via the Heath Extension and Kenwood — a walk of roughly forty minutes through woods and open grassland that is one of the best short walks in London, and the way most locals would tell you to arrive.
By tube, Highgate station sits on the Northern line (High Barnet branch), about a ten-minute walk uphill from the village centre — the geography here mirrors Hampstead, where the tube also sits below the village, but Highgate's High Street climbs more steeply still. Buses 143, 210, and 271 run through the village, with the 210 being particularly useful as it links Highgate directly to Hampstead's outer edge and the Heath. If you are driving, be warned: parking in the village is limited, largely permit-controlled, and the steep, narrow streets are not built for it. Public transport, or arriving on foot across the Heath, is by far the easier choice.
Highgate High Street and the Village Centre
The High Street is Highgate's spine — a curve of Georgian and Victorian shopfronts, independent cafes, a few good restaurants, and the kind of small bookshops and delis that have largely disappeared from central London. It is smaller and less polished than Hampstead's high street, and that is part of its appeal: there is less tourist traffic and more of the texture of an actual working village.
Independent coffee shops, a well-regarded deli or two, and a scattering of boutiques anchor the street. The Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, founded in 1839, still runs talks, an excellent members' library, and a gallery space — a reminder that Highgate has always positioned itself as a place for serious, unshowy cultural life. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge spent his final years in the village and is commemorated here; he is one of a long line of writers, scientists, and artists who have called Highgate home.
Highgate Cemetery: The Main Event
No guide to Highgate can avoid leading with the cemetery, because it is genuinely one of London's great sights. Opened in 1839 as one of the "Magnificent Seven" Victorian cemeteries built to relieve overcrowded inner-London churchyards, Highgate Cemetery is split into two parts. (For a deeper dive into who is buried here, see our guide to Highgate Cemetery.)
West Cemetery: Accessible only by guided tour, this is the older, wilder, more atmospheric half — Egyptian Avenue, the Circle of Lebanon, ivy-smothered Victorian monuments collapsing gently into the undergrowth. Tours must be booked in advance and regularly sell out, especially at weekends and through the summer.
East Cemetery: Open for self-guided visits, and home to the most-visited grave in London — Karl Marx, marked by a huge bronze bust on a granite plinth. Also buried here: the novelist George Eliot, the writer Douglas Adams, the artist Patrick Caulfield, and the punk impresario Malcolm McLaren, among many others.
Tickets are required for both sections and help fund the charity that maintains the grounds. Allow at least ninety minutes if you want to see both sides properly, and wear sensible shoes — the West Cemetery in particular is uneven, overgrown, and often muddy. The cemetery's own visitor information is the place to check current opening hours, tour times, and ticket prices before you go.
Waterlow Park
Immediately next to the cemetery, Waterlow Park is a genuinely lovely twenty-six-acre park gifted to London "for the enjoyment of Londoners" by Sir Sydney Waterlow in 1889. It has terraced lawns, ponds with waterfowl, mature trees, and views south across the city that rival anything from Parliament Hill — without the crowds. It is one of the most underrated green spaces in north London, and entry is free.
Lauderdale House, a restored sixteenth-century mansion within the park, runs a cafe, exhibitions, and family events, and is a good stop for coffee or lunch before or after the cemetery. With the cemetery, the park, and the house clustered together, this corner of Highgate easily fills a half-day on its own.
Pubs and Places to Eat
Highgate punches well above its weight on pubs — a subject worth a guide of its own, but here are the essentials:
- The Flask (Highgate West Hill): A genuine seventeenth-century inn with a warren of rooms, a courtyard, and a literary pedigree. One of north London's best-loved traditional pubs, and the obvious choice for a long, atmospheric lunch.
- The Wrestlers (North Road): A handsome old pub with a strong food offering and a reputation for keeping alive the ancient ceremony of "Swearing on the Horns," a quirky local tradition dating back centuries.
- The Gatehouse (North Road): A large pub with a long-running theatre upstairs — useful for groups, and worth checking for what's on.
- The Angel Inn and a scattering of independent restaurants and cafes on and around the High Street cover modern European, Mediterranean, and casual dining at a reasonable level.
For coffee and cake, the village has several independent cafes that avoid the chains entirely — worth seeking out rather than settling for the nearest branded option near the station.
Highgate Wood and the Wider Area
Beyond the village centre, Highgate Wood — a short distance north — is an ancient woodland of roughly seventy acres, with marked trails, a cafe, a children's playground, and a genuine sense of being deep in the trees despite the surrounding city. Together with nearby Queen's Wood, it gives Highgate a second, wilder green lung to set against the manicured Waterlow Park, and makes the area a strong choice for anyone visiting with children or dogs.
Highgate vs Hampstead: How They Differ
Visitors often ask whether to choose Highgate or Hampstead if short on time. The honest answer: Hampstead has more to do in a concentrated area — shops, restaurants, museums, and the Heath itself — while Highgate is quieter, smaller, and more purely residential. Its cemetery aside, it rewards a slower, more contemplative visit rather than a packed itinerary. We compare the two in detail in our Hampstead vs Highgate guide, but the short version is this: Hampstead for buzz and breadth, Highgate for atmosphere and quiet.
If you can, do both. The walk between them across the Heath Extension and past Kenwood House is one of London's best free experiences, and turns two half-day visits into a single, memorable day out. The two villages also share a deeper history — the Highgate Cemetery–Hampstead connection is one strand of a relationship that goes back centuries.
Practical Tips
- Book Highgate Cemetery's West side tour in advance — it regularly sells out, especially on weekends and in summer
- Combine with Kenwood House — a walk of around twenty to thirty minutes through the Heath connects the two
- Visit on a weekday morning if possible — Highgate is far quieter than Hampstead and rewards an unhurried pace
- Wear proper shoes — the cemetery and the Heath paths between Highgate and Hampstead are often muddy
- Don't drive — parking is scarce and permit-controlled; arrive by tube, bus, or on foot across the Heath
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Highgate Cemetery worth visiting?
Yes — it is one of London's most atmospheric and historically significant sights. The East Cemetery (home to Karl Marx and George Eliot) can be visited independently, while the wilder, more dramatic West Cemetery is accessible by guided tour only. Tickets are required and the tours sell out, so book ahead.
How do you get from Hampstead to Highgate?
The most rewarding route is on foot — a walk of roughly forty minutes across the Heath Extension and past Kenwood House, through woods and open grassland. Alternatively, the 210 bus links the two, or you can travel by Northern line via the wider network.
How long do you need in Highgate?
Allow a half-day for the highlights — the cemetery, Waterlow Park, and a wander along the High Street with lunch at a pub. A full day is easily filled if you add Highgate Wood or extend the visit with the Heath walk to or from Hampstead.
Is Highgate better than Hampstead?
Neither is "better" — they suit different moods. Hampstead offers more shops, restaurants, museums, and visitor buzz in a concentrated area, while Highgate is quieter, smaller, and more residential. Combining both in one day, linked by the Heath walk, is the ideal way to experience them.
Final Thoughts
Highgate is what Hampstead might look like with the volume turned down — same hilltop-village DNA, same literary and historical density, far fewer visitors. For anyone who has already done the Hampstead Heath circuit and wants somewhere quieter with just as much substance, it is the natural next stop, and the walk between the two is reason enough on its own.
Sources: Highgate Cemetery — Visitor Information; Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution.
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