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Canary Wharf is London’s gleaming second financial district, a cluster of glass towers rising from the old West India Docks. Sleek, modern and surprisingly green at the water’s edge, it offers big-city drama, covered shopping and a genuine sense of the capital’s reinvention.
Where is Canary Wharf and how to get there
Canary Wharf sits on the Isle of Dogs in east London, on a loop of the Thames. It is exceptionally well connected by the Jubilee line, the DLR and the fast Elizabeth line, putting it minutes from the City and central London.
Towers, docks and museums
The district is defined by its skyscrapers, among them some of the tallest buildings in the country, threaded with landscaped docks, waterside walkways and a large network of underground and mall shopping. The excellent Museum of London Docklands, set in a Georgian warehouse, tells the story of the river, the docks and the trade that built this part of London. Roof gardens and dockside bars soften the corporate edges.
Eating and drinking
Canary Wharf has a dense concentration of restaurants and bars, from quick lunches for the office crowd to smart dinners and lively after-work drinking by the water. It is busiest on weekday evenings.
Good to know
Is Canary Wharf worth visiting?
For fans of modern architecture and skylines it is a striking contrast to old London, with towers, docks, waterside walks and the free Museum of London Docklands. It is quieter at weekends, when it becomes a calm place for a riverside stroll and a meal.
Where to go next
Cross the river to Greenwich, or head to Wapping and Stratford. Browse all our London neighbourhood guides.
