Moving to Camden: the neighbourhoods compared

The first thing to know about moving to Camden is the Northern line. Camden Town station is where its two northern branches meet: Chalk Farm and Belsize Park are on the Edgware branch, Kentish Town is on the High Barnet branch, and the two split again south of Camden for Bank and Charing Cross. Where you live decides which train you wait for. Here are the five neighbourhoods we know best, compared honestly.

Camden Town, NW1: in the middle of it

Transport: Northern line, both branches, plus Camden Road on the Overground. Pros: everything is on the doorstep: the market, the canal, the Jazz Cafe, KOKO and the Electric Ballroom. Cons: the weekends. Camden Town station is so busy with market visitors that until 2019 it was exit-only on Sundays to manage the crowds. Locals learn to use Mornington Crescent or Camden Road on a Saturday.

Camden Town suits people who want to walk to a gig and walk home, and who do not mind tourists on the pavement. The quieter streets west of the high street, towards Albert Street and Regent’s Park, feel a world away from the Lock.

Kentish Town, NW5: the commuter’s pick

Transport: Northern line, High Barnet branch, and Thameslink. Kentish Town is the only station on the High Barnet branch with a direct National Rail interchange, per its Wikipedia entry, and there is an out-of-station interchange with Kentish Town West on the Overground.

Kentish Town Road is the best-value eating in our patch: The Parakeet’s fire-cooked food, chaat at Babuji, the Kossoffs bakery and coffee at Doppio and The Fields Beneath. On Sundays there is the Bootyfull car boot on Highgate Road. It is less polished than Primrose Hill and more lived-in than Camden Town, which is exactly why people move here.

Chalk Farm, NW1 and NW3: between the two

Transport: Northern line, Edgware branch; the station on Adelaide Road opened in 1907. Pros: you get the Roundhouse on Chalk Farm Road and the Stables at one end, and Primrose Hill at the other. It is ten minutes on foot from the market but out of the weekend crush.

Chalk Farm is the compromise for people who want Camden’s music within walking distance and a quieter Sunday. The Lansdowne on Gloucester Avenue, a Primrose Hill pub since 1992, is the local most people end up in.

Primrose Hill, NW1 and NW3: the village

Transport: no station of its own; Chalk Farm is the nearest. Pros: the hill itself. Primrose Hill was bought from Eton College in 1841 as open space for north London, and its summit, almost 63 metres up, is one of the city’s six protected viewpoints, per the Royal Parks. Regent’s Park is across the road.

Regent’s Park Road is the high street, and it is a proper one: Lemonia has been there since 1979, and Greenberry is the brunch everyone books. Cons: the cafés are small, and you will walk to the Tube. Note too that the Royal Parks locks the hill from 22:00 to 06:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from spring to early November.

Belsize Park, NW3: leafy and calm

Transport: Northern line, Edgware branch, between Hampstead and Chalk Farm. The station, at the northern end of Haverstock Hill, became Grade II listed in July 2011, per Wikipedia. The Royal Free Hospital is nearby, which matters to a lot of people who move here.

Belsize Park is the quietest of the five, with Hampstead Heath close enough to be your back garden. It is the choice for families and for anyone who wants Camden for a night out but not for a Tuesday.

Green space, area by area

Camden is greener than its reputation. The Regent’s Canal towpath runs through Camden Town and past Chalk Farm, two miles west to Little Venice past Regent’s Park and the zoo, and about 2.5km east to King’s Cross and the London Wildlife Trust’s Camley Street Natural Park. Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park sit side by side for anyone living in NW1 or NW3. Belsize Park has the Heath. Kentish Town has the least green on its doorstep, but the canal is within reach to the south, at Kentish Town Lock, and so is the Bootyfull car boot on Highgate Road every Sunday.

At a glance

• Best for commuting: Kentish Town, with the Northern line and Thameslink.
• Best for nightlife: Camden Town.
• Best for green space: Primrose Hill or Belsize Park.
• Best compromise: Chalk Farm, between the Roundhouse and the hill.
• Best food on a budget: Kentish Town Road.

Our advice: before you sign anything, do the commute from the actual front door at 08:00 on a weekday, and walk the high street at 23:00 on a Saturday. Camden changes character by the hour, and by the street.