A Pleasant Visit to Little Venice

I was up a little too bright and early for the weekend. But the weather on Sunday had me singing with the birds. I dropped my friend a message and told her to meet me at our “local” coffee shop. The coffee shop in question happens to be Costa Coffee and is based in Central London, an hour away from us both, but it’s still known as our local (must be a London thing). I arrived first and ordered myself a hot chocolate, yes, in this beautiful weather. Over hot beverages, we discussed the areas we were yet to explore and Little Venice was up on our list. With that settled we put our empty cups down and made a move.

Located in a residential area of Maida Vale, Little Venice is one of London’s best-kept secrets. For a first time visit, I was not disappointed. This was one of those I’ll go tomorrow trips and that “tomorrow” only happened to come last Sunday. We entered the hidden gem through Rembrandt Gardens, found an empty bench, sat back and relaxed for a while, escaping the classical crammed streets. Greenery enwrapped itself around us with its peaceful, warm aura, accompanied by a couple of pigeons.

I admired the stunning view, the assortment of colourful canal boats moored around the banks and beautiful, Regency style mansions lined along the sides.

All rested up, we took an admiring stroll along the picturesque path. Peering at all the vibrantly decorated boats, picking our favourites as we did. I adored the small, homely details of the adorned windowsills, planted entrances and wooden deck chairs on sunny rooftops. 

Dotted around the canal, we discovered a few houseboats had been renovated into cosy cafes. Lovely for a coffee break with a pleasant view. A pizza boat caught my eye.

Apart from the boats, there was a lot more to see and cherish. The attention to detail is a joy for any visitor; the luminescent orange tunnels, rainbow mirrored street art and coloured tube lights below the underpass bridge.