5 Best Sights in Hampstead, London

It was while lodging in this house between 1818 and 1820 that the leading Romantic poet John Keats (1795–1821) fell in love with girl-next-door Fanny Brawne and wrote some of his best-loved poems. (Soon after, ill health forced him to move to Rome, where he died the following year.) After a major refurbishment to make the rooms more in keeping with their original Regency decor, the house, now a museum devoted to the poet's life and work, displays all sorts of Keats-related material, including portraits, letters, many of the poet's original manuscripts and books, the engagement ring he gave to Fanny, and items of her clothing. A pretty garden contains the plum tree under which Keats reputedly composed Ode to a Nightingale. There are frequent Keats-themed events, including evening poetry readings, concerts, and special talks featuring local literary luminaries (an adjoining building houses a community-operated library). Picnics can be taken onto the grounds during the summer; during the spring and summer, the house organizes monthly Keats in Hampstead guided walks (150 minutes, £10).

This largely Palladian villa offers an escape to a gracious country house with a magnificent collection of old master paintings and beautiful grounds, all a short Tube ride from central London. Originally built in 1616, Kenwood was expanded by Robert Adam starting in 1767 and later by George Saunders in 1795. Adam refaced most of the exterior and added the splendid library, which, with its vaulted ceiling and Corinthian columns, is the highlight of the house's interior. A major renovation restored four rooms to reflect Adam's intentions as closely as possible, incorporating the furniture he designed specifically for the space and his original color schemes.

Kenwood is also home to the Iveagh Bequest, a world-class collection of some 60 paintings that includes masterworks like Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Two Circles and Vermeer's The Guitar Player, along with major works by Reynolds, van Dyck, Hals, Gainsborough, Turner, and more. Knowledgeable room guides are present to answer any questions on the rooms and the works inside. The 112 acres of grounds, designed by Humphry Repton and bordered by the less manicured Heath, are equally elegant and serene, with lawns sloping down to a little lake crossed by a trompe-l'oeil bridge. All in all, it's the perfect retreat for an 18th-century gentleman. In summer, the grounds host a series of family-oriented events, including an Easter Egg hunt. The Brew House café, occupying part of the old coach house, has outdoor tables in the courtyard and a terraced garden.

Among the many artists and intellectuals fleeing Nazi persecution who settled in the area was noted architect Ernö Goldfinger, who built this outstanding and influential modernist home opposite Hampstead Heath in 1939 as his family residence. (His plans drew the ire of several local residents, including novelist Ian Fleming, who supposedly got his revenge by naming the Bond villain after his neighbor.) Along with design touches and building techniques that were groundbreaking at the time, the unique house, a place of pilgrimage for 20th-century architecture enthusiasts, also contains Goldfinger's impressive collection of modern art and self-designed innovative furniture. Admission between 11 am and 2 pm is by hourly guided tour or you can embark on a self-guided tour at 3, 3:20, or 3:40. All must be booked in advance.

One of Hampstead's oldest buildings, Burgh House was built in 1704 to take advantage of the natural spa waters of the then-fashionable Hampstead Wells. A private house until World War II, it was saved from dereliction in the 1970s by local residents, who have maintained it ever since. The building is a fine example of the genteel elegance typical of the Queen Anne period, with brick frontage, oak-paneled rooms, and a terraced garden that was originally designed by Gertrude Jekyll. Today the house contains a small but diverting collection of objects, paintings, textiles, and furniture related to the history of the house and the surrounding area, and also hosts regular talks, concerts, and recitals (and weddings). The secluded garden courtyard of the café is a lovely spot for lunch, tea, or a glass of wine on a summer's afternoon.

This handsome 17th-century merchant's home, Hampstead's oldest surviving house, has fine collections of ceramics, early keyboard instruments, and 17th-century needlework. The 2-acre walled garden, with its rose plantings and 32 varieties of apples and pears in the orchard, has remained virtually unchanged for 300 years and is a delightful refuge from the surrounding urban roar. Booking tickets in advance for a visit to the house is required as entry is by timed ticket only; you can stop by and visit the garden without booking in advance.