Whether you're jetlagged, insomniac or wired, London at night is a mysterious place. People behave differently, the streets are sodium yellow and the parks are dark. As colours desaturate, familiar areas can turn dangerous. Curiocity has been strolling in the gloaming, pinpointing the best and most unusual experiences this wild shadow city has to offer.
Like any city London can be dangerous, so make sure you take precautions and don't walk alone at night.
Stargazing, Hampstead
The highest point in central London, Hampstead Heath, is one of the best places for stargazing. Drop east from Heath House above the Vale of Health for a great viewing spot. For a closer look, head back along Lower Terrace to the Hampstead Observatory: the Hampstead Scientific Society (hampsteadscience.ac.uk) opens its telescopes for free from 8-10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, mid September to mid-April. There is also free access to the UCL Observatory in Mill Hill (ulo.ucl.ac.uk).
Werewolf, Soho
If it's raining, find a werewolf with a Chinese menu and follow him to Lee Ho Fooks (now Golden Harvest) for a big dish of beef chow mein (Gerrard Street, closes 1am, restaurantprivilege.com/golden-harvest). If you miss it, try Mr Kong (Lisle Street, closes 2.45am, mrkongrestaurant.com). Either way, listen to Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London song in the clip above (and all will become clear). For more music go to Ronnie Scott's Late Late Show (Frith Street, 12.45am, ronniescotts.co.uk) or Ain't Nothin' But (Kingly Street, closes 2.30am, aintnothinbut.co.uk). Afterwards drop into the legendary Bar Italia for a nightcap (Frith Street, open 24/7, baritaliasoho.co.uk) or Lick for a gelato (Greek Street, closes 12.30am, lick-gelato.com).
Prince Charles, Leicester Square
The Prince Charles Cinema holds regular all-night film marathons. Pyjamas mandatory. (7 Leicester Place, princecharlescinema.com.)
Bats, Hyde Park
The London Bat Group has an active event calendar (londonbats.org.uk). Head to Hyde Park to see pipistrelles, Europe's smallest bat, and noctules, Britain's largest, best seen flitting over the Serpentine. While you're there, consider the sinister aftermath of the lost film, London After Midnight. This 1927 vampire flick was used as a defence by Robert Williams, who murdered a girl in Hyde Park: he claimed the film had driven him temporarily insane. Perhaps it's fortunate that the last known copy was incinerated in 1967. Then walk from Hyde Park to 138 Piccadilly (now Eon House), the central London residence of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Ghosts, Hammersmith to Notting Hill
After spirits at the Black Lion Pub, Hammersmith (theblacklion-hammersmith.co.uk), try this closing time ghost tour. The pub itself is haunted by Thomas Millwood, shot in 1803 by an excise officer who mistook him, ironically, for the "Hammersmith Ghost", an earlier spectre then terrorising the area. During the ensuing murder trial, John Graham, a shoemaker, revealed that he was the Hammersmith Ghost and had been dressing up in costume to protest against ghost stories. Walk to Margravine Cemetery (margravinecemetery.org.uk), the site of one of Graham's attacks, and complete the tour by visiting Holland Park (rbkc.gov.uk), where the Earl of Holland still carries his severed head; the Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill (coronet.org), where a spectral cashier haunts the stalls; and Cambridge Gardens to catch a phantom bus.
Pagoda, Battersea Park
At sunrise every morning, a single Buddhist monk makes the short walk from his temple and home in Battersea Park (batterseapark.org/history/peace-pagoda) to the riverside Peace Pagoda, beating a drum and chanting the Daimoku. Join the Reverend Gyoro Nagase for prayers at dawn.
Breakfast, Wholesale Markets Nightbus Tour
After a sleepless night there's nothing better than a fry-up, so why not spend the night assembling ingredients? Arrive at New Spitalfields Market (Leyton, wholesalefruitvegetableflowers.co.uk) for 1.30am to find the juiciest mushrooms and tomatoes. Then hop on the N26 and N242 to Smithfield (Farringdon, opens 3am, smithfieldmarket.com). Rifle the meat stalls for the perfect sausages and bacon, and drop into Tinseltown Diner for a snack (St John Street, closes 5am, tinseltown.co.uk/Farringdon). Hop back on the N242 and catch the 344 via Elephant & Castle to New Covent Garden (Vauxhall, newcoventgardenmarket.com). You can pick up freshly laid eggs among the flowers. Finally catch the 344 and 135 to New Billingsgate (Canary Wharf, opens 5am, cityoflondon.gov.uk) for kippers.
Polo Bar, Liverpool Street
It's always breakfast time in Polo Bar. Nestled next to Liverpool Street Station (176 Bishopsgate, polo24hourbar.co.uk), this fine greasy spoon is open 24hrs a day and has been serving fry-ups for nigh on 50 years.
Nocturnal Brixton
Sometimes one night is too short, but in Brixton that doesn't have to be a problem. Begin Friday evening at Hootananny on Effra Road (hootanannybrixton.co.uk). Skank like crazy then migrate to Speedy Noodle (speedy-noodle.co.uk) on the High Street. Order the vegetables in black bean sauce with egg fried rice. Fuelled up, head to one of Brixton's many clubs. When the party slows at sunrise, never fear! Head to Club 414 on Coldharbour Lane (club414.org) for their morning after-party. Come midday you'll be back on the street. Put on some shades and grab a taxi to the Windmill Pub (windmillbrixton.co.uk). It's always nighttime in this windowless music cave. Celebrate sunset and the start of another night on the brow of Brixton Hill, rumoured site of Brixi's Stone – the Saxon boundary stone from which the name Brixton is thought to originate.
Tower of London
The historic Ceremony of the Keys takes place daily at the Tower of London at 21.53pm. It's free and open to the public but you must apply by letter two months in advance: hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon.
• This is an extract from Curiocity, a folded map-magazine of unexpected journeys and experiences around London, written and edited by Henry Eliot and Matt Lloyd and designed by Tom Kingsley. Celestial London is their latest map; £2.50 in bookshops and online at curiocity.org.uk
