What are the best are to stay in London?
Where are the best areas to stay in London?
See this map for reference:
Deciding where are the best areas to stay in London can be somewhat an awkward decision to make, given that there is a multitude of locations to choose from. What are the factors at play?
Are you looking for: centrality, being among the sites and the main locations; quiet and calm, a bit further away and happy to commute in (maybe lower cost); or are you looking to be a more luxurious area? If you want centrality, then you are going to be staying among the most touristy locations.
This article first talks about the central locations of London focusing primarily on what’s connected to each other and close to the main attractions, and then what’s further afield.
Central London
For the best experience of London, you ideally want to stay by the centre, which will now be discussed in the remainder of the article. Once again, please see the map (below).
You may wish to compare this map to whatever you’re using whether it’s Google or Apple Maps, so that you can understand in richer detail the specific areas of which you’re staying. However, by reading the rest of this blog you can get an idea about these different locations in greater detail.
Kensington
If you are look at the areas the north, west and south of Hyde Park (at the left of the map), you’ll see Kensington).
Kensington is a very affluent area. It’s a bit of a mixture as some areas are more residential than others. However, in general, if you want to have great links to the centre of London, whether that’s by trains, buses or taxis, the best area to stay in Kensington is around South Kensington predominantly in the vicinity Of Queens Gate until the Rembrandt Hotel.
To the west of Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens is central Kensington, which is a nice area, and has an array of restaurants, cafes and bars. It has the Copthorne Tara hotel and a Holiday Inn, however at this point you are quite removed from Central London, having only Kensington Palace and Notting Hill relatively near you.
To the northwest (on the map in blue and black shading is Notting Hill. Notting Hill is a lovely location, however except for Portobello Road, it is highly residential and very removed from the centre. It is more a location to perhaps visit for half a day (for the famous Portobello Road market) than stay if you’re looking for centrality.
Further east of that is Knightsbridge and Belgravia (the area at the bottom right of Hyde Park) known for its luxurious hotels. However, here you will certainly be paying a hefty price tag for the pleasure.
The Westend
If you look at the map and you see that there is a small area along the north of Hyde Park called Bayswater. And whilst it’s not far from the West End, It is however very residential. So if you are staying along Bayswater realistically you are best to stay very close to even a train station or Closer to Marble Arch. East of here: around Oxford Street and Regent Street you have the “Westend”. This area is comprised of four areas or quadrants, divided by Oxford Street running East to West, and Regent Street / Portland Place running North to South: Northwest Marylebone / Northeast Fitzrovia / Southwest Mayfair / Southeast Soho.
Generally speaking, you are closer to the sights and major attractions if you are south of Oxford Street, but it is not that much of a difference. However, whilst it is not cheap in any of these locations, the more popular spots Mayfair and Soho have their pros and cons.
Mayfair is very affluent – in fact, being one of the dark blues of the Monopoly boards (as is Park Lane that runs along its west and Hyde Park) – so staying here comes at a cost. It is a nice neighbourhood and away from Berkeley Square and Bruton/Conduit Street you may find it be relatively quiet in a busy area.
Soho is a very cool neighbourhood, being a mixture of the media, gay and bohemian nature of London. The downside is that Soho is a very busy part of town, especially at night.
Westminster
Westminster is a big part of the central London, but in this article its in the context of addressing the areas of St James, near St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament (Big Ben included), Whitehall and the general south of Westminster. Looking at the map, this is the area roughly in the middle, surrounded by Grosvenor Place in the west, Piccadilly in the north, Whitehall / the Thames in the east and the bottom in Pimlico by either Grosvenor Road or Millbank. Some hotels that give you an idea of great locations within this area are St Ermin’s, the Conrad St James, Raj St James and Reubens.
Midtown
Looking to further east on the north side of the Thames, you’ll then enter Midtown. Midtown generally speaking, this is a mixture of Covent Garden, Seven Dials, Bloomsbury and Holborn. Really the best places to stay are south Bernard Street, or near and south of the British Museum. So if you look at the map and you ideally want to be south of the blue faded areas. Generally speaking, near Covent Garden and Strand is about as central as anyone can get.
The City of London
East of Kingsway, south and west of the black faded areas on the map’s right-hand side, and north of the River Thames going from the east until the river bends, is the City of London. The city of London is the financial district. So it is very clean, and in the weekends can mostly appear quite quiet (as it only has a population of around 8,000 or so). However, Whilst the city of London May look very modern to most people, it’s there that you’ve actually got a lot of the history to discover as well as Westminster. There’s a lot of historic sites in between large modern offices, down small alleyways and on main roads, there’s roman, medieval, early-modern and more history everywhere.
So here you’re not far from the West End but then it’s a bit more quieter at night. But you’re not then too far away from the Tower of London Tower Bridge and of course, the South Bank.
South Bank
And then, if you look to the map on the south east side. So in other words, south of the river, this is one of the best areas to stay. Here, immediately next to the River Thames or at least along Southwark Street, Stamford Street and York Road – there’s many things to do, including: restaurants, cafes bars attractions and you’re not far from the bridges to cross over to the other side. And of course, you do have the famous London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tate Modern and Borough Market. The furthest you’d maybe want to stay south of the Thames would be Shad Thames, and the further west would be along Albert Embankment.
North of the Westend
Last but not least, looking at the north of Bloomsbury, Marylebone and Fitzrovia, and generally closer to Regents Park. These areas are mainly residential, apart from Camden (1-2 miles north of the British Museum). Whilst they’re not far from everything, they’re not necessarily the best places to stay, as a they are quite removed. Staying in St John’s Wood and generally by Regent’s Park can potentially be a bit too quiet if you want a choice of local things to do, whereas Camden may be quiet raucous for those looking for a bit of quiet and relaxation.
Further afield
Beautiful neighbourhoods further afield
If you’re looking for something alternative, then you may to consider in less or known areas such as Greenwich, Hampstead, Richmond And maybe Hampton Court if you would nice tradition and picturesque suburbs (though these examples are not necessarily cheap locations just because they are removed from the centre).
Cheaper options further afield – 6 miles or more from Trafalgar Square
If you are looking for cheaper options and happy to take train journeys into town each day, you can stay in areas such as Acton, Leytonstone, Croydon, Walthamstow, Royal Victoria and Gunnersbury… but bear in mind that with a lower cost comes SOMETIMES “rougher” neighbourhoods and or simply areas that have much fewer options of nice restaurants, bars, cafes and convenient things to do.
Walthamstow for example, however, does have plenty of cool cafes and restaurants, but there are parts of the neighbourhood that you should certain avoid if you are new to town. Walthamstow is one of many several East London locations that have been gentrified over the last 12 years or more (especially since the 2012 Olympics which struck a modern pulse into previously downtrodden and rough areas). But generally speaking, its not the best area of a tourist to stay.
Peripheral to Central London – within Central London but not close to the main areas
Hackney
If you are looking for something within 5 miles of Trafalgar Square, quite removed but has its own character, you may want to consider some parts of south and south-west Hackney, which parts have a pretty cool bohemian vibe due to gentrification, but there are parts that aren’t great, and it is a bit more awkward to get into the main hubs (though of course doable via transport links). Bethnal Green for example is on the Central Line, but the high road is hardly a place you would want to explore in much detail until you get closer to Shoreditch. That being said, if you can find cheaper accommodation in areas such as this – but usually for its lack of centrality and things to do.
Closer in
Closer to the centre, some good areas for lower-cost hotels can be found in neighbourhoods such as Whitechapel, Earl’s Court (very popular and within Kensington), or Shephard’s Bush. Earl’s Court, for example, used to have an exhibition centre (Earl’s Court) which explains the proliferation of hotels, hostels and B&B’s.
Around King’s Cross is another option that is considered by many, but you should be aware of the fact that King’s Cross is a very raucous area known to be frequented by revellers, drunks, beggars and drug addicts – especially during night-time. That being said, it is mainly around the train station and near Argyle Square that you would see that.
You may also find some cheaper stays around Paddington Station, around the vicinity of Sussex Gardens, however areas such as this provide the overspill of central London and can see notable price fluctuations, so be warned that whilst it’s not at the heart of Central London, it is not far out and is still within the Zone 1 peripheries. Paddington is often consider a good choice for those that want to be nearby, but not in the middle.
Of these options, most opt for either by Earl’s Court, King’s Cross and Paddington as they are well connected by roads and public transport, whereas Hackney is somewhat removed. Earl’s Court is often the popular choice as it is connected by underground lines that take you straight into the centre and even to the Tower of London in Central-East.
Note
Bear in mind that anyone who lives in or knows London well, will offer their own opinion, but this is article is written by a London Black Cab driver and tour guide who has experienced London and compares one to another. Some who live in the further away places may swear how great a location it is, but if you’re visiting London, you may not want to spend years looking for the best of every part of London, weighing them up with the downsides.
p.s.
apologies for any grammatical mistakes etc, this is a work-in-progress