Where to Stay in London

A guide to London neighborhoods

London Skyline

If you are planning a stay in London, there are numerous safe and conveniently located neighborhoods to choose from. London is a sprawling city, and even the central area is quite spread out. But the London Underground or ‘tube’ offers an easy way to get around. You might not be able to stay within walking distance of everything that you want to see and do, but you will almost certainly be in walking distance of a tube station, which is just as good, if not better. Here is a guide to the main areas of London to help you decide where you want to stay.

Central London - Covent Garden, The Strand, Holborn

This is London’s theater district, so ideal for those who want to take in a show or two. It is home to The Royal Opera House, Theatre Royal, Adelphi Theatre, The London Coliseum and the London Theatre Museum. Covent Garden has a lively open air cafes, pubs, street entertainers, shopping in the Piazza and Central Market and home to West End theatres. Holburn, known as legal London, is home to the Royal Courts of Justice and the Inns of Court. The area is served by Tube stops at Leicester Square, Charing Cross, Temple, Embankment and Holborn.

London Central - Bayswater

Bayswater is in West London. Its not the same area as the ‘West End’ theater district which is further east and close to The City.  It is a residential area, with stately homes and foreign embassies. The Bayswater (District Line) and Queensway (Central Line) Tube stations and are just a short ride to many of London’s top attractions including Buckingham Palace, Westminster and Royal London and shopping at Harrods in Knightsbridge. Of course, traveling by Tube will require you to change lines and master the mysteries of the Underground. Attractions in this area include Kensington Palace, Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall, the London Toy and Model Museum and the Saturday market at Portobello Road.

West London - South Kensington, Earls Court

Earls Court is a busy convention area and has numerous budget hotels, restaurants and books stores. Its  Easy access by Tube, Earls Court station is served by both the District and Piccadilly lines and is just four stations from Westminster and Royal London. South Kensington is one of the more desirable of London neighborhoods with embassies and consulates dotted about, premium shopping in Knightsbridge and many museums. Expensive luxury hotels abound in this area. Served by the Circle, Piccadilly and District tube lines. near by attractions include The Victoria & Albert Museum (known as the V&A), Royal Albert Hall, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Brompton Oratory, Albert Memorial, Royal College of Art, Kensington Gardens, Harrods, Serpentine Gallery, Speakers’ Corner, Earls Court and Olympia Exhibition Centres.

West London - Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge is next door to South Kensington and is home to Harrods, the London shopping icon, that is located adjacent to the Knightsbridge Tube stop (Piccadilly line). Stay here and you have an easy Tube ride to Piccaddilly Circus, Green Park, Leicester Square, Covent Gardens and Westminster (Royal London and Parliament). This is a popular area with US visitors but hotels can be expensive (even by London standards). Knightsbridge is close to Harrods, Hyde Park, Wellington Arch, V&A, Science Museum, Natural History Museum.

Paddington doesn’t have many tourist attractions but its is a busy, centrally located neighborhood. Its a great choice for budget travellers. Paddington is served by Tube stations in Paddington, Bayswater, Queensway, Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch so you have good access to central London and the tourist areas. Hyde Park is pretty close by. It’s also convenient to Paddington Station (railway not tube) which has an ‘express’ service direct to Heathrow Airport.

East London - The City, Docklands

City refers to “The City of London”, the financial district, built over the original Roman city, across the river from Bankside and Southwark with its theaters, London Eye, Tate Modern and markets. The City is about a square mile in area and is well served by five Underground lines, 10 buses and taxi service is excellent as you might imagine given the businesses in the area. It’s a great neighborhood from which to visit many of London’s top attractions, including  Christopher Wren’s masterpiece,St. Paul’s Cathedral, and historic attractions and buildings including the Tower of London, Mansion House and Old Bailey.

The Docklands is east from Tower Bridge Tube station and is where the Millennium Dome was built. It is now Europe’s largest commercial development. While far away from most of London must see attractions,  you can save on hotels in the Docklands, if you are willing to travel a little. You can easily get to most attractions via the Jubilee tube line, which runs through the area, but you will need to change lines for most of them.

West End Neighborhoods - Euston, Kings Cross

This is the Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia areas of London known for their literary leanings since the early 1900s, restaurants on Charlotte Street and Tottenham Road shops. A great location from which to explore London. Stay here and you are just north of the cafes, shopping and theatres of Covent Garden and The Strand; Soho and Trafalgar Square with its theaters, night clubs, restaurants and museums; and Holborn and the Inns of Court (Legal London). The area is quiet and well served by the Circle, Northern, Hammersmith, City and Central lines by Tube stations at Russell Square, Euston, Kings Cross, Euston Square, Tottenham Court Rd, etc. Local attractions include The British Museum, Theatreland, Dickens House Museum, The British Library, and many historic streets and buildings.

North London - Regents Park

North London consists Hamptead, Highgate, Regent’s Park, Marylebone area north of London. If you decide to stay in Hampstead and you’re really outside of London in what amounts to a Georgian Village. Hampstead is served by the Hamsptead Tube stop (Nothern line). Regent’s Park is served by Tube stations at St. John’s Wood, Marylebone and Baker Street. Hampstead Heath, Hampstead Village, Highgate Cemetary, Freud Museum, Keats House are in Hampstead. The London Zoo, Queen Mary’s Garden, Madame Tussaud’s, Planetarium, Regent’s Park, Sherlock Holmes Museum in Regent’s Park are also close by.

Hotels in the “Victoria Area” are located in Westminster, Waterloo, Vauxhall and Victoria, on both the North and South banks of the Thames between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. Tube service is via the Victoria, Westminster, Pimlico, Vauxhall Underground stations depending on the hotel you choose. Local attractions include Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, Clink Museum, Tate Modern, National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Old Vic, London Eye, London Aquarium, Gabriel’s Wharf, Imperial War Museum, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament

Hotels abound in this area, located in Hyde Park Corner, Grosvenor Square, Leicester Square, Marble Arch, Mayfair and the like, just north and west of Buckingham Palace. This is four and five-star hotel territory. The area is served by Tube stops at Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Marble Arch and Oxford Circus. Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Saville Row, Bond Street, China Town, Fortnum & Mason, National Portrait Gallery, Speaker’s Corner, St. James Palace, Trafalgar Square are nearby.

South London actually refers to the area south of London… the Kingston on Thames, Croydon and Sutton area nearer to Hampton Court than central London, not to be confused with Southwark or the South Bank (Victoria Area). Local attractions include Hampton Court Palace, Chessington World of Adventures, Kempton & Sandown Park Racecourses, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, Twickenham Museum of Rugby.