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Event of the Month
44th London Film Festival
November 1 - 16
Feature films, animation, shorts, filmmakers, performers, and gala events at decent prices. See the website for further details.
Where to Stay
London is such a large sprawling city that it is often difficult for a visitor to know what areas to stay in. Important considerations are accessibility, local attractions, local amenities, as well as the neighbourhood itself. Naturally cost is also an important consideration, but remember this is London and everything is expensive. I've chosen to ignore areas that house hotels such as the Ritz and Four Seasons. The areas I've listed are popular areas to stay, and reasonably priced accommodation (by London standards) can be found.
Paddington
Accessibility
Very centrally located.
Paddington Station is connected to Heathrow Airport by the Heathrow Express, a 15 minute journey.
Local tube lines are: Central, Bakerloo, District, and Hammersmith & City (covers both east/west and north/south routes).
Local Attractions
Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens.
Little Venice.
Fleming Museum.
Toy & Model Museum.
Local Amenities
Weak on restaurants, although there are fast food joints and a late night kabab shop. The best choice is probably ASK Pizza.
Almost no shopping.
The Neighbourhood
Now a quiet area filled with cheap guesthouses and B&Bs, Paddington was once a centre for prostitution. The occasional streetwalker can still be found, but they are harmless. Although not the most charming area, Paddington warrants serious consideration for its location and abundance of small hotels.
Area Highlight
The fuzzy feeling inside when you keep thinking of Paddington Bear.
Bayswater
Accessibility
Centrally located.
Local tube lines are: Central, Circle and District, which is pretty good, although a quick change is necessary for the West End.
Local Attractions
Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park.
Toy & Model Museum.
Portobello Road market.
Local Amenities
Lots of restaurants and shops.
The Neighbourhood
Located beside Paddington, but with considerably more activity and character, Bayswater is another area with an abundance of small hotels and guesthouses. I personally really like Bayswater, and would recommend it over Paddington (although I suspect it is slightly more pricey).
Area Highlight
Whitely's shopping centre - not only houses some good shops, but was Hitler's favourite London building and planned to use it as the London base after taking over the UK.
Earl's Court
Accessibility
Earl's Court tube station is undoubtedly the most confusing station in London and has the added bonus of being on the most confusing tube line in London. However, it is also on the Piccadilly Line and between the two should cover just about everywhere you'll want to go.
Connected to Heathrow Airport via the Piccadilly Line.
Local Attractions
Brompton Cemetery (but be forewarned, the cemetery is popular with the area's large gay community).
Earl's Court Exhibition Hall and The Olympia both host huge shows including the Adventure Travel and Sports Show in January.
Local Amenities
Lots of cheap eats.
The Neighbourhood
Kensington's poorer neighbour, Earl's Court is a not very exciting Victorian neighbourhood. Its main draw is the abundance of bottom of the barrel accommodation.
Area Highlight
The emotional high that comes when you finally understand the antique tube signs on the district line.
South Kensington
Accessibility
Local tube lines are: Circle, District, and Piccadilly (covers most everywhere you'll want to go).
Connected to Heathrow Airport via the Piccadilly Line.
Convenient to South Kensington Attractions.
Local Attractions
Near museum alley: Victoria & Albert museum, Natural History museum, Science museum.
Near Harrods & Christies Auction House plus other great shopping.
Not too far to walk to Kensington Gardens, Royal Albert Hall, and Hyde Park.
Plus countless other small attractions throughout the area.
Local Amenities
Great shopping and a good assortment of eateries.
Plus some wonderful pubs.
The Neighbourhood
South Kensington is one of my favorite London areas to walk around. It's full of pleasant surprises at every turn - like interesting shops, historic churches, squares and gardens. The accommodation here is more expensive than neighbouring Earl's Court, but independent hotels do offer good value for the area. The area immediately around Gloucester Road tube station is the best place to look.
Area Highlight
The imposing structure of the Natural History Museum.
Pimlico (the area south of Victoria Station)
Accessibility
Very central.
Local tube lines are: Victoria, Circle, and District (getting to West End attractions involves a change, but there it is pretty central and there are only a couple of stops to get there).
Connected to Gatwick Airport via the Gatwick Express which leaves from Victoria Station (train service).
Connected to the rest of the UK via trains at Victoria Station and coaches (buses) at Victoria Coach Station.
Local Attractions
Tate English Gallery.
Although there's not much in Pimlico itself, an enormous amount of sites are within a reasonable walking distance - South Kensington sites (see above), Hyde Park, Pall Mall sites (including Buckingham Palace), Westminster sites (including Big Ben and Westminster Abbey) and the river; and if you're really energetic Trafalgar Square and onwards can make for a nice long walk.
Local Amenities
The area itself is fairly residential and can be a bit quiet.
The Neighbourhood
Pimlico is a fairly posh residential neighbourhood, and can be interesting to walk around. However, it is relatively quiet and if you're looking for a party it's probably not for you.
Area Highlight
Its central location.
King's Cross
Unless you enjoy close quarters with drug dealers and prostitutes, stay somewhere else.
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Europe Insiders page.
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