Best London neighborhood for Hotels

I like near Victoria Station or Pimilco. I feel like it is pretty walkable and near stuff. I walked from my hotel, which was about 5 or so blocks from Victoria station to Westminster Abbey one day and then the next to Buckingham. Also it is easy to get other places from the station as it has the circle and district lines as well as the victoria line.

This time when I go I am only there for three days so I splurged for a hotel that is a two minute walk to Tower Hill station, as it is closest to where I want to visit and I will have a view onto the Tower of London.

I tend to hotels but I like Airbnb too so it depends on what you can get for the price. I feel like with more than one person it is a better deal for Airbnb but I travel alone so feel a little safer in hotels, which is a little weird for some I think.

We have stayed both on the south bank and near Victoria Station. As noted previously, near Victoria Station does give you quick and easy access via walking or public transportation to several key sites. For a very short stay, I would probably opt for staying there again. On a longer trip (5 days), we rented an apartment (via Holiday Lettings) on the south bank. On this trip, it was very nice to escape the crowds after a long day. The neighborhood was peaceful and quaint and there are a lot of public transportation options available there also.

Rick's London book gives some good information. Also a search on this forum will turn up quite a few discussions on the topic.

We enjoyed Victoria area when we were there. Easy to walk to Buckingham, Westminster etc..Close to transit links. We flew from Gatwick so the Gatwick express was close when we left.

I would take an apartment over a hotel any day, anywhere in Europe, but I would use Booking.com, HomeAway or Trip Advisor rentals, not Airbnb, as they offer much better value.

No one area of London will cover all the sites, as they are spread widely, so look for proximity to a bus route or tube station. When I stay in a hotel in London, I tend to stay in the Lancaster Gate area. I dislike noise, so I would avoid busy nighttime areas such as Soho, Leicester Square or main roads.

If you want a good value no frills hotel, consider Premier Inn or Travelodge - best booked 6-9 months ahead, particularly for weekends and Bank Holidays. Price is usually cheaper the earlier you book or at the very last moment ie 1 or 2 days in advance.

Any accommodation within Zone 1 of the underground will tend to have good transport links.

What’s your budget?

London is expensive.

Great public transport but also a walkable city.

I’ve done both hotels and Airbnb. Either/or.
Whomever has the best deal. Others like booking.com.

Use the Google Maps Satelite View and type in Big Ben. Westminster Abby across the road. London Eye across the Thames. Buckingham Palace 10 minute stroll. Trafalgar Square the same.

I prefer the Paddington neighborhood as I use the Heathrow Express to get into London after an overnight flight from LAX. Pricey but I buy tickets early so I save some pounds.

I like walking into Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park every morning to enjoy the quiet. So this neighborhood works for me.

Get the RS Guidebook and read it cover to cover. Extremely helpful, chock full of pertinent info about neighborhoods, sites, transport, currency, etc.

Great city!

We tend to stay just south of Victoria station. We like it in part because we have found a couple of pub and restaurants that we like so it is easy and familiar -- plus a decent laundry. Other areas probably are just a nice but it is convenient to a lot of London.

We are looking in the 100 - 120$ a night range if possible. Thanks for the suggestion. I think we've found a decent BNB we like!

I love Lancaster Gate and Paddington area, close to Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park, great pubs. Easy to use Lancaster Gate tube station and Paddington tube station.

$100-$120 is about 70£-86£ which is pretty low for London. If you haven't booked, you might want to post an address for those familiar to give it a look. It may be so far out you'll spend a lot on transportation to get in to the city center or in a transitional neighborhood.

It will work better if you start thinking in ££ instead of $$.

Agree with Pam. Please share the AirBnb locale so we can advise if it's too far removed from the city center so that transport costs will eat up your accommodation savings.

I realize you are only going to be there for 2 days but having a comfortable and convenient place to stay will make all the difference in the world.

And, oh yes, please know in advance that many accommodations room size won't match a normal hotel room size in the states. Seriously, a room at a local Best Western would put many London Hotel rooms to shame no matter the price. Once stayed in a Bloomsbury hotel room that cost $300/night that was the size of a closet. That and the disco bar room was on the floor beneath us.

Live and learn!