Best London Neighborhood for Visitors

I think you want to throw out the idea of needing to consider how close your lodging is to either traitor Heathrow. I'm guessing you're arriving on the Eurostar? London transportation is so good that you can get to/ from either place easily. If you're coming to London to see the sights, you really don't want to give up time getting to and fro. I'm only familiar with Kensington and Paddington, but I think you'll be fine in either spot. Our biggest consideration is always distance from lodging to the nearest tube stop.

Shoreditch would be my choice of the three for a truer London feel and has a good vibe with plenty of restaurants - Kensington is full of tourist hotels and Paddington is a bit off piste. I would also look at Stratford (where the Olympics were) as there are lots of new apartments there and transport links are great plus there is a huge shopping centre there open until late with a great selection of food. You are arriving to the north of the city centre at St Pancras (don't stay there - it's the red light district) and are departing from the west but you will have to use the tube to get around as the attractions are all spread out.

If you want a true London feel, shop at Selfridges on Oxford Street not Harrods! Try shopping in (a) Marylebone just north of Oxford Street (have a drink at The Gunmakers pub on nearby Aybrook Street or have lunch at The Marylebone at 93 Marylebone High Street or the more simple Golden Hind at 73 Marylebone Lane for possibly the best fish & chips in London) or (b) Carnaby Street near Oxford Circus (have lunch at Shampers on Kingly Street - they have a great wine list and it's candle lit by evening) or (c) Soho - very different by night than by day and the centre of London's Gay scene but not exclusively so.

If you are going to see the Tower of London, try to combine this with a trip to Wilton's Music Hall near Tower Hill - wiltons.org.uk - they have Monday evening tours and other events on and the oldest parts date from the 1700s.

As others said, not sure if any place would be out of the way, given you have the option of "close to Arrival" "Close to sights" and "close to Heathrow"

We spent a week in Hammersmith, it is the Piccadilly line between central London and Heathrow, between the Piccadilly line, the Circle Line, and Hammersmith Station being a major London Bus Hub, it was easy to get nearly everywhere, plus Heathrow was a short, cheap tube ride away. Hammersmith has a nice high street feel, good pubs, nice indian and other restaurants. We stayed at the Adria Hotel, off on a side street, it was quiet, basic but more than fine.

Another thumb's up for checking out Wilton's Hall of Music. I've stayed in various London neighborhoods. Enjoyed each one for different reasons. As noted public transport is brilliant so you are quickly at "the" sites. Personally, I adore the Bayswater/Notting Hill/Holland Park area of London. Book soon. London is wonderful in May. Things NOT to miss? Leaden hall Market, Camden Lock, Treasure Room at the British Library, a performance at the Globe or at least an evening of theatre, evensong at The Abbey or at St. Brides of Fleet Street, lunch and pint at Cittie of York on High Holborn street, shopping in Liberty (or at a minimum peeking inside), a stroll along side the Thames as sun sets and the city lights up........GREAT city. Have fun.

I think the area around Covent Garden / The Strand is a great location. www.strandpalacehotel.co.uk/ has good reviews and I've seen a tourist vlog (video log) from there, and they really liked it.

To travel from St. Pancras, its the Northern Line (black line) 6 stops from King's Cross/St. Pancras to Charring Cross, and a short walk (or black cab) along The Strand to the hotel. On the way back to Heathrow, you are a few minutes from Covent Garden on the Piccadilly Line (dark blue line) straight to Heathrow.

The Strand / Covent Garden area is pretty much bang in the middle between London Eye, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Harrods's, etc. Tower Bridge and Harrods are about 4 miles away from each other. Within a 2 mile radius of The Strand, you have pretty much most of the main tourist hotspots, all walkable.

You have an endless selection of places to eat, all cuisines at all price ranges. Not sure you'll find anything 'quiet' in that area, unless your going to pay top money for high end places with limited 'covers'.

London is a big mix of everything these days, not sure that what I imagine people think London is, is what it is. But for us locals, for me anyway, London IS a street with an Indian restaurant, next to an Italian restaurant, next to a 'chippie' (Fish and Chip place) next to a French Café, next to a burger place, next to a Moroccan, and a Sushi Bar, and a pub, etc. Covent Garden, Borough Market, Notting Hill feel a bit more London I guess, in a kind of 'Disney/Tourist' way.

It's the mix of people that make this city great, people live and work here from all over the world, and we have 16 million tourists a year, all of which contribute to what London is, and how it feels. I've seen many, many tourist video's where people said they felt 'at home' in London, but couldn't explain why, since they had never been before. The reason is, I think, that they are probably standing within 500 meters of 100 or more of their fellow countrymen, and they are likely to find something familiar from home around every corner.

I get where Jennifer is coming from with Harrods vs. Selfridges, but I would go to Harrods for the 'experience', not necessarily for the shopping. I personally prefer Selfridges if I need to buy something 'posh' but it's hardly typical shopping for Londoners. Strangely, I find Harrods cheaper than Selfridges, especially for food.

Kensington is nice, upmarket and expensive. Paddington isn't bad, a much more affordable area. Shoreditch is young, hip and trendy, maybe not what you are looking for, but worth a visit.

One of my favorite neighborhoods in London in which to stay is Bloomsbury. This is where the British Museum is located, one of my top three fave London attractions. Bloomsbury is walking distance from your arrival train station (walk south six blocks.). Included on the edge of Bloomsbury is the adorable green park of Russell Square.

At this point, it is important to note that the Piccadilly Line (tube--dark blue line on your tube map) runs from King's Cross/St. Pancras Station to Russell Square. If you score a flat there, you can zip to your apartment from the station, and zip out to Heathrow.

If you stay anywhere along the Piccadilly Line, you are easy in, easy out of London.
Here is the path (tube stops) the Piccadilly Line takes (south) out of King's Cross/St. Pancras:
1. Russell Square
2. Holborn
3. Covent Garden (great location--near lots of restaurants and good pubs)
4. Leicester Square (Theatre District)
5. Piccadilly Circus (Major transportation lines, tubes and buses cross each other here)
6. Green Park (Tube lines and buses cross here)
7. Hyde Park Corner
8. Knightsbridge (Harrods is here.)
9. South Kensington (Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Royal Albert Hall are located here.)
10.Gloucester Road
11. Earl's Court
12.Hammersmith
(The areas I would choose for a flat, not that there is anything wrong with the other stops, are: Russell Square/Bloomsbury, Covent Garden, and South Kensington. All very convenient to the tourist sights.)

Then several more stops, then out to Heathrow. If you stay anywhere along the Piccadilly Line, you are easy in, easy out of London. That said, you will have no problem anyway with transportation in London. No matter where you stay, there are tube and bus lines that make many connections.

I also agree with Claudia that the Bayswater/Notting Hill/Holland Park area is fantastic.

Some of these areas you will find to be expensive. But many things are expensive in London; just a fact. In addition to searching Airbnb, you might also want to search for your neighborhoods on VRBO.

One comment in addition to my above. Before choosing a neighborhood for your apartment or hotel, take a good look at a paper map of London. Spread it out on a table, study the areas and where the tourist attractions are located. Also study a tube map. Become familiar with London by spending some time looking at the map.

Secondly, look carefully at where an apartment owner SAYS the flat is located. Ask for an exact address, do a Google map, and see if it really is where the owner says it is located. Sometimes a listing will say "Central London location", and in truth, it will be way, way south of London, in a suburb that does not have good transportation in.

Also, look carefully, before booking an apartment, at their cancellation policy. Some require payment up front, and may say that if you cancel, you don't get any money back, or only half your money back. This is important, because the rules may vary from one listing to the next, as on some sites the owner of the property gets to set the rules for their unit.

Look carefully at all the reviews for a property. Look for red flags, such as the renters had problems getting a response from the owner if they had a plumbing problem, etc.

Since it is the first trip for you to London, it is important for you to choose very carefully. When you find a few properties that look really good to you, please return here and post those listings, and ask us, "What do you think of this Airbnb property?" Our London members will tell you their opinion.

Many first-time visitors to London stay at a hotel or B&B instead of an apartment (flat, as they are called in London) because they don't know their way around yet there. They know the front desk at their hotel will have someone who can give them information and directions. The owners of small hotels and B&B's can be very helpful to their guests. Just another thing to consider. Owners of apartments on Airbnb or VRBO can also be helpful. Look for a review that says the owners were helpful to previous guests providing info on attractions, etc. If you decide to choose a hotel in London, we can provide suggestions for those; some have rooms with kitchenettes.

There is a new version of the London Tube Map available, which is much more geographically correct in the central zones, so you can actually see how far stations are from other stations. Can be more useful than the traditional one...

http://www.london-tubemap.com/London-tubemap.pdf