My husband and I love traveling. We will be visiting London for the first time and are trying to decide what neighborhood would be best for us to stay. We want to take in some of the touristy things, interesting/great restaurants, interesting shopping, and easy access to travel in the city?
We appreciate all suggestions.
My family and I visited London the first week of October. We stayed in London City Centre on the South Bank of the Thames. That location was excellent.
We walked to the Globe Theater from there, Kensington Palace and Gardens, Trafalgar Square, British Museum, National Gallery, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Churchill War Rooms.Covent Gardens, London Eye
There was a bus stop right in front of our hotel and a subway stop a few blocks away that we used as well .A really good Italian restaurant that we ate in was Fumo and also within walking distance.
So exciting!
We stayed in Mayfair and Notting Hill in 2019. It was beautiful and centrally located. I would look at Marylebone, St. James and Covent Garden next time.
Have you discovered A Lady in London yet? Her blog and YouTube videos are super helpful:
https://www.aladyinlondon.com/
Been visiting and exploring London since 1972.
These days I’d say Mayfair, Pimlico, Kensington, S Kensington, Marylebone, Fitzrovia, and Shoreditch.
IMHO the best way to see London is by walking.
As far as neighborhoods depends on what you’d like to spend for accommodation in a expensive city.
London Underground will get you to all the
“touristy“ sites.
Consider getting the RS London guide. Loads of great intel.
Get and read one of those guidebooks. They have them at most public libraries where you can sit down and decide to take it out or buy one in print or electronic format.
There is no one best neighborhood as everyone posting will have their favorite. What you state you like can be found all over.
If you get a map of the London Underground and stay within zone 1 you will be fine. It really depends on your budget and type of accomodations you want.
The London underground and bus systems will become your friends. They can whisk you to different parts of the city which you will then be free to explore on foot.
Hi Laurie,
These are places we enjoy in London:
The Tate Museums (the original and the modern)
The Victoria & Albert Museum
The British Museum (cat mummies!)
Westminster Abbey
Hampton Court (Henry VIII's palace - spectacular)
Liberty of London department store
If you like antiques and vintage items, be sure to visit the Portobello Market in Notting Hill (open Fridays & Saturdays). It covers a whole street.
You can get very good meals at the higher end pubs. We loved The Champion in Notting Hill and had dinner there two nights in a row.
Have fun!
Thank you all.
I appreciate the suggestions for places to visit/tour.
Yes, I have read Lady in London blogs. They are great!
It’s tough to go wrong here. Proximity to a tube line will unlock the entirety of London to you, so the actual neighborhood doesn’t matter so much. Anywhere near Circle/District or Central/Victoria lines are great, some of the other lines get less convenient or frequent. I was surprised to find London neighborhoods have some distinct personalities, but none so that I would be especially recommending any strongly over another.
First time I went to London I stayed in Sussex Gardens near Paddington Station and felt that was a good spot. Good transport links nearby but very walkable to plenty of sites as well. I've also stayed in Mayfair and like it very much. Different vibe from the area around Paddington and quite close to Buckingham Palace.
As for things to do, I'm a fan of Brick Lane. Not the typical touristy London for sure. Cool shops and restaurants.
Rick discusses neighborhoods and has recommendations, what did you think of them?
Also remember his description of the "important" tourist bits as fitting into a bottle lying on its side. Things are relatively close if you can walk and take a bus or Tube.
We had an opportunity to stay at the Royal Society of Medicine (my wife was being inducted into the Florence Nightengale Society), which is in Marylebone.
We found Marylebone an excellent location from which to see London. There's plenty of things nearby, from Hyde Park to Selfridges to Buckingham Palace. Also, there was a Tube station a block away that opened up the rest of London. On another trip we stayed in Westminster at the Hilton there. It was also a nice area, but busier since it was just a short walk to Parliament. I'd recommend either.
Yes, I’ve read Rick Steve’s guides for London.
We are considering the Conrad in St. James!
Is it near the tube?
Laurie use Google Maps.
You’ll see that the St James Underground ( tube ) station is across the street from the entrance to the Conrad.
Touristy Things:
1.) Parliament Square; Parliament, Elizabeth’s Tower with Big Ben Bell and Westminster Abbey. Big Ben is chiming again. After the 5 year restoration and cleaning of the clock face the Tower looks great!
2.) Tower Bridge
3.) Buckingham Palace
4.) British Museum
5.) Natural History Museum
6.) Portobello Road
Shopping:
Liberty
Harrod’s ( check out the food halls )
Selfridges
Carnaby Street
Great restaurants:
Expensive:
St John
Sessions Art Club
Less Expensive;
Dishoom Chain
Nandos Chicken
The Dove Pub ( then walk along the Thames Path )
The Bull and Last pubin Highgate. If into old cemeteries its 30 minute stroll. You’ll need a reservation to tour the cemetery and see Karl Marx’s grave.
Also;
Check out:
https://london.eater.com/maps/best-london-restaurants-eater-38
I appreciate all of this information.
My husband has some difficulties walking long distances or lots of stairs. He has some numbness, tingling, and pain in his feet. My hope is to be near a tube to get around easily in the city and then we plan to go on to the Cotswolds.
This is the confusing part.
If your husband has trouble on stairs you might consider buses. Slower but less walking and stairs only if you want them (up to the top deck where the good views are, but views aren't everything).
Some tube stations have lifts and step free (there is an online map for that https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/download-accessibility-guides-and-maps and for avoiding stairs https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/wheelchair-access-and-avoiding-stairs?intcmp=5344 and click on the 3rd option under maps and guides ) but you need to consider not only your origin station but your destinations.
St James' is greyed out on those maps because stairs are required.
Nigel
This is great information for us!
I’m still trying to figure out which neighborhood suits us.
Thank you so much
Laurie, this may seem like a random response, but if your husband has some trouble walking, you might look into the Hoka brand of shoes. Last year, before a 3-week tour through Scandinavia, I was experiencing some pretty moderate back pain that affected my mobility. I bought a pair of Hokas, and it was literally like walking on air. I would never have imagined a shoe could make such a difference. I ended up walking 150 miles on that trip.
https://scandinavia2022.wordpress.com/2022/08/09/final-thoughts-on-our-trip/
Not saying your husband will have the same experience—and be forewarned, Hoka aesthetics and style are not for everyone—but might be worth consideration.
Mike
Thank you so much for your tip. He has some Hokas and likes them too.
