London Safe Neighborhoods/Access to Metro

I’m assuming the reason why you're asking is to get some ideas of areas to stay as a tourist. If so have a look at the following guide to hotel areas in central London.

https://www.londontoolkit.com/accommodation/london_hotel_briefing.htm

If for whatever reason none of those areas suit (e.g. cost) and you prefer to stay further out, then come back and ask for suggestions of alternative areas. But bear in mind the further out you stay the longer the travelling time into London and the more it costs.

PS please don’t call the Underground or Tube the metro – it offends the locals. 😊

A 30 minute train ride gets you most places within a 20 mile radius of London, so the options that meet your criteria are too numerous to list.

You have to offset the time and cost of travel vs accommodation costs. Most on this forum want to stay within Zone 1 of the underground and all those areas are safe. If you want to be slightly further out than Zone 1, I like Chiswick which has plenty cafes and restaurants plus it’s near the river for walks. An alternative would be Highgate or Islington.

The Metro to Londoners is a free morning paper, not the underground/tube.

Got it on the paper vs. train! Been 30 years since I've been in London!

ramblin' on, thank you for that link, it's very helpful!

We would likely see the Tower of London, Kensington Gardens, and maybe the British Museum and not much more. We are not city people and we would rather see the countryside. We would likely fly into Heathrow and stay in London 2-3 days (just enough to adjust) seeing a site or two per day. Then we'd head out towards Cambridge and Oxford then onto Scotland and Wales. Just looking for a safe location and we would use AirBNB or another similar rental site.

Given what to be said you want to see opt for Bloomsbury or Bayswater or Holland Park or Kensington.

I had a lovely 2 bedroom rental I shared with friends in Holland Park. About a 6 block walk from the tube
Easy 3-4 block to Portobello Rd. Quiet residential area which we enjoyed. Apartment up 3 flights of stairs.

We stayed in the Southbank and loved it. Very walkable and close to so many restaurants, cafes, pubs etc. and close to tube and train station. If you are only looking for 2-3 days, I would stay more central so that you are not wasting time travelling to and from your accomodations

We've stayed in a few spots - Chiswick a few times (with couchsurfing friends) but they've moved to the country, so this year we airbnb'd at a spot in Hammersmith - she was only a 5 min walk to the tube station and the District/Piccadilly lines, and Circle and Hammersmith/City lines. Lots of restaurants and shopping - the tube station itself had lots of fast food/coffee shops and other shops, and lots of pubs in the area. I picked it because we wanted something that was direct to Heathrow as well, which it was, with about a 30-35 min journey. The room wasn't amazing, but it was nice enough for us as somewhere to sleep, and the convenience to all the tube lines/airport was the clincher - I'll be booking with her again if possible when we return next year.

Hi Kim,

South Kensington is a nice area for people who don’t like the hustle and bustle of London. I like staying on Old Brompton Road either at Aster House:http://www.asterhouse.com or Number 16:https://www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/number-sixteen/. Aster House is a lovely B&B on the same quite street as Number 16. They are both lovely, Aster House is more homey, great breakfast and beautiful garden. It is also less expensive than Number 16. The hotel at Number 16 is part of the Firmdale hotel group of 4* hotels (I have stayed at their Charlotte Street hotel as well). It is more upscale and expensive, but a treat if you have the extra pounds.

What I love about staying on Old Brompton Road is that it is a real neighborhood. Great local restaurants, beautiful tree-lined streets, and only minutes away from the Tube at South Kensington which serves the Piccadilly, District, & Circle lines. It is also a short walk to the V&A (one of my favorite museums in London). After a long day of touring in London, it is great to relax and enjoy a quiet and safe neighborhood. Interestingly enough, this is the area that made my husband like London. The first time we stayed near the Victoria Station, my husband was not happy. After I had traveled to London a number of times on my own, convinced him to come back with me. We stayed at Aster House and he walked away with a completely different view of London. The neighborhood we stayed made all the difference to him.

Have a great trip. London is one of my favorite cities and one that benefits from more time there rather than less.

Sandy

Staying at Earl's Court area right now. This is a great area.