We are looking at about a 5 night stay in London with 3 kids (10-12 ages). There is a decent AirBnB on Harley St that would fit us all comfortably. How is the area? Is it a good neighborhood for shops and dining? Is it easy to access quite a few sites (I haven't really come up with our must-see list yet, but British Museum will be #1 on the list)?
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1911 posts
Harley Street, if you don’t know, has long been synonymous with expensive medical practitioners and the street is still lined with clinics of all types. You are right in central London so it’s easy to get anywhere from there. Nearby Marylebone High Street is a more local vibe for shops and restaurants.
Posted by
Land of La
9927 posts
It’s fine. Lots of restaurants. Depending on where your Air BnB is located on it’s a pleasant stroll to Regents Park. Underground stations are Bond Street or Great Portland street. If memory serves the Bond Street Station has the Jubilee and Central lines. Believe it also has the Elizabeth line as well. Research the TFL website.
Have stayed in the Marylebone neighborhood more than once.
If the price is right, go for it.
Posted by
Central Coast CA, USA
361 posts
I've walked around the Marylebone neighborhood, even at night, and I liked it a lot. Towards the southern side you have the Wallace collection (a gem! with a nice cafe), Selfridges, Daunt books. Ginger Pig (with the famous sausage rolls) has an outlet there. On the northern side you have Regent's park, Madame Tussaud's...I have not explored this area quite as much. Lots of restaurants and even remember at least one grocery store. Helen and Claudia have given good information about the area.
Posted by
Washington
1055 posts
I’ve had lunch at La Brasseria Milanese at the corner of the High St and Devonshire St. Decent pizza and nice outdoor cafe seating if the weather is nice. A number of cafes, restaurants, and pubs from which to choose.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8518 posts
Marylebone (many opinions on how to pronounce it, but a walking tour we did a few years ago said that “Mar-ill-ih-bun” was correct, emphasis on the second syllable) was our go-to neighborhood to stay in London for several trips. Unfortunately, the surprisingly affordable B&B we used many times closed during Covid, but now we’ve found a B&B in the next neighborhood immediately to the east, Fitzrovia. Still, Marylebone is a wonderful area - a bit more upscale than some other parts of London. As mentioned, there are great restaurants - Naroon, for Persian food, is a particular favorite. On Baker Street, a few blocks south of the Baker Street Tube station, there’s also EtnaCoffee, a Sicilian cafe with authentic Italian (Sicilian) coffee, plus fantastic arroncini and cannoli that I imagine your kids (and you!) would love.
The British Museum is closer to our place in Fitzrovia, and we’ve walked there many times. Depending the location of your Airbnb, you may want to take transportation. There’s another free museum, smack in the middle of Marylebone, that you should also include, The Wallace Collection. It’s a magnificent, stately historic home, with a surprisingly great art collection, plus room after room of armor (for humans and horses), swords, etc.
Across the street from the Baker Street Tube station is a made-up Sherlock Holmes museum (at “122B Baker St) for the fictional detective, and next door, a Beatles Shop, although none of the Fab Four had any direct connection to it. Marylebone is just a bit northwest of some of the most popular tourist attractions in London, but Tube stations - especially Baker Street - will get you anywhere in London quickly and easily.