Stay near Trafalgar Square or Holborn-Covent Garden?

Hi Lo---

We used to stay in a studio apartment close to the Holborn tube station and around the corner from Lincoln's Inn Field. We loved that location and were so disappointed when the owner had turn the studios into 90-day rentals. We walked everywhere from there, and there was a Sainsbury grocery close by.

Trafalgar Square area would feel too busy to me.

Being an experienced traveler you won't have to worry about all the scammers around Covent Garden and in Trafalgar Square. So, as Emma says, we can look at places you are considering.

BTW, for Covent Garden area you have both Covent Garden (Piccadilly and lifts not escalators) and Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern Line (Charing Cross Branch) ) tubes. In the Trafalgar Square area you only have Charing Cross (Circle, District, Northern (Charing Cross Branch) ) lines.

Many more buses around Trafalgar Square than Covent Garden.

Bakerloo Line and Northern Line at Charing Cross, a short walk to Embankment for other lines.

thanks mel

We've stayed at the LSE dorms hear Holburn and love that area. I'd go back to that area in a minute. Trafalger Sq. area seems even busier.

Thanks everyone for the responses so far.

I knew I should've put in the specific addresses. They are typed below exactly the way they are on the websites. I Google Mapped them and let the little guy walk around the areas. The Trafalgar property is on a tree-lined, residential-looking street. Holborn-Covent Garden is on a narrower, but more business-y looking one. The little guy could have gotten on a bus on either street. I did notice that they are quite close to each other.

Citadines Trafalgar Square: 18/21 Northumberland Ave.

Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden: 94-99 High Holborn.

Citadines do a fairly decent job wherever they put their properties.

Behind Charing Cross Station I wonder about the train noise. You would be just around the corner from Ben Franklin's house, and there is some decent nosh at decent prices in the area. Scotland Yard is not far away but is mostly administrative so the sirens should be silent.

I have walked past that High Holborn location several times. There will be traffic 24/7 but if Citadines have done the rooms right it shouldn't be a big problem. Very close to Lincolns Inn Fields and the Sir John Soane Museum which for me is a nearly must see. Inns of Court are fun.

I'm not much help, am I?

You're always a help, Nigel. Sometimes I may be beyond help!

I'm waiting on some questions to be answered by a person from the Citadines operation, which will not likely happen until tomorrow, your time. These quick responses are very helpful. Now I just need to decide.

Thanks for the tip on Sir John Soane's Museum. It sounds fascinating. I'll make a point of visiting it.

If you do go to the Soane Museum, make sure to view Hogarth's A Rake's Progress and take in a really unique place.

Lo, I worked for about 6 months in that area, although it was long enough ago that my memory is a little hazy. I remember a friend of mine stayed at a hotel close to the Trafalgar location and it seemed like it would be a nice location, but it was really dead at night. I can't remember exactly where this was but the area I'm thinking about was govt offices (administrative area as Nigel characterizes it matches my memory) right close to Trafalgar Square.

I think the Holborn location would be nicer. I used that underground station. That would be my first choice, but my experience is way out of date.

We did stay a little north of the Holborn location with my family last summer and I thought it was a great location. I like it better than Kensington and better than by Paddington.

I will be staying at the Citadines Holborn this fall as well and like the location. I go to the John Soane Museum each time I'm in London and love it.

Thanks again everyone.

I finally stopped dithering and made my reservation today at the Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden.

right - check that box. What's next?

At the top of my list are lodging reservations for Aberdeen, York, Canterbury, Hastings and Winchester along with Globe Theatre reservations. It's annoying that preparation of our US and AZ taxes will divert my attention away from my much-preferred trip planning. It's 07:30 in Tucson as I write this, so immediately next is coffee!