Best London neighborhoods for a stroll

There are so many ... If you want something organized, I really like the London Walks that take you to a neighborhood. Some of the particular ones that I have enjoyed are the Hampstead Village walk and the Somewhere Else London walk (South Bank). Both of these take you through some neighborhoods that the average tourist misses. If you like gourmet food, Marylebone (particularly along Marlebone High Street) is a treat. There are all kinds of great food shops either on the High Street or just a block or two off of the street. Try the Fromagerie (fabulous cheese), the Ginger Pig (butcher with great sausage rolls), Rococo chocolates, and just a lot of cute little shops. In the same neighborhood, the Golden Hind has good fish and chips and the Wallace Collection has a nice collection of art. A couple of interesting pubs in this neigborhood are the Tudor Rose (Blandford and Manchester) and The Pontefract Castle (Wigmore and St Christopher).

As already stated- virtually anywhere. However, these are some of my favorites- Kensington High street and Kensington Church Street.; Kings road Chelsea from Sloane square west; Strand on the Green, stroll along the Thames side (couple of superb pubs); City- alleys behind bank of England; Regent Street, Piccadilly, Burlington Arcade, Bond street. SThe Strand, Fleet street- you can walk all the way to St Pauls;
Hyde park, Kensington Gardens

I agree with Swan, the Swan Pub across the street from Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park is a great place to eat.

This is not a typical pub-type neighborhood, but I have enjoyed walking around Belgravia. There are many foreign embassies there and it is interesting to see the various flags out front.

One of my flavorite walks involves the Hampstead Heath and adjacent neighborhoods. Start by taking the tube to Hampstead and exploring the village. Then follow Flask Walk through a lovely neighborhood. White Bear Tavern used to be a good place for a pint but can't comment if it lost it's charm now that it's a gastro pub. Then into the Heath heading to the Kenwood House. Nice place to stop for a bite to eat. From here on through to Highgate Village, maybe a spot of tea at High Tea of Highgate before or after your reserved tour of the Highgate Cemetery. Follow Swains Lane down the hill to Highgate Road and back into the Heath via Parliament Hill path. You could then either hop on the tube, stroll around S. End road around Pond Street, (Daunt's Books is enjoyable, there is even a Starbucks, maybe a pint at the White Horse) or keeping walking by heading down Haverstock Hill to the Camden Lock Market. Carnaby Street in the West End is fun as well, say between Beak street and the Palladium. Breakfast or Lunch at Mother Mash. Walking along the Little Venice Canal is quite nice. Lastly, hearing the Clerkenwell neighborhood has experienced some revitalization and is evolving into an artists enclave..

I stayed at a hotel across the road from Kensington Gardens, very close to Hyde Park. The Swan pub was close. From the hotel is was a pleasant stroll to Kensington Palace. From there, Kensington High Street is not far away. Depends on how far you want to stroll.

Roy One possibility is to walk down the river from Embankment. How far you want to go depends on your idea of a stroll! In a couple of hours you can get to the Mayflower pub. It was from here that in 1620 a group of travellers set off in a ship of the same name. I wonder whatever happened to them? http://themayflowerrotherhithe.com/history.php En route from Embankment to here you pass the South Bank complex, the New Tate, Shakespeare's Globe, the Golden Hinde and (with a slight detour) London's only surviving galleried coach inn, The George http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_details.php?pub_id=92 From the Mayflower you are only 5 minutes to Rotherhithe tube. Perhaps not a 'neighbourhood' but a relaxing walk through the heart of London. If that doesn't take your fancy then Bloomsbury is a nice area and writers in the area make a nice link. http://www.londonforfree.net/walks/writers/writers.php BTW, the weather here has been poor all 'summer'. Bring layers and a waterproof! Alan

So many choices.... My personal favorites are the Notting Hill area (Kensington Church Street/Bayswater Road), and Belgravia. If you want specific pubs, try the Uxbridge Arms in Notting Hill, and try to find the Grenadier in Belgravia. The Uxbridge is very close to the Notting Hill Gate Tube station. Come up the stairs from the tube, through the turnstiles, LEFT, to the T intersection, RIGHT, up the stairs. Continue straight until you come to the first street on your left. Turn LEFT, walk to the very next street, turn RIGHT. This will be Uxbridge Street. Continue straight on, and the pub will be ahead on your right. Total time is not much more than 5 minutes walk from the Tube. Now, the fun one to find - the Grenadier! The easiest way to get there is probably from the Knightsbridge Tube Station, especially if you arent familiar with the city. Come out of the Tube next to Harrods, and make a RIGHT along Knightsbridge. Continue straight until you come to Wilton Place on your right. Make a RIGHT. Continue straight until you come to the crescent (Wilton Crescent). Make your way around the crescent to your LEFT. Now the tricky part - just before the end of the crescent, there will be a small street running alongside the building (Luxembourg Embassy). This will be on your LEFT (its called Wilton Row). This road is small and looks 'private' because it goes down hill and behind the embassy. Follow it - the road will make a left turn, and the pub will be ahead of you on your right. Shouldnt be more than a 10-15 minute walk. I have a couple neighborhood pub crawls that I have mapped out over the years. If you are interested, feel free to send me a note.

A lot depends on what you like to see. I like to walk the perimeter of Hyde Park. You get to see several embassies, the Royal Albert Hall, Appsley House, Speakers Corner, the Marble Arch, Black Lion Gate, the Palace Gate, Kensington Garden, and Kensington Palace, are all along the way. I am sure I am leaving things out. I am guessing but I would say this is probably a 4 - 5 mile walk. You can probably look that up. Because of all the foot paths it's easy to break this up into multiple walks a long as you want. My own personal feeling is if you haven't walked Hyde Park you haven't really been to London. OBTW the walk from Knightsbridge to Gloucester on Knightsbridge, Brompton and Cromwell Rds takes you past Harrod's, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum.

To add a little to what Darrell just said...from the end of Darrell's walk at the Natural History Museum, if you make a right on Queen's Gate, a short walk will bring you to Kensington Rd across from Hyde Park. A right here will take you past Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial. If you stay straight from here on Kensington Rd, you will essentially run into Knightsbridge Tube station again, where Kensington Rd meets Brompton Rd.