London is served by three primary airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted – with smaller airports like Luton, London Southend and London City serving a few domestic and European destinations.It’s not worth renting a car in London unless you intend to do a lot of exploring beyond the city: parking is expensive and the roads are always congested (despite the added Congestion Charge for central London £15 daily). Thames Clippers runs ferry service along the Thames Oyster cards are also valid here, though rates begin at £4.80. The Overground train network, and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) connect with the Underground and Oyster cards are valid. It’s advisable to buy an Oyster card (to be used as a weekly/monthly travel card, or as a pay-as-you-go card) or a contactless payment debit or credit card. Getting around London’s numerous neighborhoods by Underground (the subway or “tube”) is efficient but it’s not super cheap (fares are determined by zones, ranging £2.50 to £5.50 with an Oyster card, and a flat £6.30 for single paper ticket). Good hotels within steps of a London tube station: St. Most hotels in central London are within walking distance of a tube station but the ones listed below are particularly close and convenient. The tube allows you to get pretty much anywhere in the city quickly and easily. Top tip for first-time visitors to London: stay close to a tube station. Greenwich, downstream of central London, with its nautical associations, royal park, and observatory, makes a great day out. Camden to the north offers a less touristy scene with cheaper accommodations but less convenience for sightseeing. It’s low on sights but has excellent transport links to other parts of London, to Heathrow and Stansted airports, and to Paris and Brussels via the Eurostar.įurther west, Kensington is best known for its museums and numerous 5-star hotels, just south of central London’s premier green space, Hyde Park. King’s Cross, with its train stations, is north of Fitzrovia. There’s a wider range of accommodation here, generally cheaper than the neighboring West End. Just north of the West End, Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia are also centrally located, with lots of bookshops, quiet streets, and the British Museum as the star attraction. The South Bank of the Thames is another regenerated area with a leafy promenade and a host of attractions, from the London Eye to Tate Modern and Globe Theatre, with the Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building, looming over it all. The West End is excellent for first-timers and families staying in the city. It’s easy to walk around and boasts convenient public transport connections to other parts of London. Here 4-star and 5-star hotels dominate, with some midrange bargains. To the north lies the West End ( Covent Garden, Soho, Leicester Square, Oxford Street, Mayfair), London’s effective city center with most of the city’s theaters, top art galleries, excellent and varied dining for all budgets, and much of London’s nightlife. In contrast to the City, political, religious and regal power has always been based in Westminster and St James, further west.Ĭharming Covent Garden in the West End is one of the best areas in London for first-time visitors. East of the City, East London features the vibrant markets and nightlife of Brick Lane, Spitalfields and Shoreditch, as well as Olympic Park, and the newer financial center of Canary Wharf in the regenerated Docklands that line the Thames. To the east, historic City of London, where the city began, is primarily a financial district, packed with sights, with some budget chain hotels and weekend bargains at the pricier ones. Most of the major sights are located north of the River Thames, which meanders through the heart of London from west to east. Similarly, the best hotels in London are not focused in one neighborhood and it’s easy to find great luxury or boutique accommodations in most areas of London. Some neighborhoods are more central and convenient than others, given that most visitors to London walk or use public transport to reach the attractions. London’s best attractions are spread out, and there’s no central “downtown”–much depends on your interests and budget. As such there is no universal “best neighborhood” in London. It’s a vast, sprawling place that can be a little confusing at first, a patchwork of distinct neighborhoods that range from “Royal” St James to the East End. Sofitel Gatwick The Best Area to Stay in LondonĮurope’s largest capital city is an incredibly diverse, multicultural metropolis, where some of Britain’s greatest historic monuments, palaces and cathedrals stand amidst soccer stadiums, hip art galleries, free museums, street markets, concert venues and a dynamic eating and drinking scene. By Santorini Dave Our Favorite London Hotels
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