What is the best area to stay in London?
By Jo Claire. January 17, 2025
London is one of the best cities in the world. It has a phenomenal cultural scene, with world class galleries and theatres, as well as a heady mix of fashion and film. There is a lot of interesting history and some beautiful buildings, but wide open green spaces are to be found in its wealth of secret gardens and much-loved parks. The city is a multicultural wonder and in turn has a truly excellent food scene, which is constantly evolving.
Covent Garden is the best area to stay to have all the central landmarks within a stone’s throw. Its pretty, pedestrian-only piazza is filled with shops and places to dine, including a classic Ivy restaurant. Fun street acts from mime to magic often fill the square with crowds and lots of West End theatres are within walking distance, with long-running shows including The Lion King.
It’s on the Piccadilly line, which is the direct line to Heathrow, and just a stop away from Leicester Square - which you can easily walk to.On the map, which shows the best area to stay in London, you can see a selection of some of the best located hotels.
If you are interested in where to stay in London, you may also be interested in where to stay in Dublin and where to stay in Edinburgh.
Covent Garden, the best area to stay in London as a tourist
First Time / As a Tourist / Theatre
Not only is this a fun and vibrant central area, with no shortage of shops, restaurants, hotels and hostels, but it is within walking distance to many of London’s best venues, including the Royal Opera House - a stunning building with outstanding shows.
Art lovers can venture to the National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square, and in the other direction you will get to the Strand, where you will find Somerset House. This neoclassical building regularly has exhibitions, gigs and events - and in the winter months its courtyard transforms into a twinkling ice-skating rink. The welcoming Courtauld gallery at its entrance also houses some world class paintings and has visiting exhibitions.
In Covent Garden’s central piazza don’t miss the London Transport Museum, with its historical look at travel, including the city’s fascinating underground system - a great family day out.
Just past the Strand is Waterloo Bridge, where the South Bank is within striking distance.
Other areas to stay in London
Westminster
Historic Landmarks / With Family / With Kids
Just west of the City, Westminster is the perfect place to see some very significant London buildings - such as the very distinctive Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace (take a summer tour of the State rooms). A short walk away is one of London’s best Royal Parks - St James’s. Here you can boat on the lake and look at the extraordinary flower planting, as well as interesting wildlife, including lots of moorhens.
From Westminster tube, it’s easy to get to the iconic London Eye - where you can go up in a pod and see London’s spectacular skyline from all angles. Other family attractions just opposite the Eye include the London Aquarium and the spooky London Dungeons, where history is recreated in gory detail (recommended for 13 years and over).
Westminster tube is centrally located on the Jubilee, District and Circle lines.
South Bank
Family/ Events / Culture
The South Bank is a gem of an area that’s snugly positioned between the bridges at Westminster and Blackfriars. Take the tube to either Waterloo or the Embankment to get to the heart of the action quickly.
This is a great area for families as well as art and theatre lovers. Don’t miss the Tate Modern, which has excellent art exhibitions as well as family workshops and a restaurant with a panoramic London view.
The South Bank itself is filled with street acts and street food, all set against stunning river views, as well as restaurants for all tastes and a summer rooftop bar. Shakespeare’s Globe theatre nearby is an exact reconstruction of the 1599 venue, where you can see a play, or just take a tour of the theatre - historically fascinating.
Other stand-out venues in the area include the Hayward Gallery, the National Theatre and Waterloo’s BFI IMAX cinema - Britain’s biggest cinema screen.
South Kensington
Museums / With Kids / As a Tourist
This is the place to go for all the big hitting family museums, close to South Kensington tube. The V&A museum is a vast space that houses design collections, but it also has excellent visiting art and photography exhibitions, as well as creative family workshops during the school holidays.
Other great museums in the area are the Science Museum, which will appeal to all generations, as well as the Natural History Museum, which houses the enormous skeleton of a blue whale in its public gallery.
Restaurants are plentiful - as well as the stylish cafes within the museums themselves there are lots of places to eat scattered on the streets, and no shortage of coffee stop offs.
Kensington Gardens is a short walk away, and then on to Hyde Park - one of London’s best-loved green spaces, where you will find the Serpentine lake, as well as the Serpentine gallery that has lots of innovative art shows.
City of London
Business / Cheap Hotels on Weekends
Staying in the City gives you easy access to magnificent buildings such as St Paul’s cathedral - an iconic and extraordinary place, where it’s worth taking one of the daily guided tours.
Another great building and venue for the arts is the Barbican Centre (easily reached from Barbican tube) - a classic example of brutalist architecture. Inside houses a theatre, cinema, art exhibition space, shop, cafe and even a Margarita bar. The cafe outside is a top London spot to sit on a sunny day.
There are lots of high end restaurants to appeal to people who work in the City, many with great London skyline views, and hotels are often well priced at the weekends out of working hours.
The area is served by multiple London Underground stations such as St Paul’s, Barbican, Liverpool Street, and Bank.
Shoreditch
Young People / Vintage Shops / Food Markets
A vibrant area that’s great for partying with a creative crowd. Its main streets form a triangle that consist of Old Street, Great Eastern Street and Shoreditch High Street - and all are filled with places to eat, drink and shop.
Head down to Brick Lane for some of the best curry houses in London, and a fun vintage market. Also close by, for a market bursting with fresh blooms, the Columbia Road Flower Market is a great Sunday hang out. Buy fresh flowers and have coffee in one of the independent cafes nestled within the market.
Vinyl collectors should go along to Rough Trade East - set up by Rough Trade records (who famously signed the Smiths). Inside is a wealth of records, books and a bar. There are also live gigs, so keep checking its website.
There is a tube station at Old Street and Dalston and Shoreditch stations are both on the Overground.
Camden Town
Shopping / Entertainment / Young Adults
Camden Town has gained attention in recent years as the home of the late, great musician Amy Winehouse, but it has long been attracting a cool and eclectic crowd with its classic pubs and its market - selling all sorts of fashion forward and vintage items.
The lock itself has barges that double up as bars for sunny summer hang outs, and the area also has two outstanding live music venues: the Jazz Cafe and the Roundhouse.
A short walk away is celebrity hotspot Chalk Farm. This area has a much more residential feel and lots of quaint shops and cafes, as well as some great, classic gastro pubs, such as the Lansdowne.
The green space of Primrose Hill sits prettily past the shops - climb to the top for one of the best views of London’s skyline, and it’s a perfect spot to watch the sun set. Tube stations are at Camden Town and Chalk Farm, both on the Northern line.
Soho
Nightlife / Bars / Restaurants
Hop off the tube at Oxford Circus - or Piccadilly Circus or Tottenham Court Road - and you will soon be in London’s iconic Soho centre, where there’s always somewhere open late into the night - when once place shuts another one opens.
It’s a heady mix of clubs, pubs, theatres, cocktail bars and innovative restaurants - with new places popping up on a regular basis. Whatever food you are craving, you’ll find it here, from Bao buns to sushi and classic British. Soho also borders Chinatown, which is literally filled with Chinese eateries.
Shaftesbury Avenue is the place to head for some of London’s best theatres - the equivalent of New York’s Broadway - with bright lights and exciting shows.
Stroll along Oxford Street for famous shops such as Hamleys (every children’s toy you can think of is in here, so it will keep kids occupied for hours), and the classic department store John Lewis.
Notting Hill Gate
Young Adults / Vintage Shopping / Pubs
A stylish West London area that is particularly loved for its Portobello Market, filled with stalls selling everything from fruit and vegetables to antiques and clothes. The area is also on the world map for its Notting Hill Carnival weekend in August that sees its streets filled with dancers and sound systems, celebrating Caribbean culture.
There are plenty of great shops and cafes along the Portobello Road, and it’s a great place to buy fabrics, vintage clothes, records and jewellery. The Gate Picturehouse, very close to Notting Hill tube station, is a popular cinema in a Grade 2 listed building.
Walk down to Holland Park for a lovely green space, which has a great children’s play area that includes a zip wire, and a beautifully manicured Japanese garden: the Kyoto garden.
The tube station is accessible via the Central, Circle and District lines so it’s easy to get to from the centre of the city.
Battersea
Parks / With Family / Young Adults
This area south of the river has seen a lot of regeneration in recent years, most recently in the reopening of Battersea Power Station - which even has its very own tube station.
This iconic building is now home to restaurants, cafes, clothes stores and a state-of-the art cinema, as well as a great virtual reality experience that teens will love - DNA VR. You can also book tickets for a chimney lift experience that will beam you up 109 meters for a spectacular view of London.
For a different side of Battersea, head to its glorious park, which has lots of places to take in the river views. It’s great for families too: go to the Pear tree cafe for a light lunch before heading to the children’s zoo where you can see lemurs, otters, monkeys and more.
Catch an uber boat along the Thames when the weather allows, where you can travel into central London and Greenwich.
Greenwich
Music Events / Cosy Pubs / City Views
Greenwich is not super central, but it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, with loads of history. It’s also a lovely contrast to other parts of the city and its position on the south west of the River Thames is very picturesque. You can reach it by the Docklands Railway (DLR) direct from Bank tube station, or in the warmer months, take a boat from the City for a leisurely trip along the river.
Another reason to visit is for its informative Greenwich Museums, such as the National Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark - a striking, 150-year-old clipper boat, the only surviving one of its kind, that’s also filled with lots of family activities.
Visit Greenwich Market for vintage finds, clothes, art, food and fashion. There is also no shortage of places to eat and lots of cosy riverside pubs.
Marylebone
As a Tourist / Shopping
This is one of the prettiest residential areas in London, and although it’s very central it still has the feel of a small village that’s set apart from the big department stores.
Walk down from Baker Street tube towards Paddington street, past the quaint, green Paddington Gardens in the direction of Marylebone Lane. There are some great shops on route, including the original La Fromagerie, filled with delicious cheeses. Daunt Books is also a treasure trove for book lovers.
Baker Street tourist attractions include Madame Tussaud’s, filled with eerily realistic celebrities made of wax, as well as the Sherlock Holmes museum, the home of the fictional detective - which is set in a Georgian townhouse. Just a short walk from here is the delightful Regent’s Park, which has a summer theatre and a boating lake where you can take out pedalos. In mid October the park is also home to the renowned contemporary Frieze London art show.
Hampstead
Classic Architecture / Picnic in the Park / And Go Celebrity Spotting
To escape the hustle and bustle of London’s vibrant streets, there is no better green open space in London than Hampstead Heath. Kenwood House is a good place to start: it also has an art gallery in the house itself and a cafe nearby that serves coffee or lunch, with a pretty garden and views across the heath. Swain’s Lane also has some very good cafes and local delicatessens and is another great area of the heath to stroll.
In the spring or summer (and throughout the year for those brave enough) you can book a wild swim in one of the infamous outdoor ponds.
In the heart of Hampstead itself there are an abundance of smart shops and restaurants, an Everyman cinema, and cosy pubs that are perfect for long Sunday lunches, such as the Holly Bush and the Flask.
Our recommended hotels in London
Use the interactive map to navigate through our recommended hotels in LondonNote: Hotel prices can change daily due to promotions, seasons, and demand. Our $ - $$$$ scale shows the overall cost range rather than exact prices.
