Where to Stay in London: 12 Best Areas + Hotels We Recommend

We have been visiting London for the best part of 50 or more years, and the areas below are the ones we stay in and send friends and family to, with hotels at every budget.

Choosing where to stay is the first real decision of any London trip, and it shapes everything that follows: how long you spend on the Tube each morning, how easily you get back for a rest, and how the city feels when you step out of your door. London is a collection of villages, and the area you pick matters more than the hotel itself.

These are the 12 areas we recommend, each one well served by public transport so the tubes, trains, buses and river boats can carry you across the capital with ease.

For each area you will find who it suits best, what is on the doorstep, and our hotel picks across three budgets: £ (value), ££ (mid-range) and £££ (premium).

Planning London as part of a longer trip? Our UK itinerary planning guides help you fit it into the wider journey.

We love to stay around Covent Garden for the restaurants and theatres but when we are travelling on the Eurostar we tend to choose the King’s Cross area for ease of access for early trains to mainland Europe.

Our quick recommendation: how to choose your area

If you want the short answer before the detail, here is where we send people most often:

• First time in London: Covent Garden or Westminster, for walkable sightseeing.

• Families: South Kensington for the museums, or Greenwich for space and a friendlier pace.

• Couples and a romantic base: Notting Hill and Little Venice.

• Food, markets and nightlife: Shoreditch or Soho.

• River, history and quieter evenings: Tower Bridge and the City, or the South Bank.

• Returning visitors who have done the centre: Greenwich or Notting Hill.

• A special-occasion splurge: Mayfair.

Whichever you choose, all 12 are well connected, so you are never far from the sights. The rest of this guide gives you the full picture of each, with hotels at every budget.

Listen before you book

We talked through exactly how to choose your London base, with the trade-offs and our own recommendations, on the UK Travel Planning Podcast:

• Episode #68: Choosing the Best Place to Stay in London – our full conversation on picking the right area.

• Episode #90: How Far Ahead to Book Hotels, Restaurants and Attractions – when to book once you have chosen.

Quick comparison: our top pick per area

AREA	HOTEL	COST	BOOK
Covent Garden	The Resident Covent Garden	££	BOOK
Charing Cross	The Clermont	£££	BOOK
Covent Garden	Z Hotel Covent Garden	£	BOOK
Tower Bridge	Doubletree by Hilton London	££	BOOK
Westminster	Rubens at the Palace	£££	BOOK
Westminster	Z Hotel Victoria	£	BOOK
South Bank	London Marriott County Hall	£££	BOOK

Covent Garden, Charing Cross + Trafalgar Square

Best for first-time visitors who want to walk to almost everything.

Covent Garden is where we point most first-timers, because it gives you the whole of central London on foot. The piazza, theatreland, the restaurants and the shopping are all here, yet the streets around James Street and Floral Street keep a genuine neighbourhood feel. People really do live and work here, which is part of why we keep coming back to it.

From here you can walk to Leicester Square, Embankment and Trafalgar Square in minutes, and the Royal Opera House, the Covent Garden market halls and the London Transport Museum are on your doorstep. Charing Cross station sits a short stroll away for trains out of the city, and it is the very point from which distances to London are measured.

I have stayed in the Z Hotel in Covent Garden when travelling solo without Doug and find the prices affordable.

Good to know: Prices here are some of the highest in London, so book months ahead. For value without leaving the middle of it all, the two Z Hotels (Trafalgar and Covent Garden) are hard to beat.

Where to stay in Covent Garden, Charing Cross & Trafalgar Square

Hotels

• £££ – The Clermont
• £££ – The Savoy
• £££ – Royal Horseguards
• £££ – Corinthia
• £££ – Waldorf Hilton

• ££ – The Resident Covent Garden
• ££ – Page 8 Page Hotels

• £ – Z Hotel Trafalgar
• £ – Z Hotel Covent Garden

Tower Bridge and the City of London

Best for: travellers who want river and history, with quieter nights.

The City is London’s oldest core, and staying beside Tower Bridge puts the Tower of London, the river and centuries of history right outside. It empties out in the evenings once the office workers leave, which makes it calmer than the West End while staying superbly connected.

Good to know: Because the City empties at weekends, room rates often drop Friday to Sunday. Just check nearby restaurants are open, as many close when the office crowd leaves. This is also an excellent base if you are attending the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London as it is a short walk to the castle.

Where to stay in Tower Bridge

Hotels

• £££ – Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square

• ££ – Doubletree by Hilton London
• ££ – Club Quarters Hotel St Pauls
• ££ – Novotel London Tower Bridge
• ££ – CitizenM Tower of London

• £ – ZCity Hotel

South Bank + Bankside, Southwark and Waterloo

Best for: walkers and culture lovers, and anyone visiting in the festive season.

The South Bank is one of our favourite places to base a trip. The riverside walk takes you past the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe and Tate Modern, and by late November the whole stretch is lit up with a Christmas market on your doorstep. Cross any bridge and you are in Westminster or Covent Garden within minutes, and Waterloo station opens up the south of England.

I stayed at the Park Plaza County Hall with a friend in April 2024 and we enjoyed strolling around South Bank and took some fantastic photos at the London Eye with the cherry blossom in full bloom (don’t miss this if you are in London in April)

Good to know: If you are coming for the Christmas market and the lights, book by early autumn, as the riverside hotels fill fast. Worth asking for a river-facing room here.

Where to stay in South Bank

Hotels

• £££ – London Marriott County Hall
• £££ – Shangri-La at the Shard

• ££ – Park Plaza County Hall
• ££ – Hilton London Bankside
• ££ – Sea Containers

• £ – NOX Waterloo
• £ – Stayo Waterloo

South Kensington + Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea

Best for: museum lovers and a calmer, elegant base near Hyde Park.

If your London revolves around the great museums, South Kensington is hard to beat. The Natural History, Science and V&A museums are walkable, Hyde Park is close, and the streets here are graceful and quiet. It is one of the more upmarket areas, and the shopping in Knightsbridge reflects that.

Good to know: The big three museums are free, which makes this a strong family base, and the Piccadilly line runs straight here from Heathrow, so it is an easy first-night choice.

Where to stay in South Kensington

Hotels

• £££ – Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
• £££ – The Berkeley
• £££ – Park City Grand Plaza Kensington
• £££ – The Goring

• ££ – The Franklin London
• ££ – The Ampersand
• ££ – 54 Queens Gate Hotel

• £ – The Resident Kensington
• £ – Point A London Kensington
• £ – London Lodge Hotel

Greenwich 

Best for: history lovers, families, and anyone returning to London for a second or third visit.

Greenwich rewards a full day and gives you a different side of London. The Royal Observatory, the Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark, the Old Royal Naval College, the market and the great open park are all here, and there is far more room to breathe than in the centre.

Staying south of the river shows you a calmer, more local capital, with quick access back to the sights by DLR and riverboat.

We choose Greenwich when we want a quieter experience in London and enjoy exploring this beautiful area (including picnics in Greenwich park when the weather plays ball!)

Good to know: Arrive or leave by Thames Clipper at least once for the view of Greenwich from the water, and give the area a full day rather than half.

Where to stay in Greenwich

Hotels

• £££ – Intercontinental London o2

• ££ – Ibis Greenwich
• ££ – Novotel London Greenwich
• ££ – Doubletree by Hilton London Greenwich
• ££ – Admiral Hardy
• ££ – The Clarendon Hotel

• £ – Travelodge Greenwich High Road

East End – Spitalfields and Shoreditch

Best for: food, markets and visitors who like a creative, modern London.

Base yourself in Shoreditch or Spitalfields and you have buzzing bars, some of the best eating in the city and endless markets on your doorstep. It sits close to Tower Bridge and the City, and it carries a lot of history, some of it wonderfully gory.

Good to know: The area is at its best at the weekend, when Columbia Road flower market (Sundays) and the Brick Lane markets are in full swing. Time your stay to catch them.

Where to stay in Shoreditch

Hotels

• £££ – Pan Pacific London
• £££ – Batty Langleys

• ££ – CitizenM Shoreditch
• ££ – 196 Bishopsgate
• ££ – One hundred Shoreditch
• ££ – The Hoxton Shoreditch

• £ – Point A London Liverpool Street
• £ – Z Hotel Shoreditch

Camden and Kings Cross

Best for: travellers arriving by train, and anyone who wants markets, music and easy connections north.

This is the area to choose if you are coming or going by rail, or making London one stop on a wider UK trip. St Pancras International brings in the Eurostar, King’s Cross runs the trains to York, Edinburgh and the north, and both sit a few minutes from the canal, Coal Drops Yard and Camden’s famous markets. The area has shed its rough-edged reputation over the last decade and become one of the best-connected places to base yourself.

Camden Market, Regent’s Canal and the music venues are a short walk or one stop away, and the British Library is right beside St Pancras. For anyone pairing London with the rest of Britain, you can drop your bags and be on a train within minutes.

Good to know: The obvious choice for the start or end of a wider UK trip, with the fast trains north from King’s Cross and the Eurostar from St Pancras. Handy as a first or last night if you are travelling on by rail.

Where to stay in Camden

Hotels

• £££ – Megaro
• £££ – The Standard London
• £££ – St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

• ££ – Camden Enterprise Hotel
• ££ – Holiday Inn London Camden Lock
• ££ – The House of Toby

• £ – The Hurdwick
• £ – Travelodge Kings Cross

Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia

Best for: book lovers, and travellers who want central but a little calmer.

Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia sit just north of the West End, so you have central London within a short walk but a calmer, more residential feel once you are back at your hotel. The streets are full of leafy garden squares, handsome Georgian terraces and the bookshops and cafés the area has always been known for.

This is the literary and academic heart of the city. The British Museum is here, the university buildings give the streets a studious air, and Bloomsbury lends its name to the publisher that took a chance on the first Harry Potter book. Fitzrovia, just to the west, mixes media offices with old pubs and some quietly good restaurants.

Good to know: You can walk into the West End in about fifteen minutes, the British Museum is free and on the doorstep, and Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross are close for onward trains.

Where to stay in Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia

Hotels

• £££ – The Bloomsbury Hotel
• £££ – Kimpton Fitzroy London
• £££ – L’oscar London

• ££ – Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton
• ££ – The Academy
• ££ – The Montague on the Gardens

• £ – City Inn Russell Square
• £ – Ridgemount Hotel

Mayfair, Marylebone and Oxford Street

Best for: a special-occasion stay, and shoppers who want everything close.

Even first-time visitors know Mayfair, the most exclusive district in the city and the most sought-after square on the Monopoly board. It borders the eastern edge of Hyde Park and is full of smart hotels, fine restaurants and elegant townhouses.

If a Park Lane stay is out of reach, look slightly north around Marylebone and Oxford Street, which keep you close to the shopping and the park at far gentler prices, and Marylebone has a lovely village feel of its own.

Good to know: If Mayfair prices make you wince, base yourself in Marylebone instead, a short walk north with a real village feel and far gentler rates for the same central location.

Where to stay in Mayfair, Marylebone and Oxford Street

Hotels

• £££ – The Dorchester
• £££ – The May Fair
• £££ – The Connaught
• £££ – Brown’s Hotel

• ££ – The Dilly
• ££ – Holiday inn Oxford Circus
• ££ – Gunmakers Marylebone

• £ – Hyde Park Radnor Hotel B&B

Westminster and St James

Best for: sightseeing first-timers who want the landmarks on the doorstep.

Westminster puts the big London landmarks right on your doorstep, which is why we point first-time visitors here when seeing the sights is the priority. Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey are all within a short walk, and Victoria’s rail and coach stations are close by for anyone arriving by train.

It sits right on the river, so you can cross a bridge to the South Bank and the London Eye in minutes. This is the political and historic heart of the city, with St James’s Park and Green Park nearby and Buckingham Palace sitting between the two.

For a first weekend when you want to tick off the headline sights, Westminster, Victoria, St James’s and Pimlico are the areas to look at.

Good to know: Easy to reach if you land at Gatwick, with the Gatwick Express into Victoria, and the landmarks are quietest first thing, so stay here and walk them before the crowds build.

Where to stay in Westminster and St James

Hotels

• £££ – Conrad London St James
• £££ – Rubens at the Palace
• £££ – Sofitel London St James

• ££ –  The Resident Victoria
• ££ –  Royal Horseguards
• ££ –  The Guardsman
• ££ –  The Windermere Hotel
• ££ –  Georgian House Hotel

• £ –  Z Hotel Victoria

Soho and Leicester Square

Best for: theatre, dining and visitors who want to be in the middle of it all.

From shopping at Liberty and Hamleys to dining in Chinatown or catching a film or a show, Leicester Square and Soho put you at the centre of the action, with Covent Garden, Mayfair and Fitzrovia all close by. It is lively late into the night, which is part of the appeal and worth knowing if you are a light sleeper.

Good to know: It is noisy late into the night, so if you are a light sleeper ask for a room at the back or higher up. The payoff is catching a matinee or late show with no trek home.

Where to stay in Soho and Leicester Square

Hotels

• £££ – The Soho Hotel
• £££ – Ham Yard Hotel

• ££ –  Hazlitt’s
• ££ – The Resident Soho

• £ – The Z Hotel Soho

Notting Hill and Little Venice

Best for: couples, photographers and return visitors who want a pretty, villagey base.

Notting Hill is the London of Love Actually and Paddington: pastel houses, Portobello Road’s ever-changing market and street food at every turn. It has gentrified over the decades but kept its charm, and Little Venice just to the east, with its canal and Regent’s Park beyond, has a gentle neighbourhood feel that rewards a second visit.

Good to know: Portobello Road is biggest and best on a Saturday, and bear in mind the Notting Hill Carnival takes over the area on the August bank holiday weekend, which is either a draw or a reason to stay elsewhere.

Where to stay in Notting Hill and Little Venice

Hotels

• £££ – The Laslett

• ££ – The Portobello Hotel

• £ – The Premier Notting Hill
• £ – Blue bells Hotel

Holiday rentals

• 5 bed for 11 – Notting Hill house

Where will you stay in London?

Wherever you choose, picking the right area is what makes London feel manageable rather than overwhelming, and every area above is well connected enough that you are never far from the sights.

Read the sections that fit your trip, open the hotel links to check live prices, and use the comparison table to weigh up your top picks before you arrive.

If London is one stop on a longer journey, our sister site UK Travel Planning can help you plan the trains and the wider UK itinerary around it.

And for everything to do once you have chosen your base, our 5 day London itinerary guide takes you from arrival to departure.

Plan your trip to London

Additional options when choosing where to stay in London

• Guide to London’s Chain Hotels
• 10 Best Mid-Range Hotels in London

If you’re still planning the details of your London trip, we’ve put together a curated list of trusted booking tools, tours, and practical resources to help you plan with confidence.
👉 Visit our London Travel Planning Resources page