But the purpose of this guide is to select the best neighbourhoods to stay in London and so we’re going to have to make some tough choices, inevitably omitting some of our favourites for lack of space. So without further ado here are 6 of the best neighbourhoods to stay in next time you’re in London.
1: Trafalgar Square
The area around Trafalgar Square is one of the most convenient in Central London, especially for those visiting for the first time. Countless attractions are within walking distance including Buckingham Palace, Parliament, the West End, Covent Garden and more. The neighbourhood is brimming with quality restaurants of every kind and is criss-crossed by 4 Tube lines making it easy to reach other parts of the capital. Commuter and sightseeing boats are also available from nearby Westminster Pier.
2: South Kensington
This area of Central London is as posh as it gets, attracting both political heavyweights and global celebrities including Elton John, Eric Clapton and Madonna. What makes it so attractive to so many is its compelling mixture of hi-so and the everyday. Cuddled up against Kensington Palace and the V&A are chic boutiques, ethnic restaurants, family-owned bookstores and neighbourhood cafes. Like all the best neighbourhoods it also features plenty of Tube access with the District, Piccadilly and Circle lines rumbling underfoot.
3: Covent Garden
Just a hop, skip and a jump from Trafalgar Square you’ll find Covent Garden. It’s one of those areas that somehow manages to reconcile the words “empire” and “cosy”. One minute you’re navigating the heroic expanse of The Strand. A minute later you’re on New Row where you can stop in at the White Swan to watch the big match with locals. Walk a little further and you’ll swear you’ve been transported to the 3rd arrondissement in Paris. And let’s not forget Covent Garden Shopping Mall where you can pick up fresh cut flowers for your apartment and Ben’s Cookies for dessert.
4: Westminster
Westminster is perhaps the most aggressively urban neighbourhood on our list. Large, imposing office buildings compete for space with government buildings and condominium complexes. Yet somehow there’s still room for the quiet back street, the neighbourhood pub and the cosy cafe. Though you might have to look a little more closely to find them than you would in Covent Garden. The big selling point here is that you’re near just about everything.
5: Belgravia
If we had to use one word to describe Belgravia in Central London it would be “elegant”. And unlike some other neighbourhoods in London, it’s pretty uniformly elegant from its southern tip near Chelsea Bridge to its northern border at Hyde Park. If quiet, civilized, upscale and convenient is what you want from your neighbourhood you’ll find all of that in Belgravia, along with world-class antique shops, high-end eateries and cobbled streets. And lest we forget, you’re also just a short stroll from Victoria Station and connections to the rest of the world.
6: Kensington
In this case, we’re making a distinction between Kensington and its offshoot South Kensington that we covered earlier. This Kensington runs from the Holland Park Roundabout in the northwest to Ashburn Place in the East and the sprawling Brompton Cemetery in the South. Here you’ll find an incredible diversity of experiences, a thousand different places to stay, every imaginable type of restaurant, neighbourhood pub, tourist hotspot, green space and, of course, Kensington Palace. In many ways, it’s a transitional area where Imperial London to the east meets London, England to the west.
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