Mayfair
0.9 miles from city centre
The glamorous residents of Mayfair have money to burn. Come and ogle at their sprawling mansions, exclusive shops, auction houses and rarefied art galleries. If a bespoke suit from Savile Row doesn't tempt you, survey the fine Victorian architecture around the garden squares or the intricate design of the Royal Arcade.
Places to stay from £44 per night
Kensington
2.8 miles from city centre
Kensington is a mix of residential and commercial areas that ooze class. Stretching from Old Brompton Road to Kensington High Street, you’ll find bistros, cafés and boutiques galore. Stop to admire Kensington Palace, or visit the nearby Victoria and Albert and Natural History Museums. The streets around Holland Park are perfect for walking.
Places to stay from £18 per night
Covent Garden
0.4 miles from city centre
The ornamental pineapples adorning the market’s lamps are a reminder of the fruit and vegetable stalls that once occupied Covent Garden, an important centre for London’s vibrant creative arts scene. See the 17th-century St Paul’s Church or explore the boutiques that line the alleys. Parisian-style cafés with terraces adorn the street corners.
Places to stay from £40 per night
Westminster Borough
1.1 miles from city centre
Westminster, home to some of London's best-known landmarks and the seat of government. Slip through the shadows of history at The Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square with the bells of Big Ben marking the passage of time. Stroll past Whitehall to Downing Street (the Prime Minister's official home and office) and on to Buckingham Palace.
Places to stay from £7 per night
St James
0.2 miles from city centre
St James's is a sophisticated neighbourhood filled with mature parks, galleries and high-end restaurants. Edged by Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, St James's plays host to a range of cultural and artistic events throughout the year including London Fashion Week. Head to Jermyn Street for luxury shopping.
Places to stay from £17 per night
Marylebone
1.6 miles from city centre
Lined with beautiful Victorian terraces, the traditional streets of Marylebone contain acres of parks and garden. Amateur sleuths shouldn’t miss Sherlock Holmes’ legendary residence at 221b Baker Street. You’ll spot the beautiful, circular All Souls Church with its striking conical tower. From here, wander towards Bond Street’s upmarket shops.
Places to stay from £23 per night
Knightsbridge
1.7 miles from city centre
Knightsbridge is a honeypot for wealthy shoppers - and the postcode of choice for the even wealthier. Harrods is the centrepiece, a unique department store with five acres of shopping. The nearby Harvey Nichols food court is legendary for its gourmet delights. The park behind The Brompton Oratory provides an oasis among the stucco-fronted edifices.
Places to stay from £99 per night
Belgravia
1.4 miles from city centre
This is one of the world's most elegant - and wealthy - residential neighbourhoods. Belgravia’s palatial Georgian-style houses are peppered with delightful garden squares, including Belgrave Square and Eaton Square. Elizabeth Street holds a number of quirky delights, like stationers, luxury chocolatiers, bakeries and antique shops.
Places to stay from £19 per night
London's inherent uniqueness and mix of cultures have made it one of the most visited cities in the world. Its diverse bundle of boroughs are often like mini cities in their own right, with each one offering something different to the last.
London's iconic skyline is an eclectic combination of instantly recognisable landmarks, from the historic Tower of London to the ultra-modern skyscrapers of The Shard and 20 Fenchurch (better known as 'The Walkie-Talkie'). A walk through the ‘Square Mile’ immerses you in the original Roman settlement, with parts of the ancient defensive wall still visible. You'll also find some of the London's cosiest (and oldest) pubs around there, such as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a former haunt of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.
For lovers of the arts, look no further than the world-class theatres of London's West End and the live music venues of Camden, Soho and Shoreditch. You'll also find endless galleries and museums dotted around, such as the free-to-visit British Museum, Natural History Museum and the National Gallery.
Amongst all the impressive architecture and endless points of interest, it's easy to forget how green London is. 47% of the city is made up of public green space, including 3,000 parks. The most popular spots include Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Green Park, but it's worth venturing out to places like Richmond where you can walk amongst roaming wild deer.
London is served by several major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted, Luton and Southend. Travel is made easy by the extensive public transport links, as well as private coach services.
Tonight
From £26 per night
This weekend
From £54 per night
Next weekend
From £51 per night
Most popular time to visit | January–March |
Cheapest time to visit | September–November |
Local currency | GBP |
Language | English |
Average weekend price | £124 per night |
Average weekday price | £113 per night |
Typical stay | 2 nights |
The Shard
1.7 miles from city centre
Wembley Stadium
7.3 miles from city centre
O2 Arena
5.6 miles from city centre
Tower Bridge
2.2 miles from city centre
Oxford Street
0.9 miles from city centre
London Eye
0.4 miles from city centre
London Bridge
1.7 miles from city centre
Royal Albert Hall
2.2 miles from city centre
Piccadilly Circus
0.4 miles from city centre
Emirates Stadium
3.4 miles from city centre
London in the autumn
Autumn blankets London in a mix of cosiness, colours and contrasts.
Shopping tips from London locals
Record hunting, scoring the best antiques, and uncovering vintage clothing gems.
A seasonal guide to London
With each season offering its own unique charm there’s never a bad time to visit London.
Top 10 hotels with the best WiFi in London
From luxury hotels in East London’s Tech City through to unassuming guest houses.
London entertainment: a day in the life
Jonny Kennedy's photo diary of a day in London.
Another great London visit : )
25 January 2016
This was not my first visit to London but the reason for this particular visit was to see my favourite singer playing the role of the Phantom in Her Majesty's Theatre on my birthday. We picked a hotel within close proximity to the theatre (Club Quarters, Nr Trafalger Square) and we couldn't have been happier with this choice as the hotel was fantastic. We walked to our hotel from Victoria Station via Buckingham palace, St James Park and Horse Guards Parade (between 30 and 50 minutes depending on how fast you walk and how many stops you make to take photos etc). This walk was so fantastic that we did the same in reverse the following day. If you like wildlife, particularly aquatic birds, pigeons and squirrels, you will love walking through the park as the birds and squirrels are very confident and will therefore allow you to get very close to them (feeding is discouraged but a lot of people still do so). Even if you don't like wildlife, St James park is still a lovely place to walk due to the pretty scenery which includes a large lake and lots of trees. You almost forget you're in central London when in the middle of the park so it's a nice place to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy streets for a while. The Phantom of the Opera didn't disappoint (as always) and the best birthday treat was meeting the Phantom after the show : ). We ate in Garfunkels restaurant for the pre show evening meal and breakfast the following morning and both visits were perfectly fine and acceptable value for money given the location. We will be visiting London again in May if not before as I tend to find an excuse to head to London every 3 - 4 months if possible. I would definitely do all of the above again several times over, so overall I had a very satisfying experience in all the places I visited and I would highly recommend all of it to other London visitors.
A visit to Boroughs Market is worth your while!
1 February 2016
We love London and have been there numerous times. The subway is amazing even though rather crowded and often involves stairs. But the city is bustling and there are so many things to do and see that we never get tired of visiting it and always discover new places to explore. This time we went for a guided tour to Boroughs Market. It is next to the oldest railway station in the world, London Bridge. Our guide was Celia Brooks, a well-known food writer, and she gave us a great tour of the market, told us about the history, introduced us to the many specialty stalls and made us taste many of the delicious foods sold there. The particularity of this market is that all the vendors are also producers and that most produce is sourced sustainably and locally. The quality is regularly controlled and no mass merchandise is allowed. The market is open Wednesdays to Saturdays to allow producers to actually produce their food. Obviously, Saturday is the busiest day! We highly recommend a visit, even without a guide!
Let me go back to London
26 January 2016
Myself and my boyfriend took a short weekend break taking in one night in London. Although our trip was very short, we still made the most of our stay. We bought tickets for The Original Tour's Hop on Hop off Sightseeing Bus which allowed us to see as much of London within a short space of time. My favourite attractions were Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben. Was excited to try the London Eye but once I was on it, I couldn't help feeling that it was a bit over-rated. London is fairly simple to get around if you have any sense of rough direction. My google maps helped me get from the tube station to the hotel and after that the Hop on Hop off gave a great orientation tour of the city's popular spots. After dinner at the Chamberlain Hotel, we took a walk across Tower Bridge and back across London Bridge which offered great photo opportunities of the iconic Tower Bridge. We knew exactly where to go thanks to the Hop on Hop off. Overall we had a fantastic time in London and plan on returning sometime in the future for a longer trip.
Fun, Food, Wine and Fresh Air in 3 days!
31 January 2016
First evening was spent in Borough Market with wine and wonderful olives at Bedales, then on for dinner at Black&Blue - lamb chops were delicious. Next day we had lunch at Aquashard, on to Kew Gardens for a wonderful walk and then on to the sales in Oxford street picking up bargains at Karen Millen and Mint Velvet before heading to Wicked! - great last minute deal for £17 a ticket. Third day was lunch at The Grocer in Spitalfields market, a makeup session for my daughter at Benefit and then beautiful coffee and a Frangipan at Patisserie Valerie. We were in such a chilled state we walked out without paying - but thankfully the lovely waitress who caught up with us was very understanding!!! Last day we had brunch at Shoreditch House with a friend who was a member. Rooftop restaurant with an outside pool - what a wonderful end to a fantastic short break!
London enthusiastic
26 January 2016
I love London! The transports, the shops, the restaurants, the shows, the weather, so many things to do and see, booking.com doesn't give enough characters to describe it! I had lunch at the Brazilian restaurant on Shaftesbury, Rodizio Preto, and if you are a meat eater, you will love it. It is right behind Chinatown, which is always fun to visit, especially with the Chinese new year coming. Accommodation in the west end means you are close to the main attractions, or a tube station to get you there!by all means get an Oyster card to travel, and save on the tube fares which can be ridiculous!, or get a day ticket! I have seen many shows in London, being theatre plays, musicals or concerts, and I have never been disappointed by the venue, the act /performance or even the staff. There is just something about London that makes a stay so much better than anywhere else!
London Pride
29 January 2016
London is both a very historic city whilst being full of modern architecture. The theatres are excellent and there is a huge range of entertainment. Where else would you find 'Warhorse' and 'Les Miserables' being performed in the same city? There are great shops if that's what you want: from Harrods and Selfridges to small unique outlets. Walking in London is fantastic. Walk by the Thames to the Palace of Westminster via the London Eye and then into the heart of 'Theatre Land'. There is a huge range of hotels .... something to suit every pocket; from the Waldorf to Ibis.
Camden, London
From £147 per night
Tower Hill, London
From £178.50 per night
City of London, London
From £203 per night
Chelsea, London
From £234.60 per night
Westminster Borough, London
From £320 per night
Apartments
From £14 per night
Villas
From £120 per night
Serviced apartments
From £25 per night
Holiday homes
From £48 per night
Guest houses
From £13 per night
Hostels
From £9 per night
B&Bs
From £22 per night
Homestays
From £12 per night
Campsites
From £30 per night
Boats
From £86 per night
Self catering accommodation
From £14 per night