Maman Voyage

The question of accommodation in London comes up very often, so I wanted to bring together all our tips and recommended addresses, hoping to help you choose a neighbourhood for your next family trip to London or romantic getaway. Even before living in England, we went to London twice a year because we have family there and because we love the English capital, where Papa Voyage studied. Since we’ve been living on the English coast, we’re 1 hour 30 minutes from London and we still go there very regularly for a weekend.

After all these London getaways, we’ve had the chance to stay in different neighbourhoods and to try out flat rentals and hotels all over London. Here’s a short list that should help you find your way around London and help you choose where to stay, bearing in mind there isn’t one single answer to the question I’m often asked: “what’s the best neighbourhood to make the most of London?”, “Where to sleep in London?” There are several possible options and it depends on you… I’ll explain why!

Indeed, before going through the list of London neighbourhoods we’ve tested and approved, it’s important to keep in mind that London really is a much bigger city than Paris. So the miracle accommodation next to everything is mission impossible! So I’ll try to guide you by indicating, for each area, the attractions that will be close to your accommodation and those that will require a longer journey. That way, you can choose the neighbourhood that will best suit YOUR sightseeing programme in London.

On the map below, I’ve pinpointed most of the must-see places in London to show you how I prepare a trip: I create a map in Google Maps to visualise the places we want to visit, then I choose accommodation accordingly. So don’t hesitate to create your own map with your little list of London must-dos!

For each neighbourhood, I’ll also share my selection of accommodation: flat rentals for visiting London as a family or with an extended family (we’ve sometimes gone with grandparents or friends), as well as places to stay for a romantic getaway (in that case, more likely hotels).

1: Staying in “South Ken”, in the heart of the French neighbourhood (South Kensington)

For those who don’t know yet, South Kensington is where a large part of the French expat community is based. Now, that may not necessarily appeal to you, but let’s say expats didn’t choose South Ken by chance: it’s a very pleasant, pretty area (with all the typical London streets and mews). South Ken (its little nickname) makes a good base for visiting London. I find that South Kensington is really suited to a family trip. You’ll find houses or large flats on Airbnb.

By staying in South Kensington, you’ll get the charm of London architecture, accommodation is a bit cheaper than in the centre because it isn’t the centre, but it’s very well located for enjoying many must-sees!

By staying in South Kensington, you’ll be perfectly placed to visit:

• The Natural History Museum (a must for children, with the huge skeletons and the dinosaurs! And it’s a free museum…)
• The Victoria & Albert Museum (less well known but well worth a visit – the permanent collection is free and there’s a lovely inner courtyard for a drink).
• Hyde Park (with the Serpentine Gallery and the Diana Memorial)
• The department store Harrods

A few distance pointers you’ll need to cover:

• St Pancras International, where you’ll arrive if you come by Eurostar, is 30 minutes by Tube, but at least it’s direct on the Piccadilly Line (station: Gloucester Road)
• If you want to visit the Harry Potter Studios, you’ll need to get to “Euston Station”, which is also about half an hour from South Ken (it’s next to St Pancras)
• Thanks to the Piccadilly Line, you can reach Piccadilly Circus (10 min), Covent Garden (15 minutes), Chinatown (17 min) and the British Museum (22 min) without changing.
• To reach the Big Ben / Westminster Abbey / Parliament area: 20 minutes by Tube (District or Circle line)
• To reach the famous Notting Hill neighbourhood: 15 minutes by Tube (Circle line).
• By basing yourself in South Ken, you’ll be quite far (35 to 40 min) from: Tower Bridge, the City, Borough Market… But as I said above, you can’t be next door to everything ;-)… and it’s still doable.
• The Piccadilly Line is the line that goes to Heathrow Airport in the east (allow 50 min from South Ken).

Note: all the timings I’ve given are from Tube stations. So you need to add the walking time from your accommodation to the Tube.

If the rental prices in South Ken are still a bit high for your budget, you can move a little further out while staying on the Piccadilly Line and aim for Earl’s Court (where there are budget hotels – see further down in the article) or Hammersmith.

Note that South Kensington is not part of the “congestion zone”, so there’s no charge to drive there (unlike the centre – see map of the congestion zone) but you’ll still need to find parking…

Accommodation in South Kensignton (or Kensington):

The City Prime Hotel is west of South Ken station. It offers small apartments with a double bed, sofa bed and kitchenette.

This flat with a small kitchen is also in Kensington. It’s still a good location.

2 – Staying in Notting Hill (for love at first sight!)

In Notting Hill, there are mainly small places because it’s residential. It’s a fairly expensive area, but less so than the centre. So if you’d like to stay there, it’s best to rent a flat or a house. Architecturally, it’s especially beautiful because there are lots of colourful houses. A perfect neighbourhood for families or couples.

By staying in Notting Hill, you’ll be perfectly placed to visit:

• The famous street that runs through all of Notting Hill (Portobello Road) and lots of lovely mews.
• Holland Park: less visited by tourists than Hyde Park or Regent’s Park, but a very beautiful, typical English park with a Japanese corner.
• Little Venice: the charm of London’s canals and big houseboats… In fact, if you’re staying in this area, I strongly recommend doing the long walk along the canal from Little Venice to Camden (where the market is), passing through Regent’s Park.

A few distance pointers you’ll need to cover:

• From “Notting Hill Gate” station, you can use the Central Line (efficient and practical), which crosses London from west to east while staying fairly far north, so you’ll often need to add a walk or change lines to reach points of interest that are a bit south of the line. So, with a change or a walk, allow 15 minutes to Piccadilly Circus, 20 minutes to Covent Garden, 22 minutes to St Pancras station.
• To visit the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, allow 15 minutes by Tube (Circle line).
• Like South Ken, Notting Hill is in the west, so on the opposite side from Tower Bridge (35–40 minutes by Tube).

Accommodation in Notting Hill:

Ravna Gora: small quadruple room on the Holland Park side:

NB: Notting Hill is outside the congestion zone.

3 – Staying in Chelsea, except on a match night!

I’ll continue with neighbourhoods in west London: Chelsea. Chelsea is known for its chic shops and art galleries, but also its football stadium! We actually stayed just a stone’s throw from the stadium because guess what? Well, it’s cheaper than the chic shopping part of Chelsea. The stadium area is a bit further out, but it’s still a very good location. The one thing to watch: do not book accommodation near the football stadium on a match night! It would be a nightmare in terms of traffic, crowds and noise!

Move a little further out again, just after Chelsea to the west, and you reach Fulham. It’s a good option in terms of value for money; what’s more, it’s a family neighbourhood (especially around Parsons Green station). You’ll be on the District Line, my favourite Tube line. Note that in these western areas you can hear planes going to and from Heathrow a little, but I don’t find it too bothersome.

A few distance pointers:

• If you’re in chic Chelsea (around King’s Road near the Saatchi Gallery), then for distances, see my section on South Ken as it will be very similar.
• If you’re near the football stadium, you’ll need to add almost 5–10 minutes to all the distances I gave for South Ken.
• If you’re in Fulham, you’ll need to add 10–15 minutes… it starts to add up, but it brings accommodation costs down and this area remains very London in its architectural style:

Accommodation in Chelsea–Fulham–Parsons Green:

As a family, we booked this Victorian flat with a garden for 4 people (2 bedrooms and 2 double beds). Earl’s Court or West Brompton Tube. Earl’s Court is very practical because there’s the District Line and the Piccadilly Line. The location is excellent for visiting London. Bus towards South Ken and the centre.

NB: Chelsea, Fulham and Parsons Green are outside the congestion zone.

4 – Staying near Tower Bridge

By staying near Tower Bridge, you’ll be perfectly placed to visit on foot:

• Tower Bridge
• The Tower of London
  
• The City (including the Sky Garden for the view or the lovely passage of Leadenhall Market)
• The Shard (London’s tallest tower)
• The Shoreditch neighbourhood (for street art and small markets)
• Borough Market or Maltby Street Market (for lunch)

Tower Bridge

Ticoeur at the top of The Shard

For attractions further away:

• If it’s an attraction on the Thames, like Big Ben, Tate Modern, St Paul’s, the London Eye, then I strongly recommend walking, because the landscaped stroll along the South Bank is truly unmissable! I’ve also dedicated a whole article to discovering London along the Thames.
• Among the attractions on the opposite side from Tower Bridge are the Natural History Museum (33 minutes). You should also allow half an hour to reach St Pancras station. All other journeys should therefore be shorter, so it remains reasonable.

Accommodation near Tower Bridge:

I’ve been lucky enough to sleep several times right on the Thames with a view of Tower Bridge on business trips, but those were fairly expensive business hotels. If you want to stay in this area, I find the best compromise is the Novotel London Tower Bridge: family-friendly, very comfortable and well located.

To bring the budget down, there are many affordable hotels 10 minutes north of Tower Bridge (just before the Shoreditch area, known for street art). It doesn’t have the charm of London’s chic neighbourhoods, but it’s quite practical and more economical. It’s not a family area either, but if you find a place that’s large enough, it can be financially interesting. Personally, we tended to stay there more during our getaways as a couple, especially as it’s not far from our favourite cocktail bars :-).

Other examples of hotels north of Tower Bridge:

• Flat on St Katharine Docks (nice for restaurants in the evening), with a double bedroom, a sofa bed and a balcony with a view.
• In London as a couple, we stayed at The Chamberlain hotel.

Note: this area is in the congestion zone, so it’s better suited if you’re not driving.

5 – Staying south of the Thames near Tate Modern

We’re staying on the Thames but in a more central version than Tower Bridge: there are many modern hotels right next to Tate Modern. It’s a brand-new area with recent developments and therefore towers. It’s a long way from the charm of Victorian houses, but it’s all new, well located, and I find the hotels in this area offer good value for money.

View from the 10th floor of Tate Modern

Advantage of this location:

Despite the lack of charm, it’s a safe and practical area…

• On the South Bank of the Thames, you have direct access to the pedestrian walk along the river that I mentioned above (South Walk).
• As Tate Modern is “in the middle”, at equal distance from the points of interest in the west and the east, it means your journeys will be more even in length. In fact, to visit central London, you can do everything on foot by crossing Waterloo Bridge. Allow 30 minutes to get to Covent Garden. Golden Jubilee Bridge is also handy because it’s pedestrian and takes you towards Trafalgar Square.

View from The Hoxton Southbank hotel

Accommodation near Tate Modern:

We stayed as a couple at The Hoxton Southbank. Very good. Don’t miss having a drink in their top-floor bar: there’s an oysters-and-gin happy hour!

With a friend, we also tried Nox Waterloo (we had a double room with twin beds, but they also have double beds and studios for 4). The hotel is on a lovely little street, just behind Waterloo station:

Note: this area is in the congestion zone, so it’s best to be without a car.

6 – Staying north of the centre: Islington, Camden, Primrose Hill

We stayed once in Islington and we liked this neighbourhood for its typical London architecture and atmosphere. You see quite a lot of families there. It’s a lively neighbourhood in its own right, with lots of shops and good restaurants. Islington is a good choice if most of the visits you’re planning are in the northern part of the centre. Note that Islington is large, so to optimise journeys, I recommend choosing accommodation close to “Angel” station.

By staying in Islington, you can easily reach:

• St Pancras station (for Eurostar) or Euston (for the Harry Potter studios) in 10 minutes by Tube (Northern line)
• Camden Market in 15 minutes, still via the Northern Line
• You’ll be very close to the canal (mentioned above), which you can follow towards Camden and then Regent’s Park
• The British Museum (15 min by bus)

You’ll need to travel further for attractions like the Natural History Museum (35 minutes) or Tower Bridge (25 minutes)

You could also opt to stay in Camden, which would bring you closer to the lovely parks and the views from Primrose Hill or Regent’s Park. See my article on visiting Camden.

Camden

Accommodation north of the centre:

• Charlotte Guest House: quadruple room with en-suite bathroom, also next to Freud’s house.
• This lovely house near Camden, with a terrace for 6 people (3 bedrooms). More expensive because it’s for 6, but there are last-minute deals.

NB: these neighbourhoods are outside the congestion zone.

7 – Staying in Hackney, off the beaten track

Do you already know London, have you been many times, and would you like to discover a new neighbourhood while saving money on accommodation? I recommend Hackney, in north-east London. Hackney is a large area: some parts are family-friendly and “boho”, others aren’t very recommendable in terms of safety, so I advise staying near Victoria Park, London Fields or Hackney City Farm, and reading accommodation reviews carefully to make sure you’re in a quiet spot.

By staying in Hackney, you’ll be perfectly placed to visit:

• The superb Broadway Market: a gourmet market on Saturday mornings.
• Victoria Park and its small Sunday morning market
• The Columbia Road Flower Market (and, why not, look for accommodation around there: it’s more chic than Hackney, so more expensive, but further south and therefore closer to the attractions).
• The V&A Museum of Childhood: a very nice museum for young children, with collections of toys from every era (free).
• The little farm: Hackney City Farm (it’s not really a London must-see and it’s tiny, but if you’re staying in Hackney and you have very young children, it’s nice to stop by).
• Towards the Thames, you’ll pass through Brick Lane and Shoreditch, where there are small flea markets, vintage clothing sellers and street art.

A few distance pointers you’ll need to cover:

Hackney isn’t very well served by the Tube, so you’ll need to use buses or combine walking and then the Tube. Journeys will therefore be around 40 to 45 minutes to reach most of the “classic” sights in the centre, and buses have the drawback of traffic, even though they’re quite nice for seeing the city… In short, Hackney is an option for people who have time, already know London and are looking for good-value family accommodation. We’ve stayed there many times and enjoyed it because it’s different and the atmosphere is nice.

The furthest point will be the Natural History Museum: allow 55 minutes from Victoria Park in Hackney.

Accommodation example in Hackney:

The few times we stayed in Hackney were for trips with grandparents or friends. We then needed accommodation that was a bit larger than usual, so choosing Hackney allowed us to find flats or houses bigger than in the centre.

This flat with a small garden for 4 to 6 people.

The other house we booked is unfortunately no longer available.

NB: Hackney is outside the congestion zone.

***

What about staying in central London?

You’ll have noticed that the very centre isn’t among the areas I recommend in this article. Why?

• We stayed in the station area (St Pancras and Euston) and found it wasn’t pleasant. Less charm and more noise than other neighbourhoods.

• Prices are very high and when we found something within our budget, it was tiny – like a small room with two double bunk beds and nothing else.
• In the centre, there are lots of “bad Airbnbs”. By “bad Airbnbs”, I mean places that pretend to be hotels but aren’t… People who invest in an entire building and fit it out into lots of small furnished rooms at minimal cost. To me, the real Airbnb concept is staying in a lived-in place – someone’s main or second home that they’ve put on Airbnb to top up their income… You see the idea?
• In the centre, there are very beautiful hotels, but they’re very expensive. Once, we were lucky enough to stay at the Hyatt Churchill because I’d won a night there! It’s great, but reserved for big budgets.
• Should you rule out the centre when looking for accommodation in London? No, do still have a look! I’d say avoid the major thoroughfares because of the noise (like Oxford Street and many others), but look in lovely pockets such as around Covent Garden or in the very chic neighbourhoods of Mayfair and Marylebone. You’ll see if you find a gem at an affordable price! And don’t hesitate to share the address with us in the comments!
• Also read: my guide to visiting central London as a family.

Where to sleep in London? And what about budget?

You’ll notice that I haven’t given prices in this article. The reason is simple: prices vary hugely depending on the period you choose! So accommodation we paid €150 per night for could be €300 per night if you choose a more in-demand week. Prices also change depending on supply and demand, how far in advance you book or, on the contrary, last-minute booking, and finally depending on the number of people. Also, everyone has a different budget (personally, I look in the €100–200 per night range) and everyone has their own criteria (for example, you absolutely want a dishwasher or a coffee machine ;-)). So my main aim is above all to give you a good sense of direction and ideas for neighbourhoods we enjoy in London. For the rest, I’ll leave you to do your research!

I’m also regularly asked what the budget hotel chains are in England, and therefore in London, offering very basic accommodation. We haven’t tried this type of hotel at all because we’ve always found what we wanted in more charming flats within our budget, but here are a few well-known names in the entry-level segment: Travelodge, Premier Inn, Easy hotel, Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, Ibis… (note: sometimes budget hotels are less budget than other higher-quality accommodation, so stay open-minded in your search).

***

I hope this article helps you choose a neighbourhood for your next stay in London, as a family or as a couple! Above all, don’t hesitate to share your good accommodation tips with us in the comments! And to know what to visit, check out our complete guide to visiting London as a family!

See you soon in London? See you soon!

Here you’ll find more details to prepare your trip to London:

• 

  London: Discover Camden as a family and walk along the canal

  A day in London, from Camden Town to Little Venice: a walk the Regents' canal

• 

  London with kids: All you need to know

  Our practical guide to London with kids: walking, museums, parcs, transport, restaurants, accommodation.

• 

  Itinerary for visiting central London as a family

  A long walk to discover central London with kids

• 

  1 day in London: walk along the River Thames

  Discover London along the River Thames as a family: itinerary, visits and food

• 

  Kew Gardens: seeing the main key attractions in half a day

  Our must-sees at Kew Gardens in 3 or 4 hours: the glasshouses, the gardens and our practical tips to make the most of it!