Best areas to stay in London pre-cruise?

[NMTraveller]

I was just wondering what the best areas are to stay in London pre-cruise?  We would like some of the attractions within walking distance if possible.

[countess5]

We have stayed at the Marriott which is right on the boardwalk near the London Eye! Just down the street from Big Ben and walking distance to Buckingham Palace. It’s right on Thames river for great boat trips. 

 

Cheers! 

[LXA350]

Best is to stay in Mayfair area, you can cover many of the tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, Picadilly Circus and various museums etc from there. Depending of course how much time you will spend, visting Tower of london is in the financial district and a bit out of the way from the majority of attractions. Unless you want to stay in the highest hotel of London the Shangri-La at the Chard 😄

[bEwAbG]

Second the Mayfair area.  Stay as close to a Tube stop as you can.  I was just there in early December and our walk to the Tube stop was "only" 10 minutes but that adds up the more you have to do it. 

[mom says]

Attractions in London are quite spread out, so there is no "best" location. Anywhere in Central London will work, as long as it's close to a tube stop. Rule of thumb- if it's within the borders of the Circle Line, you're OK. 

[robbinsca]

We were quite happy with the Club Quarters next to St Paul’s Cathedral. It was a stop on the HOHO Bus circuit, which made it very convenient for us.

[FionaL91]

Most places in 'Zone 1' are fine for seeing the sights, just avoid City of London as it shuts down at the weekend and lots of bars and restaurants are closed.

[dock]

Agree with Mayfair.

Its perfectly located for all attractions.

Walkable  across the park to Harrods as well.

 

Hotels tend to be a bit more in this area.

We’re in London every July to visit family and usually change locations so the city always feels fresh to us. 
 

Last year we stayed at the Chesterfield Mayfair. Lovely old British style hotel. Read reviews as rooms  can be a bit small. 
In 2022 we stayed at The Bloomsbury Hotel. I preferred the decor and rooms ( still small, but that’s Europe) .Location was ok for what we wanted to do. Still walkable to many places  and The British Museum is very close by, but I felt we could walk to many more places from Mayfair. 

This summer we've booked the Hilton Trafalgar. 
 

 

[NMTraveller]

29 minutes ago, dock said:

Agree with Mayfair.

Its perfectly located for all attractions.

Walkable  across the park to Harrods as well.

 

Hotels tend to be a bit more in this area.

We’re in London every July to visit family and usually change locations so the city always feels fresh to us. 
 

Last year we stayed at the Chesterfield Mayfair. Lovely old British style hotel. Read reviews as rooms  can be a bit small. 
In 2022 we stayed at The Bloomsbury Hotel. I preferred the decor and rooms ( still small, but that’s Europe) .Location was ok for what we wanted to do. Still walkable to many places  and The British Museum is very close by, but I felt we could walk to many more places from Mayfair. 

This summer we've booked the Hilton Trafalgar. 
 

 

The Hilton Trafalgar is one of several that we are looking at.  We have a bunch of Hilton,  IHG,  and Hyatt points to use.

[Lena11033]

I grew up in London, tourist stuff is all over the place as long as you are close to the tube you're fine as there are buses and trains frequently (obviously certain areas I would say to stay away from)

I normally stay in Kings Cross/Angel area, but I grew up there so am ok getting around plus easy to meet friends.

 

Hilton Trafalgar Sq is going to be close to tube, buses and a bunch of touristy things like Westminster and Buckingham palace so you'd be fine in that area.

[Travelling2Some]

We stayed at Luna Simone.  Small rooms but very clean, attractively decorated and well organized, lovely breakfast and a good price.  What really made it stand out is that the No. 24 bus stop is directly in front of the door and that bus cuts right through the heart of London, taking you to pretty much any place you would want to go.  Wonderful to be dropped off at your doorstep after a long day on your feet.  It is a short walk to Westminster, the Tate, river cruises and the Churchill War Rooms.  We also booked it for it's close proximity to Victoria Coach Station as we were planning to travel on to Bath for a few days before going down to Southampton to board our ship.

[markeb]

43 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I realize that the mods will move it.  In my experience when I ask these types of questions on the Celebrity board I get a bunch of answers and once it is moved I may get one or two.

 

It's actually one of the better boards.

 

What do you want to do and how long are you there? How do you plan on getting into London? How do you plan on getting to Southampton (I assume)?

 

There are areas that are easy to reach from Heathrow without too much effort. There are areas that are easy to get to the train or National Express to go on to Southampton. They're not always the same!

 

Mayfair is a pretty large area. I know Marriott a lot better than Hilton, so not much help there. The Trafalgar Square location is pretty good, but you may be stuck with a car service or cab into there. The closest Tube at Charing Cross is going to require transfers if memory serves from Heathrow or a direct shot on the Piccadilly line with a longer walk. The Elizabeth line costs more, still requires a transfer, and takes almost as long (probably because of the transfer). Same getting to Waterloo, for instance, for the train. But it's within easy walking of a ton of attractions.

 

The area near Waterloo station is actually a really nice area to stay. You can have some of the same issues getting there, but the hotels have historically been priced better (not as big a deal on points) and it's really convenient to onward travel.

 

Just a couple of thoughts.

 

QUICK EDIT: Trafalgar Square is in Westminster. I mentioned Mayfair because a number of people recommended it. We stay in Mayfair all the time, close to Hyde Park.

Edited January 27 by markeb

[marieps]

If you are open to an AirBNB or VRBO, there are several in the S. Kensington area.  Quick walk to the Tube and from there you can get anywhere.  The tube offers contactless paying...meaning you tap your chip-enabled credit card to get on and off.  Just remember to use a card w/o foreign transaction fees.

[dock]

@NMTraveller,Waldorf is another Hilton property. Close to Covent Garden. From memory it requires less miles. Very grand, more traditional property. Last stayed there in 2010. So no recent experience. 

 

Depending on luggage( I’m not a light traveler), but we’ve used Blackberry  for transfers to and from  LHR for many years. 

Edited January 27 by dock

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

The Hilton Trafalgar is one of several that we are looking at.  We have a bunch of Hilton,  IHG,  and Hyatt points to use.

Doubletree London Victoria Station

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

The Hilton Trafalgar is one of several that we are looking at.  We have a bunch of Hilton,  IHG,  and Hyatt points to use.

IHG:Staybridge London Vauxhall. Hyatt: Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment Hilton:Doubletree London Victoria

[C4HCG]

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I was just wondering what the best areas are to stay in London pre-cruise?  We would like some of the attractions within walking distance if possible.

I would recommend my pal NMT premier inn county hall. Just behind the London eye. Stayed there often with my family.  Brilliant location. And do the Houses of Parliament tour if you can. And go the the ship and shovel pub - two pubs in one. And the Sherlock Holmes. And my favourite London pub - coal hole on the strand. Savoy tup just off the strand good too.

[C4HCG]

2 hours ago, markeb said:

 

It's actually one of the better boards.

 

What do you want to do and how long are you there? How do you plan on getting into London? How do you plan on getting to Southampton (I assume)?

 

There are areas that are easy to reach from Heathrow without too much effort. There are areas that are easy to get to the train or National Express to go on to Southampton. They're not always the same!

 

Mayfair is a pretty large area. I know Marriott a lot better than Hilton, so not much help there. The Trafalgar Square location is pretty good, but you may be stuck with a car service or cab into there. The closest Tube at Charing Cross is going to require transfers if memory serves from Heathrow or a direct shot on the Piccadilly line with a longer walk. The Elizabeth line costs more, still requires a transfer, and takes almost as long (probably because of the transfer). Same getting to Waterloo, for instance, for the train. But it's within easy walking of a ton of attractions.

 

The area near Waterloo station is actually a really nice area to stay. You can have some of the same issues getting there, but the hotels have historically been priced better (not as big a deal on points) and it's really convenient to onward travel.

 

Just a couple of thoughts.

 

QUICK EDIT: Trafalgar Square is in Westminster. I mentioned Mayfair because a number of people recommended it. We stay in Mayfair all the time, close to Hyde Park.

Mayfair is a small area. Just saying. All of the west end is Westminster. London is a place to the east, behind the tower.

[C4HCG]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I was just wondering what the best areas are to stay in London pre-cruise?  We would like some of the attractions within walking distance if possible.

Go on a city cruise from Westminster just near to the embarkment tube station and Westminster to Greenwich - stops at Tower of London on way there. Live commentary- as an Englishman even teaches me stuff. Brings a tear to my eye - love England - dreary as it is.  Then get an open tour bus tour - brilliant too. Last tip - walk to Camden. Up regent street over Marylebone street and through Regent’s Park, great walk.

[markeb]

12 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Mayfair is a small area. Just saying. All of the west end is Westminster. London is a place to the east, behind the tower.

It must just seem big when I’m wandering lost. But yes, Westminster is much larger! 

[SoonerDog]

Over the past 30 odd years, I've stayed in virtually every part of Central London and, while all have their own advantages/disadvantages, I've come to the conclusion that the more important criteria are selecting a hotel convenient to a Tube Station, as well as Pubs/Restaurants. My wife (who is from Edinburgh) & I live in the States now, but we lived in Scotland for a few years and traveled back & forth to London frequently while we were attempting to obtain a VISA for her to move to the US with me.  

We have come to prefer staying in the area around Tower Hill for a number of reason-  There are a number of newer hotels there which are reasonably priced. The area has some nice Pubs & Eateries, and it's easy to get virtually anywhere in Central London from the Tower Hill Tube Station via the Circle Line.  The other two areas we have enjoyed are Notting Hill & Bloomsbury (Russell Square) both of which have good hotels, although older & more traditional.  Both are good locations with plenty of amenities.

My suggestion would be to shop in one of these areas for a good deal then look up recent reviews for the specific hotel on Trip Advisor.

Have a great time...

Mark

[SoonerDog]

On 1/27/2024 at 1:40 PM, Travelling2Some said:

We stayed at Luna Simone.  Small rooms but very clean, attractively decorated and well organized, lovely breakfast and a good price.  What really made it stand out is that the No. 24 bus stop is directly in front of the door and that bus cuts right through the heart of London, taking you to pretty much any place you would want to go.  Wonderful to be dropped off at your doorstep after a long day on your feet.  It is a short walk to Westminster, the Tate, river cruises and the Churchill War Rooms.  We also booked it for it's close proximity to Victoria Coach Station as we were planning to travel on to Bath for a few days before going down to Southampton to board our ship.

Although it's been several years, I've stayed at the Luna Simone a couple of times and it was always clean & comfortable.  And, if you aren't opposed to walking, it is within a mile or so to many of the sites around Westminster.  Things may have changed, but when I was last there the closest Tube Station was Victoria Station which is about a half-mile walk and that can get kind of old.  If you're comfortable interpreting the Bus schedule, then there is a Bus Stop very close, but London Buses can be challenging if you aren't familiar with the city.  The other drawback is the lack of Pubs/Restaurants close by, but as I recall there was a supermarket in the area.  No offense intended to 'Travelling2Some' as they are obviously seasoned travelers and likely know the area well, and for those who do, I agree- Luna Simone is a great choice.

[JimmyTheSaint]

I agree with SoonerDog's first post above, Tower Hil is a really good suggestion. We stayed there in October last year. Very convenient for the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, river cruises, walk along the river, very close to several Tube stations, bars, restaurants, etc. We stayed in a Premier Inn, British hotel chain, simple, clean and can only be booked directly with them via their website.  They have many hotels in all areas of London and are good value for money. 

 

If you're a budget conscious traveller Premier Inn also have a brand called Hub by Premier Inn. Basic but very clean and comfortable rooms in central locations. We stayed in one in Westminster last year, 1 minute walk to the Tube, 5 minutes walk to Buckingham Palace, 5 minutes walk to Westminster Abbey and Parliament.