London Districts | A Hotel and Transportation Guide | On this article we try to make those visiting London for the first time are well informed when it comes to deciding which is the appropriate districts to stay in London. In London there are literally hundreds of options when looking for accommodation and each meets the needs of a specific market.
There is no “best” hotel or the “best” district to stay, some districts are better than others depending on your personal preferences and budget.
London Security
Above all, London is a safe city to visit. The main hotel districts are safe even at night, assuming of course, to take the normal precautions you would take anywhere else. In London, the main means of transport used by most tourists to get around is the subway. Traveling by subway is perfectly safe until it closes around midnight. If you choose to travel by taxi, make sure it has the proper license. The distinctive London black cabs are the only ones who can stand on the street.
Overview of the Hotel Districts in London
Lets begin with hotels near airports or as they call them, airport hotels. Prices are not too expensive but also not too cheap. It depends on everyone’s needs. There is a metro station but is not so close to the city besides there are many airports in this city. The good about those hotels is that if you are planning to rent a car and get one of the airport parking offers from Airpark then you can go anywhere you like without worrying about parking.
The geographical center of London’s Trafalgar Square. Road signs indicating the distance remaining to reach London taking the square as a starting point. The area around Trafalgar Square is called the West End which is the London theater district where tourists come in the evening to watch, eat and be entertained. The shopping center, the original city of London (City of London), is located about a mile to the east.
If you stay in this area, you can walk to some of the main tourist attractions, but most days use public transportation, especially the subway to get to your destination. Do not miss the opportunity to ride on the upper deck of a London bus.
Most hotels in the West End are 4 or 5 stars, with prices suitable for those traveling on business or with enough purchasing power. The stay in the West End is not a great advantage and the prices are much higher than those of the hotels located just one mile away. Many tourists from countries accustomed to the concept “city center” and a bad public transport pay these high prices, but on their second visit they stay outside the center.
From the districts of County Hall, Bloomsbury and Victoria you can walk to the West End and they are cheaper areas. As already mentioned, the attractions of London are scattered. For example, the London Eye is next to County Hall, Buckingham Palace is next to Victoria and the British Museum in Bloomsbury. In these districts you can also find a wider choice of hotels.
Comparing hotels more or less they have the same features. Rates vary again in the areas around County Hall, Victoria and again Bloomsbury prices change more or less the same type. The main hotel districts for those tourists who are concerned about the price are Kensington, Bayswater / Paddington and Kings Cross St Pancras / Euston. These districts also have tourist attractions: Harrods and the museums of South Kensington in Kensington, the British Library and Platform 9 and 3/4 of Harry Potter are in Kings Cross and the Tower of London and St Paul too.
Almost all hotels in London are about 5 minutes walk from a metro station and with it you can arrive to any destination in a half hour. So one of the first things that a tourist must pay attention to is to look where is the nearest metro station and how to get to your hotel from the airport, cruise terminal or train station which arrives in London. Except if you have booked an airport hotel for example at Stansted Airport and also Stansted parking with Airparks then you won’t have to worry about the metro or how to get to your hotel. In the West End there is no transport interchange, there is too much congestion.