Exploring London's Neighborhoods

Over the past few days, I've been highlighting one of my favorite destinations, London, on Instagram and other social media sites.  This blog entry provides information about many of London's diverse neighborhoods.

My first overseas destination was London; my family went during spring break in 1999 after scoring loads of vouchers for agreeing to be bumped.  We checked with a friend who was very well versed in visiting London; he recommended renting a flat, which we did, in beautiful Belgravia. We loved the how friendly and helpful the locals are; we loved the ease of navigating the city via the Tube.  We toured all around London with London Walks, and day-tripped to Bath, Oxford and the Cotswolds, and took the ultimate day trip via the Chunnel to Paris. It’s hard to choose a favorite area; I love walking along the Thames, love the fun, hip, retro touristy vibe of Carnaby street, and love London’s live theatre scene.  For travelers nervous about taking that first hop across the pond, London is a great destination - for many reasons, including English being spoken (not as intimidating as visiting a country with a language you don’t know,) the iconic and historic structures, images of which we’ve all seen for most of our lives, and the abundance of activities available in London or within a brief train or coach ride outside of the city.  The little guide below highlights some of London’s many and unique neighborhoods; I’d be delighted to help you plan your first visit to London - joan@tastefulvoyages.com | 760.815.7400

London Pub

Best Neighborhood for Sightseeing: South Bank and Bankside

When it comes to sightseeing, South Bank and Bankside are excellent for access to big attractions – London Eye, Tate Modern, the Shard – and the City of London also has its share of popular sights, but lodgings are limited. South Kensington is great for museums and shopping; hotels tend to be pricey. Covent Garden and Soho are good all-rounders due to their proximity to the river, Westminster, and other top sights, and plentiful accommodations are a plus.

Best Neighborhood  for Nightlife: Soho

Soho can’t be beat for nightlife. The neighborhood is a good mix of trendy cocktail bars, (many of which also offer great food,) traditional English pubs, theatres, and basement clubs with DJ nights, including a number of gay venues. There are only a few hotels in Soho, slightly set back from the action. Other good areas for nightlife include Camden with its live music venues and East End, with its legendary clubs.

Exotic Cocktail at Artesian

Best Neighborhood for Food and Restaurants: Covent Garden

Some of London’s best eating is done around Covent Garden. The dense cluster of streets is packed with restaurants ranging from inexpensive Indian, Mexican and Brazilian mini-chains to upscale fine dining and traditional pubs serving excellent local food. Covent Garden is a 5 min walk from Chinatown and also Soho, jam-packed with artisan coffee shops and global offerings. Hotels around Hyde Park offer London’s best Michelin-starred dining. Camden, the East End, and King’s Cross are great for street food.

My husband enjoying a traditional Pub Supper - Sunday Roast 

Best Neighborhood  for Families: South Kensington and Marylebone

South Kensington is one of the best places to stay in London for families. The neighborhood is relatively quiet, and there are two stellar museums with plenty of interactive exhibits for all ages. Just to the north is Hyde Park, with its playgrounds and the family-friendly Winter Wonderland during the colder months. Marylebone is another good option, within easy reach of both Hyde Park, London Zoo in Regent’s Park and Madame Tussauds – popular with older children.

Military Musicians during Remembrance Day Parade

Best Neighborhood to Stay for First Timer: Covent Garden

If it’s your first time in London, then Covent Garden is the best neighborhood to base yourself. It is centrally located, has a great dining and theatre scene and is within an easy walking distance of numerous big attractions, such as the National Gallery, Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. There are excellent public transport connections to other parts of London and it’s easy to take a boat along the Thames to reach other places of interest. Accommodation are available for all budgets.

On the Millennium Bridge crossing the Thames from St. Paul's to the Tate Modern

Most Romantic Neighborhood: Mayfair, Marylebone, or South Kensington

If you want to romance your significant other in London, it’s hardly a tough call between staying in Mayfair, Marylebone, or South Kensington. Mayfair is Old World wealth and charm, with renowned 5-star hotels such as The Ritz and the Connaught, and some of London’s most celebrated restaurants, including La Gavroche and Corrigan’s Mayfair. In South Kensington, you can opt for the 5-star hotels that fringe Hyde Park, while Marylebone has a hip vibe, some excellent boutique hotels, and less formal dining.

Stonehenge is a great destination for a day trip; frequently combined with a visit to Bath

Best Neighborhood for a Local Vibe: Camden

It’s hard to get more ‘local’ than Camden. The graffiti-tagged, gritty streets still resist gentrification and, Camden Market, and the tour narrowboats on Regent’s Canal aside, this is still a working-class neighborhood. Stop by Barfly, Underworld or another local pub and you might catch the next big thing in alternative rock. In the East End, Brick Lane is ‘Banglatown’; like other parts of east London, it retains a strong immigrant feel, with curry houses, Bangladeshi cafes and sari shops.

Familiar, iconic structures, like Big Ben, are plentiful in London

Best Neighborhood for Walking: Covent Garden/Leicester Square/Soho

The Covent Garden/Leicester Square/Soho area is very popular with visitors on foot – it’s a neighborhood made up of numerous little streets lined with restaurants, bars and shops, some of them completely pedestrian, and there’s little in the way of traffic. It’s very central, right in the heart of London’s West End. You’ll find Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery, and you can easily walk to the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and the London Dungeon (just across the river), Westminster Cathedral – they’re a 15-minute walk southwest from Leicester Square. Buckingham Palace is a 15-minute walk west of Westminster – most of it away from traffic, through St James’ Park. The British Museum is a 20-minute walk north of Covent Garden.  Leicester Square offers TKTS booths selling discounted same-day theatre tickets, too!

Glass Geodesic Ceiling, Great Hall - British Museum (Can you spot the plane?)

Safest Areas in London

London’s safest neighborhoods tend to be the most affluent ones. Mayfair, South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Chelsea – all these are largely safe to walk around any time of day. Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia are also very safe, but standard precautions apply at night. Covent Garden is generally fine but things can get lively late on weekend nights.

Tea at Harrod's

Unsafe Areas of London

Parts of the East End, such as Hackney and Shoreditch, can be sketchy at night. While the King’s Cross area has been rejuvenated, the area around the train station is still grotty, and it’s best not to wander around late at night. Camden is fine during the day but has a reputation for street crime after dark. The Soho and Leicester Square area can be rough late at night, and Hyde Park is best avoided after dark.

Ready to plan your London visit?  I’d love to help!  Joan@tastefulvoyages.com | 760.815.7400