As one of the largest and most popular cities in Western Europe, London has literally hundreds of hotels and it is therefore quite daunting deciding where to stay especially if you are a first time visitor to London.
If you are arriving by plane, you may wish to choose a hotel on a direct link from the airport. Heathrow Airport, situated to the west of London has a good subway connection to the centre of town and you can reach South Kensington, Gloucester Road and Piccadilly in roughly 45 minutes from Heathrow Airport. You can also take the overline train Heathrow Express reaching Paddington Station in only 15 minutes. This is likewise a good area to stay. Gatwick Airport is to the south of London and the best way to travel to the centre is via overline train and in around 35 minutes, you arrive at Victoria Station, closely located from Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. Arriving at Stansted Airport to the north East of London allows you to travel by train in around 45 minutes to Liverpool Street, which is located in the City area of London, the oldest and arguably most interesting part of the capital. The Eurostar train connecting London directly to Paris, Lille and Brussels arrives into the recently completely refurbished St Pancras Station, in the north central region of London known as Kings Cross with many hotels of all different standards.
Alternately you may wish to choose a hotel by location to a famous landmark and just like hotels in London, there are a great number of well known places to choose from, whether it be attractions such as Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Albert Hall and Harrods department store in the western centre of London or well know sites in the east of London such as the Tower of London, the Docklands area and St Paul’s Cathedral. South of the River Thames has been developed and modernized extensively over the last twenty years and many new hotels have opened close to famous landmarks on this side of the river such as the London Eye, the Imperial War Museum and the trendy Southbank region, which runs all the way from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge. Many hotels opened newly for the Olympic games in 2012 again the eastern side of the city and with the excellent transport network London has to offer, this area is a good place to find a hotel for your visit to London.
Budget is another consideration when staying in a hotel and for those perhaps visiting for business purposes or looking to spend a little more due to a special occasion London offers some of the best first class hotels throughout the whole of Europe. In addition to all the major hotel chains, London has a good selection of individually owned hotels, unique to London. For those on more of a budget, London has an endless choice in good, cheap yet clean hotels, many of which are privately owned and are particularly located in the more tourist areas of London such as Bayswater, Earls Court, Paddington and Victoria. In all London hotels, the price quoted for the accommodation is always the price you pay and includes tax (VAT @ 20{d12c25610243042b09500b0060ea6d37dace7f22fb8ef1db378f2f4a8d1039ec}) so unlike many American and other European cities when there is an additional percentage charge due for city tax, there are no shocks upon check out! Also, most hotels will include either continental or English breakfast in the room rate which is great value for money.
The other consideration when planning your visit to London is when to travel. If you can avoid travelling over the busier periods such as Easter, May weekends (a holiday period when many Europeans visit) and New Year you’ll find cheaper prices. And with many visiting London at weekends, again you will get a much better deal if you can plan your stay Sunday through Thursday.
