London is one of our absolute favorite cities in the world. We had each been to London multiple times before meeting, and we decided to return for a two week stint a couple of years ago, where we fell head over heels in love with London all over again. Turns out, we never left the city, and we had to push those day trips to our next visit because there was simply far too much to do in London, and we never ran out or got tired of it. When I Matt here returned in November of for another 10 days, I had a similar experience where I had planned to do two or three day trips, and instead found myself struggling to find the time to fit even one in we did make it out to Oxford, and it was lovely!
Our intention is that, by the end of this guide, you have everything you need to choose the right place to stay in London for you and your travel companions. Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. There are two factors that I think have a big impact on which neighborhood in London you should choose. The biggest factor around where you should stay is how much time you have in London.
London is a big city, and even with the efficient underground network it can take minutes to cross the city. The biggest thing I noticed on this latest trip β where we stayed in the City of London first, then moved to Southbank β is the fact that the Tube has MUCH better connections north of the river.
Every time we took the Tube from Southbank, we had to walk minutes to the nearest station usually over the river. To combat that jetlag and stretch my legs, I head out to the southern bank of the Thames and walk from Tower Bridge to Westminster Bridge home of Big Ben , past places like Borough Market worth a stop for food! Bankside is a relatively small part right along the river hence the name , and Southwark is one of the boroughs of London that stretches pretty far south away from the river.
Generally speaking, the closer to the river the better in this part of the city, at least for your purposes as a tourist. The selection of hotels here is nice, ranging from more affordable but not particularly interesting options the Ibis Styles on Southwark bridge to gorgeous boutique hotels the Hoxton , and plenty of options in between. It quickly became the entertainment hub of the city including some less savory forms of entertainment and that reputation minus the unsavory parts is largely true today, with the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Globe Theater all on the south bank of the Thames.
