Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've never been to Elephant and Castle area but it does have a bad reputation for gangs, robbery etc. East and South London are areas that I would stay away from and just basically stay to the central areas like Vicoria, Bayswater, Kings Cross, Leicester Square, Hyde Park, Kensington etc.
If East and South London have a bad reputation-
What about Greenwich, where the O2 Arena is?
And what about Stratford, where the new Olympic Park will be?
And what about Stratford, where the new Olympic Park will be?
Actually, North Greenwich, where the o2 is, was a neglected area prior to the arena being built, and Stratford/Newham are generally quite deprived. This doesn't mean these are/were bad areas, or that there is nothing of interest there, but they would not have been on the travel itineraries of the average visitor prior to current/recent developments. ETA - it is because these areas were considered 'underdeveloped' that they were chosen for these big developments.
OTOH, a few miles down the road from the o2, Greenwich's dockyard, observatory, naval colleges and so on are among London's most important historic sites, and very much on the beaten path. Likewise, in east London, Shoreditch is now a more fashionable night out in many quarters than the West End, and Tower Hamlets and Hackney contain more art galleries than the other boroughs of London put together.
I usually try to stay at the Novotel in Hammersmith. Its a business hotel which means that rates at the weekend can be very good. Thirty minutes by underground from Heathrow so much cheaper than the Heathrow Express or taxi. Hammersmith is on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines so good access into central London and a pleasant walk up the road into Kensington.. It has good pubs and restaurants nearby and is much less touristy than the centre. There is also a Tesco next to the underground so you do not need to pay hotel prices for snacks and drinks.
Just came back from a week's holiday in London; staying in E & C. Whilst the area right around the shopping centre can be perceived as a bit dodgy, I stayed closed to the Kennington Tube station. Also very diverse, many ethnicities in the same area. Truly enjoyed it and loved my hotel. Would recommend it to anyone!
OH, and they ARE doing a massive reconstruction (the traffic proved it) and I can only think that will bring up the neighbourhood immensely.
Renewing some discussion here...
My wife and I will be in London on two occasions for about 4 days each, in June. We already have place booked for the first visit (The Nadler Soho), and want somewhere different for the second visit. We like to stay in nicer places (like 4 out of 5 in TripAdvisor), although we don't like really high class/expensive places. We would like to stay somewhere "interesting", by which I mean something that will give us an opportunity to experience London aside from typical tourist area (even though the first stay may fall in that category). For some reason east London sounds interesting, but would it be a reasonable choice? And what part of town is that; east of the Tower? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Renewing some discussion here...
My wife and I will be in London on two occasions for about 4 days each, in June. We already have place booked for the first visit (The Nadler Soho), and want somewhere different for the second visit. We like to stay in nicer places (like 4 out of 5 in TripAdvisor), although we don't like really high class/expensive places. We would like to stay somewhere "interesting", by which I mean something that will give us an opportunity to experience London aside from typical tourist area (even though the first stay may fall in that category). For some reason east London sounds interesting, but would it be a reasonable choice? And what part of town is that; east of the Tower? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Renewing some discussion here...
My wife and I will be in London on two occasions for about 4 days each, in June. We already have place booked for the first visit (The Nadler Soho), and want somewhere different for the second visit. We like to stay in nicer places (like 4 out of 5 in TripAdvisor), although we don't like really high class/expensive places. We would like to stay somewhere "interesting", by which I mean something that will give us an opportunity to experience London aside from typical tourist area (even though the first stay may fall in that category). For some reason east London sounds interesting, but would it be a reasonable choice? And what part of town is that; east of the Tower? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Somewhere interesting?
Try Brixton, Clapham, Greenwich, Camden Town, Dulwich or Stratford.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
