By any measure, London is one of the world’s great cities
As a cultural centre, it has a magnificent selection of museums, galleries, theatres and architecture. For leisure, it offers excellent shopping, restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as a wealth of attractive parks and open spaces. The city is also a leading financial and business hub, and is home to many world famous institutions and companies. A stay in London gives visitors access to all this, as well as an endless list of lesser known treats to discover.
Popular Locations in London
Where you stay when visiting for leisure comes down to personal preferences. If you want to be in the heart of bustling city centre life, look for somewhere to stay in and around Leicester Square, Soho or Covent Garden. For an area which feels more sedate and exclusive, aim for Mayfair or Belgravia.
Westminster and St James ooze with centuries of history, while Camden and Spitalfields show you a more modern, younger face of London. And for a sense of London’s of village-style areas, head for Notting Hill or Hampstead.
Getting around in London
The London Underground (known as the tube) connects almost all of the city, from the centre to outlying suburbs. Visitors can also get around via the extensive bus network running on prioritised bus lanes. It is simple to buy bus and tube tickets with contactless credit and debit cards.
A wide range of transport options makes London easy to get around
London’s iconic black cabs (or white in this case!) run through the busiest parts of the city and can be hailed from the pavement or picked up at cab ranks at main stations, hotels and shopping centres. There is now competition from Uber, and even from rickshaws.
If you have the energy, central London is a great city to walk around. You can find any number of alleyways and peaceful squares tucked away from the main thoroughfares. You see a lot more when you are walking. You can also pay for a hire bike if you register for the Santander bike share scheme –pick one up and drop it off at any docking station, and take advantage of the city’s many bike lanes. You might even be in an area participating in the city’s e-scooter trial.
Currency
London is the home of the British pound (£) and that is the currency used for all cash transactions. There are plenty of currency exchange options and, as you would expect, card payments are accepted virtually everywhere.
London for weekends
With so many landmarks and visitor attractions, one weekend will cover only a small part of all there is to see in London. There are always plenty of reasons for booking more visits.
Whichever sights you want to fit in for your weekend, you will not be disappointed. You can get your bearings with a trip on the London Eye –the giant ferris wheel which gives you panoramic views from 443 feet (135 m). Then you can get close up to nearby Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. From Westminster Pier you can cruise along the Thames to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. That is just scratching the surface of London landmarks – there are so many more to visit as you can see from this official guide.
There are plenty of shows to choose from
A lot of weekend visitors combine a trip around the sights with a pre-booked show, concert or sporting event. There are always plenty of options, and the standards of production and performance are consistently at the top level.
London for families
The range of London attractions make it a great city for families with children of any age. Sea Life is a world-class aquarium opposite the Houses of Parliament and next to the London Eye. The waxworks at Madame Tussauds include celebrities and sporting heroes allowing you to get up close to the most famous people in the world.
For a spine-tingling trip into London’s murkier past, the London Dungeon may be to your taste, but be aware that the guide age limit is for over 12s. In Regent Street in the West End you will find Hamleys, the world-renowned toy store with a history which goes all the way back to 1760. Many generations of children have been mesmerised by all the toys on display, and the magic is still there today. There is also the chance to fall under the spell of Harry Potter on the Warner Brothers Studio tour. It’s out of town, but easy enough to get to with bookable coaches and train links.
London for education
London’s world-class museums, galleries and cathedrals are excellent places to learn about history, culture, science and much more. In South Kensington there is a lot to get involved in at the Science Museum, including hands-on experiments which are as enjoyable as they are educational. The neighbouring Natural History Museum is just as worthwhile, bringing the natural world and the environment thrillingly to life.
From modern, to cultural to historical, London has it all
Still in Kensington, the Victoria and Albert Museum showcases cultural treasures from the world of the arts and design. A trip up to Bloomsbury will give you the chance to explore more of the world’s cultural heritage at the British Museum. Art lovers can find a treasure trove of classic art at The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Contemporary art in London has an impressive home in a former power station at Tate Modern by the Thames in Southwark.
From dance to opera – London always delights
The area around Leicester Square is home to lavishly produced shows including hugely popular musicals. Visitors can also enjoy serious drama at venues such as the Globe Theatre, faithfully restored to its appearance in Shakespeare’s days, and the National Theatre. You can also find plenty of dance, opera and orchestral performances at major venues.
London for business
Times change but London remains a world centre for finance and for professional services. Many firms have relocated form the City to the modern skyscrapers and glass and steel edifices of Canary Wharf and Docklands. The creative industries – film, advertising and design – have been established in the West End for decades, and there are now creative businesses in Spitalfields and the East End. In Shoreditch and Hackney in the east of the city, London’s tech hub (known as Silicon roundabout) is attracting a wealth of start-ups and investment. London is very definitely open for business.
Relocating to London
If your work involves relocating to London, you should draw on all the support and guidance available from your employer. You will need to meet UK government requirements on visas, tax payments, benefits and health insurance. If you are relocating to London without the support of an employer, there is a wealth of information on UK government websites where you can find out whether you need a visa, and where to apply for a visa.
Then there’s the question of where you choose to live. London is a large city and is made up of neighbourhoods which are very different in terms of local amenities, costs, transport links and character. Do as much research as you can and take advice from contacts in London. You can also opt for a short term serviced apartment which you can use as a base for exploring where you would like to live longer term.
It is also important to have an idea of the cost of living in London. The city is not as expensive as New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Zurich and Singapore but it costs more to live here than in Paris, Berlin, Milan, Moscow, Sydney and Rome. (Source: Mercer’s Cost of Living Survey 2020). Rents, living costs, food, entertainment and a wide range of utilities, insurance and services need to be taken into account when you budget for your move.
If you are relocating with your family you will also need to investigate schools for your children. You can find help in this guide.
Where to live in London
London gives you plenty of options in terms of the kind of area to live in. Your choice needs to take into account the location of your work and of course the type of work you do.
Docklands and Canary Wharf have plenty of modern apartments and facilities which are very well suited to workers in finance and the professions, especially for those who work long days and need easy access to their offices.
If you prefer locations with more of a sense of history, consider Kensington, Bloomsbury and Islington. If proximity to open spaces is a priority, it is difficult to beat Hampstead, Primrose Hill and areas around Hyde Park. For a special ‘village’ feel, Notting Hill ranks very highly, while bustling, resurgent parts of the city like Houndsditch, Brixton and Hackney abound with lively entertainment, restaurants and bars.
If a gentler pace of life and more space appeals, look further away from the centre to the likes of elegant Richmond to the west, family-friendly Barnet to the north, tranquil Dulwich to the south and comfortable Woodford to the east. You will need to factor in transport to your place of work, but the trade-offs for a longer commute to the centre of London are more space, more facilities and a little more calm.
FAQs
How long can I stay in a serviced apartment? ›
A serviced apartment is geared toward stays of a month or longer. Depending on local laws and regulations, shorter stays of a week or more may be available. It's difficult to stay in a hotel for an extended period of time, especially without a kitchen, convenient laundry facilities or adequate space.
Is a serviced apartment the same as Airbnb? ›Every Airbnb apartment or house is different. Unlike Airbnb, serviced accommodation and hotels are in the business of providing accommodation for lots of guests on a daily basis. Hotels and serviced accommodation work to provide a consistent experience for guests that can be relied upon.
What is the difference between serviced and non serviced apartments? ›What is the difference between a serviced and a non-serviced apartment? Those providing serviced accommodation must provide certain benefits to their guests, such as regular housekeeping. Essentially, a non-serviced apartment could be exactly the same type of property but without the additional services.
What is the difference between a service apartment and a rental unit? ›An important difference between an apartment and a serviced apartment is that the later comes with basic amenities including a recreation room, pantry, kitchen, Wi-Fi connection, bathroom, washing machine, dishwasher and regular housekeeping services.
What are the benefits of a serviced apartment? ›Serviced apartments generally offer a greater degree of privacy, allowing guests to bypass the formalities of a hotel. A weekly apartment service means the apartment can be kept clean but allowing guests to retain privacy without constant interruptions.
What is an entire serviced apartment? ›To give you the short answer, a serviced apartment is a fully furnished apartment, available for both short-term and long-term stays, providing amenities for daily use, housekeeping and a range of other services, all included within the rental price.
What is the difference between a hotel room and a serviced apartment? ›The clue is in 'apartment', with much more space to live than a traditional hotel room. Serviced apartments differ by brand and location, but with most you can expect a much more generous living area, including your own kitchen – elements you don't traditionally find in hotel rooms.
What is a serviced apartment on Airbnb? ›What is a serviced apartment? A serviced apartment is a completely furnished apartment available for both short-term and long- term stays. The best part is that they are inclusive of utility bills. Their aim is to provide hotel-like amenities such as customer service, a reception and maid service 24/7.
What is an example of a serviced accommodation? ›Residential serviced accommodation
Many, for instance, provide a games room, movie room, restaurant and swimming pool for residents and their guests use. There will also be a concierge and the opportunity to book other services such as dry cleaning, and even personal grooming, in some cases.
A serviced apartment is an accommodation option that offers guests a fully furnished studio, two or three-bedroomed flat, or apartment. Some apartments require guests to bring their own linen and towels, however, it's more common for serviced apartment owners or managers to provide these for you.
How do I choose a service apartment? ›
- Location. Determining your ideal location will depend on why you're travelling. ...
- Amenities. Having the right amenities for you will make the difference between and comfortable stay and an inconvenient one. ...
- Budget. ...
- Service. ...
- Customer reviews. ...
- Summary.
Serviced apartments had their origin in the US in the 1950s the objective was to offer a home away from home, not just a hotel room for the executive, but a comfortable living facility for him and, perhaps, even his family.
What are the other names of service apartment? ›- apartment hotel. n.
- extended-stay hotel. n.
- residential hotel. n.
- apart-hotel. n.
- aparthotel. n.
- apartment-style hotel. n.
- hotel containing apartments.
- hotel residence. n.
A room rental usually already come with a bed, a dresser, and a study table. Plus the kitchen is stocked with all that you need to prepare a meal. Yet, if you rent an unfurnished apartment unit, you have to buy all these furniture and stock up your kitchen.
What does rent to own services mean? ›The rent-to-own ("RTO") contract between the lessor and the renter allows the renter to use the personal property. In return for use of the property, the renter must pay a periodic (weekly or monthly) payment to the lessor.
Why choose a serviced office? ›A serviced office is usually leased on a monthly basis and offers more private space and fewer common areas shared by multiple companies. It's better suited to companies looking to reduce maintenance and equipment costs as well as to businesses that require a greater degree of privacy and administrative support.
Can we cook in service apartment? ›Space Staying in a serviced apartment gives you the room to work, cook, relax and sleep and on average you can expect to enjoy 50% more space than an equivalent standard of hotel. A typical one-bedroom service apartment is around twice the size of the average hotel room.
What is more profitable a hotel or apartment building? ›There is not straightforward answer - and this is why: If we define Profit = Revenue - Cost, it depends on those two factors, Revenue and Cost. Revenue: If it's an attractive product in a good location, hotels will typically drive more revenue than an apartment building.
What is the difference between a hotel and a residence? ›Purpose of Stay
Unlike a regular hotel room that mainly accommodates sleeping, resting, and working purpose, a residence usually welcomes guests on a long staycation, a business trip, or a long weekend getaway with their families.
' Serviced apartments are completely furnished, inclusive of a kitchen and are available for both short-term and long-term stays. They are inclusive of utility bills and provide hotel-like amenities such as maid service and reception or 24 hour customer service.
What is the difference between serviced and self catered apartments? ›
Self-catering accommodation is all about having the ability to live as you normally would in your home, but elsewhere. The idea is that you should decide when you eat, how you eat, when you sleep, etc. Serviced accommodations put you in control of your stay — not someone else.
What does servicing a room mean? ›phrase. (Hospitality (hotel): General) If you service a room, you clean it and change the towels and bed linen in it. Housekeeping are still cleaning and servicing the rooms at the moment.
Do the owners stay with you in Airbnb? ›Do Airbnb hosts stay with you depends on the type of room. In an entire house, the host will not stay with you. If the Airbnb is a private room, the host will stay in the same home while the guest is there, but the guest will have their own room. In a shared room the host will stay in the same room as the guest.
Who gets the service fee on Airbnb? ›Summary. Historically, Airbnb has had a single fee structure for all hosts, in which a service fee is charged to both the host (3%) and the guest (under 14.2% in most cases).
Who gets the service on Airbnb? ›Most Hosts pay a flat service fee of 3% of the booking subtotal. The subtotal is your nightly price plus any optional fees you charge guests, like a cleaning fee, and doesn't include Airbnb fees and taxes. Guests typically pay a service fee of around 14% of the booking subtotal.
What amenities do you need for serviced accommodation? ›Additional amenities often include Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and housekeeping services. Moreover, many serviced apartments provide access to on-site facilities such as gyms, swimming pools, and parking areas.
What are 2 examples of non serviced accommodation? ›As well as apartments, non-serviced accommodation might include other types of property such as cottages or caravans.
What are 3 examples of accommodation? ›- sign language interpreters for students who are deaf;
- computer text-to-speech computer-based systems for students with visual impairments or Dyslexia;
- extended time for students with fine motor limitations, visual impairments, or learning disabilities;
Each type of room offers different amenities. Hotel apartments typically have more amenities than hotel rooms, such as a mini-fridge, a coffee maker, and a sitting area. If you're looking for a room with more amenities, an apartment is probably the better option.
Will a hotel notice if you take a towel? ›If you take something from your hotel room, you can expect an extra charge on your bill. Robes and towels are so commonly stolen that many hotels now list the charge right on the hanger; they will automatically bill the credit card they have on file for the extra cost of replacing these items.
Should you leave towels on floor in a hotel? ›
Gather all towels
Many hotels have signs in the guest room bathrooms instructing guests to leave towels they don't plan to use again on the floor (or in the bathtub) as a sign to housekeeping that you want them replaced.
The answer is yes! You can negotiate your rent before signing a new lease and when it's time to renew your current lease. In some instances, you can renegotiate your rent before your lease ends. Remember, just because you're under obligation to pay rent doesn't mean you can't have a say in the rate!
What is a serviced apartment in Australia? ›A Serviced Apartment is a type of furnished Apartment available for short-term or long-term stays, which provides amenities for daily use. Serviced Apartments can be less expensive than equivalent hotel rooms.
Why is it called apartment? ›The word was derived from the Italian version of the word, “appartimento” with the root part of the word “appartare” meaning “to separate.” The word itself can be traced back to the early 1800's and although the apartment designs differed, they always seemed to have the basic room assembly, and building construction ...
What was the first ever apartment? ›One of the earliest was the 1869 Stuyvesant Apartments on East Eighteenth Street in Manhattan, designed by the Paris-trained American architect Richard Morris Hunt.
What was the first apartment ever built? ›The first mansion flats in England were: Albert Mansions, which Philip Flower constructed and James Knowles designed. These flats were constructed between 1867 and 1870, and were one of the earliest blocks of flats to fill the vacant spaces of the newly-laid out Victoria Street at the end of the 1860s.
What kind of apartment are most popular? ›One and two bedroom apartments are one of the most popular apartment types. Tenants are renters that usually are in a lease with the landlord, property manager, or owner of the apartment building.
What do you call a mother in law house? ›Mother-in-law suites are also called in-law suites, granny flats, and mother-daughter houses. While a mother-in-law suite can preside over a garage, they're often situated on the ground level, which is another reason they're a great living situation for aging family members who may have trouble walking up the stairs.
What is a 3 apartment? ›Definition. By definition, a T3 accommodation (or F3 when it is a house) contains three rooms: a living room (or living room) and two bedrooms. A kitchen area, or kitchenette, can be integrated into the living room, but you can also find a closed kitchen, this does not change the name T3.
Can you use a living room as a bedroom in an apartment? ›The living room space of your apartment can be both a bedroom and living room. It might be possible to create separation using a temporary half wall or room divider. However, the outcome might end up looking a bit cluttered if there isn't some careful planning beforehand.
What is an apartment with stairs called? ›
A walk-up apartment is an apartment located in a building accessible by stairs only. Buildings with this type of apartment are usually smaller and have fewer tenants. Walk-up apartments can be more affordable, but they may be seen as less desirable because there is no elevator.
Do you rent or hire an apartment? ›The meaning is the same: to rent or hire something, you pay money in order to be allowed to use it for a limited amount of time. It is simply a matter of usage. With some nouns you can use one or the other – it doesn't matter which as both are freely used.
What is the downside to rent-to-own? ›Rent-to-Own Disadvantages
Higher rent: In addition to you paying an upfront option fee of anywhere from 1%-to-5%, the homeowner might insist on a monthly rental that is 10%-15% higher than the market average since a portion of the rental is going toward your down payment.
Renting offers flexibility, predictable monthly expenses, and someone to handle repairs. Homeownership brings intangible benefits, such as a sense of stability and pride of ownership, along with the tangible ones of tax deductions and equity.
What are the disadvantages of the rent-to-own form of payment? ›- You might lose money. Due to fees and rent credits, you might end up losing money in the deal if you don't purchase the house in the end. ...
- You might have to pay more fees. ...
- You might have to purchase the house. ...
- You aren't guaranteed financing.
- apartment hotel. n.
- extended-stay hotel. n.
- residential hotel. n.
- apart-hotel. n.
- aparthotel. n.
- apartment-style hotel. n.
- hotel containing apartments.
- hotel residence. n.
a homestay is exactly that, staying in some one's home as their guest, in one of their bedrooms.
What is the difference between a hotel and an aparthotel? ›How is an apartment hotel different from a regular hotel? The aparthotel offers its own kitchen and more space and a more homelike living environment than a standard hotel. Especially for longer stays, an apartment hotel is also a much cheaper option than a hotel.
What is the English name for flats? ›An apartment (American English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), or unit (Australian English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single storey. There are many names for these overall buildings, see below.
How much do homestay families get paid? ›Host families are paid $660 at the end of each month. Since this amount is intended to cover expenses, it does not need to be declared as taxable income.
How does homestay pay? ›
You pay your host the balance of the price of stay on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Each host should inform you how they would like to be paid, for instance by cash, bank transfer, PayPal or another payment method.
What is a hostile hotel? ›There are several types of hotels that can be considered hostile, including: Budget Hotels: These hotels often have lower rates, but may compromise on security and cleanliness. Party Hotels: These hotels are known for their lively atmosphere and can attract rowdy guests who may engage in criminal activity.
What are the 4 different types of hotels? ›- Airport Hotels − They are located near airport. ...
- Boatels − They are on the houseboats such as Shikara in Kashmir.
- City Center − Located in the heart of the city near commercial area.
- Motel − They are small hotels usually located on highways. ...
- Suburb Hotels − They are located near urban area.
Lodging accommodations fall into 3 distinct categories: hotels, vacation rentals, or outdoor lodging.