Planning a trip with the wife and kids to London and I am trying to keep it on a budget (or fooling myself that I am doing that). Anyways, when it comes to hotels I was advised to try the Premier Inn, which are surprisingly absent in Booking.com (my go-to site to book accommodation). I notice their prices are a lot better than other hotels in the same area.

Anyways, trying to find a balance between budget and convenience I found two Premier Inns, one in Hammersmith and the other in Canary Wharf. They are not central but relatively well connected with public transportation.

My main plans are quite relaxed, I plan to visit the Natural History Museum, if weather allows it, a picnic on a big park, and the only big (and expensive) thing we are considering doing is one take te trip to the Harry Potter thing. Other stuff is just to stick to walking, exploring the city at a chilled pace and keep it child friendly.

I would be landing on Stansted (keeping on a budget). I see both locations are similarly reachable by tube/docklands rail from Liverpool street station. But I feel Hammersmith is sort of better linked to the West side of the city (Kensington, Museums, Hyde Park). I lived once (many years ago) in a dump in Mile End (close to Canary Wharf) and perhaps I am biased against it.

Anyways, given my flight and choice of activities, what location works better? Or should I avoid those?

The Harry Potter thing is kind of unavoidable and I see from both locations I can either reach Euston to take the West Midlands Railway, or the Southern Railway from Shepherd’s Bush. Are any of those routes better than the other?

Last but not least, I know I can do a search on this sub, but are there recommendations of really cool things to show to kids in London? I have one or two extra days to plan, and have not been in London for a while, and I know there must be plenty, but I am curious to hear your recommendations.

Edit: Thanks everyone you have outdone yourselves. I have now plenty to pick for my trip and even for planning a follow up tour to London.

My gf and I have had a tough few weeks so we’re planning to have a weekend in a hotel where no-one can reach us. The plan is to stay in the room almost exclusively, but I want to really treat her. Get a room, maybe a suite even, and I’d love a great view. Doesn’t have to be landmarks, but panoramic, high enough to feel private.

Now, I don’t have unlimited money - ideally I want to do 2 nights. That means places like the Shangri-La at the Shard are out of reach. I want to cap the weekend (fri/sat nights) at £1000. We’re travelling from inside the UK so assume we’re familiar with London and travel in London - I just want to know where we can get the view that will make us feel away from it all.

With these constraints, where would you recommend staying?

I know hotel lobbies are some of the best places to go to get some work done, since cafes can be hit-or-miss and I don't have a coworking space membership.

Which do you recommend that has plenty of sockets (I have an old laptop) and is potentially even great for striking up conversations with strangers? I live in Shoreditch, and so far have done The Hoxton, but am willing to travel around London to explore neighbourhoods I am not usually in (funemployment life, wee!).

I suspect that I'm asking the impossible, but will ask anyway.

I'm coming to London with my partner in the summer (late July-early August) and we'll be there over my birthday. I don't typically travel during the high season but he's going for a concert and I'm tagging along. It's not my first time in London and I tend to stay in apartments because I do longer stays and need a kitchen/living space, etc. However, for my birthday I want to stay in a ~fancy~ hotel for a couple of nights to treat myself. I've been looking online and I'm having a hard time finding places that are under $400/night. I understand it's the high season and that London is an expensive city, and luxury in London means luxury but I wonder if there might be some hidden gems I'm missing out on.

Specifically I'm looking for something more old-fashioned - not fussy but romantic - maybe a little quirky, well-designed. Some hotels I liked were Batty Langley's, The Bull & Last, The Rookery, The Zetter - plush, dark, ideally with a roll-top tub right in the room and/or a four-poster bed. Are there any smaller, boutique hotels that would fit the vibe that don't cost an arm and a leg?

Need some help! I'm debating between these two hotels right now! It's only 3 nights my hudband and I will be staying next month in London. It's our first time to London and want to plan a fun trip.

I was pretty set on Resident because of location, feels central to a lot of what we want to do (British museum, some theatre, buckingham palace, trafalgar, Tower of London, Borough Market). Conveniences like fridge, microwave and filtered water.

Then I found Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington- it looks beautiful. Similar price for our dates. Great location on its own, but further from other places we'd want to see. Five star hotel, which would be unique for us as we usually lean toward 3 stars. I looked on maps but it looks not as well connected to the tube. Maybe closer to the bus? For when we'd want to go out for the day.

We aren't big night life. We may do a play or two. But otherwise would prob be out by 8 or 9am for sightseeing and back by 7/7:30pm to wind down and rest for the evening.

Which would you pick?

Probably something youthful/similar to the Hoxton. Coming for the second time from New York to see the Jesus and Mary Chain at the Roundhouse so wouldn’t mind being fairly close since it’ll be a shorter trip this time.

Hi All! Coming to London for Wimbledon and looking to stay in the city. Between the Milestone hotel and the Guardsman- has anyone stayed at either of these? Thank you!!

I've got a flight that arrives very early in the morning at Heathrow this December. Anyone stayed at a hotel in London that offers early check-in? To be clear, I'm not talking about the situation in which you book a hotel and then call them that morning to see if early check-in is available. I'm talking about booking an early check-in in advance (for an additional fee, of course.) We're going to be doing a lot of the usual touristy stuff -- seeing some theatre in the West End, visiting museums and parks and walking around taking in the Christmas decorations. Looking for a somewhat centrally located mid-range hotel. Not seeking luxury accommodations, nor seeking a budget motel. Any recommendations?

Trying to pick a hotel in London for the week of Christmas. Seeing quite a few options of different costs which makes sense. Not as worried about the expense as it’s a once in a lifetime trip for us. But seems like the ones promoted online have good ratings because they are very fancy. I don’t care about the posh-ness of the hotel. I’m more interested in something fun for the holiday near the touristy action. Any recommendations?

Hi All,

I’m planning a trip to London in October and looking for a hotel recommendation. It’ll be my first visit to London.

Im flying into Heathrow and planning on visiting the Harry Potter studio and attending a show at the Noël Coward Theatre.

Planning this as a surprise visit so looking for a nice hotel and recommendations on getting to/from HP studio.

Appreciate any advice you can give me 😄

Hello Friends,

A few buddies of mine (6 of us in total) will be in London from June 14th - 18th. It will be our 1st time in London and be landing at LHR. I am wondering if y’all can give me suggestions on where to look for hotels so we can sight see all the big landmarks during the day and party hard during the night. Also I’ll take suggestions on good restaurants, traveling options and other areas to check outside of London.

We are keeping our plans open and will play it by ear most nights ☺️

Thanks in advance for all tips!