Where to stay in London

Covent Garden and Soho form the heart of the West End. Covent Garden runs from St Martin's Lane to Drury Lane around the old market square and the Royal Opera House, with theatres and the London Transport Museum; Soho, an entertainment district since the 19th century, has restaurants, media offices and the gay village on Old Compton Street.

The South Bank follows the Thames in Lambeth from County Hall to the Oxo Tower, with the London Eye, the Southbank Centre, the National Theatre and BFI Southbank. South Kensington, in Kensington and Chelsea, holds the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A.

King's Cross straddles Euston Road in Camden and Islington, with St Pancras International for the Eurostar and King's Cross station for the north, and new streets on the former railway lands. Shoreditch, just north-east of the City, is the East End's nightlife district, and Greenwich, 8.9 km east-south-east of Charing Cross, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built around the Old Royal Naval College.

Book the car on GetCar's car rental page for London. GetCar's research on driving here notes that Heathrow charges GBP 7 for each entry to a Heathrow terminal drop-off lane, and that the drive into the West End crosses the Congestion Charge boundary near Hyde Park Corner (via GetCar).

TfL charges GBP 18 a day for driving in the Congestion Charge zone from 7:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and from 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, or GBP 21 when paid by midnight of the third day after. The Ultra Low Emission Zone covers every borough day and night, and a current UK rental fleet car meets its standards; a car from abroad must be registered with TfL even when it complies (via GetCar). TfL's zone page has a postcode checker for the hotel's address.

Parking is a borough matter. Westminster, which covers Covent Garden and Soho, prices its bays by CO2 band, from GBP 2.46 to 7.78 an hour by zone for a typical petrol rental, and takes payment only by app (via GetCar). Lambeth, for the South Bank, runs 24 controlled zones and takes PayByPhone or cash at a PayPoint shop. Camden, Hackney and Greenwich each set their own zones and hours, and the sign at the entry to each zone gives them. A hotel garage settles the question for a short stay; ask about it and its price before booking.

There is no tourist tax in London in 2026. On 10 September 2026 the government announced that mayors will be able to charge an overnight visitor levy, as a percentage of the room price, and the Mayor of London welcomed it; a bill is still to be introduced, and spending plans are expected by early 2028.

Rooms carry VAT at 20%. In a hotel, from the 29th day of a continuous stay VAT is charged only on the part of the bill that is not for accommodation, with at least 20% of the rest counted as facilities; holiday accommodation is taxed in full however long the stay.

A whole home in Greater London can be let for short stays for at most 90 nights a calendar year without planning permission, and only by a host who pays council tax on it; councils can remove that allowance for a building or an area. Airbnb blocks entire-home listings in Greater London after 90 booked nights. England has announced a national registration scheme for short-term lets, but it is not in force, so no national registration number exists yet.

Apply for the ETA before booking flights. Visitors from Europe and the USA need one; it costs GBP 20 on GOV.UK or the UK ETA app, usually comes within a day, and lasts two years or until the passport expires. GOV.UK warns that other websites charge more.

Choose the area by the car. For a few days with the car parked, book a hotel with a garage; for a stay with the car in daily use, check the address with TfL's postcode checker, because the Congestion Charge applies on every charging day the car drives in the zone. Compare prices on this page for the dates, then confirm parking with the property.

Theatre, restaurants and a first visit: Covent Garden and Soho.

The river and the arts centres: South Bank.

Museums and a family trip: South Kensington.

The Eurostar and trains north: King's Cross.

Nightlife: Shoreditch.

A slower stay by the river and the park: Greenwich.