Claridge's, Mayfair, London

London

A Mayfair base, museums paced against neighborhoods, and the bookend for every UK trip

London

London is where most UK trips begin and end: the great museums, the theater, the parks, and some of the best restaurants in Europe.

The mistake is trying to see it all. I plan it around one good base, one or two big sights a day, and time in the neighborhoods in between.

Researched profile: this page is written from my planning research and partner knowledge rather than a stay of my own here, and when that changes, this line comes off.

What and Where It Is

London is big, but the part most visitors need is central: Mayfair and St James's around Green Park and Piccadilly, the West End theaters around Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and the British Museum to the north-east, the South Kensington museums by Hyde Park, and the South Bank along the Thames. Heathrow is the main airport, under an hour from Mayfair by car or by the Elizabeth line; the Eurostar leaves from St Pancras.

What You Do Here

The museums are the headline, and most of the big ones are free: the British Museum, the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, the V&A, the Natural History Museum and Tate Modern. I put one big museum in the morning and leave the afternoon for a park, a neighborhood walk or a smaller house museum. An evening in the West End is the other must. Afternoon tea is a London ritual worth one booking. Between them, the walks matter: Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, the river from Westminster to the Tower, and markets and side streets in Marylebone and Covent Garden.

How Long to Stay

Four nights is right for a first visit, three if London is the bookend of a longer trip. On a UK route it is usually both the arrival and the departure, so a night at each end works well.

Best Time to Go

London works all year. May, June and September are the best months for long days and walking; July and August are busy and can be warm on the Underground. Winter is short-dayed but good for museums and theater, and December brings the Christmas lights.

Month by month

  • January: Good.
  • February: Good.
  • March: Very good.
  • April: Very good.
  • May: Excellent.
  • June: Excellent.
  • July: Very good.
  • August: Good.
  • September: Excellent.
  • October: Very good.
  • November: Good.
  • December: Very good.

Getting There

Fly into Heathrow, with many nonstop flights from the United States. For the countryside, trains run from Paddington to Somerset and from King's Cross to Edinburgh. If you are continuing to the Continent, the Eurostar runs from St Pancras to central Paris in a little over two hours.

Where to Stay

Claridge's in Mayfair is my first choice in London: the grand Brook Street hotel, rebuilt in 1898, with its famous Art Deco rooms, walking distance to Bond Street, Hyde Park and the galleries of St James's. It is expensive, especially for suites, and it is a busy, sociable hotel rather than a quiet retreat, so I book tea and dinner ahead.

Pairs with: Somerset, Bath and the Cotswolds by train, Edinburgh by train or a short flight, France on the Eurostar, and the United Kingdom guide for the whole country.

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Culture & Sights

  • The British Museum: The great world collection in Bloomsbury; free.
  • The National Gallery: European painting on Trafalgar Square; free.
  • The V&A and the South Kensington museums: Design, art and natural history beside Hyde Park.
  • Tate Modern: Modern art on the South Bank.
  • The West End: An evening at the theater.
  • Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens: The walk between museum days.

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