- Welcome to the accommodation in London series.
We're kicking it off with 10 important things
you should know before you book any accommodation
and I have a special freebie for you,
so make sure you watch to the end of the video to get it.
There is no best area to stay in, in London.
It's impossible for me to suggest one
absolutely perfect area for you to stay in
because there's just no such thing.
Each area in London is different.
There are actually tons of great neighborhoods
but it just depends on what you're looking for
and what your budget is as to whether
that's gonna be the best one for you.
Stay within zones one or two
or maybe go out to three.
London's underground system is split into zones
with the super center of London being zone one
and as you go farther outside the city,
the zone number goes up.
I always recommend staying in zones one or two.
Anything really beyond that,
you're gonna be spending a lot of time taking a train
into the center of London
and also spending more money on that as well.
There are few exceptions for zone three though,
if you really want a local villagy experience,
places like Richmond and Wimbledon
are really great for that.
Hotels are not your only option for accommodation
when it comes to staying in London.
If you're on a budget, you can consider staying in hostels,
where you can just pay for a bed as opposed to a whole room.
There are also loads of great Airbnb's all around London
and we even have lots of options for serviced apartments
which is like staying in an apartment
but it gets treated like a hotel room.
If you've never used Airbnb before,
I have a series about how to use it
and how to find the best places on Airbnb
when you're traveling.
So, click the cart popping up here to watch that
before you book anything.
Pick a place close to a tube station.
If you're planning on using
public transportation to get around,
as a rule of thumb,
don't pick any accommodation that is further
than 10 minutes walking distance to a tube station.
Anything farther than that,
then you're probably gonna get really tired of walking back
and forth to the tube station
every time you wanna go some place.
Don't rely on the hotel
or the Airbnb to tell you
what the walking distance is to the tube station.
Actually put it into Google Maps
to see what the true time is.
If you'll be partying,
choose somewhere close to a stop on the night tube.
As I'm filming this,
select lines and select stops on the underground
are open all night on Friday
and Saturday nights.
If you're gonna be partying
and you don't wanna pay for Ubers
or taxis to get you home,
then you wanna stay someplace
that is close to a tube station
that's actually gonna be running at night.
As I'm recording this video,
they keep adding new lines
and new stops to the night tube systems.
So, I have a link down the description box
that let's you know the most up-to-date information
on the availability of the service.
Consider the distance from the airport
when choosing a place to stay.
All but one of London's airports are located fairly far
outside of London.
So, if you're only coming here for a couple of day,
you wanna take that into consideration.
Also if you're planning on taking public transportation,
to get to and from the airport,
you wanna double check on Google Maps to see,
how long it's gonna take you to get public transportation
to your hotel
and also, how many time you gonna have to change.
If you have to take three separate underground lines
and you're carting around all of your luggage,
that is gonna be a struggle.
For a short stay I recommend staying in an airport hub area.
I consider an area to be an airport hub if it's really easy
to get to via public transport from the airport.
So, for Heathrow airport Paddington is a hub
because the Heathrow connect
and Heathrow express goes directly to the Padington station.
For Gatwick staying near Victoria is ideal,
as that's where the Gatwick express will take you to.
If you're flying into Stansted
stay near Liverpool street station.
If you're planning on taking the Stansted express
and if you're flying into Luton,
I'd stay around King's Cross for easy access to get to
and fro the airport.
Choose you're location depending
on what you wanna get out of your trip.
If you're keen to see all the major sites
and don't wanna have to hop
on public transportation all the time,
then staying in zone one is a must.
If you want more of a local London experience
then you can definitely get away with going to zone two
and maybe some places in zone three.
Will not get that local experience in zone one
pretty much no one lives in zone one
unless you're a Bugilionaire.
Some of the world's best hotels are in London.
So, even if you can't afford to stay at the Savoy
every night of the trip,
consider like a romantic evening to spend one night
at one of the really luxurious high-end hotels in London.
If you pick a date off-peak,
say during the week,
you might be able to get a really great deal.
If you have a hotel in mind for this,
sign up for their newsletter
and keep an eye to see if they send you any special offers
for booking.
If you want a selection of great accommodation
handed to you on a silver platter,
then you need to download my free,
"where to stay in London" guide.
It will tell you the best areas to stay while in London
and also have a lot of great recommendations of hotels
and Airbnb's to stay in while you're here.
Click the cart popping up here to get that guide
and then watch this video next.