Where to stay in London depends on why you're going

A theatre weekend and a month with the children need different postcodes, and anyone who hands you a single ranking is guessing at your trip. So here are six kinds of trip, each matched to one of the six central areas where London Residency lists serviced apartments.

Shopping, theatre or business

For shopping, stay in Knightsbridge. Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Sloane Street are all a few minutes apart, and the bags can go back to the flat between rounds. It's the priciest of the six areas and one of the smallest. The Piccadilly line runs straight to Heathrow, which helps when the cases are heavier going home, and reaches Green Park in a few stops, a short walk from the bottom of Bond Street.

A theatre weekend belongs in Covent Garden, because walking home from a show beats any taxi queue. It has lots of Tube lines within a short walk and more places to eat than any other area we looked at, so a late supper is never a problem. There are only a handful of residences, though, so book as soon as you've got tickets.

For business in the West End or the City, Mayfair works best. A lot of West End offices are walkable, and the Elizabeth line from Bond Street reaches Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf without a change and runs direct to Heathrow. Mayfair also has the widest choice of residences, and the evenings are calm, which suits early starts. Green Park station (Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines) covers most other journeys.

Family, budget or a slower week

Families need bedrooms and a park, and Kensington has both. Most of its residences do three bedrooms, around ten go to four or more, and the Science Museum and Natural History Museum are within about a kilometre of many of them. Kensington Gardens covers the rest, with the Diana Memorial Playground reopened after a multi-million-pound renewal and Kensington Palace next door for the adults. On a wet day, the museums on Exhibition Road will fill several mornings.

If you want central but cheaper, start in Marylebone. It has the lowest starting prices of the six and a good spread of Tube lines within a short walk, and its cheapest flat is not far off the lowest rate anywhere, well under the typical one. The area keeps costs down once you're there too: the Wallace Collection is free, Regent's Park is on the doorstep, and Waitrose and the Sunday farmers' market make eating in easy.

Chelsea is for walking, long lunches and one gallery a day rather than five. The residences are mostly one and two bedrooms, which suits couples, and the District and Circle lines at Sloane Square get you to Westminster and the City when you need them. Fill the days with the Saatchi Gallery, the Chelsea Physic Garden by the river and lunches on the King's Road, and save one evening for the Royal Court.

The six areas at a glance

Each starting price below is the cheapest nightly rate at the cheapest residence in the area, usually for a studio or one-bedroom, and family-sized flats cost more. If you need three bedrooms, ask for that size in each area rather than comparing headline figures. Residence counts and starting prices by area:

• Knightsbridge: 7 residences, from £230
• Covent Garden: 8 residences, from £210
• Mayfair: 32 residences, from £197
• Kensington: 31 residences, from £175
• Chelsea: 10 residences, from £170
• Marylebone: 11 residences, from £165

Paddington, just outside these six, is worth a look if an early Heathrow Express trumps everything else. Otherwise, when two areas both suit, send the same dates to a residence in each and put the replies side by side.

Food hygiene ratings for the places in this guide

Official fact Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, checked 23 September 2026. 5 is the top rating.

Name	Registered address	Rating	Inspected
Harrods	87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL	5	Jul 2025
Harvey Nichols	109-125 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJ	5	Jan 2026

Ratings cover hygiene only, not food quality. Matched by name and address; a venue not shown was not found or could not be matched with confidence.