South Kensington is an area of London occupying an area south of Hyde Park. Along with its neighbours Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Kensington, South Ken is the site of some of priciest real estate in the world. Walking around the area, it’s fairly easy to see why it commands such a high price. The tree-lined streets and elegant houses have a uniformity of style and taste not present in many other areas, and the area is replete with a great number of London’s fanciest shops, as well as offering immediate access to Hyde Park, the Thames and museums like the V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. South Kensington hotels generally hover around the four star mark, becoming more exclusive and pricey the closer you are to Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace.
Closest to the station is the Gainsborough Hotel, a fairly typical example. Housed in an attractive townhouse, the Gainsborough doesn’t boast a great number of special features, but is comfortable and tasteful, decorated with a particularly English elegance. Also nearby is the three star Brompton House Hotel, with comfortable rooms that come with a handy 10% discount in neighbouring Argentinean restaurant El Gaucho. One of the cheapest hotels in South Kensington is Acacia House, a shabby budget accommodation that won’t break or even wound the bank.
South Kensington station is a rather charming tube stop, picturesque in places, and surrounded by decent shops and restaurants. It is serviced by the Circle, District and Piccadilly Lines.
South Kensington Station is located in Kensington, West London. Kensington itself is a wealthy and populous area of London, and is bordered to the north and south by Notting Hill and Chelsea, and to the east and west by Knightsbridge and Hammersmith. The station itself is served by the Circle and District Line between Gloucester Road and Sloane Square, and between Gloucester Road and Knightsbridge on the Piccadilly Line. It is in Travelcard Zone 1.
There is much to see and do in Kensington. It is home to Kensington Palace and the Royal Albert Hall. Also, the Natural History Museum, the Royal college of Art and Imperial College London are also in this area. Adding to this almost surfeit of museums is the Victoria & Albert museum and also the Serpentine Gallery, which is in Kensington Gardens. Of course, there is also the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. Finally, the exhibition centre Olympia is situated in Kensington also.
There are a huge amount of restaurants and eateries around the station, with cuisines ranging from Moroccan at Cous Cous Dana to Portuguese at Tugga.
There are also more elegant dining options at places such as Copplestones Restaurant. However, there are also more brasserie-type places such as the aptly named Le Brasserie and also chain places such as Ask. There are also a lot of pizzerias near the station which cater for that quicker, less formal dinner should you want this.
As for drinking, there is a fair range here also. There are nightclubs such as the Baroque Rooms and the Confidential Bar, though there are also more sedate, relaxing pubs for a quiet drink such as The Hourglass and The Trafalgar. There are also wine bars and bars aplenty, with Kavanagh's Irish Bar worth a look, as is the lounge bar Eclipse, which offers cocktails and even sushi in a cool, relaxed atmosphere. In short, whatever sort of night out you are looking for you should be able to find something to your taste in Kensington.
In our travels around the web, we found these South Kensington web pages useful. Contact us at team@tubehotels.com to list your favourite South Kensington website here.
4 | Gainsborough Hotel | 0.1km |
2 | Brompton Hotel London | 0.1km |
5 | Pelham Hotel | 0.1km |
3 | Grosvenor Kensington Hotel | 0.1km |
Number Sixteen | 0.2km | |
4 | Harrington Court Apartments | 0.2km |
1 | Acacia House | 0.3km |
4 | The Kensington Hotel | 0.3km |
3 | 130 Queensgate London Aparthotel | 0.3km |
4 | Gallery Hotel | 0.3km |
2 | Eden Plaza | 0.3km |
4 | Rembrandt | 0.4km |
4 | myhotel Chelsea | 0.4km |
2 | MEININGER City Hostel and Hotel London | 0.4km |
4 | Sydney House Chelsea | 0.4km |
3 | New Chelsea Cloisters | 0.5km |
4 | Fraser Place Queen's Gate | 0.5km |
4 | Somerset Queen's Gate Gardens (Apartments) | 0.5km |
3 | Princes Gardens | 0.5km |
4 | Grange Strathmore Hotel | 0.5km |