LONDON HOSTEL GUIDE
London's hostels are all accessible to the centre by tube, so it doesn't matter if you stay in Piccadilly or near Paddington, Waterloo or Liverpool St station. Some hostels are expensive but there are more cheap beds now than a few years ago. many hostels have cheap beds in winter. Read further for the most complete and researched guide to London hostels on the Web!- Introduction
- AIRPORTS: Arrival & departure
- Transport within London
- Hostels in London
- Staying near London
Introduction
Dozens of guide books tell you what London has to offer. We won't attempt to compete, we will just give you some tips about where to stay and how to get around. We will also tell you how to AVOID London if your main interest is elsewhere.
Westminster Parliament buildings, in the heart of London
Most things in London are expensive. That said, there is quite a lot to do in London for free, including the MUSEUMS!! So if you have not been to any indoor sights before, visit two of the fine museums and just one of the overpriced historic sites like the Tower of London. And walk along the streets and the Embankment by the river, that's all free.
While conventional restaurants are expensive, there are dozens of places to buy cheap food both to eat in and take out. Beer is expensive in central London, but in the outer areas it is comparable in price to most of Britain. Transport in London is expensive, but much better than in most of Britain, and day tickets are a reasonable price. Internet is currently cheaper in London than elsewhere: £2 per hour or less is common.
If you want to reduce the expense but still see London, you might consider staying at a hostel outside London, much cheaper and quieter: see Near London
If you don't need to visit London at all because you have explored it before or don't like crowds, then either fly in to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow, or take a bus or train straight from the London airport to somewhere else -- there are many choices.
Planning a trip to London for the Olympics in 2012? Get clued up here: London 2012 Olympics.
Transport within London
Central London has an excellent underground (subway) rail system called 'the Tube', and a large network of buses. Tube maps can be found all over the place, bus maps are posted on most bus stops, so it's pretty easy to work out how to get to a place. But, to save your funds, you need a little planning to get best value. The various types of ticket are puzzling to the visitor, but one thing is clear: a ticket for a single journey is never the best value unless that is the only journey you want to make all day: a single bus journey costs £1.50 and tube an extortionate £3.00 or more.The best value is a day travelcard, valid from 0930 on Mon-Fri and any hour on Sat-Sun, at £4.90 for zones 1-2 which covers 98% of what you will want to see (just a little more cost for outer zones). You can use this on any tube train, regular train or bus (bus in any zone) and it gives a discount on riverboats. Buses are more interesting to travel on than trains, but don't use them for speed; a bus ticket for all day costs £3.50.
Buses and tubes end around midnight, but there is a sparser network of night buses.
For information about travel from the airports into London, see Airport to London
Hostels in London
Many people are bewildered by the choice of hostels in London. If this is you, read on!
None of the London hostels is perfect, all have some faults. Too many of them seem to think that what you most want to do in the evening is to watch TV. After a tiring day you might well be happy to watch a good movie, but usually it is much more interesting to chat to travellers from other lands and maybe go out to the pub with them; a common room with a TV (which is always on and usually spouting rubbish) makes this more difficult.
Given that some hostels say how convenient they are for getting to or from an airport, they are not good at catering for people who arrive at aircraft times, such as 0800-1000h. Many hostels can be maddeningly rule-bound about letting you check in early or leave your luggage. However, most will allow you to leave your luggage in a storage room for a few hours on the day you check out.
YHA hostels are expensive (prices seem to vary with day of week and month and are too variable to quote, but £21 is possible on some occasions and £24 to £29 pretty usual.) Most of them (their documentation does not always make it clear which) include a full breakfast, and by hostel standards YHA breakfasts are excellent and substantial! The hostels are good and fairly peaceful, with good common rooms and separate-sex dorms. The staff are always very helpful but do not mix with the guests. YHA have closed their most friendly hostels and their policy seems to have large, sleek and modern hostels with pleasant and friendly staff, but not focusing on a friendly or sociable atmosphere. If you like the YHA, we recommend the Central YHA as the best choice.
Independent hostels vary greatly in price with season and size of room; in winter, beds of £10 to £12 are common, in summer £15 is typical. Beware, if they advertise as "from £12", when you get down to booking it could be £18 or £20. They are more variable in character, many have mixed dorms, some have a bar. The staff are usually helpful and casual, and some are themselves backpackers who mix with the guests. Some have many long-stay guests, who may monopolise the facilities and be less sociable, but not always. But we can recommend with confidence only a minority.
Many include breakfast, which is better than nothing but sometimes only just. Some are noisy but they are often regarded as more fun. But there are some very poor ones, so keep reading below and on our forum before you make your choice. UK Trail does not list hostels that have serious deficiencies or have been the subject of frequent complaints.
All London hostels have 24-hour reception or a coded key system so you can come in any time.
Because of the excellent tube system, it doesn't matter greatly where your hostel is located.
Central London:
Address: 12 Sherwood Street
Tel: 0207-434-9009
Email: bookings + AT + picadillybackpackers.com
Facilities: Ideal location. 600 beds, common room w TV & internet, entertainments manager, guided pub visits, b'fast room, mini-b'fast, internet.
UK Trail opinions: Potential for sociability but TV in common room spoils it. Breakfast is nominal. Guided pub visits are popular. Elevator sometimes out of order, queues common at reception. Location is perfect, could be a great hostel, but persistent problems spoil it..
Reviewers' comments: Most reviews favourable, but some find the bathrooms are not cleaned often enough..
Sleek and modern but comfortable and with a kitchen:
Address: 104 Bolsover St, Westwinster
Tel: 0845 371 9154
Facilities: Very modern. Large reception/lounge/ cafeteria with non-dominant TV. Kitchen. No groups. Small dorms..
UK Trail opinions: Very good location..
Reviewers' comments: Most say it's a really nice place to stay. Staff very friendly and helpful. One said it has a young vibe better than 95% of YHA hostels..
Oxford Street hostel is a good location for clubbing, but they don't say whether they still have a kitchen:
Address: 14 Noel Street
Tel: 0845-371-9133
Email: oxfordst + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Self-catering. Good but small kitchen large common room with TV; refurbished since we saw it.
UK Trail opinions: Small OK hostel. Friendly, a bit noisy. *Current publicity doesnt mention either self-catering or meals!!.
The City of London is central for St Pauls and the Tower, but is in a business area that is quiet at night:
Address: 36 Carter Lane
Tel: 0870-770-5764
Email: city + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: B&B. No kitchen, lounge with TV, big breakfast.
UK Trail opinions: Comfortable, easy-going feel..
Reviewers' comments: . Great location. Decent, quiet and boring. Families & older guests. New facilities, well-kept. TV in lounge and some rooms; decent restaurant..
Bloomsbury has the British Museum and many university buildings. Near this area is a giant hostel with a brash social atmosphere, people strongly like or really dislike it:
Address: Macnaghten House, Compton Place
Tel: 020-7388-7666
Email: res + AT + generatorhostels.com
Facilities: Giant hostel; bar & cafe, good breakfast; several brash common areas; no adequate kitchen; staff helpful; good social atmos; noisy at night.
UK Trail opinions: Caters for backpackers, groups, families & long-stayers. A bit overwhelming in its brashness. Metallic theme. You either find it great or you hate it..
Reviewers' comments: ; bar with party atmosphere. Huge uncomfortable common room.
In Russell Square is a big new hostel:
Another hostel that some people have liked is an Astor hostel:
Address: 27 Montague St
Tel: 020-7580-5360
Facilities: Untidy-feeling kitchen/common room w TV, small lounge w internet, friendly staff.
Reviewers' comments: Friendly staff, OK hostel, breakfast OK or poor. Hostel clean. Many long-termers, not very social.
Earls Court (SW corner of Central London):
Earl's Court area has many pubs and cafes and is the most popular residential area for visitors from the Southern Hemisphere on short- term work permits. It is convenient for transport to central London and to Heathrow airport.
There are many hostels within a small area, most of them populated with long-term stayers, and many of them not well reported by those who have stayed there, and some have closed. We think the following are the best in the area.
Address: 65 Queens Gate, Kensington
Facilities: Games area..
Reviewers' comments: Industrial feel. No real common space. Staff very helpful. Not good for meeting people. Bathrooms (ensuite) very small. Quiet, but one light for dorm with 14 people is disturbing.
Address: 17 Longridge Road, Earls Court
Tel: 020-7370-5213
Email: barmy_badger.b + AT + virgin.net
Facilities: Owner-run, good kitchen/dining, TV lounge, bfast included, quiet street, long-termers.
UK Trail opinions: Reviewers say it's good for long-termers but not for brief stays.
Address: 58 Courtfield Gardens
Tel: 020-7581-2216
Facilities: Tiny kitchen, good dining area, lounge w dominant TV, very clean, sociable atmos.
Address: 38 Bolton Gardens
Tel: 0870-770-5804
Email: earlscourt + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Good kitchen, lg common room with sitting & writing areas and dominant TV, quiet lounge, courtyard.
UK Trail opinions: Kitchen is sociable, lounges were not. TV was loud enough to be heard in corridors..
Also in this area is:
Address: 205 Earls Court Road
Tel: 020-7370-3000
Facilities: Ages 18-30. Close to tube stn, micro-kitchen, no eating area, TV lounge, chatting area on stairs, small dorms.
UK Trail opinions: Caters for long-stayers..
Reviewers' comments: Some good reviews, some bad..
Paddington to Notting Hill (W side of Central London)
We got a pretty poor impression of most of the hostels in this sector of London. Only 3 deserve our recommendation:
Holland Park, the most interesting of the London YHAs, is set in a park, away from traffic, where you can sometimes overhear music in the evenings. You may be in a historic old building or an uglier concrete one, and it is quite sociable with some sheltered outdoor areas. It is very close to Kensington's shopping centre and cafes. (Do not confuse with the newly-named independent hostel Holland House, near Victoria).
Address: Holland Walk, Kensington
Tel: 0870-770-5866
Email: hollandhouse + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: B&B. Seats in reception, TV lounge, quiet room, cafeteria/dining area w TV, good kitchen, patio, large breakfast, large dorms, free storage.
UK Trail opinions: The old building is delightful, the newer one less so..
Reviewers' comments: Beautiful and quiet location, friendly atmosphere, staff friendly, fantastic breakfast. Beds cramped..
Address: 11 Craven Hill Gardens, Bayswater
Tel: 020-7262-3167
Email: hpvbookings + AT + smartbackpackers.com
Facilities: £16.50 (£18.50 weekend) incl small breakfast. Bar w smoking and quiet TVs, dining room w TV, no kitchen.
UK Trail opinions: Clean, pleasant. The best of the 3 Smart hostels.
The following are new hostels in the Astors group:
Address: 191 Queens Gate
Tel: 020-7229-5101
The following hostels are adequate:
Address: 48-50 Inverness Terrace, Bayswater
Tel: 020-7229-0000
Email: hpibookings + AT + smartbackpackers.com
Facilities: Kitchen (unequipped, hire dishes), eating area w 2 TVs, lounge w large TV, spartan furnishings, low-cost internet, mixed dorms.
UK Trail opinions: Too many TVs, not a great atmosphere..
Reviewers' comments: Many poor reviews on BUG website..
We have not seen:
Address: 121 Bayswater Road
We do not recommend the hostel called 'Central Hostel',
formerly known as 'Millennium Lodge Central'.
(The hostel in Norfolk Sq does not wish to be mentioned on this site.)
Near Royal Oak tube station and 30 metres from a raised freeway, Torquay House hostel did not feel good for a first-timer but would suit you if you want to stay for some time in a casual atmosphere:
Address: 1 Torquay Street, Royal Oak
Facilities: 3-night minimum; close to road flyover; kitchen (equipment to be borrowed from reception) & common room each floor; TV lounge; deck. Taken over by new management 2010..
UK Trail opinions: Atmosphere seems most suited to long-stay guests who like a casual feel and possible partying; no resident staff.
Reviewers' comments: all say great for the price, but most are not enthusiastic. Some disgusted by bathrooms & kitchen. Opinions on breakfast vary from poor to good..
Kings Cross & Euston (N side of Central London):
Near Marylebone station and Regents Park, the International Students House is mostly designed for students living in London for a while, but it also takes short-term visitors. It is particularly recommended if you are already living in London and you need comfortable accommodation for friends and relatives visiting you:
Address: 229 Gt Portland St
Tel: 020-7631-8300
Email: accom + AT + ish.org.uk
Facilities: Reasonable price. Restaurant w meals, no kitchen. Computer room. Large impressive building, comfortable. Separate-sex dorms; open to non-students.
UK Trail opinions: Mainly geared to longer-term students, suitable for short-term visits eg by family members. Their web site doesnt give prices, you have to contact them!.
Near Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross are two good but very different hostels. The YHA is expensive and excellent and does a great breakfast, but since it has closed down its kitchen and has only a TV/reception area, it is not now recommended for solo travellers who want to meet others. Ashlee House has a chillout room without TV so is good for sociability.
Address: 79-81 Euston Road
Tel: 0870-770-6044
Email: stpancras + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: Lounge/reception w TV, soundproofed small dorms, no groups, large breakfast.
UK Trail opinions: Very comfortable & efficient. Kitchen was hardly used when they had one. Reception area is casual but most people are just waiting for their friends. (Maybe another lounge and a bar since we saw it.).
Reviewers' comments: One said: Kitchen has been removed!!! Without it a hostel just doesnt have the same friendly feel. Another said they have stopped serving dinners! Not good for meeting people. Location brilliant. Staff very nice and friendly. Excellent breakfast. Costs several pounds to store luggage..
Address: 261-265 Grays Inn Road
Tel: 020-7833-9400
Email: info + AT + ashleehouse.co.uk
Facilities: Reception lounge, casual sociable lounge w cheap internet , moderate equipped kitchen, good dining room w TV, laundry, moderate breakfast.
Reviewers' comments: many criticise showers (eg not clean, cold, too small); several say people come in at night & switch lights on. Some say staff are surly, others say they are friendly..
Facilities: Large reception area, 2 large lounges. Pod beds with reading lights. Large hostel, takes many groups. Very interesting building, former court and jail.
UK Trail opinions: Lack of hooks; showers very difficult to control but good temperature when you do. Lounges too large to be sociable; modest breakfast. Staff friendly & helpful.
Address: 54-58 Caledonian Road
Tel: 0207-833-3893
Email: journeys_uk + AT + hotmail.com
Facilities: £15 (2006). Chillout room w stereo & beanbags, lounge w TV & internet, lg well-equipd kitchen, eating area, deck w smoking.
UK Trail opinions: Pretty good atmosphere.
S side of Central London:
Address: 161-165 Borough High St
Tel: 020-7407-1856
Email: bookings + AT + st-christophers.co.uk
Facilities: Mixed prices; lively bar, quieter sitting areas, no kitchen, small breakfast, hot tub & sauna (charge).
UK Trail opinions: Bar is sociable but very noisy. Sitting area is not sociable at all due to small tables with table lights and low room lighting. Breakfasts moderate but staff were arrogant. Orient Espresso has quiet rooms (but loud street noise)..
Reviewers' comments: Party hostel, noise from bar into night, also from people coming in and out..
There are 2 other St Christophers hostels within 100 metres in the same street. They are really annexes, as you check in and eat at the Village hostel. They are known as St Christophers Inn and Orient Espresso. Ask for the Village if you want to party, the others if you want to sleep.
Address: 6A Great Dover St
Tel: 020-7403-7773
Email: dovercastle + AT + hotmail.com
Facilities: Low cost. Bar, moderate kitchen/lounge.
UK Trail opinions: Casual & friendly, but may be dominated by long-stayers.
Address: (London Bridge area)
South of the river, 10 mins from a tube station in an area having a face-lift is a pub with a pleasant hostel above:
Address: 73 Lambeth Walk
Tel: 0207-5823088
Email: journeys_uk + AT + hotmail.com
Facilities: TV lounge w kitchen; pub/games room; mixed & single-sex rooms; cheap internet; laundry; 60 beds. Ages 18-35..
UK Trail opinions: Believed to be greatly improved since we saw it.
Near Pimlico tube station and a mile from Victoria rail and coach stations is:
Address: 71 Belgrave Road
Tel: 020-7834-3077
Facilities: Astors; common room w internet & canned music; equipped kitchen & good dining area w TV.
Farther out to W:
Address: 26 Hammersmith Broadway
Facilities: Bar, no kitchen or common room, breakfast..
Reviewers' comments: Very short timers on showers. Some had noise at night from bar, but others had no trouble..
The Globetrotter Inn has closed.
Farther out to NW:
Address: 40 College Crescent, Swiss Cottage
Facilities: Lounge with lg TV, bar with lg TV, no kitchen.
UK Trail opinions: Gets generally very good reviews.
Address: 639 Harrow Road
Tel: 020 89644411
Email: millenniumlodge + AT + yahoo.co.uk
Facilities: Low cost, small dorms w showers, games room, lg lounge w jukebox, bar & smoking, sociable, TV room, mini-breakfast.
Farther out to N:
Address: 48-50 Camden High Street
Tel: 020-7407-1856
Email: bookings + AT + st-christophers.co.uk
Facilities: Bar, chill-out room w TV. No kitchen..
UK Trail opinions: If you like a bar and don't mind not getting to sleep till late, this is fine for you..
Reviewers' comments: One said: Ghastly loud live music from bar till midnight. Several little complaints about showers (push button, not hot), beds not changed, entry cards not working at night. One said fire alarm went off twice. Most say staff friendly and fun-loving.
Address: 55-57 Bayham Street, Camden Town
Tel: 020-7388-8900
Email: scibookings + AT + smartbackpackers.com
Facilities: Kitchen/dining room w large TV, inadequate common room, clean.
Well out into NW London in Hendon, London Backpackers is not brilliant but an OK place for a cheap stay while looking for work:
Address: 8-10 Queens Pde, Queens Rd, Hendon
Tel: 020-8203-1319
Email: info + AT + ukhostels.com
Facilities: Kitchen w limited equipmt, lounge w large TV, books & games, basement w pool, hi-fi, partying, some long-stayers.
UK Trail opinions: OK, pretty casual, good place for long-stayers, late-night party floor is well away from dorms.
Farther out to E:
Address: 189 Greenwich High Road, Greenwich
Tel: 020-7407-1856
Email: bookings + AT + st-christophers.co.uk
Reviewers' comments: Generally like it, friendly staff. Showers annoying..
The following does not seem the best YHA for individuals, it has no kitchen:
Address: 20 Salter Road, Rotherhithe
Tel: 0870-770-6010
Email: rotherhithe + AT + yha.org.uk
Facilities: TV lounge with bar, meals, no kitchen..
UK Trail opinions: They do not say they have a kitchen, but one reviewer said there is. Charge for storing luggage..
Reviewers' comments: Staff friendly, excellent breakfast. Most reviewers like it. Restful hostel. Some criticise its location not near a tube station. Two criticise the cramped bed arrangement. One complained of various extra charges.
Meininger City Hostel and Hotel is misnamed as it has only private rooms, the cost for a single traveller is £75!!
Outside London to NE
If you are travelling to or from Stansted, or travelling with a car, or would like to stay in the country yet be only half an hour from London, try Lee Valley YHA which lies next to a fine country park with trails around lakes. Take the train from Liverpool St station halfway to Stansted, get out at Cheshunt station, walk 100m E and you see the hostel sign).
Staying near London
While London is a giant, bustling city with loads of exciting things to do and see, sometimes you want a break from the excitement. It is good to know therefore that there is lots of very attractive countryside, well-wooded, with picturesque houses and delightful homely pubs, within an hour's travel by train or tube. Browse through our page on southeast England: Best areas near LondonAIRPORTS:
Most of you will arrive and depart at a London airport, simply because most flights to Britain terminate here. Indeed, even if your destination is northern England or Scotland, most flights from outside Europe go via London Heathrow, so you have little choice. Heathrow is a big place, with 3 terminals connected by corridors, and Terminal 4 2km away connected by a train link. There are no hostels within easy reach, but transport from central London is good.For more details about London airports and transport between them,
click
LONDON AIRPORTS
There are some guest houses which can be booked online. These, like other guest houses, are very expensive for single travellers (around £50), but good value if there are two or more of you (around £30 per person). Near Heathrow is:
Near Gatwick is:
Near Stansted are:
