London hotels by areas.

London is quite a big city, uniting a lot of completely different regions. Each of them has its own features, stories, surprises and secrets. It will take so much time to find them all, but you can at least try and start exploring the parts of this amazing city one by one.

The West End of London, or simply the West End is a fashionable part of London, to the west of Charing Cross. It used to be the district of elite residences as the smoke from the City didn’t reach it. Now it unites entertainment, shopping and art. The West End includes some famous streets and regions:

• Marylebone gets its name from the church dedicated to St. Mary. This region has a very reach history, being first mentioned in Domesday Book. Every street, square and circus breathes with history. You can find residences of famous people, both real and fiction, here, in Marylebone. Thanks to the buildings of the past centuries, this region gives you the unique spirit of true England.

• Soho is an entertainment, commerce, industry multicultural area. It lets to see the inner face of modern London. All these cultural, sexual and religious communities are just amazing in their union. You can enjoy the local shop of all types. These are not large luxury shops, but they have their own charm. England is a country that respects and saves traditions. Well, every layer of society has its own traditions, of course, and in Soho you can find nearly all of them.

• Gower Street consists mostly of buildings of University College London. Its buildings, mostly of the mid-19^th century are great, but the most amazing one seems to be the Cruciform Building. From the name the form is quite understandable, it can be seen right from the street. Lots of famous and significant people used to live on this street. You can see their names on the plaques, hanged on the buildings along the street.

• Regent Street is a well-known shopping street. But shopping is not the only attractive thing there. The architecture and planning of the street are also worth attention. The street started to be built in the 17^th century, but was reconstructed in the middle of the 20^th century. The strict straight lines look greatly and seem to hypnotize with their clearness. The shops there are just splendid. And it’s not surprising: the street has been commercial since the very beginning and has been developing in this direction.

• Piccadilly Line guarantees quick transportation in the West End and also connects it to other parts of London. Part of the line goes under Piccadilly Street, being a gateway to Piccadilly Circus. This line, colored blue on the Underground map, lets easily get to many wonderful sights of London. The Piccadilly Line was opened as a railway station in 1906 and in 1910 it became an Underground line.

• Hyde Park is also in the West End. It’s a large park area in the very center of London. This place is so soothing with its foliage! Just impossible to resist, especially when you’re in such a big city as the UK capital. The place used to be a manor with private hunting land, and was opened to the general public by Charles I in the 17^th century. The Grand Entrance was constructed in the 19^th century and is for sure one of the must-sees in the Park – but not the only one.

• Kensington High is another nice shopping area. Consisting mainly of Art Deco buildings it has elegant and elevated looks. The department stores of the street are of different types, represented e.g. by the Barkers, Biba or Whole Foods Market (which is one of the few American stores in the UK). On the Kensington High Street you can find the Kensington Palace and the Underground Station of the same name as the street. So, you have a clear chance to enjoy the street itself, the monuments in the area, or travel round London.

• The Thames is the river on which London stands, actually, the city began from this river. Now, the part of the river, which goes through the historical center of London, is the most attractive one. Its banks are wonderful picturesque places, if you take a river trip, you’ll enjoy the view of many historical buildings. You can also see all the bridges over the river, the most spectacular of which is the Tower Bridge. Moreover, the Thames is still an important route between several cities and towns.

• The British Museum is one of the most famous museums of human history and culture. The information about Asia, Africa, Europe and both Americas from the points of view of their historical development and culture is kept here, in the British Museum. The museum archives and libraries give the access to the books and journals to the public. Moreover, the museum has special educational programs in all the spheres represented in it and available to anyone who is eager to know more.

• Victoria Station is another transport joint uniting the Underground and the railway routes. It’s situated in the City of Westminster, which occupies a significant part of the West End. This means that a really convenient way of travelling round the country is in the very heart of London. At the same time from there you can get to the most magnifying monuments just by foot. The Station itself is as well worth seeing. And by the way, you can fast get anywhere in the city using the Underground. The trains to Gatwick Airport also start from Victoria Station.

• Paddington railway station, as most of London stations, is not only a railway station, but also an Underground one. It has recently been renovated and now there is a wonderful opportunity to get to Heathrow from London Paddington using Heathrow Express. It also lets you get to Bristol, Cardiff, Plymouth, Swansea and many other cities. If you’re a real traveler and would like to see England, London Paddington is ideal for you.

• Harrods seems to be one of the most famous department stores in the world. It’s luxury shop in a prestigious Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Such successful combination lets you enjoy high-class shopping and see one of the most popular regions of London. If you happen to live near Harrods, get all you need from the shop and be sure to take a walk round the area, you’ll be definitely pleased with both.

• Catwright Gardens is just a miracle. It is a calm, soothing corner in the center of one of the biggest and busiest cities of the world. The Gardens themselves are actually privately owned, but one side of them is given to the hotels. The Gardens can let you stay in the heart of London, a couple of minute walk away from the greatest sights, and at the same time not be bothered by usual city noise.

Some areas not in the West End are also really convenient and nice.

• The Docklands Area is a modern business region, providing an exhibition center perfect for business. It’s called ExCeL. From this region you’ll get anywhere you wish in London and the ExCeL supports lots of various events and offers its facilities to hold them.

• Liverpool Street is an Underground and railway station in the north-east of the City of London. It was opened as a railway station on 2 February 1874. Now it gives access to such cities as Cambridge or Ipswich and as an Underground station it is served by four lines.

• Hathrow airport is the biggest and busiest airport in England. It has quite a long history for an airport and has been developing for many years. The area round the airport is nice and peaceful with just great transportation system that will take you anywhere in London.

• Gatwick is the second after Heathrow, but it can be more convenient for some travelers thanks to its location to the south from the city. The region round it, just like round Heathrow, is surprisingly tranquil. Living in this place can be perfect for business or for those who would like to stay away from the city.

All these places have their own attractive features. You will definitely find what you need as London is a many-sided city, ready to give you all you wish.

Look also: North Area