Kensington London is located in the postcode of W8 and is home to some the London’s most famous attractions such as the Natural History museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and not forgetting the world famous Royal Albert Hall. Earls Court and Olympia Exhibition Centre are within walking distance and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area is Kensington Palace.
Kensington high street is one of London’s most popular shopping areas and attracts thousands of tourists and visitors each year. Mostly top brands can be found in Kensington as well as the more affordable high street brands. There is an excellent range of supermarkets, cafes, bars in the area and plenty of green spaces such as Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Holland Park. South Kensington has a variety of smaller shops and restaurants which are just as popular and attract many visitors.
Kensington is heaped with history. The last Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace and continued to live there until her accession to the throne in 1837. More recently Kensington has been known as the home of the late Princess Diana. Originally a country house, but since the death of Diana the Palace has now been opened up to the public. You can now take a tour of the Palace and admire the family portraits and original furnishings. You get a real feel of history in the palace and a trip to Kensington is only complete if you have visited the Palace. You can also take a Princess Diana walk which takes you to many of the places she used to visit.
You won’t be bored in the evening as Kensington is a major centre of London’s nightlife. There are many nightclubs and bars to choose from. Among them are Amika, 20 and Dunes which are just 3 of the many clubs to choose from in the area. Bars are plentiful; you have The Hansom Cab which has recently had a refit which has given it a cosy feel. The Scarsdale is a typical English pub offering good pub grub and is frequented by many of the locals. The Devonshire Arms is another one I want to mention as the selection of beer and wine is by far the best of the lot. It gets very busy with locals as its known to be quiet special and has very tasty food.
Renovated a couple of years back, a former rather boring old man’s pub has now has typical trendy-bar type decor. The selection of beer and wine is top notch, though. Front garden for seating (open all year round if you are brave enough!), the hold barbeques occasionally. Despite numerous other pubs in the Kensington, locals must think something special about this place, as I’ve never seen it anything less than packed. Tasty food, too.
There are plenty of hotels in the area for all budgets. The Derby Hotel is located minutes to Earls court and Gloucester Road tube stations as is Kensington West which is a newly refurbished hotel with all mod cons including flat screen tvs and free wireless internet. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding somewhere to stay and I am sure with a bit of research you will really enjoy your trip to Kensington.
For somewhere cheap to stay in London try one of the Budget London Hotels or Kensington Hotels.
