City Hotel
London, United Kingdom
9.5
The Connaught
Mayfair's most quietly assured grand hotel, where Edwardian manners meet a world-class bar and some of London's finest cooking.
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United Kingdom
London
London wears its centuries lightly, folding royal parks, world museums and medieval lanes into a city that still sets global agendas in finance, theatre and food. Its luxury tradition is quietly formidable: hotels that have hosted royalty for generations, tailors who keep ledgers by hand, and members' clubs behind unmarked doors.
Today's luxury visitor finds the capital in expansive form. Mayfair's grande dames have been joined by daring newcomers south of the river and in once-industrial quarters, while the restaurant scene ranks among the world's most cosmopolitan. Few cities offer such range between tradition and reinvention.
The best hotels in London
City Hotel
London, United Kingdom
9.4
Claridge's
Mayfair's Art Deco jewel remains London's most glamorous address, from chequerboard lobby and legendary tea to a subterranean spa retreat.
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City Hotel
London, United Kingdom
9.3
The Ritz London
César Ritz's 1906 Piccadilly landmark, where Louis XVI interiors, the Palm Court and a gilded dining room keep Edwardian London gloriously alive.
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City Hotel
London, United Kingdom
9.3
The Peninsula London
Peninsula's long-awaited London flagship at Hyde Park Corner, a purpose-built palace of craftsmanship, rooftop dining and a superb subterranean spa.
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Best areas to stay
Mayfair
London's most exclusive quarter, where legendary hotels, galleries and tailors cluster between Hyde Park and Bond Street.
Knightsbridge & Belgravia
Stucco terraces, garden squares and proximity to Harrods make this the classic address for polished, residential-feeling luxury.
Covent Garden & Soho
The West End's creative heart puts theatres, destination restaurants and stylish boutique hotels within a few minutes' walk.
Dining & nightlife
London's dining is arguably the most globally varied anywhere, from Indian fine dining that outclasses most of the subcontinent's rivals to chop houses, sushi counters and produce-driven British tables. Hotel bars in Mayfair mix some of the world's most awarded cocktails, and the theatre district keeps evenings full.
Travelling as a family
Between the Natural History Museum's dinosaurs, the Tower of London's ravens and pelicans in St James's Park, children are richly indulged, mostly for free. The great hotels run genuinely thoughtful children's programmes, and black cabs swallow prams without complaint.
Travelling as a couple
Couples can build days around National Gallery mornings, Thames-side walks and West End curtain calls, ending in a candlelit corner of a Mayfair dining room. A suite overlooking Hyde Park, afternoon tea done properly and a Sunday amble through Columbia Road's flower market complete the picture.
Cultural highlights
- The British Museum and National Gallery
- The Tower of London and Tower Bridge
- West End theatre and the Royal Opera House
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
Stories from London
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The Browntravels Edit
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