Where to stay

Harrods, Hyde Park and the South Kensington museums on foot. Polished, central and long popular with Gulf families.

Grand hotels, Bond Street and quiet Georgian squares between Hyde Park and Regent Street. Expensive, calm and walkable.

A village feel with independent shops, cafés and Regent’s Park nearby; close to the Central Mosque and Edgware Road.

Residential streets, Kensington Gardens and Holland Park, with apartment hotels that suit longer family stays.

Arabic cafés, halal restaurants and the Heathrow Express at Paddington. Practical and good value for the area.

Theatres, restaurants and the market building on your doorstep. Lively until late, so ask for a quiet room.

Riverside hotels near the London Eye, Southbank Centre and Tate Modern, with views back across to Westminster.

A regenerated quarter of canals, restaurants and Coal Drops Yard, with direct trains to Cambridge and Paris.

Design hotels, street art and markets in the east. Younger and livelier, with Whitechapel’s halal food close by.