London area of South Kensington guide
What to do and where to stay in London's South Kensington neighbourhood
The concentration of prestigious and world-class museums in South Kensington is unique to London. In no other city would you find the likes of such luminaries as the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and Royal Albert Hall within walking distance of each other and a large number of elegant hotels. It’s no coincidence that these bastions of culture are clustered together and the name of the street that links them, Exhibition Road, gives a clue as to why they are – the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851 created the foundations for these grand institutions dedicated to the arts and sciences. It was this investment in the area that set in motion a building spurt with large terraced houses which gives the district its current appearance as a high-class residential area; streets like the Boltons are among west London's smartest addresses. Catering for this type of resident are the designer shops around Brompton Cross. There’s also a distinct European flavour to modern day South Ken with a French emphasis making it all the more chic.
See our recommended nearby South Kensington Hotels, Entertainment, Sights and Attractions, Shopping, Restaurants, Pubs, Nightlife, Leisure, Education, and Meeting Venues.
South Kensington Hotels
London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
97 Cromwell Road, SW7
The location, two minutes' walk from Gloucester Road tube station, is the major draw of this modern, high-rise hotel. The Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace, Natural ... More
London > Hotels > Luxury Chain Hotel
27 - 33 Harrington Gardens, SW7
As its name suggests, The Bentley hotel is a rather sleek model. Appropriately located in upmarket Kensington and Chelsea all of the 64 rooms in this ... More
London > Hotels > Mid-Range Chain Hotel
202-220 Cromwell Road, SW5
This clean, comfortable modern hotel made up of six Victorian houses is a short walk from Earls Court Tube station from where the Piccadilly line can ... More
South Kensington Entertainment

London > Entertainment > Cinemas
Exhibition Road, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, London SW7
The huge IMAX screen - ten times bigger than the average screen - at the Science Museum is one of the few places in London where ... More

London > Entertainment > Classical Music
Prince Consort Road, South Kensington, London SW7
The Royal College of Music is the school where Gustav Hoilst, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Benjamin Britten, James Galway, Joan Sutherland and Ralph Vaughan Williams learnt their ... More

London > Entertainment > Cinemas
Institut Francais Cultural Centre, 17 Queensberry Place, South Kensington, London SW7
The Cine Lumiere is a shining beacon for all fans of European and World cinema. Attached to the Institut Francais, its programme is varied and intelligent, ... More
South Kensington Sights and Attractions

London > Attractions > Museums
Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7
The Natural History Museum is sure to impress even the most jaded of children. This ornate museum is home to more than 70 million specimens from ... More

London > Attractions > Museums
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7
The Science Museum in South Kensington houses one of the most comprehensive collections looking at the development of science and industry, and it is all done ... More

London > Attractions > Museums
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7
A major permanent gallery on the second floor of the Science Museum, open on 25th October 2014, Information Age: Six Networks That Changed Our World is ... More
South Kensington Shopping

London > Shopping > Delicatessens
24-25 Cromwell Place, South Kensington, London SW7
In true French style, this chic cheese shop piles its wares high and stinking, with no fridges, or glass barriers to stop customers getting in for ... More

London > Shopping > Food and Drink Shops
17 Bute Street, South Kensington, London SW7
Fishmonger Robin Moxon is regarded as one of the best suppliers of fish in London and is all too familiar with early morning trips to Billingsgate ... More

London > Shopping > Florists
Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London SW7
Superior florist directly opposite South Kensington Tube Station. They sell flowers to the great and good of this area and as you might expect, this means ... More
South Kensington Restaurants

London > Restaurants > Mediterranean restaurants
2 Harrington Road, South Kensington, London SW7
Found in The Ampersand Hotel, Apero Restaurant and Bar is where South Kensington meets the Mediterranean. With blue Spanish tiled floors, exposed brickwork and caramel leather ... More

London > Restaurants > Cafes and Delis
17 Gloucester Road, South Kensington, London SW7
The ubiquitous Seattle based coffee shop can unsurprisingly be found all over London. Thanks to its market saturation policy, branches resemble the Capital’s buses by always ... More

London > Restaurants > Italian restaurants
44 Harrington Road, South Kensington, London SW7
Operated by the team behind South Kensington Club, the private members' club adjacent to it, IDDU takes inspiration from founder Luca Del Bono's Sicilian family roots. ... More
South Kensington Pubs

London > Restaurants > Gastropub
148 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, South Kensington, London SW5
Gastropub... More

London > Restaurants > Gastropub
35 Walton Street, South Kensington, South Kensington, London SW3
Bar ... More

London > Nightlife > Pubs
37 Marloes Road, South Kensington, London W8
Always a popular hangout with the South Kensington locals, The Devonshire Arms had a fresh lick of paint in 2014 and emerged with its proper pub ... More
South Kensington Nightlife

London > Nightlife > 7-11 Queensberry Place, South Kensington, London SW7
Perhaps the last thing you would expect under South Kensington's upmarket Gainsborough Hotel is a compact cocktail bar pumping out electro house and nu-wave until 2.30am ... More
London > Nightlife > Bars
190 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London SW7
... More
South Kensington Leisure

London > Leisure > Health and Beauty
63-81 Pelham Street, South Kensington, London SW7
Downstairs from LA Fitness (keep going past the people who look like they're about to die on the running machines) you'll find G-Spa. A world away ... More
London > Leisure > Fitness
100 Cromwell Road, Kensignton, South Kensington, London SW7
... More
London > Leisure > Fitness
2-10 Harrington Road, South Kensignton, South Kensington, London SW7
... More
South Kensington Education

London > Education > Evening Classes
165 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, South Kensington, London SW7
There are plenty of initiatives trying to get kids involved in science, but the Dana Centre, an extension of the Science Museum, is the first one ... More

London > Education > Evening Classes
23 Kensington Square, South Kensington, London W8
Evening and weekend classes in life drawing and painting, taught by tutors from the Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal Society of British Sculptors. ... More
London > Education > Universities and Colleges
Beit Quadrangle, Prince Consort Road, South Kensington, London SW7
... More
South Kensington Meeting Venues

London > Business > Venue Hire
Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7
The Natural History Museum is sure to impress even the most jaded of children. This ornate museum is home to more than 70 million specimens from ... More

London > Business > Venue Hire
190 Queen's Gate, Kensington, South Kensington, London SW7
... More

London > Business > Venue Hire
South Kensington Campus, South Kensington, London SW7
One of London's largest academic venues, the Imperial College London has a portfolio of more than 200 meeting and seminar rooms. Its largest conference room, The ... More
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