Where to stay in London

The West End suits a first visit, with the theatres, the parks and the river within walking distance, and five Accor hotels in our list stand there. Sofitel London St James, on Waterloo Place in St James's, is 300 m from Piccadilly Circus and a short walk from St James's Park. The Savoy, A Fairmont Hotel, on the Strand, is four minutes on foot from Charing Cross. St Martins Lane London is two minutes from Leicester Square, the shortest walk to the theatres of any hotel in the list, and Sanderson London, in Fitzrovia, is three minutes from Oxford Circus. Raffles London at The OWO sits on Whitehall, a 15-minute walk from Waterloo.

Bankside, across the river from the City, is the second choice for a first trip. Mercure London Bankside is 250 m from Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe, and The Hoxton Southwark and ibis London Blackfriars are one and two minutes from Southwark station on the Jubilee line.

For the City, where the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange are based, Hyde London City has the most central City address in our list: it faces the Old Bailey, five minutes on foot from St Paul's, and publishes St Pancras International at 14 minutes. Novotel London Tower Bridge is 800 m from Bank in a straight line and 200 m from Tower Hill station, with rooms of 25 m², a sauna and a steam room. A little further east, Aparthotel Adagio London City East and ibis London City - Shoreditch sit by Aldgate East.

Canary Wharf is a separate, privately owned business district on the Isle of Dogs, with London City Airport about 5 km to the east. TRIBE London Canary Wharf, in Wood Wharf, is about four minutes on foot from the Jubilee line and publishes London City Airport at about 30 minutes by DLR, though its rooms take two guests at most. Novotel London Canary Wharf, seven minutes from the station, has 39 storeys, an indoor pool and a gym.

For a flight from Terminal 5, Sofitel London Heathrow is joined to the terminal by a covered walkway of about 160 m, a five-minute walk. ibis London Heathrow Airport, in Harlington, depends on the paid Hotel Hoppa bus, which reaches Terminal 5 in 21 minutes and runs no route to Terminal 4. From central London, Novotel London Paddington is 150 m from Paddington station, where the Heathrow Express takes 21 minutes, and Sanderson London publishes about 40 minutes to Heathrow on the Elizabeth line from Tottenham Court Road, with no change.

For London City Airport, in the Royal Docks, Novotel London Excel is 1.77 km away, about five minutes by car, and Custom House station, 320 m from the hotel, is on the Elizabeth line and the DLR. For Eurostar, which leaves from St Pancras International, Pullman London St Pancras is 200 m from King's Cross St Pancras station, a one-minute walk.