Hotels and getting around in the East End of London
Okay, we’re always getting asked about good places to stay in London, and for recommendations on hotels in the City of London and the East End. As these requests are often coming from Australians, Americans and the rest coming to London to research their roots, it’s understandable that some confusion can ensue … there are places you really don’t want to stay in London, trust us. London is also a big sprawling city, and it isn’t much good staying in Hendon if you’re wanting to research around Whitechapel. Nowadays you can book just about any London hotel online with your credit card. Yep, click on that little blue link and you’ll be taken to one of the bigger operators, who we have no hesitation recommending. It’ll cost the same and they’ll know that you’re coming. Accommodation in London can be hellishly expensive though, so shop around.
Alternatively go to a good search engine (that would be Google) and do a PRECISE search. Typing in ‘hotels in london’ will get you, ‘about 90,000,000 results’ which is about 89,999,997 too many – and there are thousands of London hotels. So… get out your A-Z (actually don’t, go toGoogle Maps. That link will take you right to the East End and get an idea of your territory. You’re looking for postcodes E1, E2 and E3 broadly. EC postcodes are fine too: they’re in the City of London which is right next door to the West End. Then do a Google search for ‘hotels in the East End of London’, hotels in Whitechapel, hotels in the City of London, hotels in Stepney, Bow, Bethnal Green… you get the picture.
Transport in London? Get yourself a tube map. (That’s the Underground or Subway if you prefer), and it’s the quickest way to get around. You are okay staying in an hotel in the West End of London (though you’ll probably pay more) as you can jump straight onto the Central Line and quickly be out at Bethnal Green. The other major tube lines through the East End are the District Line and the East London Line. There is also the DLR or Docklands Light Railway, which is good for Canary Wharf, and there are loads of buses.Get yourself an Oyster Card from a newsagent or any station. They’ll charge it up with £20 or whatever and you just swipe it whenever you enter/leave a station or board a bus. Taxis? Expensive and slow in our opinion, but if you like sitting in traffic watching your money burn…