Clueless on London, need help on safer areas to stay

[TheMeatyDrop]

Not been to London for yrs. Kids were little then so we were out in the day but not so much at night.

I've booked tickets for an event at the O2 Kentish Town later this month. An artist that DD1 loves. It's likely to finish 2230-23:00 I guess.

Due to family unit (myself & 2 teenage daughters) we need a family room, Travlodge seems better priced than Prem inn so I'm focusing on them.

Can anyone recommend an area / hotel location? It needs ideally to be one train ride without a long walk either side unless the area is likely to be busy & safe as I'm nervous being on trains / tubes & walking around London later at night as a female with 2 female teens.

Event is mid week if it affects anything.

Thank you so much.

i.e. I wouldn’t schlep down to Waterloo or E&C.

As you are coming in from Euston I'd stay at Kings Cross.Easy to get to from K.Town.You can walk to King's Cross from Euston and King's Cross has a really good Premier Inn.You could walk up to Coal Drops Yard, Granary Square if you have time ,to eat and mooch round the shops .
Euston has a Travel Lodge outside station but the shops are better at King's Cross and King's Cross is nicer at night .Both are fine though - I use Euston station most weekssand have never felt unsafe there or anywhere else in London.

We stayed in Camden when we went to a gig there. Got the tube back at about 2am I think and it was still pretty busy with people milling about, didn't feel unsafe at all.

When I am attending O2 Kentish Town I often stay at the Royal Scot, King's Cross. King's Cross area has a number of hotels and good transport links. Don't seem to be any bargains with London hotels these days though!

Honestly, @TheMeatyDrop - as a female with two female teens you’ll be one of millions enjoying London on any given evening. Please try to quell your anxieties.

As everyone says, it would be madness to look for hotels in entirely different areas to either Euston or Kentish Town. But I’d also say be prepared to accept that you’re not going to find cheap rooms at the last minute anywhere decent in August.

When I first lived in London in the 70s, I was in a hostel at The Angel, and it was a down at heel working class area. Now it is really buzzing. Loads of bars and restaurants and a Premier Inn tucked just off the main street (Upper Street). You can get buses or tubes to the City side or to the West End. But in the evenings the bars are busy and fun. There are also some cheap restaurants as well as more upmarket. Not as touristy as Camden, but a similar vibe.

PP has already said it, but Premier Inn Hampstead Heath. Two or three mins from Belsize Park tube on the Northern line although I'm not sure about the branch. Meal deal is good value: £29 per adult for dinner, drink and unlimited breakfast, and it includes breakfast for a child (might even be two children) too. Lovely area.

Oh, and the 46 bus will take you there from the station. The buses are amazing value.

Wrong branch of the Northern line.

I have just realised that this venue is what used to be the Town and Country Club, where I went to many an indie gig as a student. Happy days!!

I go to that venue a lot, it’s fine as there will be loads of people leaving at the same time .

I think there is a premier inn at Camden . And if you don’t like tubes, buses go there from Kentish Town,

Or as others said, get a hotel near the station you come into . It doesn’t make sense to go to Waterloo as you need to get back to Euston. Euston is two stops on tube . Waterloo is further and then further from your train home .

you can also get a bus from Kentish Town to Euston, it’s to far away . The further you travel for a hotel, more likely you could get lost !

And they are next door to each other as well.

We put my folks up in the Holiday Inn Camden which they loved. It’s right on the canal and perfectly located for touring the area including the market. It’s a short walk from Camden Town and the whole area is buzzing at night so you will be safe.

I like that one, but it’s on a different branch of the Northern line to Kentish Town so OP would have to change lines after the concert.

Great choice for a weekend in London though.

I’ve stayed near Euston Station (October so dark nights) twice by myself and always felt safe walking around London at night. It’s usually full of visitors wandering and sightseeing. That said, there are many nicer areas, I just wanted the convenience of being close to the station.

Plan is...
day1: arr London euston early morn, have the day out & about, hotel night 1 ( so hotel needn't be near euston)
day 2: be tourists until mid afternoon, back to hotel, get sorted for event, go to event, hotel night 2
day 3: be tourists during day, travel home from Euston early evening.

So I don't feel we need to be near Euston as such, cos we'll be travelling around london between euston & hotel both days 1 & 3.

Archway looks good for the O2 KT, but just wonder if its a bit far out on day 2 when we need to go back before the gig to get ready / sort ourselves. Might be best option tho.

Does the archway area have places to eat? What's the local vibe? DD1 has a nut allergy so having options to eat are good for finding a safe one for her.

Just adding another vote for the Archway Prem Inn. You can get the 134 bus or two stops on tube down to KT for the gig. Very easy and quick to get back after. Takes 15/20 mins tops from Euston.

What kind of food are you after? Mosaic is right next to Archway tube, has a nice garden at the rear, kid friendly (I take my teens there) and has a detailed allergy menu online: https://www.miomosaic.com/mio-menu

Also a lovely independent pizzeria called Crudough in the square: https://crudough.com/

Further down towards TP on the bus route there are excellent Korean, French, Ethiopian places. Or down in KT by the venue there are plenty of good pizza places, more chain vibes if you want predictable - Franco Manca etc.

I also second the PP who said it's quiet, everyone in N19 has gone on hols at the mo!

Edited to add - don't bother trekking to Elephant & Castle or Tower Hill for a hotel, they are miles away in comparison!

Good suggestions in archway but if you wander too far from the square it is a bit of a dump tbh (there is a good Greek restaurant too called Mono)

if you can get a cheap room there it is a handy location for you as it is so close to the venue

i don’t know where you are planning on the tourist days but it’s pretty straightforward to get places from archway if no problems on the tube. Euston/KX may be better if you are hoping to walk more and be more central

Archway is fine. I wouldn't say it has much of a 'vibe' but it's safe and convenient and there are places to eat. It would be no trouble to get back to after your day sightseeing, get changed, and get back to Kentish Town. It's really not far from the venue by bus or tube.

I'd probably do the King's Cross Premier Inn if I were you.
Easy to get to from Kentish Town and there's a little bit more to do around there. You can walk to Granary Square if you want slightly nicer places to eat.

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-kings-cross.html?cid=KNC_G_Hotel:UKC_User:UKC_Lang:EN_Cat:BRD-DestinationT1|LondonZone1&mckv=s_dc|pcrid|726508153914|kword|premier%20inn%20kings%20cross|match|e|plid||pgrid|175429958871|ptaid|kwd-2387525473868|&s_kwcid=AL!9693!3!726508153914!e!!g!!premier%20inn%20kings%20cross!22055908781!175429958871&ef_id=Cj0KCQjw18bEBhCBARIsAKuAFEZduK_GI1EXLC07Pt8JOGxu8izAzJ_y8l1KYsZeNve5C4VG-euz0BQaAldpEALw_wcB:G:s&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22055908781&gclid=Cj0KCQjw18bEBhCBARIsAKuAFEZduK_GI1EXLC07Pt8JOGxu8izAzJ_y8l1KYsZeNve5C4VG-euz0BQaAldpEALw_wcB&BRAND=PI

So sad that the OP and so many others have fallen for the lie that London is dangerous. It really is no more dangerous than any other city in the western world, and probably (given the amount of CCTV and public transport) a lot less dangerous than many. Yet if you believe certain rabble rousers you’d think that the streets were paved with rapists. Don’t believe them. Have a great time.

Agreed. You dont want to be schlepping too far after the gig. Just stay north and I'd second either staying near Euston or near the venue. If you're feeling nervous then just stay in near Euston/KX as it will be busy with lots of people at all hours of day or night.

We stayed in the Travelodge near King Cross for the Kings Coronation. We walked to KC station with kids at about 4am ( my friend wanted the best view on Whitehall….. 🙄). We felt safe - lots of people still about even at that time

I think the Archway option is the best. You can get straight there from Euston on the Northern line, it’ll be quick to get to and from the gig by tube, bus or Uber, and for when you want to do the tourist bit you can get straight from Archway to central London on the tube. Eating options are not good around Archway in terms of restaurants but there is an M&S food if you want to buy food to take away, and there’s a cafe I like called Bread & Bean for brunch type food.

For food I’d go to Angel (you can take a bus to Angel from Archway) or to Coal Drop’s Yard at King’s Cross (more choice but more expensive, you can take the tube).