Premier Inn London Kings Cross or County Hall

[Koalaleia]

Planning to stay at Easter, 4 nights, want somewhere fairly central as planning to go to Natural History Museum, Matilda the Musical plus sightseeing Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower of London etc. Lots of premier inns already sold out for our dates but Kings Cross & County Hall both available. Which is better located for restaurants/things to do in the early evening? Thanks

Definitely County Hall. It's a great location.

I like county hall, right by south bank - next to the london eye so lots to see and do right there.

County Hall

I've never done County Hall but I've done the Premier Inn Hub at King's Cross and been very happy. Lots of places to eat out near King's Cross but I'm not sure if it feels like a place for a few days away.

We stayed at one beside Old St tube station, 2 underground stops I think along from Kings Cross. It was a bit cheaper, which was useful, but easy enough to get to the attractions.

This would not be a good spot for evening eating out/wandering though. We had a massive buffet breakfast then headed out each day for the day/evening, eating somewhere else before heading back for the night.

County hall. It’s my first choice for family sightseeing.

County Hall would be preferably for evening activities I think, although there are plenty of chains around both.

How are you getting into London/ where from? It would be my preference to choose the one most conveniently located for the journey in to be honest. One is walkable from Waterloo, the other from Euston/ KX/ St.P.

Sight seeing from both is much of a muchness - you'll need to get the bus/ tube for a few things and will also be able to walk for some of it.

Definitely County Hall. You'll be able to walk to all of those places except NHM, and if your room faces the right way you'll have a view of Big Ben.

@ClaudiaWankleman We’re coming in by train into Kings Cross. So we’ll need to go & drop off cases at the hotel first before we head out & about.

Kings Cross premier inn is the most convenient from that point of view but I wasn’t really sure what’s nearby. To be fair we’d probably do what @Charliesgotachocolatefactory ssid & eat out before heading back to the hotel in the evening.

County hall says it’s under refurbishment at the moment - anyone know to what extent?

We came in from Kings Cross too @koalaleia so Old St was easy to get to with bags etc, and we were able to leave them there on our last day and swing back round to get them on our way back to the station. It was clean and quiet enough, with a wee sainsburys just up the street for snacks/drinks. We’ll use it again.

Granary Square/ Coal Drops Yard have been completely refurbished behind KX. It's really quite nice, especially for chain restaurants at the top end of that market. You can also walk quite quickly across the Euston road towards the British Museum and Holborn - there is more a mix of independents and chains along the way.

@Charliesgotachocolatefactory I wouldn't advise Old Street - the Northern line branch it is on has just closed so travelling to Westminster/ Buckingham palace etc would be more of a pain I think - reduced train frequency and more crowding etc. OK if @Koalaleia plans to do the bus though!

I was in the County Hall one about ten days ago and didn't notice any refurbishment. It's a great location for sightseeing, evening eating and just walking, straight over the bridges to Westminster or Trafalgar Square

Fair enough. I don’t know anything about the tube!

What time are your trains? You probably need to allow a couple of hours (as a safety margin) to collect your bags and get to the station on the way back if you stay at County Hall. That could cut into your last day and what you can do realistically, depending on what time the train is.

County Hall is better because you have the river and lots of sight near by, it's slightly more convenient for your itinerary, and there are more things to do in the early evening within walking distance. Kings Cross would be fine though, plenty of nice places to eat on the canal at the back of the station:

www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiY9vegztT1AhUG6u0KHY0NCRsYABAAGgJkZw&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASE-RoJG8cTl-Hx_2vl3FfiCVmhQQ&sig=AOD64_1o3WTJy23kVwhvyFhG2RgY-Y3jaw&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjWtvCgztT1AhUMTsAKHQxcDA0Q0Qx6BAgCEAE&dct=1

I'd choose Kings Cross for the choice of local places to eat, Granary Square as mentioned.

County Hall is slightly nicer location IMO but Kings Cross is perfectly good as well so I'd pick that for the convenience of transport - I assume you can leave your luggage there when you arrive and on the last day which will make everything so much easier.

The sirens all night long at King's Cross made our last stay memorable. I don't know about the other choice here but never again for Kings Cross for me!

The Hub PI at King’s Cross is convenient and comfortable with a good bar which does food. There’s a Franca Manca round the corner. Have used it several times for work.
Don’t know if it’s available but the Bank PI is in a brilliant, central location right by the Monument and tends to be a bit cheaper.

We always stay at the kings cross or st Pancras one, so that it’s easy for dropping and collecting luggage. But we tend to eat elsewhere before heading back to the hotel at night.

Kings X is much better situated for buses and the tube. Plenty of places to eat nearby and reasonable restaurant on site. Maccy D's at the end of the street.

I would go with county hall - Big Ben and Tower of London can see via boat from there, maybe Covent Garden for food though also restaurants along the river. Buckingham Palace is easy to reach from there too. The river boats are nice in the evening when buildings are lit up.

You can also make Kings Cross work but not as nice a location.

Kings crosses perfectly fine and easier for your luggage. Granary wharf is great ~dishoom_

County hall

I stayed there last weekend on my own as my friend who I was travelling with caught covid. It's in an excellent location and I felt very safe on my own.