Detailed information on Bloomsbury including hotels and attractions
Bloomsbury is a great area to stay to enjoy London’s culture and nightlife.
Situated in central London with its vibrant atmosphere and nightlife. Bloomsbury is just a short stroll away from Covent Garden, Piccadilly, Oxford Street, and Leicester Square. You can also find numerous London’s West End Theatres in and around the area.
Three major institutions influence the area. The British Museum, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and the University of London.
Room rates and types in Bloomsbury
There is a range of rooms types and prices available in Bloomsbury. You will find that Bloomsbury is slightly more expensive than equivalent hotels slightly further out from central London.
You can expect to pay a minimum of £100 per night for the cheapest mid-range accommodation. Luxury hotels will be significantly higher.
The additional cost you might incur is due to Bloomsbury’s prime location in central London. Providing a blend of attractions right at your doorstep. Additionally you have the choice of all the entertainment options you could wish for from the nearby theatre district.
In and around Bloomsbury
Tavistock Square
The northern part of the district, particularly around Tavistock Square and the Holiday Inn, has a charming village atmosphere, featuring quaint community shops. The presence of the university and student accommodations gives this area its unique character.
Tavistock Square is just one of the many beautiful small parks in the area, for which Bloomsbury is known for. These parks are beautifully designed, featuring numerous seating areas, friendly squirrels, and birds. Additionally, there’s a café located at Russell Square.
You can find the majority of affordable lodging in this area. If you’re traveling with children, Coram’s Fields is the largest park around, offering plenty of amenities to keep them entertained.
Russell Square
In the area surrounding Russell Square, the British Museum, and Holborn, there’s a lively atmosphere. This is where you’ll discover many of the major hotels and bustling commercial activity.
The hotels in this region are primarily part of large, international chains. While smaller independent options typically provide either budget-friendly accommodations or chic, boutique experiences.
In the southern area of Bloomsbury, you’ll find a number of small Tesco and Sainsbury’s mini-supermarkets. Additionally, there are many specialty shops, and you can enjoy a wide variety of cuisines from around the globe, catering to all budgets.
Books and music in Bloomsbury
Music scene on Denmark Street
Off the Charing Cross Road is Denmark Street, the centre of the London music scene. Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, David Bowie were all here. Today it is still geared around the music industry with musical instrument shops and publishers. There are a couple of notice boards with bands looking for vocalists, drummers etc.
London’s literary district
Bloomsbury is famous as London’s literary district. Charing Cross Road, that leads south down to Trafalgar Square is the axis of the bookshops.
It is perhaps best known for the Bloomsbury Group, a group of writers, artists and intellectuals that lived in the district of Bloomsbury in the years between the two world wars. Virginia Woolf, being the most famous member.
Russell Square & British Museum District
One of the main hubs of the Bloomsbury area
Russell Square serves as a key center in the Bloomsbury neighbourhood. To the north, the University dominates the area, creating a serene atmosphere that feels almost like a quaint village in certain spots. This stands in stark contrast to the bustling southern side of Russell Square. The square itself functions as a traffic island spacious enough to accommodate a small park, and it is one of several similar, albeit smaller, squares scattered throughout Bloomsbury.
On the eastern side of the square are the Underground Station and Southampton Row along which you will find many of the large 4-star hotels in the district. This area is particularly vibrant in the evenings with bars, pubs and restaurants, tourists as well as locals.
On the western side of the square is the British Museum, the biggest tourist attraction in the district. Having a free entry and late evening opening times means that people staying in the area can visit this vast museum in bite-size chunks.
China Town, Covent Garden and Leicester Square
China Town
In the evening, many people staying in Bloomsbury stroll down to the south of the district towards Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Chinatown. London’s China Town is the largest in Europe, full of restaurants and has an amazing atmosphere throughout the day but especially when lit at night.
Covent Garden
Originally Covent Garden was London’s main vegetable and flower market. The wholesale market moved outside the centre long ago and has been replaced with Covent Garden Piazza, full of restaurants and surrounded by theatres and the opera house. It’s the kind of place most cities have, a place where visitors gravitate to for a meal, to be entertained and to people watch over a drink. Street performers are out in force and for its genre, it’s very well executed.
Leicester Square
Leicester Square, to the west of Covent Garden, has a more vibrant, younger feel and is where a lot of the film premieres take place. Many of the discount theatre ticket booths are here too. Off the north side of Leicester Square is China Town. Throughout this area, you will find a West End theatre around nearly every corner.