I’m heading down to London for the Classic Car Show at the Excel centre. Rather than pop down for the day I thought I stay over and enjoy a second day in the Smoke.
Anyone got any advice on a reasonably place hotel for a Saturday night? I’ll be at Excel during Saturday and would plan to spend Sunday at Tate Modern and a bit of sight seeing so not too far away as I’ll be using public transport.

Thanks for any advice.

Well you don’t wanna stay anywhere near Excel… it’s a waste land out there.

Anywhere central will be a much better experience… so really it’s all down to your budget…. a hotel south of the river maybe nearer to the Tate and will probably be cheap in general.

CitizenM London Bankside. Good value, modern, funky hotel. Stones throw from Tate Modern. London Bridge and Waterloo tube close by. Close to Borough Market. Good boozers. Boris Bike stand very close.

For good value, look for hotels in The City, around St Paul’s perhaps or even around Canary Wharf. They tend to be empty during the weekend and so you can get some good value stays. I stayed at The Grange St Pauls over the summer and it was very nice for not much money at all.

Marriott west India quay right by the dlr and canary wharf

For good value, look for hotels in The City, around St Paul’s perhaps or even around Canary Wharf. They tend to be empty during the weekend and so you can get some good value stays. I stayed at The Grange St Pauls over the summer and it was very nice for not much money at all.

There’s a Grange City, which is right next door to Tower Gateway and the District Line Tower Hill.

We stay there when working late with an early start. Usually under a ton at weekends.

If it’s nice, it’s probably a 20 minute walk / 5 minute boris to the Tate Modern.

I stayed in the Crowne Plaza Docklands for the VLM last year as it was convenient for the Expo.

It was a lousy location for everything else though, so I’d second staying somewhere more central. Easy enough to get around betwixt Tate and ExCel on the tube.

There’s a Holiday Inn Express in Limehouse.. not a nice location but near Excel. Depends on your budget. Also try Ibis Blackfriars. Also an Ibis near Canary Wharf.

When my Parisian colleagues come to London they stay at the Hotel Mercure London Bridge. They seem to like it and it’s reasonable and very near The Tate (which is being refurbed at the moment so a bit lacking, I was there on Saturday) Borough Market (eye wateringly expensive food) and all the other stuff along the Southbank!

Might be worth having a look at The Bermondsey Square Hotel. It’s near Bermondsey Street for restaurants/bars on the Saturday night, and there’s normally a small farmers market in the square on Sunday mornings. Also within walking distance of Maltby Street and Spa Terminus Markets, which are a less touristy alternative to Borough, and have 4 or 5 microbreweries between them. In the other direction it’s a nice stroll up Bermondsey Street, past City Hall and along the Southbank to the Tate Modern.

Could look at Greenwich, there is the Mercure, and I think the other one is an Ibis.

After the show use the Emirates airway to get across the river to North Greenwich, then bus it to Greenwich itself where you have the Maritime Museum, Park, Cutty Sark and a load of pubs and restaurants for the evening.

Sunday, up, walk in the park, down to the river past the Cutty Sark to jump on a Thames Clipper ferry to the Tate.

I am a big fan of using your transport to see the sights when in London, rather than flicking between places on the tube and missing 90% of what there is to see.

Emirates Airway trip one way is about £4 on an oyster and you get a decent view of the Wharf, especially if it is dark, then the Thames Clipper again is about £4 and runs you up the river past loads of sights. Better views than the tube.

Edit: It’s the Emirates Airline, not Emirates Airway

Trivago – somewhere near London Bridge for potentially slightly cheaper prices, excellent transport connections and easy access to South Bank.