Hi, my family and I are going to London this summer and are very interested in a flat in Islington, it's very close to the Archway tube station on near Holloway and Elthorne Rd. Does anyone know about this area? Would it be a good base for our trip?
Thanks

Welcome to the myriad complications of London place names.

The area's really called Archway, not Islington: slightly grubby, perfectly respectable these days, and where most of us buy our first flat after a couple of years' flatsharing. In the London Borough of Islington: but absolutely NOT spiritually in Islington, (where prime ministers live before winning the election), where you could buy a tiny house for £18,000 30-odd years ago, but these days you have to add a couple of noughts.

Archway tube is beyond most visitors' (but not most residents') definition of central London. It's handy for open parkland, if you don't mind the uphill walk to the top of Highgate Hill. It's less handy for much of visitors' London, since the only tube is the Northern Line, which you have to change at Euston to get most places. Buses down the Holloway Rd (to real Islington, Highbury tube and ultimately The City) are infernally slow, since three lanes of traffic from the main north-south motorways turn into one at Archway and it's often almost as quick to walk to Highbury tube.

Depending on the flat, views can be great. The area's not got a huge amount of interest in terms of restaurants etc, though there's reasonable, if unexotic, food shopping up and down the streets: the key immediate sights are Highgate Hill (where Dick Whittington heard the bells telling him to turn again. Whittington really existed, and really DID becolme Lord Mayor of London) and Lauderdale House, where Nell Gwynne threatened to throw her bastard son off the balcony if Charles II (the dad) didn't ennoble him on the spot.

Major novel set in the area: Diary of a Nobody, by he brothers Grossmith. If you like Victorian snobbery passing itself off as humour.

Accept it's a bit (30 mins' travel) of a shlep from the centre, but that it's great value for money and where real people live.

I visited friends there one but I went by boat,(a great ride)
It seemed very pleasant.

Sorry. Cigalechanta's confusing it with somewhere else.

You can't even get a boat through the sewers to Archway, which is about the furthest point in London from any waterway.

She's probably thinking of real Islington, which is on the Regent's Canal. A good example of how mendacious estate agents' descriptions cause pointless confusion.

When Flanner says 'real islington' he means Angel. Islington is the whole borough. The description is fairly accurate except for restaurants. There are quite a few really good restaurants. Nothing michellin starred or even very posh, but excellent nonetheless.

I live very near Archway. It's not a bad location if you've got a very good deal, but if I was a tourist I might look for a more central location.

If you do decide to stay near Archway, do not miss Waterlow Park - it is by far the prettiest in London. Lauderdale House, which Flanner refers to, is in the park.

well the flat is 550 GBP for 7 nights, and does have spectacular views... so, we might chance it, shoot it takes me 20 mins to get anywhere from my house in the states...

Is it by any chance the one at the top of a bldg w/o a lift? There is one very nice flat several Fodorites have rented that has spectacular views.

Would be fine IF you are fit enough to climb 6 flights of stairs 2 or 3 times a day and get your luggage up there (and deal w/ some of the steep walking in the area).

The reason I think it might be the same flat is the views and the amazing price-- but there is a reason. Just depends on your conditioning.

That sounds like the one, it has like 45 excellent reviews on vrbo
we are fit 40 yr olds and a 10 yr old so it will be good for is. I am a little worried that everyone thinks it's to far, but hopefully it will not be too bad

No - not really too far -- but as flanner explained you will be pretty much limited to the one tube line and transfers. I've stayed farther north near Highgate tube station a few times

Those stays were free since I was using a friends flat. Her flat would be a lovely place to live but probably not a first choice for short time visitors wanting to be in the center of things.

From Archway, you'd be walking distance to Highgate cemetery and Hampstead Heath.

That flat is very nice and the views are amazing (I've seen photo links in other threads) so w/ the reasonable rents and knowing you'll need to allow an extra 15-30 minutes to get most anywhere - you'll likely enjoy it.

That same flat w/ any sort of views in the very middle (and w/ a lift ) would easily get £1000-£1500 a week.

" everyone thinks it's to far"

EH?

A few tourists might think it's too far. Tens of thousands of us think it's close enough to the centre to commit to doing the journey every day for the rest of their lives. And far closer to loads of open parkland than anywhere closer in.

flanneruk- Thank you that makes me feel better, we don't mind a little journey! also thanks for the interesting info on the area and history.
janisj-thank you as well!

I think we are going to go for it, my husband said he wanted to live like a real Brit, so this sounds like a good spot!

Oh and ssachida too! Thanks.