annie_pie

I'm going to London in a few weeks & am trying to choose a flat in a nice, central part of London. My best options at this point are Camden or Earl's Court. I'm traveling with a young adult who'd love the excitement of Camden but I have concerns about safety (esp. at night.)
I'd like to be near the main attractions & have heard that Earl's Court has good transportation links. Is it a fun area? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

janisj

Are those the location descriptions the owners gave you, or do you know from your own knowledge/experience that is where they actually are?? Very often property descriptions take more than a little liberty w/ the facts.

So - what streets, or better yet the post codes?

BigRuss

Not certain Earl's Court is safer. Is there no Bloomsbury option?

What's fun to you? That's not a universal concept.

The transportation links are dependent upon where you are. If you're right at or near the Camden Town Tube stop, you are less than 10 minutes by Tube from Leicester Square and only about 15 (with a change) from the Tower because you'd be right where the Northern Line splits into its two branches. That's no worse than Earl's Court (and far better viz. the Tower, which is 20-25 minutes from Earl's Court on the extraordinarily slow District/Circle line route).

What do you mean by transportation links? If more than just the Tube, then to Windsor, Earl's Court is a little better because you're closer to Paddington and slightly closer to Waterloo. To any place north of London (Liverpool, Manchester, York, Cambridge, even Milton Keynes if there's a big outdoor concert you need to see), Camden Town Tube area is better because you're close to Euston, King's Cross and St. Pancras (and if you want to day trip to Dover, the fast train goes from St. Pancras).

Post the addresses of the possible flats for more help. If you're in Camden but not within 5-10 minutes of a Tube stop, the above applies far less.

emily71

Earl's Court and Camden cover huge areas of London so if you could give us a street or address, it would be more helpful.I stayed in Camden albeit by King's Cross and was able to walk to Trafalger Square, the British Museum and Oxford Street/Regent Street. Earl's Court usually means that a bus or train is needed to get to most attractions.

annie_pie

Thanks so much for the advice. Here are the addresses I have :
N Villas, London, NW1 9BJ (Camden)
Earl's court Rd. SW59QU

Apres_Londee

Like janis said, the exact address of the flats is what matters most.

I've stayed down the street from Camden Town tube station a few times and I've walked alone in that area at night- imo it's perfectly safe. For starters, it's busy and there are always people about. It's usually a fairly relaxed crowd at night. And it's well policed- there are always a few officers walking around after dark. Once we were walking down Camden High Street at night and it was actually pretty dead because of xmas holidays, and I still felt safe. There were still police officers around.

The one thing about that area is that it can get REALLY crowded during the day, especially when it's sunny, especially on Saturdays- the sidewalks get so crowded it can be annoying trying to get around if you're in a rush or a fast walker.

Also, the down escalators at Camden Town seem to be down for maintenance a lot on the weekends, so you have to go down these really old, sooty, spiral stairs to get down to the tube. Which isn't a big deal unless you have mobility issues.

I really like staying in the area, the Northern Line is convenient and it only takes about 10 minutes on the tube to get to Trafalgar Square.

Apres_Londee

That address for Camden isn't very close to a tube station. I'm not sure I would stay there.

janisj

OK --neither would be my first choice. The Camden one looks like a nice street and the property looks well cared for at least on the outside. But is is quite a hike to the nearest train and/or tube stations.

The Earls Court place is definitely IN Earls Court so the owner isn't misleading you. It is just a few doors down from Earls Court station. Not my favorite area but OK

If these are your only two options - then I'd choose Earls Court (and I can't believe I'm actually saying that )

Apres_Londee

FWIW, in Camden I've stayed at the Holiday Inn Camden Lock. It's a 2 minute walk to Camden Town tube station, on a side street off the high street overlooking the canal. The rooms are quite large and always very clean, and the hotel in general is well run.

I just plugged in some random dates for early April on Hotwire and double rooms are coming up for CND$125.00/night.

It's a really easy hotel to identify on Hotwire:

Regents Park - Baker Street - Camden Lock area
4 stars
Rated 4.5 out of 5.0 on TripAdvisor
Amenities Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access
(it's the only hotel in Camden Lock area that specifies "smoke-free rooms")

Anyway, just thought I'd share in case your daughter has her heart set on Camden.

Cathinjoetown

Camden is very well served by buses. For example, my son's flat just off Camden Sq is a longish walk (for me) to Camden Town station. But, he is literally a half block from three bus lines, one of which goes directly to Lecister Sq in about 15-20 min. So, don't overlook the buses!

MelJ

Personally, I really like the Earl's Court area. You can walk right into Knightsbridge in one direction or South Kensington in the other. The Earl's Court tube stop has great lines running through it so you have easy access to other areas of the city.

CaliNurse

Apres, thanks for that detailed description of how to get and i.d. the hotel for a great price!

for the OP--In general, i'd chose Camden over Earls Court, but dont know those particular addresses.

What sites have you searched?

Loco2

if you stay in Earl's Court, then you are within walking distance of many of London's museums e.g. Science Museum, Natural History, V&A etc. You're also not far from London parks and Harrods if that's your thing (not mine!). I wouldn't describe Earl's Court as a "fun area" though

Camden, as a previous poster has said is very well connected with buses, and not too bad if you don't mind walking to the tube. If you're with a young adult I think this is a far more exciting area...it's also not that bad at night, I'm not sure what you've read - it's a fun vibe and not threatening at all imo. I would try and find a place closer to Camden Lock which is really a London gem. From Camden, central london is not far away and Regent's park (& London Zoo) and primrose hill are only a short walk away.

On balance, I'd chose Camden over Earl's court, which has more to offer a young person, but maybe try to stay closer to Camden town tube.

annie_pie

Just wanted to say "Thanks so much" for all your help. I think I'm going with Earls' court but will definitely spend tome in Camden.