Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Luxurious West London Boroughs
Keep heading West and you get to glimpse a stately elegant side to London, the quiet bor-
oughs feeling more like country villages than parts of the capital. It's where those with
money choose to set up residence, close enough to the city's heart yet idyllic and peaceful.
Come here for gorgeous streetscapes, rolling green spaces, and a chance to be regally enter-
tained.
Travel Essentials
This section covers boroughs spread over a large area, some close and some far from
Chelsea and South Kensington. A patchwork of public transport can get you around and this
guide details how to get to the experiences listed.
Essential Experiences
•
£FREE -
World renowned for its annual carnival,
Notting Hill
displays an
exuberant effervescent side of West London. It's young, wealthy, and hip -
yet this mixes with a bubbling Caribbean community, the harmonious rela-
tionships epitomized by the
Notting Hill Carnival,
on the last weekend of
every August.
www.visitlondon.com
has a good guide to the carnival and its
route.
•
£FREE
- Regardless of when you come,
Notting Hill
is a great place to
hang out and enjoy the streets. Pastel colored houses, elegant townhouses,
tiny Caribbean takeaways, boutique book shops; start on
Portobello Road
or
Westbourne Grove
and spend a morning exploring this vibrant area. You
may recognize the streets; they've appeared in countless movies (including,
of course, Notting Hill with Hugh Grant) and Time Out London has an excel-
lent self guided film walk you can download (
http://www.timeout.com/me-
dia/film_walk.pdf
)
Take Underground to Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne
Park.
•
Far less famous than other royal palaces,
Kensington Palace
is just as luxuri-
ant and plush. However, it's cheaper than Buckingham and you don't need to
arrange tickets in advance. Members of the royal family do live here, and the
King's Gallery is especially impressive.
Take Underground to Queensway.
