North London is a contrasting mix of green space and bustling creativity. You get the busy, artsy streets of Camden then the wilds of Hampstead Heath just 3 train stops away. There’s a big musical and culture scene in the north of London but somehow it seems to keep a community feel too. But how do you find cheap hotels in such a popular part of the world?
London in general is not cheap so finding a really cheap hotel is either a big risk or it’s just not even cheap at all. North London has a range in prices but as an estimate to get a reasonable 3 star standard accommodation you’re looking at around £100-160 a night.
Here are some of the best highlights of North London:
Camden
Hampstead Heath
Alexandra Palace
Little Venice
King’s Cross
Regents Park
Getting around
One of the best things about north London is that it’s so well connected to the centre as most of the things to do in London also sit north of the Thames river. You could do a weekend sightseeing in North London alone but if you’re in London for a limited time you’ll need to make your way into the city centre to see the main sights.
The Northern line (black) and Victoria lines (blue) are the 2 main underground lines that cover the north and can take you to the centre and to south London very quickly, definitely quicker than a taxi could.
Areas of north London
Euston
Islington
Camden
Hampstead
King’s Cross
Highgate Village
Ideal location in north London
To be well located in North London there are plenty of well connected spots. The best is probably the Kings Cross area as that has access to the majority of the city and is walkable to the big attractions and things to do in London. However it is usually not cheap to stay around here.
You can get cheaper accommodation by staying a little further out around Wembley or Edgeware and then it’ll just take a little longer to get into the centre. In the options below I’ve tried to capture a bit of both central and slightly further out options to give a variety of north London hotel prices, which change especially at popular times.
The best cheap hotels in north London
Budget option
You can always share a dorm room or hostel and they normally start at around £25 a night. If you’re going down that route then I would recommend Hostelworld where you can book plenty of dorm rooms but also private rooms and pay a non refundable 10% deposit to secure them.
Outside of shared dorms here are our top 5 cheap north London hotels based on price, location and quality.
1. Premier Inn – St Pancras
Premier Inn London St Pancras Hotel – Prices from £90 per night
The best thing about this hotel is the location, it is very central for north London, right near Euston and Kings Cross so very close to all points of interest but it’s busy around here if you don’t mind the city crowds.
Premier Inn has hotels all around the UK so you generally get some consistency with modern, clean rooms. The double rooms are a pretty standard size and beds are pretty decent for the overall price so it’s an all round good deal for Central/North London.
88 Euston Road
London
NW1 2RA
2. Travelodge – Finchley
Travelodge – Finchley – Prices from £69 per night
Ok so it is quite north of London but you can get into the centre of London in around 25 minutes by train so certainly not the worst option for convenience and this is a good price for north London. The parking will be limited but you can expect a nice King size bed in the double rooms. Travelodge is a pretty standard chain across UK so most are similar and are often kept in clean, reasonably good condition.
2 Dollis Park Road,
Finchley
N3 1HF
3. Central Comfort Hotel – Islington
Central Comfort Hotel – Prices from £92 per night
This one is another good value option as it has cosy but well kept rooms and you can get into very central London in around 15 minutes from Finsbury Park tube station. The Central Comfort hotel has free WiFi, private parking and mostly contains double rooms.
The only catch with this one is that it’s near The Emirates Stadium home of Arsenal FC, so just check that you’re not visiting on a match day or the area will be swamped with Gunners fans which isn’t ideal for commuting. Unless you are there for a match of course. You would probably notice a surge in price on these days too.
133 Fonthill Road, Finsbury Park
Islington
London
N4 3HH
4. Oyo The Green Man Pub & Hotel – Wembley
OYO The Green Man Pub & Hotel – Prices from £79 per night
Up further out near Wembley this good old English pub acts as a nice, well maintained, clean and modern hotel. Don’t be put off by the idea of a large pub hotel as the host is very friendly and the pub also has a decent atmosphere. It is quite North West of London so not central by any means but the train links allow you to get into the centre in around 30 mins via tube or overground. It also has free WiFi and free unlimited parking.
Dagmar Ave
Wembley
HA9 8DF
5. Charlotte Guest House – Hampstead
Charlotte Guest House – Prices from £50 per night
This hotel has more of a classic B&B feel to it and is a well located accommodation in the West Hampstead area near the train stations so 15-20 mins from the very centre of London. You can flex some options to suit your budget by sharing a bathroom but even with your own private bathroom I’ve often seen rooms all below £100. The guest house has more of a homely than modern feel and it has nice clean rooms with good beds, strong showers and free WiFi.
195-197 Sumatra Road
Camden
London
NW6 1PF
Best Cheap Hotels summary
You will be hard pressed to find really good, cheap hotel options around the north, centre area but the above picks are good finds. Generally the Kings Cross area is best for convenience so unearthing gems here has been the most satisfying for me. Always check a few sites for reviews before booking as very cheap prices come with a higher risk of a bad experience. If you can balance location and price well then you will enjoy London more in general.
I hope this has given you some ideas of the potential accommodation bargains if you decide to stay in North London. If you are looking at other areas then take a look at our other pages.
Best cheap hotels in West London
Best cheap hotels in Kensington
You can generally find most of the best hotel deals on Booking.com with the exception being larger chains like Premier Inn where booking direct is the cheapest option and sometimes the only option.