The Best Hotels to Book near Big Ben and Westminster

Plush, corporate-but-cool rooms in muted tones suit the mood of this oh-so-posh townhouse close to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Enjoy breakfast in the Blue Boar with fresh fruit salad and waffles, dine on delicious Chinese food or enjoy traditional afternoon tea in The Orchard room. Smack opposite St James’ Park tube station, the hotel is a dream if you want to nip to the West End for last-minute gifts to take home with you.

The setting couldn’t be better for families with kids desperate to glimpse Big Ben for the first time – this place is little more than 10 minutes’ walk south across the river. It’s a discreet little bolthole with small, neat, monochrome rooms that you can personalise to match your mood with multi-coloured lighting. Beds are comfy, showers are powerful and, upon payment of a nominal fee, you have television and the chance of a lie-in with a late checkout. There’s no restaurant, but you can buy coffees and pastries from the Costa Coffee concession in the lobby.

Hilton goes hip with its Curio Collection in destinations across the world. Here, one street back from the Thames, you get serene rooms and suites exuding a classy cruise-ship cabin feel. Tones are pale and muted while higher-up options give floor-to-ceiling views over Westminster (as does the split-level gym on the top floor). Breakfast at diner-style Bao Yum on sweet custard bao, step out for arty appreciation at the Tate Britain and glimpse Westminster’s towering landmark Big Ben before heading back to dine at steakhouse STK.

A Victorian-era hotel, St James’ Court oozes old-world charm with licks of modern luxury. As well it should, being mere steps from Buckingham Palace and St James’ Park and super close to Westminster to boot. Relaxing rooms come in three grades with pops of jewel-coloured fabrics at the Premier level. Shake off jet lag with East meets West spa treatments, recharge your batteries in the divine courtyard garden complete with fountain – and pull out all the stops out for breakfast, where you can enjoy scrambled eggs or, better still, a tongue-tingling paneer curry.

Great Scotland Yard is where, in the 19th century, you’d have found the back entrance to London’s Metropolitan Police Service. Today it’s the setting for this smart and hulking hotel, complete with Edwardian frontage, police paraphernalia and witty references throughout. Rooms and suites are more subtle in beige and cream; but some have names such as Sherlock – with a four-poster bed – and art by prisoners past and present. Have breakfast in the Yard – waffles and/or cooked eggs and bacon – and you’re free to go.

Unfussy and relaxing, rooms here come with aquatic-blue hints and soothing art. Working guests like the sleek, generous desk spaces, with their hip chrome-and-leather chairs. Families love the Premium studios, with kitchenettes for easy in-room feasts. The higher-up you book, the more spectacular the skyline view. Best of all, the location – right on Westminster Bridge Road – leaves the Houses of Parliament close by, while a spin on the London Eye is a no-brainer.

Guests love the central-but-peaceful location in Westminster’s leafy Vincent Square, where you might just catch a cricket match in progress. You’re even close enough to peek at the royal goings on in Buckingham Palace. Generous, apartment-style rooms are resolutely traditional: we’re talking heavy burgundy and gold drapes along with plush carpets. Ask for yours with a balcony or terrace so you can laze and gaze after busy sightseeing days. The fancy restaurant dishes a mean hot buffet breakfast each morning and there’s an onsite gym if you’ve overindulged.