Saasdia Travel Gid

Time for another London area guide, and this time it’s another of my favourites. I think the Bloomsbury and King’s Cross areas of London are really underrated, with so much to see and do. I managed to spend an entire weekend just in this area, and still not have enough time for everything I had on my list!

Here are some of the very best highlights of the area hoping to inspire you to add it to your London itinerary.

Contents

1. Contents
2. Where is Bloomsbury & King’s Cross?
3. Things to do in Bloomsbury & King’s Cross, London
   1. The British Museum
   2. Russell Square
   3. Woburn Walk and Bloomsbury Streets
   4. The Old Ticket Office Bar at The Renaissance Hotel, St Pancras
   5. Word on the Water
   6. London Canal Museum
   7. Granary Square & Coal Drops Yard
   8. St Pancras Old Church, Gardens & Hardy Tree
   9. Charles Dickens Museum
   10. Outdoor Cinema Screening
   11. Foundling Museum
   12. Dishoom
   13. Other
4. Where to stay in Bloomsbury & King’s Cross
   1. The Kimpton Fitzroy
   2. The Megaro
   3. The Pullman
5. More Information

Where is Bloomsbury & King’s Cross?

Bloomsbury and King’s Cross are two areas which fit perfectly together as a way to spend a day or two in London. Situated in the north part of central London, they are easily accessible with 3 major train stations situated within the area – King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston.

The area’s most famous attraction is The British Museum, but the area has lots more to offer than just that, and is incredibly rewarding if you choose to explore more of it.

Things to do in Bloomsbury & King’s Cross, London

The British Museum

Full Guide: HERE

My favourite museum in all of London, The British Museum is special. I’ve spent three entire days exploring this museum and still not seen everything – but be sure to spend at least a few hours checking out the highlights, including The Rosetta Stone, The Great Hall and The Lewis Chessman. You can read my full guide linked above for more information.

Russell Square

Something I love about Bloomsbury is that it’s quite residential and quiet, with a few lovely parks dotted about. One of them is Russell Square, surrounded by traditional townhouses with a park in the middle. It’s a great place to sit and I love the coffee stand in the old Cab Driver’s rest spot, named The Cabmen’s Shelter.

Woburn Walk and Bloomsbury Streets

Bloomsbury is full of picture perfect streets, but without doubt one of my favourites is Woburn walk, a perfect London hidden gem. Pop in to some of the shops along the row, one of London’s most well preserved Georgian streets and pretend you’re in a TV period drama!

The Old Ticket Office Bar at The Renaissance Hotel, St Pancras

I love The Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras for its incredible décor. The highlights for me are The Old Ticket Office bar, which you can access from within the train station or the hotel, and the staircase – an amazing place! Well worth popping in for a drink or two.

Word on the Water

Heading north of the stations, and you’ll reach another total London gem – Word on the Water. What could be better than a bookshop on a boat? I always stop by here when I’m in the area and end up buying a new book or three every single time!

London Canal Museum

The London Canal Museum is a fascinating off the beaten track museum which I really enjoyed popping in to. It’s all about the history of London’s canals, the people who lived and worked on the waterways and the animals involved. You can also peep inside a narrowboat cabin and peer in to a huge Victorian ice well, which stored ice imported from Norway!

Granary Square & Coal Drops Yard

Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard lie along London’s canal, and are made up largely of old converted warehouses which are now full of modern shops and eateries. It’s a great place to spend a few hours eating, drinking and shopping in a laid back, less busy area of London. The area is also home to St Pancras locks at the top of the canals, so it makes a picturesque area to stroll around.

St Pancras Old Church, Gardens & Hardy Tree

Another lesser known site, St Pancras Old Church and Gardens is home to The Hardy Tree – an ash tree surrounded by hundreds of weathered gravestones, layered practically on top of one another by Thomas Hardy (of Tess of the D’Urbervilles fame) when he was working for a company tasked with reburying the dead who had to be moved to build the train lines. The church itself is also beautiful, and worth nipping inside too.

Charles Dickens Museum

This Museum at 48 Doughty Street was once the house of Charles Dickens and his family. Now preserved as a museum and home to over 100,000 artefacts on the author’s life (including manuscripts, objects and books), it’s well worth popping in to for an hour or so if you’re in the area.

Outdoor Cinema Screening

One of my favourite things to do in the area over summer is an outdoor cinema screening at the Every Man cinema which pops up along the river. I always love taking a bottle and finding a seat in the sunshine – a perfect way to spend an afternoon in London!

Foundling Museum

The Foundling Museum is another museum I’m super fond of. It tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, England’s first home for children at risk of abandonment. The museum also houses the nationally important Foundling Hospital Collection, as well as the Gerald Coke Handel Collection. It’s recommended to buy tickets in advance as the building can be hired out – I had a drinks’ reception here which was a lovely evening.

Dishoom

One of favourite restaurants in the whole of London is the Kings Cross branch of Dishoom. Their house daal is just incredible and I love the curries too. Pair it with a mango lassi cocktail and it’s perfect!

Other

There are numerous other highlights of a visit to Bloomsbury and King’s Cross, which if you have time to squeeze in are well worth doing.

• Harry Potter shop at Platform 9 3/4
• The British Library
• King’s Cross Station
• Hokus Pokus Cocktails

Where to stay in Bloomsbury & King’s Cross

I’ve stayed in a couple of hotels in the area, and my experience of each was very different.

The Kimpton Fitzroy

The Kimpton had long been on my dream stay list, and the building itself was absolutely beautiful. However, for the price paid, the rooms were tiny and the walls/floors so thin you could hear everything going on next door. I’d recommend it, but only if you have money to spare, and I wouldn’t choose to return. Rooms start from £300/night.

The Megaro

Full Review: HERE

The Megaro was a super fun and enjoyable hotel to stay at, and had one of the most unique hotel bars I’ve ever been in – but the service was a little poor and for me it was style over substance. Again for the price paid, it just wasn’t quite worth it. Room start from £250/night.

The Pullman

The Pullman is conveniently located for the stations and is a slightly more affordable hotel option in the area. We’ve stayed there a few times before early Eurostar trains from St Pancras. I wouldn’t recommend the hotel for a long and relaxing stay, but for a few nights it’s perfect with clean rooms and reasonably priced – just don’t get breakfast included, it was pretty disgusting. Rooms start from £180/night.

Other hotels I have my eye on for a stay at some point include The Renaissance Hotel (mentioned above),and The Montague on the Gardens for a beautiful brass soaking tub next time I visit The British Museum!

More Information

If you’re interested in a longer London stay then check out my full London Itinerary Guide.

If you’re interested in more London areas then check out my full Neighbourhood Guide (post coming soon), which summarises all the individual area guides I’ve published:

• South Bank
• Shoreditch
• Greenwich
• Southwark
• The City of London
• Clerkenwell

So what do you think of Bloomsbury & King’s Cross? Hopefully you enjoyed the tour of this lesser known area of London.