Where to stay in Camden: hotels by neighbourhood
A compact hotel room on the high street for gig nights, a restored townhouse studio in Primrose Hill, a red brick mansion in Belsize Park from £140 a night and a Victorian landmark at the King’s Cross end of the canal. Where to sleep in Camden, by what you came for.
By Only Camden Editorial
Pick your Camden by what you came for. Stay on the high street if the plan is gigs and the market, Primrose Hill or Belsize Park if you want to sleep, and King’s Cross if you are arriving by train. Camden itself has few hotels, which keeps the high street a high street, so the best choices are a compact hotel in the middle of Camden Town, two guesthouses in the leafy bits and a few landmarks just over the border. Every one below is checked on its own site.
Camden Town: for gigs and the market
hub by Premier Inn London Camden
The hub by Premier Inn is in the heart of Camden Town, about ten minutes’ walk from Camden Market and The Regent’s Park, with Camden Town and Mornington Crescent the nearest Tube stations. The rooms are compact: Premier Inn says the hub rooms fit everything you would expect in about half the space, with a monsoon shower, a 40-inch smart TV and air conditioning. There is a restaurant and breakfast. There is no car park; the hotel points drivers to the Lomax car park at 38 to 40 Pratt Street, three minutes’ walk away, at £24 for 24 hours. Details on premierinn.com.
Best for: a night at KOKO, the Electric Ballroom or the Jazz Cafe, when you want to walk home.
Primrose Hill: for quiet and the view
Mason & Fifth Primrose Hill
Mason & Fifth calls this a boutique guesthouse, and it is built for stays of a few days, weeks or months. It is a restored heritage home with 60 private studios, each with a kitchen and en-suite, plus a large guest kitchen, a lounge, a private garden and a yoga pavilion. There is a help-yourself breakfast bar and, every Friday, Wine Down Fridays, per mason-fifth.com. You are a short walk from the top of Primrose Hill and the restaurants of Regent’s Park Road, and you can walk down to the Stables in the morning.
Best for: a longer stay, a working trip, or anyone who wants Camden at arm’s length.
Belsize Park: for the Heath
Mason & Fifth Belsize Park
The newer Mason & Fifth is a restored period red brick mansion with 56 private en-suite studios, a shared open kitchen, a guest lounge and a private garden, with Hampstead Heath on the doorstep. Studios start at £140 a night, or from £2,295 a month including bills, according to its Belsize Park page, and the Classic studio has a kitchenette and en-suite shower. There is a laundry room, help-yourself breakfasts every day and the same Wine Down Fridays.
Premier Inn London Hampstead
Premier Inn’s Hampstead hotel is at the Belsize Park end of things; a recent guest review on its own page puts it two minutes’ walk from Belsize Park Tube on the Northern line. It has Premier Plus rooms with a coffee machine, mini-fridge and air conditioning, and a restaurant called The Social. Parking is very limited, at £25 a night.
Best for: walkers, families and anyone visiting the Royal Free or Hampstead.
King’s Cross: for trains and the canal
St. Pancras London
At the eastern end of our canal walk, St. Pancras London is an Autograph hotel by St Pancras station, per stpancraslondon.com. It is the splurge option, and the obvious one if you are on the Eurostar. From the door, it is a short walk to Granary Square and the towpath back to Camden.
What is on the doorstep
- From the hub on Camden High Street: the Electric Ballroom at 184 Camden High Street, the Jazz Cafe at 5 Parkway, and Camden Market about ten minutes away.
- From Mason & Fifth Primrose Hill: the summit of Primrose Hill, almost 63 metres up and one of London’s six protected viewpoints, and Regent’s Park Road for dinner at Lemonia or Greenberry.
- From Belsize Park: Hampstead Heath, and the Northern line’s Edgware branch straight down to Chalk Farm for the Roundhouse.
- From St. Pancras London: Granary Square and the canal, then about 2.5km of towpath west to Camden Lock.
How to choose
- Gig night: hub by Premier Inn, in the middle of Camden Town.
- A week or more: Mason & Fifth, Primrose Hill or Belsize Park, with your own kitchenette.
- On a budget near the Heath: Premier Inn London Hampstead.
- Arriving by train: St. Pancras London, then walk the canal.
Know before you book
Camden Town station is the closest to the market but gets very crowded at weekends; Chalk Farm, about ten minutes from the Stables, and Camden Road, about eight, are easier. If you are driving, budget for parking: none of the Camden Town options has its own car park. And book early for the summer and around big Roundhouse and KOKO shows, when the few rooms in NW1 go first.
