Mayfair to Hampstead: London’s prime neighbourhoods compared

About Mayfair to Hampstead: London’s prime neighbourhoods compared

By the ULTIMATE Property Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

London’s prime neighbourhoods each have a very different character: some are grand and formal, some village-like, some green and leafy. Choosing between them is as much about lifestyle as about the homes themselves.

Mayfair and St James’s

Central and polished, with Georgian and late-Victorian buildings, many of them now flats, grand hotels, galleries and restaurants on the doorstep. Much of Mayfair belongs to the Grosvenor estate.

Belgravia and Knightsbridge

White stucco squares and terraces, many on the Grosvenor estate, with Harrods, Hyde Park and some of the city’s grandest addresses.

In London, the neighbourhood you choose shapes your daily life as much as the home.

Chelsea and Kensington

Garden squares, red-brick mansion blocks, mews houses and the King’s Road, with the museums of South Kensington and Kensington Gardens close by. Much of Chelsea is on the Cadogan estate.

Notting Hill and Holland Park

Stucco villas and terraces around private communal gardens, Portobello Road, and a more relaxed, creative feel.

St John’s Wood and Hampstead

Leafy and residential, with detached villas and family houses, Regent’s Park, Lord’s and Hampstead Heath.

The riverside

From Chelsea and Battersea to Nine Elms, Bankside and Canary Wharf, newer apartment buildings line the Thames, many with concierge services and river views.

Our advice: spend a weekday and a weekend in each area on your shortlist; walk to the shops, the park and the station, and imagine your daily routine there.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Mayfair to Hampstead: London’s prime neighbourhoods compared before you go.