Lady’s Lovely Guide to South Kensington, London

When it comes to London neighborhoods, South Kensington is hard to beat. The area has the best of everything I enjoy about London in one convenient place. I’ve always loved South Kensington’s restaurants, museums, pubs, and streets in particular. If you want to learn more about this place, today I bring you A Lady in London’s guide to South Kensington, London.

South Kensington, London

South Kensington is one of the best neighborhoods in London for a number of reasons.

First, it’s home to some of the city’s most important museums. Second, it has an abundance of great shops, restaurants, pubs, and cafes. Third, its streets and mews are some of the prettiest in the city. Stir it all together and you get a whole lot of loveliness.

How to Get to South Kensington

It’s easy to get here, too. South Kensington station is on the District, Circle, and Piccadilly lines of the London Underground.

There are also local buses that stop along main roads like Cromwell Road, Old Brompton Road, Exhibition Road, and Queen’s Gate.

South Kensington Museums

South Kensington’s museums are the area’s biggest draw for visitors, so I’ll start my guide with them.

The Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) are three of London’s biggest and most important museums. They all offer free entry, too.

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is stunning on the outside. Designed to look like a temple to science, every detail tells the story of its mission.

Inside, the museum is equally beautiful. Hintze Hall welcomes visitors with an awe-inspiring skeleton of the Earth’s largest mammal, the blue whale.

Walking through other rooms in this South Kensington museum will take you by everything from meteorites to minerals and gemstones.

V&A

Just across the road, the V&A museum is one of the world’s leading museums of art and design. It’s packed with everything from Chihuly glass chandeliers to historic textiles and sculptures.

The V&A is known for its world-class exhibitions, too. From David Bowie to Dior, its sell-out shows reveal the best of everything it puts on display.

And that’s to say nothing of the historic cafe. It’s one of the prettiest museum cafes in London, and is a work of art in its own right.

Science Museum

Next door to the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum is the third jewel in South Kensington’s museum crown. As the name implies, this one is dedicated incredible feats of scientific achievement.

From spaceships and airplanes to hands-on exhibits, the Science Museum has something to fascinate kids of all ages.

Streets in South Kensington

Another great way to explore South Kensington is by walking around its streets. Locals and visitors flock to this area for its beautiful architecture and high-end shops and dining options.

Walton Street is a favorite for South Kensington restaurants, shopping, bars, and nightlife. It’s lined with everything from clothing boutiques to cocktail bars.

The latter includes Eclipse, one of the South Kensington bars where I always enjoy the signature watermelon martinis.

Nearby streets like Draycott Ave are busy with J.Crew stores, ladies who lunch, and popular South Kensington restaurants like Daphne’s.

And walking down Pelham Street and Old Brompton Road is always a feast for the senses. They’re both full of everything South Kensington is known for. Seeing Michelin House at the end of Pelham Street always puts a smile on my face, too.

South Kensington Restaurants and Pubs

For a local experience, South Kensington has its share of good pubs. I recently spent an evening at the Anglesea Arms pub, which had great atmosphere.

I’ve also gone to dinner at the Admiral Codrington a couple of times, and have always had an enjoyable meal. The burger is particularly good.

And The Hereford Arms is one of the prettiest pubs in London. Its flower displays are stunning.

But the most famous part of the area’s restaurant scene conveniently revolves around South Kensington station.

The wide pedestrian zone between the station and the aforementioned museums is packed with perennial favorites.

These include Casa Brindisa, which serves Spanish tapas, Le Comptoir Libanais, a colorful Lebanese restaurant, Farm Girl, a favorite for coffee, and Brompton Food Market, a cafe with a secret garden out back.

Around the corner are places like Gail’s, a great bakery with mouth-watering window displays, and Bubbleology, a place serving bubble tea in South Kensington.

I also love the South Kensington restaurants and pubs where Drayton Gardens meets Old Brompton Road. From the Spanish tapas at Cambio de Tercio to the French cuisine at Margaux, the food is excellent.

And that’s to say nothing of the atmosphere at The Drayton Arms and the Duke of Clarence, both of which are great London pubs.

South Kensington Mews

With all the eating and drinking I do in South Kensington, I like to walk off the calories. My favorite places to do it are the mews. These pretty streets are some of the best things about this area, and there are a lot of them to explore.

From the rows of colorful houses in Cranley Mews to the stairway to heaven in Dove Mews and the fun ski mural in Kendrick Mews, there’s a lot to love about them.

If you want to explore them in more depth, my self-guided walk in South Kensington can help.

Exhibition Road

Heading north up Exhibition Road, you pass by Imperial College. It often has free temporary exhibitions, so it’s worth popping in to see what’s on.

There’s also the Royal Geographical Society, which has great photography exhibitions throughout the year.

And I love the three-pronged Princes Gate Mews, which comes off Exhibition Road. Its colorful houses and peaceful atmosphere offer a nice contrast to the busy road nearby.

Royal Albert Hall

Along the edge of Hyde Park sits Royal Albert Hall, one of London’s most famous performing arts venues. This unique circular building hosts concerts, comedy acts, and all kinds of other events throughout the year.

Going to the Proms is always fun in the summer months. This annual concert series is an eight-week extravaganza of daily classical music performances that has been running since 1895.

South Kensington and Beyond

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to South Kensington. It’s one of my favorite west London areas, and it has a lot to offer.

If you’re like me, once you’ve visited, you’ll want to keep coming back. And if you do, I’m sure you’ll discover more on every trip.

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