South Kensington is one of London's smartest districts and only a short bus, tube or taxi ride into London's West End. Prestigious Knightsbridge and Harrods are within walking distance, whilst the Natural History Museum, The Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park, Imperial College London, Kensington Palace and Earl's Court and Olympia exhibition centres are also close by.
Travelling to and from the Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel
Because of our commitment to responsible business practices, we encourage the use of public transport. Our hotels are central, convenient and close to underground or mainline stations, so it’s easy to minimize the impact of your journey on the environment.
By train:
Nearest Underground Gloucester Road on the Piccadilly, Circle and District line. Plan your journey with London Underground's tube planner.
Fast track trains can be used for a quicker journey to or from the following airports into London: Heathrow Express from Paddington Station. Journey time takes approximately 15 minutes. Gatwick Airport Express from Victoria Station. Journey time takes approximately 30 minutes.
Travelling by bicycle:
Park your bicycle in the communal stand outside Gloucester Road underground station.
Bicycles are available for hire around the city, please ask your concierge.
By road:
Distance from Airports
Airports
Miles
Minutes
Gatwick
34
60
Heathrow
12
30
London City
11
40
Luton
34
50
Stansted
40
60
Nearest car park Valet Parking only-call hotel concierge for further details. Telephone; + 44 (0) 20 7761 9000.
On your doorstep Chelsea, Kings Road, Natural History Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Science Museum, Knightsbridge and Harrods, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and Gardens, Royal Albert Hall and Memorial, Sloane Street haute couture.
Insider London Morning: Harrods is best experienced shortly after it opens. Of all the attractions, the greatest is probably the food hall - the finest food in the world, begging to be eaten - a great place for gifts that people actually want too.
Noon: The V&A is the quietest of the great museums. When the Liebskind extension is built it will be swarming with visitors, so visit now and go straight to the cast room - it's like a Piranesi drawing come to life.
Night: Get a cab to the Grenadier Pub on Wilton Row in Belgravia. Low key it may be, but it's also extremely well heeled with beautifully plain cooking, good beer and famous Bloody Marys. Guard officers and minor Royals used to love it and Madonna still does.
About London
Each period of England's past, punctuated by monarchs, wars, fires and other disasters, has made an indelible imprint on the capital city. Yet even while embracing its history, London is a forward-looking, modern city. Witness the Millenium's London Eye, which joins Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament as world-recognized icons of the city. Another obvious example is the culinary scene New British cooking, as envisioned by renowned chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Antony Worrall Thompson, Marcus Wareing, Fergus Henderson and Tom Aikens, uses the best of regional ingredients in innovative, globally influenced ways; London also has outposts of celebrated restaurants like Nobu and Joël Robuchon. A profusion of cutting edge clubs and stylish bars like Tantra, Absolut IceBar, Bacchus and Lost Society Nightlife assure a high "hip" factor. Shopaholics thrill to know that London has stayed on top of the fashion game since the swinging '60s. Stop at venerable Harrod's of course, but then hotfoot it over to Sloan Street for trendy boutiques, or visit an eponymous shop Stella McCartney, Amanda Wakely, Bruce Oldfield and many other designers maintain retail space here. Dozens of art galleries exhibit the most recent works by emerging artists, and if contemporary art is your thing, the Tate Modern is the best in Europe. Not surprisingly, London, balancing old and new with ease, is regarded as one of the world's most intriguing cities.
Did you know?
In a retrieval of history, a replica of Shakespeare's famous Globe Theater - where many of his plays were first performed in the 16th century - was constructed along the Thames riverbank. The reconstruction closely followed the original layout of the 1598 playhouse and now gives modern audiences a chance to relive the experience of watching Renaissance theater in its original environment.