While London is one of the most visited cities in the world, most trips to the former center of the British Empire are of the short and sweet variety, often due to the fact that most people have limited holiday time to work with.
While this has been the traditional excuse for travelers, as people have been limited by the constraints of a 9 to 5 job, increasing amounts of professionals have gone mobile these days, allowing them to work and travel.
This model allows one to extend a trip beyond the usual 1-2 weeks, allowing travelers to connect better with the destination in which they are visiting. However, London is not a cheap place, making hotel stays a particularly expensive proposition even for those making a handsome living via their remote job/ mobile business.
While you might be dispirited by this fact, there is a way around this issue, as renting an apartment in a local neighborhood in London offers a much better way to live here long-term, while spending less than you would in a hotel room.
If this sounds good to you, the next question that may come to your mind is this: what are the coolest local neighborhoods in London for a long term stay? The following three places will ensure that your time in London is one filled with unique memories…
1) Brixton
London is one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, and nowhere in the city is this more apparent than it is in Brixton. The posh shops of Kensington seem far off from this corner of London, replaced by farmers and flea markets, ethnic food shops and restaurants, cool architecture and independent movie houses. Green spaces also abound here too, making Brixton a highly appealing place to seek out a loft.
2) Chelsea
If you need the glitz and glamor of London’s more well-to-do neighborhoods surrounding you, then Chelsea is an outstanding place to make your base. The best shopping in the city will only be steps away from your apartment, while walks through this enriched enclave will yield sights of pricey dolled-up townhouses, trendy houseboats down on the Thames, and elaborate gardens that will relax you just by looking at the exquisite flora that lies within.
3) Stoke Newington
Those angling to embrace their inner hippie will want to check out places for rent in Stoke Newington, as this hood was a center of counter culture back in the 1960’s. Vintage fashion and antique stores will provide for plenty of browsing opportunities, organic farmer’s markets will have you cooking and eating healthy, and an abundance of pubs with craft brews on tap will keep beer lovers busy for many nights on end.
If any of these neighborhoods have piqued your interest in a long term stay in one of the world’s premiere city, then view accommodation in London here and begin planning one of the best stints of slow travel that you will enjoy in your life to this point.