The metropolis on the Thames is built on juxtapositions: historic alehouses share streets with modern high-rises, royal pageantry mixes with street art, and over eighty million tourists arrive annually. The location and style of your lodging can elevate or diminish everything else you do in the capital. Complete guides on luxury hotel bar dress code for dates can be found via our digital platform.

Whether you prefer the majesty of a former railway hotel or the charm of an unusual boutique property, each hotel carries its own history, its own characters, its own plot lines that intersect with the larger story of the metropolis. For visitors who prioritize enduring sophistication, only a handful of London destinations match The Ritz on Piccadilly. Overlooking Green Park, this renowned property has been a name that has equaled luxury for over one hundred years, starting in 1906.

Walk through its lobby of marble columns and crystal chandeliers, and the reason this property stays popular with crowned heads and Hollywood stars becomes instantly clear. To sit in the Palm Court for tea, with a musician at the piano and silver trays stacked with small savories, is to participate in an experience that etches itself into your memory.

Nearby, located in Mayfair, The Connaught provides a more subdued, gallery-like option, featuring a restaurant with the highest possible Michelin rating and a bar that consistently tops worldwide rankings. For visitors who want both a history lesson and a little stage magic, book a room at The Savoy on the Strand. The year 1889 saw The Savoy open with two technological breakthroughs: electric lights throughout and lifts that spared guests the climb.

With the Thames just outside, The Savoy offers some of the best river views in central London, with the glowing London Eye on one side and the great cathedral dome designed by Christopher Wren on the other   both viewable from multiple suites. Make your way to the American Bar   Ol' Blue Eyes himself performed there, or watch a theatrical production at the Savoy Theatre, accessed without stepping outside.

Claridge's stands as another example of London's ability to preserve elegance across generations, known colloquially as the address where visiting dignitaries are housed when the Palace is full. This Art Deco masterpiece in Mayfair has hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to Audrey Hepburn, and even after decades, the striking black-and-white entrance hall continues to turn heads and remains firmly on the glamour map of the capital. Travelers who want their hotel to look like the future and to show them the city from above, the capital presents a range of impressive modern accommodations.

The building that changed London's skyline permanently   The Shard, tallest in Western Europe, houses the Shangri-La Hotel from floors 34 to 52. Envision a bath with a view that includes the entirety of London's urban landscape   everything from the iconic bascule bridge to the cluster of skyscrapers to the east. The Mondrian London, now folded into the Sea Containers brand, stands on the South Bank as another wonderful choice, where river-view rooms and a rooftop bar create a trendy, artistic vibe.

For those seeking a lower price point that does not mean lower design standards, the citizenM properties near the Tower of London or in Shoreditch provide small but smartly designed rooms featuring oversized beds and adjustable color lighting, perfect for millennial explorers.