London/Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury is a vibrant historic district of London made famous by a group of turn-of-the-century writers that included Virgina Woolf and E.M Forster ('the Bloomsbury Set') and for being the location of the British Museum, the British Library, the campus of University College London and any number of historic homes, parks, and buildings.

Get in

Bloomsbury can be accessed from several convenient Tube stations that include Euston Square, Russell Square, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road; it is also within walking distance of King's Cross, Euston, and St Pancras mainline stations.

Get around

Bloomsbury has a number of famous walks that cover the lives and works of the Bloomsbury Group. Most of the sites are reachable by foot or a single stop on the metro. There are also a number of buses that run from Euston Road.

See

the British Museum =>, Great Russell St - one of the greatest collections of world art, culture and antiquities in the world - absolutely not to be missed...
the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology =>, Malet Place, open to the public Tu-Fr 1pm-5pm, Sa 10am-1pm, (closed Mo, Christmas and Easter holidays), admission free - formerly the teaching collection of Sir Flinders Petrie, one of Britain's greatest archaeologists; now preserved by University College London and well worth a visit (free!) Exhibits include beaded dresses, sculpture and wall reliefs, items of everyday use, papyri, cartonnage and pottery - fascinating! NB: The museum can be hard to find: whilst preparing for a move to new premises in 2008 (?), the Petrie is housed inside a university library building down a narrow lane - the best way to locate is is to find the large Blackwell's bookstore on the corner of Malet Street.... Malet Place continues over Torrington Place (currently under some scaffolding); venturing down the lane, the Museum's banner should be prominent on the left hand side. Go through the doors and ask the porter for the Museum.
University College London (UCL) [=>, access via the northern end of Gower Street - includes a small but beautiful quad and an interesting Neo-Classical facade - the core buildings of UCL were built after the university's foundation in 1826
the Charles Dickens Museum =>, 48 Doughty St, tel 7405 2127, fax 7831 5175, open Mo - Sa 10 am to 5 pm (last admission 4.30 pm), Tu 10 am - 7 pm, Su 11 am - 5 pm (last admission 4.30pm), admission £5.00 (students & seniors £4.00, children £3.00, families £14.00 (2 adults & up to five children). Special group rates apply.
Pollock's Toy Museum =>, 1 Scala St
Fitzroy Tavern, 16 Charlotte St - a traditional pub that served as meeting place between the wars for a group of writers and artists who dubbed the area around Fitzroy Square and Charlotte St "Fitzrovia". The "Writers and Artists Bar" in the pub basement includes portraits of former patrons who incldued the poet Dylan Thomas, writer George Orwell and artists Augustus John.

Eat

General advice: avoid the eating establishments close to the British Museum like the plague - hugely overpriced, they form a genuine 'tourist trap' and are seemingly designed to help travellers part with their cash at a rapid rate! Best to walk up to nearby Oxford Street for a huge range of food outlets.

In terms of restaurants, Pizza Express on Coptic Street (off Great Russell Street in front of the British Museum) is a safe and reasonable bet.

If stuck for food, there are a number of common travel venues (Upper Crust, Burger King, Cornish Pasties, etc) at King's Cross station.

Drink

There are a number of pubs and winebars around the British Library and University College London campus.

Some notable pubs:

The Museum Tavern, 49 Great Russell Street. Opposite the British Museum, is a very good pub, offering a wide range of real ales, and some excellent food. Can get busy in the summer months.
Fitzroy Tavern, 16 Charlotte Street. Owned by the Samuel Smith brewery, the Fitzroy Tavern offers good, cheap beer. The pub gave its name to the surrounding area of Bloomsbury - Fitzrovia - and was a popular drinking place for BBC broadcasters (including George Orwell) following the Second World War. A very friendly pub, with nice outdoor seating in summer.
The College Arms, 18 Store Street. Often frequented by students from nearby University College London and Birkbeck College.
The Jeremy Bentham, 31 University Street. Named after the founder of University College London, and located very near the main entrance to the University, the pub tends to attract more senior academics than does the College Arms.
The Pint Pot (formerly, and commonly still known as Ye Olde Surgeon), 183 Tottenham Court Road. A common drinking place for medical students from University College Hospital, who jostle alongside office workers. Gets exceptionally crowded after office hours.

Sleep

Bloomsbury is a good choice for accommodations due to the range of hostels, B&Bs, budget hotels, and large 4 star hotels in the area.

Hostels

the Generator - a self-dubbed "fantastic" hostel right in the heart of Bloomsbury, if you don't mind communal showers and cold water, or all-night parties.

the Montague Hostel, 27 Montague Street - located by the side of the British Museum

Budget

Many of the budget hotels are located on Argyle St in the northern part of the district.

The Apollo Hotel, 60 Argyle St. Basic double £40, breakfast included. Clean, but staff somewhat unhelpful.
Alhambra Hotel, 17-19 Argyle St. Well known multi-lingual (Spanish, Portuguese, French) family hotel. Free wireless Internet. Basic double £45, breakfast included. http://www.alhambrahotel.com/

Midrange

Ridgemont -- Gower St. Basic double £50.
George Hotel =>, 58-60 Cartwright Gardens (44 (0) 20 7387 8777). Historic building, full English breakfast. Double room, ensuite £75.

Avalon Hotel =>, 46-47 Cartwright Gardens, basic double £59, basic single £45 (discount when making reservations online), breakfast included. Friendly staff, good rooms, and you get to take a spare key of both your room and the front door - of course very useful if you plan on staying out late.

Highend

Euston Square Hotel =>