The Portland stone former Midland Bank on Poultry, designed by Edwin Lutyens and now The Ned hotel, seen across the Bank junction with a black cab and pedestrians in front and No 1 Poultry's striped corner on the left

Where to Stay in the City of London: St Paul's, Tower Hill, Liverpool Street and Spitalfields

City of London hotels from a £60 Z room on Fleet Street to The Ned and the Four Seasons at Tower Bridge, sorted by corner of the Square Mile, with the station, the price and why weekends are the time to book.

Photo: Ramillies · CC BY-SA 3.0

Updated 25 September 2026First published 24 September 2026

In this guide

The City of London is the Square Mile, from St Paul’s in the west to the Tower in the east; Spitalfields is just outside it, east of Liverpool Street. Its hotels are priced for business travellers from Monday to Thursday, so a Friday or Saturday night is often cheaper than a Tuesday. The cost is that some of the City shuts with the offices, so a weekend here needs a plan for dinner.

The range runs from a £60 Z room on Fleet Street and a hostel in St Paul’s old choir school to The Ned at about £400, and several of the places below are apartments with kitchens.

💡 The Short Version: On a budget, The Z Hotel Cityad on Fleet Street is £75 for a double with a window. For a family or a week, Locke at Broken Wharfad has studios with kitchens by the Millennium Bridge at about £190, and Native King’s Wardrobead has apartments of up to three bedrooms by St Paul’s. For the Tower, citizenM Tower of Londonad is a minute from Tower Hill station with a ninth-floor rooftop bar. For a big night, The Nedad is a 1924 Lutyens bank with ten restaurants. Book Friday and Saturday nights, and eat in Spitalfields, Leadenhall Market or Shoreditch when the office streets close.

Weekdays, weekends and the price

Hotel prices follow the offices. South Place Hotel’s own offer took up to 20% off Friday and Saturday nights in September and October 2026, with breakfast. Price a Friday and Saturday against a Tuesday, and against the West End for the same weekend.

What closes. The Bank of England Museum and the Jamaica Wine House, a pub off Cornhill since 1652, open Monday to Friday only. St Paul’s Cathedral is open for sightseeing Monday to Saturday; on Sundays it is open for services.

What stays open. Leadenhall Market says its restaurants, cafés and pubs now open through the weekend, and it runs free pop-up markets from 12 to 5pm, with SoLo Craft Fair on the second Saturday of each month. Old Spitalfields Market trades daily, Tower Hill is busy all weekend, and One New Change by St Paul’s is the standby for food. Shoreditch is ten minutes’ walk north of Liverpool Street.

At night it is quiet, especially around St Paul’s and the river. The exceptions are the public rooftop bars on hotels at Tower Hill and Finsbury Square.

Which part of the City

St Paul’s and the river is the west: the cathedral, the lanes of Carter Lane behind it, and the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern. Most of the apartment buildings are here, and Fleet Street runs west to the Royal Courts of Justice.

Bank, Moorgate and Liverpool Street is the middle and north: the Royal Exchange, Leadenhall Market and the towers, with the best train connections in the City.

Tower Hill is the south-east: the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Roman wall. It is the corner that stays busy at weekends.

Aldgate and Spitalfields is the east edge, where the City meets Whitechapel and Brick Lane, and where the weekends are livelier.

Barbican and Smithfield is the north-west: the Barbican Centre, Smithfield Market and Farringdon station.

Our City of London area guide covers what to see, and the City of London walk links St Paul’s, Bank and the Tower in one route.

Hotels around St Paul’s and the river

The Z Hotel City — the cheapest room in this guide

£60 single, £75 double with a window · 113 rooms · 24 Fleet Street, EC4Y 1AA · Temple and Chancery Lane 7 min · Hotels.comad

Compact rooms at the western end of Fleet Street, near the Royal Courts of Justice and Temple Church. Z publishes a from-rate for every grade: Z Single £60, Z Inside Queen £65, Z Double £75, Z Queen £80. The £65 Inside Queen has no window; the Z Double at £75 is the cheapest room with one.

A compact double at The Z Hotel City filling the width of the room against a charcoal padded headboard, with a TV on an oak panel, a small desk with a kettle, and a window with a blind beside the bed

The accessible wet room at The Z Hotel City: a glass-walled walk-in shower with a red alarm cord, grab rails around the toilet and a low white basin under a wide mirror

The Z Family sleeps four in bunked queen or double beds from £100, with its own stairs to the top bunk. There is air conditioning, a free cheese and wine hour, and Temple 24, the café, serves breakfast from 6.30 to 11am seven days a week. Our windowless rooms guide explains the Inside grades.

YHA London St Paul’s — the hostel in the choir school

Dorms and private rooms · 36 Carter Lane, EC4V 5AB · St Paul’s Cathedral 1 min · Hotels.comad

For nearly a hundred years this building was the school for St Paul’s choirboys, and their graffiti survives in a wood-panelled former classroom. Most rooms are dormitories with bunk beds; private rooms are available too.

A dormitory at YHA London St Paul's with numbered grey steel bunk beds made up in green bedding, tall wooden lockers, a skylight and a washbasin with a mirror on the wall

There is no self-catering kitchen. Breakfast is served from 7.30 to 10am, there is a licensed bar and a 24-hour reception, and luggage lockers cost £2 or £3. Guests under 16 must be with an adult. Our hostels guide compares it with the rest of London.

Native King’s Wardrobe — apartments up to three bedrooms

£££ · Studios 36 sq m to three bedrooms 114 sq m · 53–55 Carter Lane, EC4V 5AE · St Paul’s Cathedral 3 min, St Paul’s and Mansion House stations 5 min · check pricesad

Apartments in a Grade II listed building on the site of the Royal Wardrobe, where the king’s state and ceremonial robes were kept from the fourteenth century.

A studio at Native King's Wardrobe with a scalloped striped headboard and mustard patterned cushions, a grey sofa and orange footstool, tall linen-curtained windows, and a sage-green kitchen and round table on a black-and-white chequered floor beyond

A bathroom at Native King's Wardrobe with a white-tiled walk-in rain shower behind a black-framed glass door, sage-green tongue-and-groove panelling and a copper basin tap

The sizes decide it. Studios start at 36 square metres, one-bedrooms at 57, two-bedrooms at 75 and the three-bedroom at 114, so a large family or group can take one apartment. Each apartment has a kitchen and its own washer-dryer. Counter, the café-bar, is in the courtyard, and paid parking is underneath.

Locke at Broken Wharf — studios on the river by the Millennium Bridge

About £190 · 113 apartments · 2 Broken Wharf, EC4V 3DT · Mansion House, Blackfriars and Cannon Street all nearby · Hotels.comad

Studios with their own kitchens on the Thames, a short walk from the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern and the Globe. Micro Studios are 19 square metres, City Studios 22 and Locke Studios 28; the 30-square-metre River Suites and the River View City Studios face the Thames.

A pale green room at Locke at Broken Wharf with a double bed, an oak headboard, a padded sand-coloured sofa and two orange-framed windows, one looking across the Thames to Shakespeare's Globe

An accessible bathroom at Locke at Broken Wharf with grey terrazzo tiles, grab rails beside the toilet, a red alarm cord, two basins, a slatted wooden stool and a glass-walled shower

Cleaning is weekly, laundry is shared, and there is a café and bar, a coworking space and a gym. Dogs are welcome at a £40 cleaning fee. Our aparthotels guide compares it with the other Locke buildings.

Cove Cannon Street — a one-bedroom with a view of St Paul’s

££ · 46 Cannon Street, EC4N 6JJ · Cannon Street and Mansion House stations nearby · check pricesad

Studios and one-bedroom apartments between St Paul’s and Bank, all with king-size beds. The Studio has a kitchenette; the Large Studio and the one-bedrooms have full kitchens, and the One Bedroom Apartment St Paul’s View looks at the dome.

A studio at Cove Cannon Street with a beige panelled headboard and mustard cushions, a teal sofa, a round oak table for two, a dark open wardrobe and a kitchenette with a sink on the right

An accessible wet room at Cove Cannon Street in pale grey tiles, with a fold-down shower seat, grab rails, a rain shower and a wall-hung basin

Reception is 24 hours, there is a gym, a lounge and a courtyard, and cleaning is weekly. The laundry room is shared at £5 a wash and £5 a dry.

Vintry & Mercer — the roof terrace between St Paul’s and the Shard

92 rooms · 19–20 Garlick Hill, EC4V 2AU · Beside Mansion House station · Hotels.comad

A five-star named after two of the City’s medieval trades, the wine merchants of the Vintry and the silk-selling Mercers, among the livery halls and lanes above the river.

A bedroom at Vintry & Mercer with a teal buttoned-velvet headboard, a wide white bed, a dark wood cabinet holding the TV and lit teal shelves, a desk with a Nespresso machine and a rust-red armchair

A bathroom at Vintry & Mercer with a freestanding white bath under a rain shower and curtain ring, a window with white blinds, and green herringbone tiles behind the basin

Mercer Roof Terrace takes in St Paul’s dome and the Shard in one view, with British cooking and a bar. Balcony Suites have their own outdoor terraces and Corner Suites floor-to-ceiling windows. DND, the basement bar, is dressed as a 1920s New York speakeasy, and Vintry Kitchen serves breakfast.

Hotels at Bank, Moorgate and Liverpool Street

The Ned — the bank with ten restaurants

About £400 · 250 bedrooms · 27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ · On the Bank junction · check pricesad

The Midland Bank’s headquarters, built in 1924 to designs by Sir Edwin Lutyens, whose nickname gives the hotel its name, and reopened in 2017 after a four-year restoration. The 3,000-square-metre former banking hall holds most of its ten restaurants and is open to anyone, hotel guest or not.

A double room at The Ned with a dark iron bedstead, an Arts and Crafts patterned headboard, a red Turkmen rug on oak boards, rust velvet blinds at two tall windows and a small round table with a drinks tray

A bathroom at The Ned with a white pedestal basin, cream tiles banded in black, a chequered marble floor, a nickel towel rack and framed engravings of City buildings

Every bedroom has a double bed; there are no twins. Crash Pads are 17 to 19 square metres and Cosy rooms 20 to 30, and the Heritage rooms on the Grade I listed fifth floor keep their 1920s fittings. The Two Bed Family Suite is 95 square metres, and in-house children under six get a free main course in Millie’s Lounge between 5 and 6pm.

The rooftop pool and the Vault bar belong to Ned’s Club, which is for members and their guests; the hotel lets resident children use the rooftop pool from 7 to 10am. Our guide to London hotels with a pool covers the City’s other pools, at the Westin, Pan Pacific, Leonardo Royal St Paul’s and Four Seasons. There is no parking.

South Place Hotel — Angler, and a weekend offer

£££ · 3 South Place, EC2M 2AF · Liverpool Street 5 min, Moorgate 6 min · check pricesad

A five-star built for the City’s working week, which took up to 20% off Friday and Saturday nights, with breakfast, in September and October 2026. Angler and the all-day Bluebird City are the two restaurants. The glass bath pictured below comes only with the One Bedroom and Presidential Suites.

A double room at South Place Hotel with an aubergine feature wall, a dark wood headboard, lime cushions, a grey fur throw and a floor-to-ceiling window onto the stone building opposite

A suite bathroom at South Place Hotel with a glass-sided freestanding bath under slatted blinds, a walk-in rain shower and two basins in grey marble

The gym is open 24 hours, and the sauna, steam room and ice bath from 6am to 10pm. There are two-bedroom family rooms, and dogs stay free when booked direct.

Montcalm Royal London House — a pool, and the Aviary on the roof

£££ · 22–25 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1DX · Between Moorgate and Liverpool Street · check pricesad

A five-star in a mid-century block on Finsbury Square, just north of the City boundary. Aviary, the tenth-floor bar, restaurant and terrace, looks over the City skyline and is open to non-residents.

A king room at Montcalm Royal London House at night, with a green-lit headboard wall, a grey throw, a white lounge chair and footstool, and a floor-to-ceiling window onto lit office towers

A bathroom at Montcalm Royal London House with a walk-in shower behind a glass screen, cream tiles, a black marble splashback and a backlit mirror over the basin

The YĀTRĀ spa has a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, a sauna and a steam room. Rooms start with 20-square-metre Superior Kings, Deluxe rooms come with a king or two single beds, and suites run to about 40 square metres.

The Moorgate by Cove — apartments with a three-night minimum

££ · 71 Moorgate, EC2R 6BH · By Moorgate station · check pricesad

Serviced apartments on Moorgate itself, with air conditioning, king-size beds and a kitchen in every unit. The minimum stay is three nights, rising to four or seven on some dates, so it suits a week rather than a weekend.

An apartment at The Moorgate by Cove with white panelled walls, a period fireplace, a bed with a fur throw, a grey sofa, a round table with pink chairs, dark herringbone floors and dusky pink curtains

A bathroom at The Moorgate by Cove in white marble-effect tiles, with a walk-in rain shower behind a glass door, a wall-hung basin and a towel shelf

Check-in is self-service, around the clock. The One Bedroom Apartment with Washer/Dryer is the grade that has one in the flat.

Hotels at Tower Hill

Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge — the Port of London Authority’s headquarters

££££ · 89 rooms and 11 suites · 10 Trinity Square, EC3N 4AJ · Tower Hill · check pricesad

The 1922 Port of London Authority building by Edwin Cooper, facing the Tower across Trinity Square Gardens, opened as a Four Seasons in January 2017. It traded as Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square before its renaming, and many guides still use that name. Its UN Ballroom hosted the first reception of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946. Not every room has the terrace pictured below facing Tower Bridge.

A room at the Four Seasons at Tower Bridge: a double bed with Four Seasons pillows against a gold velvet headboard panelled almost to the ceiling, patterned curtains and a tall window

A marble bathroom at the Four Seasons at Tower Bridge with a bath set in marble and nickel taps, beside a window onto a snow-covered terrace looking at Tower Bridge and the White Tower

There is a 14-metre indoor pool, with a vitality pool, sauna, steam room and eight treatment rooms. The restaurants are Mei Ume and Cooper’s Cut, and the bar is the Rotunda Bar and Lounge.

citizenM Tower of London — 370 rooms and a rooftop bar

££ · 40 Trinity Square, EC3N 4DJ · Tower Hill 1 min · Check-out 11am · check pricesad

A large citizenM directly by Tower Hill station, now a Marriott brand, so Bonvoy points apply. Every room is the same: an XL king bed, a rain shower and a tablet that runs the blinds, lights and TV.

A citizenM Tower of London room with the bed filling the width of the room under a wide window lit blue by the mood lighting, a drawer under the bed, a white desk with a red Eames chair and a TV on a shelf

The white washbasin unit standing in the bedroom at citizenM Tower of London, with a lamp and shelves, and the frosted shower pod reflected in the mirror

Rooms are for two adults, so families need two. cloudM, the ninth-floor rooftop bar, looks over the Tower of London, and canteenM serves food and drink 24 hours a day.

DoubleTree by Hilton London – Tower of London — Savage Garden on the twelfth floor

£££ · 7 Pepys Street, EC3N 4AF · Tower Hill and Fenchurch Street a few minutes · check pricesad

Savage Garden, the twelfth-floor rooftop bar, faces the Tower and Tower Bridge and runs a weekend brunch; it takes bookings from the public, not only guests.

A king room at DoubleTree Tower of London with a scalloped beige headboard, brass wall lights, a red sofa by the window, a grey and red floral rug and herringbone floors

An accessible shower at DoubleTree Tower of London in white tiles, with a fold-down seat, grab rails, a handheld shower, a red alarm cord and Crabtree & Evelyn dispensers

Connecting rooms are available, and dogs are allowed in bedrooms but not in the café, the rooftop bar or the executive lounge.

Cheval Three Quays — apartments looking at the Tower

££££ · 159 apartments · 40 Lower Thames Street, EC3R 6AG · Tower Hill 350m · check pricesad

Serviced apartments on the river 75 metres from the Tower of London, from studios to two-bedroom apartments and penthouses, all with fully equipped kitchens. The view is sold by grade: Urban View, River View and Tower View, so book the name you want.

An apartment bedroom at Cheval Three Quays with a double bed against a padded cream leather headboard wall, orange silk cushions, a gold throw and oak floors

A bathroom at Cheval Three Quays with a walk-in rain shower behind glass, cream wave-textured tiles, a wall-hung toilet and a basin on a white vanity

Stays run from one night, although the Deluxe Two Bedroom River View Suite has a three-month minimum.

Hotels in Aldgate and Spitalfields

Leman Locke — studios a minute from Aldgate East

££ · 171 studios and suites · 15 Leman Street, E1 8EN · Aldgate East 1 min, Liverpool Street 10 min · Hotels.comad

Studios with kitchens above Frequency, the ground-floor coffee shop and bar. Micro Studios are 19 square metres, Locke Studios 30, and One Bedroom Suites 39, including a twin and an accessible version. Sky Studios and Sky Level Suites are on the upper floors with the views.

A studio at Leman Locke with a pink sofa and oval coffee table against pale blue walls, and a double bed in an alcove beside an open plywood wardrobe with a hanging robe

A bathroom at Leman Locke with grey bevelled tiles, a walk-in shower behind a glass screen, a wall-hung toilet and a bowl basin on a marble-topped black stand

Micro Studios have a hob, fridge and dishwasher; the 30-square-metre Locke Studios add a washer-dryer. Interconnecting apartments are available, cleaning is weekly, and there is a gym, a yoga studio and parking. Brick Lane and the Whitechapel Gallery are a few minutes east.

Buckle Street Studios by Locke — the smaller, cheaper Locke next door

££ · 103 rooms · 21 Buckle Street, E1 8DB · Aldgate East a few minutes · check pricesad

Locke’s second building in Aldgate, a minute from Leman Locke, whose gym and café its guests use. Hotel Rooms are 16 square metres with no kitchen; Cosy Studios are 18 with a kitchenette, and both come in interconnecting pairs. The laundry is shared. The Two Bedroom Suite, 47 square metres, sleeps four with a full kitchen and a washer-dryer, and cots and highchairs are available.

A room at Buckle Street Studios with a white bed and a velvet daybed sharing one long pale headboard, black wall lights, a round mirror and a breakfast tray with pineapple and a cafetière

An accessible bathroom at Buckle Street Studios in charcoal grey, with black grab rails, a fold-down shower seat behind glass, two white basins and a wall-hung toilet

Batty Langley’s on Folgate Street, the candlelit Georgian townhouse seven minutes from Liverpool Street, is the other hotel in Spitalfields. It is covered in our Shoreditch guide, with the hotels north of Commercial Street. Our Shoreditch and Spitalfields walk ends at Petticoat Lane, a few minutes from both Locke buildings.

Hotels at the Barbican and Smithfield

Montcalm Brewery — Whitbread’s brewery, by the Barbican

235 rooms · 52 Chiswell Street, EC1Y 4SA · Barbican Centre a few minutes · Hotels.comad

Whitbread’s eighteenth-century brewery, now a hotel with Georgian sash windows onto Chiswell Street. The Jugged Hare, the restored pub in the building, serves a daily changing menu, and the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms serve modern British food and afternoon tea. The room pictured below is the Montcalm Residence, a 40-square-metre grade with Club Lounge access.

The Montcalm Residence at Montcalm Brewery: a carved four-poster bed with a draped canopy, a brown leather Chesterfield sofa, mahogany chests of drawers and two sash windows with cream curtains

A bathroom at Montcalm Brewery in slate-grey and pale grey tiles, with a shower over the bath behind a glass screen, a wall-hung toilet and a bowl basin on a black counter

Rooms start at 15 square metres for a single and run to 45-square-metre suites, including family suites. The Barbican Centre is a few minutes’ walk; our Barbican guide covers the programme.

The Fox and Anchor — six rooms above a Smithfield pub

6 rooms · 115 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6AA · Farringdon 4 min · Check-out 1pm · Hotels.comad

A Young’s pub on the edge of Smithfield Market with six bedrooms on the first floor, dressed in damask and velvet. Each has an ensuite shower, an honesty bar and a Nespresso machine. Several also have a freestanding roll-top bath, and the feature room adds a private terrace and a copper roll-top.

A bedroom at The Fox and Anchor with a red roll-top bath bearing the pub's crest beside the bed, dark green panelling, leaded diamond-pane windows, a cast-iron fireplace and a mustard velvet armchair

A bathroom at The Fox and Anchor with a black roll-top bath bearing the pub's crest, a hammered copper basin on a wooden stand, black panelling, mint walls and two bold framed prints

The pub opens at 7am for its City Boy Breakfast, the kitchen is known for steaks, and check-out is 1pm. Farringdon’s Elizabeth line is four minutes away.

Getting in and out

Liverpool Street has the Elizabeth, Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, the Overground, and the Stansted Express. Its Elizabeth line platforms connect underground to Moorgate, which adds the Northern line.

Farringdon has the Elizabeth line and Thameslink, which runs direct to Gatwick and Luton airports and to St Pancras for the Eurostar. City Thameslink and Blackfriars are on the same line.

Bank and Monument are one interchange: Central, Northern, Waterloo & City, District, Circle and the DLR to London City Airport and Canary Wharf. Tower Hill is District and Circle, with Tower Gateway on the DLR next door. St Paul’s is Central; Barbican is Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan, the direct line to King’s Cross St Pancras.

Heathrow: the Elizabeth line runs direct to Farringdon and Liverpool Street; our Heathrow guide compares the routes.

Across the river: the Millennium Bridge leads to Tate Modern and Bankside, and London Bridge to Borough Market; our South Bank guide and Bermondsey guide cover the hotels on that side. For how the City compares with the rest of London, see the best areas to stay in London.

Typical nightly rates for a double, or each operator’s own published from-rate where it gives one, checked 24 September 2026. The £ symbols mark a price band where a hotel publishes no rate. Walking times come from the hotels where they give them. Prices move nightly, so check your own dates.

Common questions

Is the City of London a good area to stay in?

Yes, for transport and for weekend prices. Liverpool Street and Farringdon are on the Elizabeth line with direct trains to Heathrow, Bank has five lines plus the DLR, and St Paul's and the Tower of London are both inside the Square Mile. The catch is the evening: the City is an office district, so many of its pubs and restaurants keep weekday hours. For nightlife, Shoreditch is ten minutes' walk north of Liverpool Street.

Are City of London hotels cheaper at weekends?

Often, because they are priced for business travellers from Monday to Thursday. South Place Hotel's own offer took up to 20% off Friday and Saturday nights in September and October 2026, with breakfast. Price a Friday and Saturday against a Tuesday before you book, and check the City against the West End for the same weekend.

Is the City of London dead at weekends?

The office streets are, and some places close outright: the Bank of England Museum shuts at weekends and the Jamaica Wine House, a pub off Cornhill since 1652, opens Monday to Friday only. Tower Hill stays busy with visitors, Old Spitalfields Market trades daily, and Leadenhall Market's pubs and restaurants now open through the weekend, with free pop-up markets from 12 to 5pm on set Saturdays and Sundays.

What is the cheapest place to stay in the City of London?

The Z Hotel City at 24 Fleet Street publishes rooms from £60 for a single and £75 for a Z Double with a window; its £65 Z Inside Queen has no window. YHA London St Paul's, in the former St Paul's choir school on Carter Lane, sells hostel dorm beds and private rooms a minute from the cathedral.

How do I get from Heathrow to the City of London?

Take the Elizabeth line, which runs direct from Heathrow to Farringdon and Liverpool Street with no change. Farringdon suits hotels around Smithfield, the Barbican and St Paul's; Liverpool Street suits Moorgate, Bishopsgate, Aldgate and Spitalfields. For Tower Hill, change at Liverpool Street to the Circle line.