Welcome to our site – here’s a little bit about Kensington and Chelsea!
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is home to some of the most interesting and enjoyable attractions in London. From the ever-hip King’s Road in Chelsea to the more recently popular Notting Hill; the shopping heaven that is Kensington High Street; the fantastic greenery and scenery of Kensington Gardens; to some of London’s top museums which are located in South Kensington.
Many of you may have heard about the area in recent years in connection with Princess Diana, who resided at Kensington Palace. (And indeed, you could often see Princess Diana shopping in the area, or visiting local cafes or the cinema on Kensington High Street.) Further back, your parents may well remember the area being where “Swinging London” emerged from in the mid-60s in places like King’s Road (which also saw the birth of punk in the 70s), Kensington Market and Biba Fashion House (now the location of a Marks and Spencer on Kensington High Street!).
Nowadays, amongst other things, Kensington and Chelsea is the most affluent borough (local authority area) in Britain. Whilst this means that the area is home to some of the pricest properties and features some of the most luxurious boutiques and restaurants in the country, there’s still plenty to enjoy for people on any budget! Visitors come to Kensington and Chelsea to explore many of the area’s attractions, whilst at the same time, the pretty area has some lovely streets and squares, and is generally very safe so a great part of London to stay in. There’s also plenty of restaurants for all budgets, and entertainment options (pubs, bars, clubs, cinemas and theatres) plus very good shopping opportunities (such as Kensington High Street and King’s Road) so there’s plenty to keep you occupied.
If you are a visitor to the area, take a look at our Sightseeing section for some of the top sights in Kensington & Chelsea. I would also highly recommend buying a guide book before your visit to read up on the sights you think you might enjoy. There are, unfortunately, no guidebooks just on the area of Kensington and Chelsea itself but you will definitely find detailed sections in many of the excellent guide books on London, such as those published by Lonely Planet, Time Out or Rough Guide. Another must is to buy Time Out magazine, on sale every Tuesday, which is the unrivalled listings guide to events in the capital.