Earls Court, home of the huge Earls Court Exhibition Centre, is an inner city district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. South Kensington, Hammersmith and West Brompton surround this small, square shaped area. Stay here and you’ll find yourself within easy reach of amazing Kensington Palace and the Science Museum, on the boundary of tube zones 1 and 2. If you stay East of Earls Court Road, you’ll be in the Central London congestion charging zone, if you stay West of it you won’t! You’ll never be far away from Earls Court Tube Station, which is a cheap way to get around London.

It’s believed that the name Earls Court was derived from a farm situated in the area, according to Greenwood’s map of London dated 1827. Most of the Earls Court that you see today was built between 1865 and 1885, and the substantial terraced houses were filled with select families and numerous servants. It was lack of servants in the 20th century that led to the demise of these palatial residences, which soon became rundown and turned into cheap hotels or grimy bedsits.

After the 2nd world war, Earls Court (nicknamed ‘Kangaroo Valley’) became occupied by masses of Australians and New Zealanders wanting cheap accommodation on the doorstep of Central London. Earls Court even earned the title of gay capital of London during the 1970’s, a title which has since passed to Soho. As property prices in the district have rocketed since the 1990’s, rundown buildings are transforming into smart apartments, attracting moneyed professionals into the area. Today you’ll find an interesting mix of cheap hotels, multi-million-pound apartments, gay bars, traditional pubs and tourist attractions here. Earls Court is truly unique and well worth a visit by you!

If you want to stay somewhere surrounded by tourist attractions then Earls Court is definitely the place for you! You’ll find Kensington Palace, the Natural History Museum and the Royal Albert Hall a short walk away. Of course, you could stay in South Kensington to be nearer, but if affordability is the key, the hotels and restaurants in Earls Court are much cheaper. Another great thing about Earls Court is Earls Court Tube Station, which offers you easy access to London and a direct link to Heathrow Airport on the Piccadilly line. Cromwell Road is directly linked to the M4 motorway, which takes you to Heathrow too.

You might think that there’s not much to see in Earls Court, and whilst it’s true that there aren’t really any huge tourist attractions in the district, wonderful places like the Natural History Museum are minutes away on foot. You may have heard that the number of affordable hotels, hostels and B & B’s in Earls Court are rapidly declining to make way for smart apartments. However, you can rest assured that there’s still plenty available and you only have to look at our lodging guide for proof! And YES, most of Earls Court is busy, noisy and full of traffic, but this is the bustling atmosphere you’d get in any inner city district, especially one that’s home to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre!