About the area

The 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, 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.) Further back, your parents may well remember the area which started "Swinging London" 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 shop!).

Nowadays, amongst other things, Kensington and Chelsea is the most affluent borough (local authority area) in Britain. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly then, it is apparently very popular with younger visitors because there is still much reasonably-priced accommodation available. These visitors, as well as numerous others, come to Kensington and Chelsea to explore many of the area's attractions. If you are a visitor to the area, I would highly recommend buying a guide book before your visit to read up a little on sights you think you might enjoy. There are, unfortunately, no guidebooks 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 (see the Favourite London Guides section). Another must is to buy Time Out magazine, on sale every Tuesday, which is the unrivalled listings guide to events in the capital.