London/Mayfair Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Mayfair is an extremely well-heeled district of west central London, as symbolised by its appearance as the most expensive property on the London Monopoly board, closely followed by one of its main throughfares, Park Lane. Part of the City of Westminster, Mayfair is roughly bordered by Park Lane and Hyde Park to the west, Oxford Street to the north, Green Park and Piccadilly to the south and Regent Street to the east. The district includes several major shopping streets, including Bond Street.
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Understand
Mayfair is named after the fortnight-long May Fair that took place there from 1686 until it was banned from that location in 1764. (Before 1686, the May Fair was held in the Haymarket; after 1764, it moved to Fair Field in Bow). The area was owned by the Grosvenor family and much of the land is still part of the Grosvenor estate, having been originally developed for residences from the late seventeenth century.
Get in
By Tube
Tube stations are to be found at all four corners of Mayfair, making the district extremely easy to access, with all sites of interest a maximum of 10-15 minutes walk from any station (anti-clockwise from the south-west corner):
- Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line)
- Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines)
- Oxford Circus (Central and Bakerloo lines)
- Marble Arch (Central line)
A couple of other Tube stations allow access into Mayfair from the north and south of the district, respectively:
- Bond Street (Central line)
- Green Park (Piccadilly line)
See
Landmarks
- the Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Tube: Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line) - a grand neoclassical arch, designed by Decimus Burton and first erected in 1826 as a grand entrance to Buckingham Palace. From 1846 onwards, the arch was topped with a massive equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington - a major road widening of Piccadilly in 1882 was the opportunity to finally remove the oversized statue to Aldershot. The present magnificent statue Peace Descending on the Quadriga of War was placed on top of the Arch in 1912, and remains today the largest bronze sculpture in the United Kingdom, spectacularly lit at night. During the 1950s, the arch served as the smallest police station in the city, when it was occupied by ten constables, two sergeants and a cat! The arch was first opened to the public for the first time in April 2001 after a £1.5 million restoration by English Heritage. (Wellington Arch is also available for corporate and private events - with dramatic views down Constitution Hill and across central London from the Arch's spacious balconies, Wellington Arch is a novel and unique place to impress your guests).
- Grosvenor Square, home to the American Embassy
Museums and Galleries
- the Royal Academy of Art [1], Piccadilly
- the Wellington Museum in Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner
Do
Cinema
- Curzon Mayfair [2], 38 Curzon Street, tel box Office 020 7495 0500 - retro 70s decor, a relaxing bar area and comfortable seating combine with a great art-house billing, easily one of the best cinemas in London
Eat
Moderate
- Mirabelle, 56 Curzon Street, tel 020 7499 4636, Tube: Green Park - sumptuous French cuisine offered up by Marco Pierre White, considered one of the best restaurants in London (if considered a little faded on the décor front). Prices not prohibitive, averaging £35 for a great meal, but watch the wine and cocktails (both expensive!), which will easily blow out the bill...
Sleep
Splurge
- the Dorchester Hotel [3], Park Lane - one of the most prestigious 5-star luxury hotels anywhere in the world - if you have to ask the rates, you probably can't afford to stay here....!
- London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch, [4] is less expensive than some of the other hotels in the area. It is located on a side street, so it is a little quieter. The rooms are reasonably sized, the beds have been upgraded. The hotel is in a district that has a lot of Middle Eastern shops and restaurants. You can see people smoking hookas in the cafes in the neighborhood. The hotel is walking distance of the major attractions such as Trafalgar Square, if you are an ambitious walker. If not, there is excellent bus service in the area. It is very close to Oxford Street for access to the major shopping district. The rooms have high speed internet, at a rate of 15 pounds per day.
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