Stay in Camden for Camden Market, the gig venues and the pubs by the Regent's Canal, or in Islington for Upper Street's restaurants, the Almeida and Sadler's Wells, and the quickest Tube to King's Cross and the City. Both are on the Northern line, 7 to 14 minutes from the West End or the City. Skip them if it's your first London trip and you want to walk to the big sights, or if you want a wide choice of big hotels: Camden has one, and most of Islington's are chains round Angel station. My short answer: the Holiday Inn by Camden Lock for families who want the market outside, the Wesley or Mason & Fifth for a quiet couple's room, the Camden Enterprise for a Roundhouse gig, and the Premier Inn or the Hilton for Angel. To compare north London with the rest of the city first, start with the where to stay in London guide.
I've grouped the hotels by where you'd wake up: Camden Town and Camden Lock first, then Chalk Farm and Primrose Hill, then Kentish Town and Camden Road, and last Islington round Angel and Upper Street. Every place has its nearest subway (the Tube) station and line, Google's walking minutes to it, to Camden Market at Camden Lock and to Angel station, its Google rating, a dated price, one real drawback and a room tip. South of Pentonville Road and Euston Road you're in King's Cross, covered in the King's Cross and St Pancras hotels guide; south of Old Street is Shoreditch.
About the prices: each is the cheapest rate for two adults on the same ordinary night, Tuesday 10 November 2026, including VAT (London has no hotel tax as of 2026), taken from the hotel's own booking site unless it says Booking.com. Many are non-refundable, so the flexible rate is given too, and other dates, weekends especially, can cost more, so check yours. Noise is the thing to plan around here: half these places sit above or beside a pub, a gig venue or a main road, and each entry says which.
