Where to stay in Britain: areas, types and booking tips

Georgian stone front of No. 1 Royal Crescent in Bath — Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Choose a destination

Each page below compares the areas of one destination for first-timers, families, nightlife, quiet, walkers (on foot in town), car-free, theater-goers and budget travelers, using counts and text from our own guides, and lists the places to stay we hold with links to their official sites.

Types of accommodation

VisitBritain describes the main kinds of place to stay.¹ In our guides we group them like this, with the number we hold across all destinations:

Hotels (1075 in our guides): from country estates to city high-rises.¹
B&Bs and guest houses (314): a room for the night and breakfast the next morning, from basic to boutique.¹ Wikivoyage notes that many are privately run and offer a cooked breakfast.²
Inns and pubs with rooms (121): you stay where you eat and drink; coaching inns are historic buildings that once served long-distance travellers.¹
Hostels and bunkhouses (87): usually shared dormitory rooms of four to ten beds, sometimes private rooms, with shared bathrooms and kitchens.¹ Many are run by the YHA and are not only for young people.²
Apartments and holiday lets (86): self-catering cottages, cabins or flats where you control your own schedule and cooking.¹
Campsites and caravan parks. They range from basic pitches to glamping; motorhomes can use campsites, and static caravan parks are often at seaside resorts.¹ Our guides hold few campsites, so use the official tourism sites for these. Wikivoyage says wild camping on private land outside recognized sites is a legal right in Scotland (well away from roads and inhabited buildings), while elsewhere it may be awkward and landowners may give permission if asked.² Check the current rules for where you plan to camp.

The YHA publishes its own hostel pages: see yha.org.uk (opens in new tab). The site refused our automated check, so we state nothing from it.

More detail on each type, with examples from our guides: types of accommodation. Planning around a festival, a big sporting event or the school holidays? See high-demand dates to book early.

Launch on Derwentwater with fells behind, near Keswick — Photo: Antiquary, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Booking tips

Timing and price

VisitBritain says booking during off-peak travel seasons is likely to get you the cheapest costs, and lists November, January (except around New Year’s Eve), February and March as quieter months when prices may be lower.¹ The page does not say when prices are highest, and we have not found a fetched source that does, so we make no claim about the dearest dates. We show no prices at all: they change daily and differ by room, rate and booking site.

Cancellation

Citizens Advice says a 14-day cooling-off period applies to services arranged online, by phone or by mail order, but not to dated services such as a hotel room or short-term let; your rights then are the same as if you had booked at the seller’s premises.³ In practice, read the cancellation terms before you pay, note the last day for free changes if there is one, and keep the confirmation. This is general information, not legal advice: for a dispute, contact Citizens Advice or the local Trading Standards service.

Check-in and arriving late

We found no fetched source that sets a standard check-in time, so we give none. Our advice: check the property’s own page or confirmation for its check-in window and reception hours, tell smaller B&Bs, guest houses and hostels if you will arrive late or by a late train, and ask whether they can store luggage before check-in or after check-out.

Choosing a base

Choose the area first, then the property. Our destination pages show, for each area, the number of stays, the rail, tram or Tube stops named, and how many pubs and bars are nearby, so you can balance quiet against convenience. If you plan day trips, see getting between regions and day trips. For when to go, see when to visit.

Boats in Padstow harbour with the town rising behind — Photo: Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Access, children and pets

Accessible travel: rail, air, parking, restrooms and a table of how much access information we hold for each destination. London readers: Step-free London.
Traveling with children: child fares, car seats and family-friendly areas. Family London has more for the capital.
Traveling with pets: bringing a pet to Britain, pets on trains, dog-friendly pubs and beach restrictions. See also our dog-friendly pubs.

How the area advice works

On each destination page we count, for every area, the stays we list, the stations or stops named, the places to eat and drink, the pubs and bars, theater venues, step-free flags and family-friendly flags, and we read the area text for walking and quiet cues. We then score areas for each type of traveler with weights printed on that page and show the best fit with the figures behind it. It is an editorial rule of thumb from our own coverage, not a review of properties, and it is only as complete as our data. Britlens is independent: see our editorial policy.

Questions people ask

When is it cheapest to book a place to stay in Britain?

VisitBritain says booking in off-peak seasons is likely to get you the cheapest costs, and lists November, January (except around New Year’s Eve), February and March as quieter months when prices may be lower. It does not say when prices peak, so we do not claim that. Source checked Oct 25, 2026.

Can I cancel a hotel booking within 14 days?

Not automatically. Citizens Advice says the 14-day cooling-off period for services arranged online or by phone does not cover dated services such as a hotel room or short-term let. Your rights then follow the cancellation terms you agreed with the property, so read them before you pay.

Does Britlens take commission on bookings?

No. We carry no affiliate links and show no prices. Where we hold a property’s own website we link to it.

Are hostels only for young people?

No. Wikivoyage notes that despite the name, youth hostels are not only for young people, and many are run by the YHA. Hostels mainly offer dormitory beds, and many also have private rooms. Check each hostel’s own page.