As one of the most famous cities in the world, it’s no surprise that London has featured countless times on the big screen. Whether in a gritty British drama or an explosive American action movie, you can always rely on this city to out-perform any big name actor when it comes to grandeur and spectacle, so watching movies can be a great way to prepare for a stay at hotels in the Bayswater area of London or beyond.
With that in mind, here are the best movies set in London ever:
Paddington
If you’re going anywhere in London via Paddington Station, make sure you stop by the statue of the familiar little bear from Darkest Peru, whose arrival in the city was shown so wonderfully in this charming movie. It’s as much a celebration of London as anything else, particularly on the taxi montage as the Brown family take him back home and you can visit locations like the station and the Natural History Museum, where you hopefully won’t have Nicole Kidman trying to stuff you.
Notting Hill
No prizes for guessing which part of London this film is set in, as Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant fall in love in Notting Hill, ensuring that there will always be at least a few tourists wandering those streets looking for the famous houses where all the romance happened. See also Love Actually, another quintessentially British romcom set in London, starring Hugh Grant.
28 Days Later
And now for something completely different. Danny Boyle’s classic zombie chiller is set in a deserted London (meaning that the iconic Westminster Bridge scene had to be shot at 5am as it was the only time it would actually be empty. Full of shots of famous parts of the city, it’s well worth a watch as long as you keep telling yourself, it’s only a movie.
An American Werewolf In London
Another brilliant horror movie, this might now be several decades old, but the timeless nature of so much of London’s most appealing places means that very little has changed about them. Of course, there’s unlikely to be a marauding American werewolf on the loose when you visit and you hopefully won’t find naked men waking up in the animal cages at the zoo, but this is one London classic you need to watch.
The Long Good Friday
Another film that the London tourist board might not necessarily flag up as indicative of what you’d expect from a visit, but another absolute classic that is full of iconic London imagery and locations, as well as a pulsating starring performance by Bob Hoskins. If you want something a bit more up to date, try Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels.
Mary Poppins
You might not see much of London that looks like it does in this Disney favourite, and you certainly won’t meet anyone who sounds like Dick van Dyke’s chimney sweep, but you will definitely get swept up in the magic of Olde London Towne watching it. One chorus of Chim Chimeree and you’ll be looking for discount hotels near Hyde Park without a doubt to have your own magical adventure.