The back story
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The back story
Kensington, Knightsbridge and Chelsea: the back story
Museums built on the profits of the Great Exhibition, a royal palace in the gardens, Knightsbridge’s grand stores and the King’s Road.
Neighbourhood guide · museums and grand stores
Kensington, Knightsbridge & Chelsea: Our Favourites
The museums of South Kensington, Kensington Palace, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, MICHELIN-starred dining, the King’s Road and Notting Hill’s Portobello Road.
What's onThis week in London
What to see and do
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A royal home in the gardens
Kensington Palace
The palace in Kensington Gardens where Queen Victoria was born and grew up, with State Apartments and gardens open to visitors.
Kensington Gardens, W8 4PXExplore View on map
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Art and design across 5,000 years
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
The great museum of art, design and performance on Cromwell Road, from fashion and jewellery to sculpture, ceramics and the original café rooms.
Cromwell Road, SW7 2RLExplore View on map
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Hope, the blue whale
Natural History Museum
Alfred Waterhouse’s Romanesque cathedral of nature on Cromwell Road, with the blue whale skeleton Hope in Hintze Hall.
Cromwell Road, SW7 5BDExplore View on map
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Design under a sweeping roof
Design Museum
A museum of contemporary design and architecture on Kensington High Street, in the former Commonwealth Institute with its sweeping roof.
224-238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AGExplore View on map
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Contemporary art on the King’s Road
Saatchi Gallery
A gallery of contemporary art in the Duke of York’s Headquarters on the King’s Road, showing exhibitions since 1985.
Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3 4RYExplore View on map
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Armchairs on Portobello Road
Electric Cinema, Portobello Road
A historic cinema on Portobello Road with armchairs, sofas and beds in the front rows.
191 Portobello Road, W11 2EDExplore View on map
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Peacocks and the Kyoto Garden
Holland Park
A wooded park in Kensington with the Japanese Kyoto Garden, peacocks and the summer season of Opera Holland Park.
Holland Park, W8Explore View on map
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Palace, fountains and Peter Pan
Kensington Gardens
The Royal Park west of Hyde Park, with Kensington Palace, the Italian Gardens, the Peter Pan statue and the Diana Memorial Playground.
Kensington Gardens, W2Explore View on map
Where to eat
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Two MICHELIN stars
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, reviving historic British recipes, with two stars in the MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026.
66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LAExplore View on map
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Three MICHELIN stars
Core by Clare Smyth
Clare Smyth’s Notting Hill restaurant, celebrating British produce, with three stars in the MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026.
92 Kensington Park Road, W11 2PNExplore View on map
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A Chelsea Italian
Daphne’s
A long-established Italian restaurant on Draycott Avenue in Chelsea, a neighbourhood favourite.
112 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AEExplore View on map
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A candlelit Kensington classic
Maggie Jones’s
A cosy, candlelit restaurant in an old house off Kensington Church Street, with rustic British and French cooking.
6 Old Court Place, W8 4PLExplore View on map
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Seasonal cooking since 1984
Sally Clarke
Sally Clarke’s restaurant and bakery on Kensington Church Street, cooking simple seasonal food since 1984.
124 Kensington Church Street, W8 4BHExplore View on map
Bars and nightlife
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A famous blue room
The Blue Bar at The Berkeley
The Berkeley’s cocktail bar, designed by David Collins and painted a distinctive shade of blue.
The Berkeley, Wilton Place, SW1X 7RLExplore View on map
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A tiny Belgravia pub
The Nags Head
A small, eccentric independent pub in a Belgravia mews, full of curios.
53 Kinnerton Street, SW1X 8EDExplore View on map
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A Belgravia pub with a dining room
The Thomas Cubitt
A Georgian pub on Elizabeth Street in Belgravia, named after the builder of much of the neighbourhood, with a dining room upstairs.
44 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PAExplore View on map
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A Chelsea public house
The Cadogan Arms
A much-loved pub on the King’s Road, with pub classics and a Sunday roast.
298 King’s Road, SW3 5UGExplore View on map
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A Portobello Road tiki bar
Trailer Happiness
A rum lounge and tiki-style cocktail bar on Portobello Road.
177 Portobello Road, W11 2DYExplore View on map
Shopping
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Knightsbridge landmark
Harrods
The famous terracotta department store on Brompton Road, with its Food Halls and lights that outline the building at night.
87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XLExplore View on map
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Fashion on Knightsbridge
Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge
A luxury fashion department store at the corner of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street, with a food market and restaurant on the fifth floor.
109-125 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RJExplore View on map
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Luxury and Chelsea style
Sloane Street and the King’s Road
Sloane Street’s luxury flagships between Knightsbridge and Sloane Square, and the King’s Road, famous since the 1960s, running west through Chelsea.
Sloane Street, SW1XExplore View on map
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Antiques on Saturdays
Portobello Road Market
The long street market of Notting Hill, famous for antiques on Saturdays, with food, fruit and vintage stalls.
Portobello Road, W11Explore View on map
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McLaren in Knightsbridge
McLaren London
The McLaren showroom on Knightsbridge, at the foot of One Hyde Park.
100 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LJExplore View on map
Where to stay
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Between Knightsbridge and the park
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
A grand Edwardian hotel on Knightsbridge with rooms overlooking Hyde Park, home to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LAExplore View on map
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Knightsbridge style
The Berkeley
A Maybourne hotel between Knightsbridge and Belgravia, with the Blue Bar and the fashion-themed Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea.
Wilton Place, SW1X 7RLExplore View on map
Share your Kensington, Knightsbridge & Chelsea tips
Been there? Share your experience and tips with other visitors.
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