London

The obvious big-city extension of a Reading trip — 25 minutes to Paddington, and every price band from £90 hostels to £600 grand hotels.

London sits about 62 km east of Reading, but the number that matters is 25 — the minutes a fast GWR train takes from Reading Station to Paddington. That makes London a genuine day-trip or a two-night bolt-on for anyone basing themselves in Reading, and it is the single most common reason Reading visitors search beyond the town. The city has no centre in the way Reading does; you pick a district and let the Underground do the rest. Paddington and Bayswater put you on the Reading line; South Bank, Covent Garden and Bloomsbury put you among the sights; Shoreditch and King's Cross are where the newer hotels and the late kitchens are.

Base yourself by what you actually came to do. For theatre and museums, stay around Covent Garden, Bloomsbury or the South Bank and walk. For a late arrival or early train back to Reading, Paddington itself is unbeatable — you can roll out of bed and onto the Elizabeth line. For nightlife and independent food, Shoreditch and Hackney beat the West End on value and atmosphere. What is overrated: Leicester Square hotels, which charge a West End premium for a location most people pass through rather than linger in. What is underrated: the South Bank between Waterloo and Tower Bridge, walkable, riverside, and ringed by the Tate Modern, the Globe and Borough Market.

Prices swing more wildly than anywhere in this guide. Budget chains and hostels — Point A, easyHotel, Premier Inn, Travelodge, and the YHA on Thameside — run £90 to £150 a night for a small but clean room, cheapest in Zones 2-3 near a fast Tube line. Mid-range design hotels like citizenM, The Hoxton and Motel One sit £160 to £280. The grand names — The Savoy, Claridge's, The Ned, The Connaught — start around £500 and climb past £1,000 in peak weeks. Sunday to Thursday is materially cheaper than a Friday or Saturday, and the December run-up to Christmas plus the Wimbledon fortnight in early July are the worst weeks to leave it late.

London suits almost every kind of traveller, which is exactly why you have to be deliberate about it. First-timers should not try to 'do' the city in a day from Reading — pick two or three sights in one walkable district and accept you will miss the rest. Families do best around South Kensington, where the Natural History, Science and V&A museums are free and clustered within a five-minute walk of each other. Couples and returning visitors get more from Marylebone, Borough and Shoreditch than from the tourist core. Anyone chasing a bargain should book a Zone 2 hotel on the Elizabeth or Victoria line and treat the 20-minute Tube ride as the price of saving £80 a night over a West End address.

Where to stay in London

Match the district to the trip. For the shortest hop back to Reading, book beside Paddington — the Hilton London Paddington above the station (£150-£260) or a Point A or Premier Inn nearby (£95-£150) put the Elizabeth line and fast GWR services under your feet. For sightseeing on foot, the South Bank and Bloomsbury are the sensible middle: Premier Inn London County Hall (£120-£200, Thames views over Westminster), citizenM Tower of London or Bankside (£160-£240), and The Hoxton Holborn or Southwark (£180-£300) all sit within walking distance of the major sights. For a special-occasion stay, The Ned in the City, The Savoy on the Strand and Claridge's in Mayfair are the landmark bookings, £450-£1,000-plus a night. Skip anything advertising 'central London' that turns out to be in Zone 3 with a 40-minute commute — check the nearest Tube station and its line before you book, and favour the Elizabeth, Victoria and Jubilee lines for speed. Book two to three months ahead for summer and December; midweek in January and February is when the same rooms drop 30-40%.