An essential London district, Clapham brilliantly blends the modern urban demands of inner-city life. The London Underground Zone 2 suburb is ripe for exploring, with bustling street markets, independent cafes and bars and several theatres, cinemas, art galleries and live music venues right on the doorstep. And with two of London’s best open spaces – Battersea Park and Clapham Common – a short walk from our London Clapham hotel, there’s plenty of park life to enjoy covering children’s zoos, tree-top rope swings, boating lakes, art galleries, skate parks and more. Factor in a 24-hour travel network, some of the best nightlife in London, dance music festivals and a buzzing café culture, and you have one of our favourite London destinations, close to all the city’s main attractions and with plenty of its own. View our range of hotels in Clapham.
Things to do in Clapham
Shopping
Held every Saturday from 10am to 4pm, Venn Street Market brings together dozens of stalls and traders on Clapham Common selling everything from fresh fruit and veg to vegan products, fresh fish, French cheese, artisan bread and much more.
Situated next to the train station, ShopStop @ Clapham Junction means you’ll never get on the train without something to eat, drink or read ever again as the mini-shopping centre has a wide range of shops, cafés and bars.
Lastly, Southside Shopping Centre is one of the largest nearby malls. Located a mile west of Clapham, the large shopping centre is open daily until 9pm (except Sunday) and is home to over 100 stores, cafés and outlets including Waitrose, Topshop, JD Sports, Next and Nando’s. The centre is also where you’ll find Cineworld and its 14-screen cinema complex including London’s only 4DX screen.
Getting Around
Clapham has a range of strong network connections including Clapham Common Tube Station on the eastern corner of Clapham Common. The station is part of the Travelcard Zone 2 on the Northern Line between Clapham North and Clapham South.
Clapham Junction Train Station is on the other side of the park on St John’s Hill. One of the busiest junctions in Europe with around 150 trains per hour, the station has 17 platforms and regular departures to various London stations, Brighton, Gatwick, Watford, Milton Keynes and beyond.
Heathrow is the nearest major airport to Clapham. The 20-mile journey will take around 45-minutes by car or taxi depending on traffic or about 50 minutes via train and tube services from London Paddington. If you are flying via Heathrow, another option is to stay the night before you travel at one of our hotels near Heathrow Airport.
Alternatively, if you’re flying from Gatwick, public transport is the fastest and easiest way to go, with the direct train service taking just 24 minutes.
Shopping in Clapham
