Where to stay in London: best neighborhoods and hotels

London, Ohio is a small city of roughly 10,000 people on I-70 between Columbus and Springfield. Almost all visitor beds sit in two clusters: the highway strip on the south side and a handful of small places near the downtown square. The table below compares them on the three things that decide a booking: what you pay, how long you spend getting to things, and what you need to get around.

The south-side strip along State Route 665, just off I-70, is where the national chains are. You get free parking outside your door, a pool in some properties, and quick access to the interstate in both directions. It is the practical choice if London is a stop between Columbus and Springfield or Indianapolis. The trade-off is that you will drive to dinner and to the square; nothing here is a pleasant walk.

Downtown London centres on the courthouse square, with a grid of streets, a few cafés and shops, and the county fairgrounds a short drive away. Rooms here are limited and often in small independent properties, so availability is the constraint rather than price. If you want to park once and walk to breakfast, this is the area to try first.

Two alternatives are worth knowing. The west side of Columbus, around Hilliard and Grove City, has far more hotels and restaurants and puts you 40–50 minutes from London on I-70. Springfield, Ohio, west of London, is a similar distance in the other direction and often cheaper. Both make sense if London itself is full or if you are combining the trip with a bigger city.

For a first visit, the south-side strip is the safe default: predictable rooms, easy parking, and a straight drive to the things you came for. Choose downtown only if you find a room and value walking over convenience.

Expect US$90–150 for a standard chain double on the south side, and US$100–170 for the small downtown properties, both 2026 estimates before tax. Budget hotels in Springfield or the Columbus west side run US$80–200 depending on the property and the weekend. Add local sales and lodging tax on top; the total is usually 10–17% above the quoted rate (check the current rate).

Parking is normally free at the highway hotels and on-street or free-lot downtown. If you are comparing a downtown room at US$150 with a highway room at US$110, the highway option also saves you the drive and the parking question, which is why it wins for most one-night stays.

London sits on I-70, so the drive from Columbus is about 40 km and from Springfield about 45 km; both are straightforward outside rush hour. If you are flying in, Columbus is the nearest large airport and the usual arrival point; plan the transfer before you book a room, because a downtown London room and a highway room are equally far from the airport by car.

Weekends matter more than weekdays here. Madison County Fair week and Ohio State home football weekends in Columbus push up demand across the region, so book early or shift your dates. Weekday rates in London are usually the lowest of the week.

If you are staying more than two nights and want restaurants, museums and nightlife, base in Columbus and day-trip to London rather than the reverse. London works best as a quiet base for the fair, the local trails and the small-town square.