Where to stay in Reading

Reading ( RED-ing) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is Berkshire's largest town, with a total population of 203,795 in its built-up area as of 2021.

There are several possible derivations of Reading's name, however, the true source is obscured. Reading holds several Royal Charters permitting Parliament to be held there during times of plague or rebellion in London. Reading grew rich through the medieval and Tudor periods thanks to a booming trade in cloth. The siege imposed by Parliament on the town during the English Civil War crippled the town's economy which never recovered. The economy of the town is historically most famous for the "three Bs" of biscuits (US English: cookies), beer and (flower) bulbs.

There are a large number of hotels and guest houses in the Reading area, but sadly prices are often akin to those in London and getting a room can sometimes be difficult. For mid or up market hotels, your best bet is to use one of the online booking services, such as those found in our article on Finding accommodation.

Getting in

Reading is well served by London's collection of airports. For travellers coming directly to Reading, here are the most convenient (in increasing travel time) ones. The times given for road travel assume no hold-ups - at busy times or in case of bad weather, road maintenance or traffic accidents you should allow considerably longer, especially if travelling to the airport to catch a flight.

Getting around

The central area of Reading is easily traversable on foot. From the main rail station, you will be able to take in the Abbey Ruins, the Forbury Gardens, both rivers, both shopping centres, most (but not all so check) hotels, pubs and restaurants without needing more than shoe leather. Buses provide a moderately good way of getting around Reading (say 3–5 miles out), with several buses an hour on most routes during weekdays, and hourly services in the evenings and on weekends. Beyond that distance, bus routes are much less frequent, with often only a handful of buses per day.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.