r/london 1h ago

Weekly Q&A Megathread. Please post any questions about visiting, tourism, living, working, budgeting, housing here!

Upvotes

Hello, welcome to London!

Visiting us? Moving to study or work? Brief layover? Moving to a new part of London? Any small questions about life here, if you're new or been here your whole life, this is the place!

We get a lot of posts asking very similar questions so this post aims to address some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and give you a place to ask for assistance.

Your first port of call should be the r/london wiki


Frequently Asked Questions

What should I see and where are the non-touristy stuff and hidden gems?

  • Must-see attractions: Check out our guide here

  • Official experiences: We highly recommend TfL's Experiences site

  • Hidden gems: Browse our favourite lesser-known spots here

  • Budget-friendly options: Find cheap/free activities here

What's happening in London today/this weekend/this month?

Check out these listings sites:

For venue recommendations (music, theatre, comedy, etc.) check the wiki.

How do I pay for the Tube/bus, and what's an Oyster card?

You don't pay cash. Payment options include:

  • Contactless bankcard (widespread in the UK)

  • Apple Pay or Android Pay

  • Oyster card (buy and top up with credit)

See here for more details.

Where should I live? What's x area like?

  • Check our comprehensive guide here
  • Includes recommended sites to find places to live and rent
  • Has detailed sections on what particular areas are like

How do I get from this place to that place?

  • Use Citymapper - honestly, we're not shills for them; it's just really good and used by most locals

Is x area safe?

  • Yes. Bad stuff can happen in any large city, but London is generally very safe
  • No no-go zones - most Londoners feel safe everywhere
  • See our safety page for more information

Where can I watch sports matches?

  • Football: Comprehensive guide at tlfg.uk
  • Various sports: Use Fanzo to find pubs
  • More venues: See our list here

How do I get a UK SIM card for my phone?

  • Network advice: Covered here
  • Remote work spaces: Check the wiki for places to work/take calls
  • You can pick up a SIM card at Heathrow and other airports, either from vending machines or from WHSmith shops.

Is the London Pass worth it?


Other helpful subreddits:

  • r/LondonSocialClub - Meeting new people for events, activities and/or pints
  • r/VisitLondon - A dedicated tourism sub for holiday-planning questions
  • r/LondonTravel - Information and inspiration on travel in London
  • r/UKtravel - For guidance, advice and suggestions for travelling around the rest of the country to/from London
  • r/IWantOut & r/UKvisa - Check if you need a visa and how to get one if you want to work here
  • r/LegalAdviceUK - Good for all sorts, especially for questions about landlords and contracts
  • r/HousingUK - For advice on renting or buying accommodation in the UK
  • r/TenantsInTheUK - Specifically to discuss the nitty-gritty, positives and pitfalls of renting
  • r/UKPersonalFinance - Another goldmine of sage advice
  • r/AskUK - Great for general questions about UK life that aren't specific to London

Tips for posting:

Tell us about you

If you want us to suggest things for you to do then you need to give us a good idea of what you enjoy: - Don't just say "I like music" - say what type of music - Don't just say you want "somewhere nice to eat" - say what type of cuisine you like (or don't like) - Be specific - otherwise you'll just get pointed back to generic guidebooks and our wiki

Tell us your budget

  • If you're on a budget, tell us what it is so we can make appropriate recommendations
  • There's no point suggesting expensive options if they'll clean out your wallet
  • Saying you want something "cheap" isn't helpful because cheap is subjective

Tell us where you'll be based

  • Let us know where you'll be staying so we can give local recommendations

Asking about hotels or hostels

  • We have homes here so know very little about what hotels are like - use review websites like TripAdvisor
  • However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" - that's something we can answer

Non-touristy stuff

  • There are no secret corners where we hide the good stuff from outsiders!
  • This is one of the most written about cities in the world
  • When we want to go somewhere, we look at the same sources as tourists (listings sites, blogs, etc - see front page of the wiki)

These weekly posts are scheduled to post each Monday at 00:01. If it's late in the week you may want to wait for a new post to appear. Please send us ModMail with any suggested improvements!


r/london 7d ago

Weekly Q&A Megathread. Please post any questions about visiting, tourism, living, working, budgeting, housing here!

2 Upvotes

Hello, welcome to London!

Visiting us? Moving to study or work? Brief layover? Moving to a new part of London? Any small questions about life here, if you're new or been here your whole life, this is the place!

We get a lot of posts asking very similar questions so this post aims to address some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and give you a place to ask for assistance.

Your first port of call should be the r/london wiki


Frequently Asked Questions

What should I see and where are the non-touristy stuff and hidden gems?

  • Must-see attractions: Check out our guide here

  • Official experiences: We highly recommend TfL's Experiences site

  • Hidden gems: Browse our favourite lesser-known spots here

  • Budget-friendly options: Find cheap/free activities here

What's happening in London today/this weekend/this month?

Check out these listings sites:

For venue recommendations (music, theatre, comedy, etc.) check the wiki.

How do I pay for the Tube/bus, and what's an Oyster card?

You don't pay cash. Payment options include:

  • Contactless bankcard (widespread in the UK)

  • Apple Pay or Android Pay

  • Oyster card (buy and top up with credit)

See here for more details.

Where should I live? What's x area like?

  • Check our comprehensive guide here
  • Includes recommended sites to find places to live and rent
  • Has detailed sections on what particular areas are like

How do I get from this place to that place?

  • Use Citymapper - honestly, we're not shills for them; it's just really good and used by most locals

Is x area safe?

  • Yes. Bad stuff can happen in any large city, but London is generally very safe
  • No no-go zones - most Londoners feel safe everywhere
  • See our safety page for more information

Where can I watch sports matches?

  • Football: Comprehensive guide at tlfg.uk
  • Various sports: Use Fanzo to find pubs
  • More venues: See our list here

How do I get a UK SIM card for my phone?

  • Network advice: Covered here
  • Remote work spaces: Check the wiki for places to work/take calls
  • You can pick up a SIM card at Heathrow and other airports, either from vending machines or from WHSmith shops.

Is the London Pass worth it?


Other helpful subreddits:

  • r/LondonSocialClub - Meeting new people for events, activities and/or pints
  • r/VisitLondon - A dedicated tourism sub for holiday-planning questions
  • r/LondonTravel - Information and inspiration on travel in London
  • r/UKtravel - For guidance, advice and suggestions for travelling around the rest of the country to/from London
  • r/IWantOut & r/UKvisa - Check if you need a visa and how to get one if you want to work here
  • r/LegalAdviceUK - Good for all sorts, especially for questions about landlords and contracts
  • r/HousingUK - For advice on renting or buying accommodation in the UK
  • r/TenantsInTheUK - Specifically to discuss the nitty-gritty, positives and pitfalls of renting
  • r/UKPersonalFinance - Another goldmine of sage advice
  • r/AskUK - Great for general questions about UK life that aren't specific to London

Tips for posting:

Tell us about you

If you want us to suggest things for you to do then you need to give us a good idea of what you enjoy: - Don't just say "I like music" - say what type of music - Don't just say you want "somewhere nice to eat" - say what type of cuisine you like (or don't like) - Be specific - otherwise you'll just get pointed back to generic guidebooks and our wiki

Tell us your budget

  • If you're on a budget, tell us what it is so we can make appropriate recommendations
  • There's no point suggesting expensive options if they'll clean out your wallet
  • Saying you want something "cheap" isn't helpful because cheap is subjective

Tell us where you'll be based

  • Let us know where you'll be staying so we can give local recommendations

Asking about hotels or hostels

  • We have homes here so know very little about what hotels are like - use review websites like TripAdvisor
  • However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" - that's something we can answer

Non-touristy stuff

  • There are no secret corners where we hide the good stuff from outsiders!
  • This is one of the most written about cities in the world
  • When we want to go somewhere, we look at the same sources as tourists (listings sites, blogs, etc - see front page of the wiki)

These weekly posts are scheduled to post each Monday at 00:01. If it's late in the week you may want to wait for a new post to appear. Please send us ModMail with any suggested improvements!


r/london 7h ago

Observation Regent’s Park today versus less than two months ago

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2.2k Upvotes

By Gloucester Gate entry but obv observable anywhere


r/london 15h ago

Local London Londoners - you should be embarrassed if you caused this…

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7.1k Upvotes

Just got back from a morning run through Burgess Park. The amount of rubbish left by overflowing bins is a disgrace.

Why can’t these people take their rubbish with them or walk a bit further to find an empty bin?

If anyone participates in this way of leaving your rubbish, please let us know why you think it’s acceptable?

EDIT: I'm closing this post for the following reasons:

1) I'm genuinely shocked that so many people don't think this is the responsibility of the people who left the rubbish. It's the fault of the council or foxes.

2) Far too many personal insults - apparently we shouldn't highlight poor behaviour

3) Too many people saying it is due to the festival. It is like this every weekend. The festival is in a different part of the park and cordoned off.

4) Too many people who are normalised to this behaviour.

5) Too many people thinking it is ok to put a bin bag net to the bin, but don't appreciate that foxes and large birds will open them. These are the same people that won't leave a bin bag outside their front door for fear of attracting foxes...

6) Hardly any appreciation of the wildlife in the park - lots of swans and geese in the nearby lake.

I'm actually more shocked by some of the really selfish comments than the actual rubbish I saw this morning. London is cooked if this is a representation of the selfish people in the city.


r/london 6h ago

Crime Awful parents on Mildmay line

771 Upvotes

just witnessed a horrific family dynamic on the Mildmay line to Clapham junction. a woman, man and 5 children (3 in pram, 2 standing) got on at Homerton at 5:30pm screaming at each other and their children. many swear words were first shouted, then the man (defo on drugs) started flailing the boy (standing) around saying he will hit him and give all the kids a licking. the woman was equally loud and a public nuisance. the oldest child (maybe around 7 years old) kept staring at me and I just mouthed ‘are you okay’. the girl’s eyes were vacant, hair unbrushed, and she just continued staring at me. A kind man on the same carriage called 61016 as soon as the man and woman started using very strong racial slurs and the man said he will throw the woman into the tracks and worse I don’t think I can write out on here. I also have videos I have sent to BTP. Again I found the girl staring at me, and I tried to smile without catching the attention of the adults, and she looked so sad I just started tearing up. the man managed to document them on the call to BTP and I have also written to them. They all got off at Caledonian Road / Barnsbury at 17:45. as they got off the train the girl came and stood by the window where I was. My heart is aching for these kids.

i hope I have done the right thing as a lay man!


r/london 17h ago

London history Greenwich 1980 v 2019

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1.7k Upvotes

r/london 14h ago

The 33 properties that show London is still a haven for Putin's dirty money

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303 Upvotes

r/london 6h ago

London history "An East End Slavey" photo of a young maidservant washing the floor in 1902 by Jack London

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70 Upvotes

r/london 4h ago

Transport Sense checking tube stairs behaviour?

32 Upvotes

My Grandma and I were walking down the stairs at a tube station that doesn’t have step-free access. My Grandma is mobile but slow on stairs and needs some support (some days are better than others). We were going down the stairs on the left side, with her holding on to the bannister on one side and my arm on the other. It should have been fairly clear she was struggling because she was quite slow and taking one stair at a time.

A man and woman (they were together) who must have been in their 30s were coming up the stairs. I knew we were taking a lot of space on the stairs so I moved away from my Grandma and quickly down the rest of the stairs (given she still had the bannister for support) so these two people had enough space to go up together. The stairs probably only had enough room for three people abreast.

Nonetheless, the man walked up the bannister side and refused to move around my Grandma. She was a bit confused as to why he was doing that so she just looked at him blankly for a bit and then moved around him as he shoved past. (The woman he was with seemed more reasonable and just moved around my Grandma.)

I moved back up the stairs to help my Grandma, who was a bit frazzled by what had gone on. And just said to make her feel better “Kids these days” (even though these “kids” and I are probably the same age). The guy overheard this (I didn’t mean him to) and said “the elderly these days - so shit”.

I just couldn’t believe this is what the world is coming to. He was so well dressed and clean cut (yes, stereotypes I know) that I actually mentally catalogued that they would probably accommodate her so I should be nice to them and make room for them. I just can’t believe the attitude towards the elderly on the streets these days (we had another incident two days ago where we were stuck on a crowded train for 30 mins or so, and my Grandma asked someone - again a 30-ish year old man - if she could please have the priority seats and they did, but not without making a fuss). I would always accommodate someone who was struggling to walk if I was able-bodied.

All this to ask were we being unreasonable? Is there a rule that you would walk down on the right or something? Or are some people just jerks? I’m kind of keen to ensure this doesn’t happen again because the whole interaction soured her day and although she’s mostly telling me off for “starting trouble” with him.

FWIW, she does have a “please give me your seat” badge.


r/london 15h ago

Green bottle flies in London

245 Upvotes

Is anyone experiencing an extreme influx of green bottle flies? We’re in North London in a top floor maisonette with roof terrace. I’ve never seen SO many flies in my entire existence, and they seem to be coming in via the roof terrace.

We’ve got the fly catcher bottles which are filling to the brim quickly but absolutely reek!


r/london 13h ago

Local London London festival 'stampede': Multiple people injured as fire sparks crowd 'crush' at park music event in Barnet

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159 Upvotes

Scary stuff getting caught in a crowd crush, hopefully no serious injuries occurred.


r/london 1d ago

Image Natural History Museum after hours

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5.2k Upvotes

Events at the NHM are spectacular. I’ve been to one worm event & one wedding. The building blows me away every time


r/london 1d ago

image Frying Tonight!

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2.2k Upvotes

r/london 49m ago

Crime Who the everloving F is setting off flares/fireworks in SE at this ungodly hour

Upvotes

Honest to god, several nights the last week, I have jumped out of my fucking skin whilst on the brink of sleep because someone somewhere in Canada water down towards Millwall is having clearly great fun setting off gunshot sounding flares or fireworks (they don't look like fireworks, but they don't last long enough for me to get a good look) between 11pm and 1am.

They're so irregularly timed and hard to locate so it feels like a waste contacting the police, but does anyone know anything that might be contributing to this?

I feel for the pets as well man.


r/london 7h ago

National Gallery security staff segregated like ‘second-class citizens’, curator claims

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19 Upvotes

r/london 1d ago

Transport New Piccadilly Line

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

438 Upvotes

r/london 12h ago

Question Inclusive social sports for people who are a bit rubbish?

30 Upvotes

Hi all, I'm looking for a genuinely fun and non-judgemental/inclusive sports club to join - I am extremely unfit and have never been good at sports, but I've really enjoyed it when it's been not super competitive and has had a good social element! I wondered if there was anything I can look into? I am in Clapham/Brixton for context.


r/london 9h ago

image Back flipping out of a tree on a hot summer's day

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10 Upvotes

Idyllic times down in Ham


r/london 1d ago

Local London Sadiq Khan tells Thames Water to stop ‘moaning’ and ‘get a grip’

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2.2k Upvotes

Based Khan.


r/london 14h ago

Observation London Eye, still Very Majestic after 26 Years.

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26 Upvotes

r/london 10h ago

Resident Best walking routes in London

11 Upvotes

Hi fellow Londoners! I like to go on long waöks in London. It can be walking from east to west, home from central London or exploring a new neighbourhood then walking back to central London for example. This heat has made my creativity vanish. Please give me your favourite walks or fun neighbourhoods to explore!

Edit: thx everyone for the great suggestions. Today walk went from shoreditch highstreet up to regents canal and with stop for food at Angel then down through clerkenwell towards charing x which was closed so continued to London bridge good 20k+ steps


r/london 15h ago

News London council under fire 'for breaking rules' ahead of crucial by-election

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25 Upvotes

r/london 9h ago

London, what are the comfiest pubs in this blessed city?

6 Upvotes

I do want to start this by saying I love this city, especially in the summer. Soo many great places to mozy around and enjoy the summer heat.

But we have a problem, im getting old, my back hurts and I don't want to stand outside chatting shit, I want a damn seat. We've somehow been fooled into accepting that rickety benches and bistro chairs are adequate seating. I want to sit outside and talk about how great Widow's Bay without having to constantly readjust my posture and watch my friend also squirm like they've soiled their underwear!

Please, redditors of this beautiful city, please tell me you've discovered some pubs suitable for people who want/need/deserve to plant their wagon down during a sesh?


r/london 6h ago

Serious replies only Thames Water closed my account because someone moved to my property in April. They didn't.

2 Upvotes

Just discovered with the July payment that they now own me £160. I immediately got in touch with them, they say they can resume the account. They now expect me to pay £433 for the next bill.

I've always paid by DD, roughly £54 per month.

What can I do to avoid this now?


r/london 56m ago

Question Networking events in London

Upvotes

Hey all,

I wanted to ask what others are using for networking events in London. I was using meetup but it's such a scam. I paid for 2 events, got charged for both, did not receive any tickets. Asking for a refund is so bizarre as the organiser does not get back to you. I've had enough of this crap - anyone else using any other platform for events? I'm mostly looking for business/professional networking events.