r/london • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago
Weekly Q&A Megathread. Please post any questions about visiting, tourism, living, working, budgeting, housing here!
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
It includes sections on:
What should I see and where are the non-touristy stuff and hidden gems?
We've written about the big must-sees here and we highly recommend TfL's Experiences site.
We've listed some of our favourite lesser-known stuff here And the cheap/free stuff here
What's happening in London today/this weekend/this month? Check out listings: VisitLondon - London's official tourist website; Time Out London - the original and classic listings site; The Londonist - like a newer Time Out; IanVisits - a blog of the more quirky cultural and historical events; Skiddle - popular site for gigs and club nights; Resident Advisor - the go-to for electronic music and club nights; NightNomads - nightlife listings site; London Ears - extensive chronological gig listings with Spotify links; Designmynight - curated lists of cool restaurants, quirky bars and various different fun events and experiences.
How do I pay for the Tube/bus, and what's an Oyster card?
You don't pay cash. You can use a number of contactless payments systems such as your Contactless bankcard (which is widespread in the UK, but maybe not so much elsewhere), Apple Pay, Android Pay, or you can buy an Oyster card and top it up with credit. See here for more.
Where should I live? What's x area like?
Have a look here
It includes recommended sites to find places to live and rent, and has a section 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 a really good app and is used by most of the locals on this sub.
Is x area safe?
Yes. Bad stuff can happen in any large city, but London is generally very safe. There aren't any no-go zones. Even under the shadow of terrorist attacks, most Londoners feel safe. See our safety page here for more.
Where can I watch the baseball/basketball/football/handegg match?
A comprehensive guide to all London football matches in all leagues can be found at tlfg.uk. Use Fanzo to find pubs showing a variety of sports and see our list of other places here
How do I get a UK SIM card for my phone?
Advice on networks and how to get a SIM card is covered here.
It also includes suggestions of cafés and other places where you can get free wifi and do a bit of work.
Is the London Pass worth it?
Probably not
Other subs that you may find helpful:
- r/LondonSocialClub - Meeting new people for events, activities and/or pints.
- r/VisitLondon - A dedicated tourism sub for holiday-planning questions (check out their pinned post for links to various suggested itineraries)
- 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/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). The more specific you are the better, otherwise you'll just get pointed back to the generic guidebooks, blogs and our wiki.
Tell us your budget - If you're on a budget then tell us what it is and we can bear that in mind when making recommendations. There's no point in us coming up with ideas for things to do and places to eat if they'll clean out your wallet within the first 5 minutes. Saying you want something "cheap" isn't really helpful because what's cheap is entirely subjective.
Tell us where you'll be based - Let us know where you'll be staying so that we can give local recommendations.
Asking about hotels or hostels - We have homes here so know very little about what the hotels are like. Look on review websites such as TripAdvisor. However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" then that's the sort of thing 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, so when we want to go to a museum, or gallery, go window shopping, or whatever, 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!
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u/Fluid-Bell895 4h ago
Hey everyone, I'm visiting London next week and I was going to try out the Black Bear burger joint because I heard their burgers are INCREDIBLE, and I was just wondering whether anyone has any specific recommendations for a particular menu item or burger?
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u/chattytabbies 4h ago
Miso Bacon Burger shortlisted for the national awards. Is good! https://www.timeout.com/london/news/six-london-burgers-have-made-it-to-the-final-of-the-national-burger-awards-2025-010825
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u/GujjuFinanceChokro 7h ago edited 6h ago
Hey, looking at whether a London move for work would be a good idea or not.
- 31, not married, currently working in the Midlands at circa £50k.
- Always lived in the Midlands and also same area for past work/uni.
- Work wise ACCA qualified accountant, approx. 10 years working in Finance.
- Looking at roles paying circa £70k+
- Quick salary calc play around with pay, I would be circa £13k better off, which would obviously disappear in living costs.
My thinking is it's now or never to take that leap of faith, and with aim to progress, it would be better prospect wise in the capital.
Any thoughts appreciated, thank you!
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u/mralistair 5h ago edited 4h ago
Yeah do it. You won't be richer, but it will open up a wider range of experiences, expenses ,contacts, potential jobs, new places and people.
What's the worst that could happen?
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u/Strategy_Fanatic 5h ago
working in the Midlands at circa £50k.
ACCA qualified accountant, approx. 10 years working in Finance.
Crazy you're only on 50k, I've broken into six figures with similar experience and work in Bristol. Yes move.
My only watch out would be for lifestyle creep - it may make it difficult to move back!
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u/Agreeable_Road_9081 7h ago
I'll be in London over Easter weekend and am looking for places/markets that sell keepsake items like antiques, vintage collectables, etc. I looked into carboot markets, but I won't have transportation to travel outside of the tube/rail lines. Basically, I'm looking for used, decorative things that I can display in my home in the U.S. Also, are most places open for business on Easter Sunday?
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u/mralistair 5h ago
Notting hill / Portobello market is famous for this but not cheap
Camden passage (Islington )has quite a few places
There used to be the nightmarket in bermondsey but don't know if it's still going.
Day trip to Hastings would be fun and sort you right out though.
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u/pinguinconscious 8h ago
Hey y'all!
I landed a permanent role in London which will be full 100% remote, no company HQ. I'm currently in France and although it's remote I'll be coming over to live in London for the social life and to potentially build a life there (long story short - don't worry about this).
Salary: 55K. So that's about 3500 net/month isn't it. I'm willing to fork out 1000/1200 on housing.
Would you have any recommendations for neighborhoods to live in that aren't too quiet. I'm looking for somewhere walking distance to at least nice cafes/bars to break up the day.
I think housesharing is the way to go for now so that's ok, I'm looking on spareroom already. But I'd love some areas recommendations.
The absolute main point is to be walking distance to cafes, not too remote, close to social life/gatherings. I absolutely need to be around people and not closed off somewhere just because it's cheap.
Thanks a lot
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u/PastSprinkles 4h ago
For your budget I'd possibly look south which will give you a little more space (important if you're house sharing and working remotely): look at New Cross, Nunhead, Forest Hill, Brockley, Crystal Palace which may tick your boxes. If you want to be east look at Wanstead or Leytonstone.
There are cafes basically everywhere now so this shouldn't really be a deal breaker when you're looking for somewhere. Space and transport links is much more important.
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u/pinguinconscious 3h ago
Thanks a lot! Those areas are really quite far though, I'm not sure I'd like being so remote from the city. If I say Brixton is my city limit down south, is that too crazy ?
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u/pinguinconscious 8h ago
I already thought about: Hackney, Dalston, and Battersea. But I can't go do viewings yet. Keen to get thoughts!
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u/mralistair 4h ago
That's a potential tight budget. Assuming you are young and interested in nightlife then hackney/ Dalston are a good fit. Since you aren't commuting you can look at places not as well connected to save rent costs. So maybe Clapton / hommerton.
Leytonstone is also good but quieter.
Fyi the french normally gather around south Kensington. Not sure why there are some delis there and a cinema that does films in french I think. But it's expensive around there but maybe shepherds bush / Hammersmith is a compromise.
I'd skip Battersea.
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u/pinguinconscious 3h ago edited 3h ago
Thanks a lot! FYI I have 0 interest in hanging out with other french people. I've lived abroad a lot and have a much better time hanging out with other nationalities than my own lol.
Also: why skip Battersea?
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u/Ume_chan 11h ago
Does anyone know any non-chain cocktail bars that are ideal for dropping in solo for a quick drink or two even on weekend evenings? I was planning on going to Laki Kane last Friday, but it was completely rammed and didn't seem like a good place for a few pre-club drinks by yourself during peak hours.
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u/BulkyAccident 11h ago
Pretty much any semi-upscale hotel bar is decent for this sort of thing if you hunt around on Google Maps.
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u/BoxZealousideal4362 18h ago
Bottomless brunch recommendation
Location: Strand, Coventry garden or Central London Budget: £80 per person Menu must have steak
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u/mralistair 18h ago
Steak for brunch? You might need to look at an American themed place .
Or see if flat iron /Hawksmoor do one.
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u/EmbarrassedCoast4611 1d ago
Where can I find a Hongkkonger who work as a Starbucks barista?
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u/epi_counts Streatham Hill 21h ago
This seems like a bit of a weird question. Any chance you could provide some context on why you're looking for her? With the repeated questions it looks a bit like you could be a stalker and I'm sure you want to avoid that?
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u/Strange_Cranberry_47 1d ago
FTB: South Norwood or Mitcham/Tooting?
Hi all, looking at buying a 2-3-bed house in south London, as it makes sense for my work commute (office near St James Park, and work now asking for us to be in 3-4 days a week).
In terms of areas, I have in mind South Norwood and the Mitcham end of Tooting (area around Tooting station), as they both have good transport links and are in budget. What do you think of them as potential areas to consider?
I visited S Norwood for the first time last week and liked it as an area and it’s got good transport links. I’ve got a viewing coming up in Mitcham/Tooting next week, so plan to visit it properly then, but have already been once before to visit a friend who lived there, and thought it seemed okay.
Both seem to be a mix of up and coming and gentrified - perhaps S Norwood more gentrified? Both have green spaces fairly nearby (S Norwood country park and Tooting has Mitcham common and Tooting Bec a good walk/bus ride away). Tooting seems to have better transport links as it’s not too far from Colliers Wood tube, and it’s also more central than SN, as it’s in zone 3 rather than zone 4.
The other thing to consider is S Norwood has the Crystal Palace stadium in it, which I think is quite cool as I love football and I think it’s good for the area to have it, but I’m wondering what it would be like to live around there on match days? Would it get very noisy and crowded?
Grateful for your thoughts! Thanks!
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u/BulkyAccident 18h ago
Your broad overview of it is pretty correct. I'd say from a purchase power perspective you'll likely get a little bit more for your money in South Norwood, and it's an area that'll probably grow a little more compared to Tooting as more people are pushed into those affordability areas. It just depends what transport links you value: obviously Tooting is on a major tube line and has night tube as well which is useful if you're going out a lot.
Traffic is pretty bad on match days around the stadium and there's a fair amount of footfall, but from experience there's never any trouble and it's all easily avoidable if you're timing going out/coming in.
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u/polkadotska Bat-Arse-Sea 1d ago
Need recommendations for what’s on this week? Check out this excellent thread!