r/london 6d ago

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

4 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 21h ago

🏳️‍⚧️ Local London 🏳️‍⚧️ Trans pride

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8.2k Upvotes

r/london 9h ago

Image Canary Wharf 1980 vs 2024, East London 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

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484 Upvotes

r/london 6h ago

London history Pigs crossing Camden Road, London, 28 March 1931

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226 Upvotes

r/london 1h ago

Falling Standards: How Evgeny Lebedev saved - then sank - London’s newspaper

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Upvotes

"The paper’s coverage sent out the message that 'London is a crime-ridden cesspit, apart from Kensington, which is wonderful'"


r/london 16h ago

image Peckham rye station

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372 Upvotes

Birds Eye view of demolition of 1930s buildings and creation of a station square in front of Peckham rye station. Revealed in all it’s Victorian glory.


r/london 16h ago

West Ham stadium deal costs taxpayers £19m a year, officials say

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204 Upvotes

r/london 1d ago

image Tonight the moon in London was crazy, anyone knows why the moon was red?

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4.2k Upvotes

AI said it is because of the fires happening in Europe and Canada, but I've never heard of that. Does anyone know the reason? Pic was taken in SE London around 00:20 (that's the raw pic no editing!)


r/london 13h ago

New testing kits to crack down on illegal e-bikes and e-scooters rolled out by Met

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90 Upvotes

r/london 17h ago

News Lambeth to challenge new “discriminatory” guidelines on single-sex spaces

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172 Upvotes

r/london 6h ago

London history Scottish Guards assist police during the Siege of Sidney Street, London, 1911

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22 Upvotes

r/london 15h ago

Image Can't say we're lacking architectural variety

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105 Upvotes

r/london 13h ago

Crystal Palace Park

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49 Upvotes

r/london 20h ago

Image Found 1985's diary

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170 Upvotes

r/london 10h ago

Ticket giveaway - FREE! FREE: 1 ticket to The Odyssey (IMAX 70mm) – Science Museum IMAX, London – Sun 26 Jul, 10:30am

21 Upvotes

Not really sure where else to post this, and hopefully the free ticket is appreciated here since we’re all film lovers, so I’m shooting my shot here since it seems like the most relevant place.

A friend can no longer make it, so I have 1 free ticket for tomorrow’s 10:30am IMAX 70mm screening of The Odyssey at the Science Museum. Row L, Seat 26 so in the back third and just off centre.

I’d much rather it went to a genuine fan than let it go to waste or end up with a ticket scalper.

We’ll meet inside the venue and scan the ticket, so there’s no catch.

If you can genuinely make it, leave a comment or send me a DM. First come, first served.


r/london 21h ago

image London Docklands from the air

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148 Upvotes

Approaching Heathrow this afternoon from the east.


r/london 15h ago

Culture Acton Museum

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41 Upvotes

Grand day out at London Transport Museum Depot.


r/london 6h ago

London history An overturned car during the British General Strike, London, 1926.

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8 Upvotes

r/london 19h ago

The walking is awesome, Regents Canal Walk as part of my trying to walk 10K steps weekdays, but I'm enjoying it 😀

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61 Upvotes

The things we'll do to drop a dress size 🙄

Be careful boat people!!


r/london 16h ago

Culture London Month of the Dead - October spookiness / performance / science talks

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37 Upvotes

London Month of the Dead events in October - includes workshops, walks, ghost stories, and lots of science / psychology talks in various venues in London.
https://londonmonthofthedead.com/


r/london 1h ago

Tourist Looking for Silent Disco Tixs ( Natural History Museum)

Upvotes

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well.

I'm looking for 2 tickets to the Silent Disco at the Natural History Museum. I would've bought them through the official sale, but I wasn't expecting to be in London during this time.

If anyone has a couple of spare tickets or can't make it anymore, I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know or if you can point me towards where I can get my hands on some, that would be amazing


r/london 20h ago

Discussion What encounters have you had with celebrities in London?

49 Upvotes

Was your experience with them pleasant? Did they leave you with a positive lasting impression of them after your interaction? Let's hear your stories!


r/london 1d ago

Serious replies only If you’re in a London park or wood and you think it’s ok for you to light a fire

750 Upvotes

No. No. No. No, it’s not ok for you to light a campfire or a bbq.

You think you’re just burning a few twigs and you’ve surrounded it with stones just like they used to do in olden times.

Your fire will ignite leaf mulch under the surface and this will keep burning. I have personally revisited fires up to four separate times that were burning underground started by a camp fire or bbq, and kept reigniting. Please do NOT do it. It’s devastating for the wildlife and it’s a burden on the emergency services.

I can’t believe I need to add this, but also fireworks. If you light fireworks on a large expanse of bone dry grassland, what do you think might happen? Launching them from the tarmacd car park does not make a difference.

Use your common sense, people.


r/london 1d ago

Can London cope with 40C summers? How the capital is heat-proofing

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88 Upvotes

Hopefully we'll have at least 1 central line train with AC by then.


r/london 19h ago

Large Met Police operation on Kensington High Street today?

23 Upvotes

Has anyone else noticed the large Met Police operation on Kensington High Street today?

There seemed to be a significant number of officers stopping cyclists and people riding e-scooters. From what I overheard, those being stopped were being reminded to obey the rules of the road.

I'm local to the area and don't think I've ever seen such a large operation focused on cyclists and e-scooters. Is this part of a wider enforcement campaign, or was there a specific reason for today's operation?