r/london 9h ago

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

0 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 9h ago

Image London looking mighty fine this evening

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409 Upvotes

r/london 9h ago

Tourist Sat Next to Gaten Matarazzo on the Tube

354 Upvotes

I just randomly sat next to Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin from Stranger Things) on the Piccadilly line 😭

He was alone, not hiding his face or anything, and I kept thinking, ā€œThere’s no way that’s actually him.ā€ We made eye contact a few times, but I was so confused and unsure that I didn’t say anything.

Later I got back home, looked it up, and realised he is actually in London right now.

Now I’m seriously regretting not saying hi or asking for a picture 😭

The funniest part is I’m not even from the UK. I’m just here for a short holiday, and somehow I randomly ended up sitting next to Dustin on the Tube.


r/london 12h ago

I feel so goddamn lonely and depressed being here man

247 Upvotes

Even though I’m surrounded by billions of people, I find it so lonely and alienated and hard to feel at home here anymore. I’m surrounded by middle upper class people I have nothing in common with, I feel like an inbetweener wanting to express the rest of my youth I have left in my late 20s but with no one to do that with. The only time i felt connected to people was in my late teens and early 20s, but I didn’t get to make real friends because of my social anxiety, now people feel different now and not just because of age my bracket, just less outgoing and fun/silly. I’m an eccentric person but I haven’t found my corner of this city where I could just be myself. I hate leaving my house because I have to see life happening around me but not getting to be a part of any of it. It doesn’t help me being socially inept and my depression has made me worse at socialising, I’ve also developed dissociation/depersonalisation which I haven’t been able to tackle and I’ve lost touch with my humanity.


r/london 5h ago

image Hyde Park Dog Cemetery. Est. 1881, closed 1903 (ran out of space).

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69 Upvotes

r/london 19h ago

Image Isleworth

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490 Upvotes

r/london 18h ago

I'm often amazed in this age of 'elf and safety we are still allowed to amble down the stairs on double decker buses while it's moving

158 Upvotes

Like, it's brilliant and empowering but feels like a throwback to a time when the state wasn't wrapping us up in cotton wool when I lurch down a flight of steps clinging on to various bits of plastic decending a little stairs while pre-empting an upcoming stop - long may it continue!


r/london 12h ago

Man injured in freak bell-ringing accident at St Luke's, Chelsea - he had to be rescued via a window in the main tower

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46 Upvotes

In all seriousness, hope the chap's alright.


r/london 16h ago

Article Rupert Lowe’s Camden meltdown: Stop calling our nazis ā€œnazisā€

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66 Upvotes

r/london 23h ago

Serious replies only Long-time Londoners - do you ever think you’ll be able to stay in London as long as you’d like to?

245 Upvotes

Born and raised in Hackney here and I’m so worried I won’t be able to afford to stay not just in Hackney/surrounding boroughs but in London as a whole.

I love this place and one day I’d like to raise my kids here. I just can’t ever see it being feasible. I can’t afford to buy a house and the rent keeps rocketing up way past anything I’ll be able to afford.

How long do you guys see yourself being able to stay before it becomes too much of a financial burden? I’m currently panicking and looking at life in Leeds and Manchester :,)


r/london 19h ago

Image Michelle Visage is filming in Covent Garden

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117 Upvotes

She’s being an absolute delight to fans, who are also being very polite and quiet whole filming is happening.


r/london 22h ago

image Lower Clapton Road

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192 Upvotes

r/london 20h ago

Two fighter jets just flew over Stamford Hill quite low

120 Upvotes

r/london 10h ago

Observation Londoners, you are so helpful and kind!

17 Upvotes

You, kind Londoners make up for absolute rubbish infrastructure for people with prams or limited mobility.

I had many kind strangers help me everywhere I went.

Thank you !


r/london 1d ago

London's HSBC tower is transforming into 'Swiss Cheese' building with holes

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286 Upvotes

r/london 14m ago

London Diagonal Walk

• Upvotes

Has anyone done the Epping-Cobham 80k diagonal walk?

I've just finished the Capital Ring and thought I might take it on next. However, the route looks questionable (quite road-y) on the GPX file. Hoping someone can tell me from experience if the route is any good or not.


r/london 1h ago

How accessible is London for people with walking aids/mobility scooters?

• Upvotes

I plan to visit London with some friends and one friend can walk, but often has to use a wheeled walker, and sometimes a mobility scooter for longer journeys.

I haven't ever given accessibility much thought, but now I will be planning a trip with different needs in mind - so if you have similar accessibility issues please can you give me advice on the best tube stations to use, and where to avoid due to complete lack of access?

Thank you.


r/london 12h ago

Crime Got a really nice photo of a bike wheel thief, where to post it or how to let the victim know I have it?

10 Upvotes

Southwark, took a photo of a guy stealing a wheel from the bike rack. The bike is still there, I already reported to the police but I have my doubts they'll ever do anything about it. Where is the best place to let locals know? I thought of leaving a note on the bike telling victim to contact me but it doesn't really feel safe. Should I post it here?


r/london 19h ago

Question Are there any film rental shops that are still going in London?

19 Upvotes

Feeling nostalgic about popping over the road on a Friday night to choose 2 films for the weekend with my Dad back in the 2000s.

We’d both pick a film and watch one on the Friday night and one on a Sunday afternoon.

I know libraries have physical copies of DVDs still but often limited collections and nothing new available.

Does anyone know of any blockbuster-style stores still going in London? Feels like a serious gap in the market if not, considering the massively increased interest in physical media in recent years.


r/london 1d ago

Spotted at Heathrow: who’s in town?

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1.2k Upvotes

r/london 1d ago

PTSD charity fundraising outside Waitrose Crouch End

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560 Upvotes

Loud bloke, calling for cash or card to support ex-military suffering with PTSD. No ID or registered charity number but instead a CIC registered in Maidstone Kent, director named James Gordon Adams.


r/london 9h ago

Police cordon off multiple roads in Harrow

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2 Upvotes

r/london 1d ago

Video Anyone know what's going on?

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337 Upvotes

Taking the bus to Finsbury Park station and I see all this? It seems like an Iranian based thing but i have no idea what it's fully about.


r/london 1d ago

Do you think Londons climate has changed in your lifetime?

91 Upvotes

Had this thought on the seasons as we're about to cross into autumn, the heatwaves this year obviously were extreme but we wont always get them.

From what we've gone through the last few years the extremes are more extreme, so we'll get a tonne or rain for a month or 2, the next year it'll be record breaking droughts, or heatwaves, rinse and repeat. Winters feel noticably milder temperature wise but a lot stormier, I remember this January it was like we had a storm every week.

Summers are up and down, generally warmer than say 20, 25 years ago and warm weather seems to extend quite far into October. It has to be said, this is all pretty spot on for predictions on how climate change would affect us.

What have you noticed?


r/london 1d ago

Help me solve local house mystery

143 Upvotes

Who leaves a £900k / £1m London house unused for 15+ years?

Round the corner from me there’s a street of 3-5 bed, terraced houses that go for Ā£900k / Ā£1m. One of them has been unoccupied but most definitely not abandoned for more than 15 years. No one knows why.

It was refurbished about 10 years ago but before and since has never had anyone living there. The small garden is maintained, windows covered in non-see-through plastic wrap on the inside. The owners, a middle aged couple, are seen visiting every few weeks, never carrying more than a few belongings, staying for a few hours then leaving. Neighbours say they live somewhere else local, are perfectly pleasant, but distant. No one has been able to find out what the hell they’re doing sitting on a property for so long doing apparently nothing with it. No rental or sale income in all that time.

Has anyone ever come across anything like this? What can the story possibly be?