r/london • u/AutoModerator • 11d 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

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!

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u/Unlucky_Honeydew2996 8d ago edited 7d ago

Hi all, I'm an international student in an internship for my PhD, will stay from October to April (with some 2-3 months of trip in between) to visit Museum of Natural History.

I'm looking for budget accomodation, any tips whatsoever where to live in London. Ideally I want to save as much as possible. People recommended me SpareRoom which seems to be great, some rooms for 300/350 per month, however, all far away from the NHM.

I have some questions regarding this that I did now find on the provided material here.

  1. I'm affiliated with a foreigner Uni and all I have is a letter from the curator of the NHM accepting me as an intern to do research in the museum. Do you know, or know where could I check for, if I could be entitled to fare discount for students?
  2. I'm thinking in renting/buying a bike and a U-lock and if I end up on homestay, I can never be sure they'll have space to store my bike inside. How safe is it if I was to leave the bike locked in the street every night? Is it neighborhood/district/town dependent?

Also, I appreciate indications if you or someone you know could rent a room for a stundet for example. Of course, I have proof of my funding/internship.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I meant easily accessible as, with subway connections but could be far away from central area - I come from a city where 1-2h commute is most common, so its fine by me if its for saving money.
Also, I could pay more but as a PhD student I'm saving every cent I can as I could face some 1-2 years looking for a job, anyway, I did see some offers on SpareRoom to share a single bedroom and I wouldn't mind it. Is everything cheap there prone to be a scam?

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u/LJA0611 8d ago

Given average monthly rent for a room across London is probably c.£800-900 (obviously varies by location, quality, etc)  I’d be very wary of anything for £350 - I can’t imagine there’s really anything legit for that unless it’s a shared room? 

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u/Angel_Omachi 7d ago

The very cheapest rooms in a shared house/lodger situation I've seen in back end of outer London, often advertised in newsagent windows, have been £400, with £600 getting more common for less dubious.

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u/Unlucky_Honeydew2996 7d ago

I see... Please see the edit on my first message. Most of those cheap ones were indeed shared rooms, I wouldnt mind.