Things Everyone Needs To Know Before Moving To London (24 pics)
- Category: Pics |
- 30 Aug, 2016 |
- Views: 5995 |
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If you're moving to London, then you need to be ready. This vital information will help you along your travels.
"Get the bus places. It may take longer, but when you first arrive it is a great way of actually learning your way around the city, rather than just knowing which tube stop to get off at. Also its cheaper and you'll almost always get a seat." —Will Martin
"The Overground is vastly superior to the Underground — it has air-conditioning and is less crowded. So if you can find a place to live where your commute is on the Overground, definitely do that." —Jim Edwards
"Insure your Oyster card by registering it on the TfL website, that way, if you lose it (and you will lose it), you at least won't lose the money on your travel card." —Chloe Pantazi
"Avoid Westminster like the plague on a weekend, especially during summer. It's chaos." —Charles Clark
"I wish I knew about sacrificing stylish shoes for comfortable ones as you do a lot of walking." —Joe Daunt
"Don't take the first flat you see. Stick to your rent budget and hold out for what you want. But when you see the flat in your budget say yes immediately. Good flats go in hours." —Jim Edwards
"Don't pay to go on the London Eye when there are other places to get a beautiful view for free. Take the lift up to Sky Garden during the day or head to the rooftop terrace on the Tate Modern's Switch House for a 360-degree view of the city — both are great places to take visitors." —Chloe Pantazi
"Take advantage of the free museums. No city in the world has as many amazing museums you can get into completely free as London." —Will Martin. Here are some of his recommendations: The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Wallace Collection, Victoria & Albert Museum, Science Museum, National History Museum, British Museum, and Tate galleries.
"Urban farms are free petting zoos all over the city. Feeding baby goats is a great way to spend a hungover morning/afternoon with your friends." —Edith Hancock
"As a man, avoid Mayfair clubs like the plague. Unless you have a hareem of women with you, prepare to be rejected by the doorman. Inside is even worse: don't be shocked to see the cheapest drinks hitting triple digits." —Will Heilpern
"A black Hackney cab is basically twice the price of Uber." —Jim Edwards
"Gym memberships in London are ridiculously expensive, unless you can get a good discount deal on a membership through work. Get ClassPass and try fun exercise classes around the city instead. If you DO go to a gym, make sure you take a lock with you — weirdly, many of them expect you to bring your own." —Chloe Pantazi
"Never spend more than an hour queueing for a trendy new restaurant. No matter how many likes your Instagram gets, it isn't worth it." —Will Martin
"Never ever go to Oxford Circus around 5/6pm unless you want to be crushed to death on the tube." —Joe Daunt
"Download Citymapper on your phone. It is absolutely invaluable when you don't know your way around, and is way better than Google Maps." —Will Martin
"Favour the airports in this order: London City, Heathrow, Gatwick. Gatwick is the least convenient for the city." —Jim Edwards
"The whole binge drinking/throwing up on the streets/passing out outside clubs thing can be very weird." —Barbara Tasch
"It is harder to find cool places and things to do in London than it looks. Everything is hidden. So Time Out is actually really valuable, and ask friends for recommendations." —Jim Edwards
"If you don't already have a contactless debit card, get one. Virtually everywhere in London accepts contactless payment and it saves some time at the counter. Plus, if you leave your Oyster card at home it doubles as a travel card." —Chloe Pantazi
"London is much more spread out than New York City. Everywhere takes at least 45 minutes to get to so plan ahead." —Dina Spector
"Depending on where you live, council tax can be horribly expensive. Before you sign a lease on a flat, make sure you factor the cost of council tax into your budget for rent." —Chloe Pantazi
"Petty crime is rampant in London. Pickpockets, bag snatchers and phone thieves are everywhere. You will need to budget for this." —Jim Edwards
"When you're getting off the tube at a busy station like King's Cross, know which carriage is nearest to your exit before getting on — or you'll end up lagging behind clueless tourists looking for the way out sign." —Chloe Pantazi
"Try not to find a flat that is more than 7 minutes away from the tube station. It would also be useful if you live near a 24-hour or Night Bus stop, as you will need them, especially if the night tube doesn’t run near you." —Sabrina Cesar
