Life in London

Welcome to London! Once you've enrolled at Westminster this amazing city is at your mercy.

London is one of the most historical, creative and diverse cities in the world. There's so much to see and do, and living in this great city will benefit your study and your social life. A load of museums, theatres, restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, parks and shopping sit in the heart of London and out in the suburbs too.

Wherever you live the attractions will be just a short walk, tube or bus ride away. Whether it’s Soho or Shoreditch, Camden or Clapham, you’ll be sure to savour everything that the world’s most iconic city has to offer.

The University website has good advice about life in London here.

Time Out London is a great website to keep you in the loop about what’s hot in the capital. Visit the Time Out London website here.

View London has a huge listing of restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs and cinemas in the capital, making it easy to plan your next night out. Visit the View London website here.

London's free attractions
Living in London doesn't mean you have to break the bank. You can take advantage of a huge range of London's parks, museums and art galleries for free.

There's a full list of London's free attractions on the Visit London website here. 

Getting around
Transport for London (TfL) runs the capital’s public transport network, including the Underground and buses. The TfL website has a journey planner – with hundreds of tube stations and bus routes covering every corner of London, it's an essential tool if you need to know how to get somewhere.

London Underground is the oldest underground train system in the world, so be aware that there are frequent line closures at weekends for maintenance.

Don’t forget to apply for your TfL Student Oyster card, which gives you a 30% discount on weekly, monthly and annual travel tickets. Apply online for your Student Oyster card here.

Visit the TfL website here.

Minicabs - stay safe
After a night out it may be tempting to jump on the first mincab you see, but without pre-booking your cab there's no record of your journey or driver, and you are putting yourself in danger. Never take an unlicensed minicab and never say yes to a driver who approaches you, especially outside pubs and clubs.

Only black taxi cabs (these have a light on the front displaying TAXI) can be hailed on the street.

Licensed minicabs must be booked in advance through a licensed cab operator by phone or in a cab office. It's also important to agree your fare with the cab operator at the time of booking to avoid being ripped off.

The Transport for London (TfL) Cabwise service is a useful tool if you want to book a minicab. Text CAB to 60835 on your mobile phone, and TfL will text you 3 local licensed cab numbers nearest to your current location. Find out more about TfL's Cabwise service here.

TfL has very useful advice about staying safe in taxis and minicabs on their website here. 

London essentials
London is a vast city and the capital can be a bit bewildering - even lifelong Londoners can be seen checking Google Maps on a night out. But by doing a bit of research and getting to know your surroundings, you'll soon make the most of what this great city has to offer.

When you enrol you’ll receive a free copy of Essential Westminster, a guide published by the University that gives you everything you need to know about University life, support services available to students and life in London. 

The guide gives good information on how to settle in to student life - including opening a bank account, registering with a doctor, transport and personal safety. 

There’s also an online version of Essential Westminster on the University website. The online version is updated with any changes to information – see the online version of Essential Westminster here.