Yes, many things are open late in London, which is known for its vibrant nightlife, late-night shopping, and evening cultural activities. Major shopping centers like Westfield (Stratford and White City) are open until 9 pm, while Oxford Street stores often stay open late on Thursdays. Museums like the British Museum (Fridays) and Tate Modern (Fridays) offer late-night openings, and areas like Soho and Shoreditch are bustling with nightlife.
Most of the larger retail shops and department stores on Oxford Street extend their hours to accommodate shoppers until about 9pm from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, because of UK trading laws, shopping hours are shorter, and most shops close by 6pm.
Travelling alone can sometimes be a little risky, and this is certainly true for those who travel at night. Don't walk alone unless you absolutely have to. If you do have to, then stick to main roads which are well lit. Avoid shortcuts and detours, even if you think they might save you some time.
Many places will stay open an hour or two later, sometimes until 3 AM or 4 AM for the weekend crowd. In London, for example, many central bars stay open past 1 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, with some pushing to 5 AM.
Open until 3am on weekends, it manages to feel both glamorous and intimate, with a sense of theatre that makes the late hour part of the magic. Polo 24 Hour Bar – 76–82 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3JL. A Shoreditch institution open all night. Parasol – 2–4 Old Street, EC1V 9AA.
8 HUGE packing mistakes to avoid when visiting London
What is open 24 hours in London?
London isn't a fully 24/7 city, but you can find 24-hour food at spots like VQ (Chelsea, Aldgate) and Duck & Waffle (City), plus late-night bagels at Brick Lane Beigel Bake, coffee at Bar Italia, and casino entertainment at places like The Hippodrome, with transport running late (but not all night) and some attractions accessible 24/7 (parks, iconic landmarks).
£1000 is a decent amount of spending money for a week in London if your accom is already paid for. Of course, it depends on what you like to do — if you love culture and the arts, you can immerse yourself in galleries and museums for the week without paying a penny.
To avoid bigger crowds, it's best to avoid the February half-term, Easter holiday and October half-term. The dates of these breaks change annually and this is when children across the country will be on a short break from school.
London is a city of night owls, and rightfully so. The city streets, the crowds and its bridges illuminated in the evening are things you have to see to believe, especially in the summer months.
Last call in the UK varies, but traditionally it's around 11 PM, with "last orders" called 20 minutes prior, though many pubs and bars now have licenses to stay open much later (midnight, 2 AM, or even later, especially in city centers or on weekends) thanks to relaxed licensing laws since 2005, though many traditional pubs still stick to the 11 PM close.
Plan your route and think about what to take with you, especially if you're going somewhere you haven't been before. Keep to busy, well-lit streets, walkways and paths which are more likely to be covered by CCTV. Only take licensed taxis or minicabs booked by phone or a mobile phone app.
No, an Oyster card is generally not cheaper than tapping with contactless (bank card or phone), as they both use the same "pay as you go" (PAYG) system and have identical fare caps and discounts, making them the same price for most journeys. Contactless is often more convenient as it avoids the £5 Oyster card cost and the hassle of topping up, but Oyster can prevent foreign transaction fees if using a foreign bank card.
Oxford Street shops generally close around 8 PM to 10 PM on weekdays and Saturdays, with later closures common for major stores like Selfridges, while Sundays see shorter hours, typically 12 PM to 6 PM, due to Sunday trading laws. Closing times vary slightly by store, so it's best to check specific retailers, but expect late nights on weekdays and earlier finishes on Sundays.
There was a call back from decades ago when nearly everything would shut down at night, that one day should have late hours for operating. Friday/weekends were unsuitable, Thursday was chosen and everything's synched up to that day for it.
But if you've only got a few days, it helps to have a bit of direction. 4 days is a great amount of time to spend in London. It gives you space to see some of the big sights while also exploring smaller pockets of the city that are full of charm and character.
London has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, and nightlife is often where visitors feel it the most. A single club entry, a few drinks, and the cost of getting home late at night can easily push a simple evening past £7.
London's housing crisis is an important national economic issue, but the electoral salience of other parts of the UK, including the so-called 'red wall' in the North of England, incentivises parties to prioritise the needs of voters outside of the capital. Londoners have different concerns to voters elsewhere.
Figure 6: Net outflow of population from London increased during 2020-21. 30–45-year-olds were the age group that left in the most abnormally large numbers. There was a net loss of 93,600 people in this age group, almost double a normal year.
Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and Croydon top the danger list. East and South London face more crime, and tourist hubs like Westminster add risk too. Stay sharp and use safety tips to stay secure.
“There are clear and distinctive categories – 50% for needs, 30% for wants and 20% to put aside as savings.” If £1,500 comes into your account each month, this means £750 would go towards your 'needs' – rent, council tax, energy bill, food and transport to and from work.
February is the cheapest month to fly to London. This coincides with the low season when fewer people travel. Whichever month you travel in, though, be sure to book at least a month in advance if you want to score cheap tickets to London.
