Top 10
What is London? London is taking selfies on Westminster Bridge. It is pubs on every street. It is permanently carrying an umbrella around in your bag. It is Diagon Alley and it is St Paul’s Cathedral by night and the view from the top of The Shard. It is squeezing onto The Tube – and then complaining about other people squeezing onto The Tube. It is picnics in the parks, and actors and artists and artisan coffee. It is multicoloured houses in Notting Hill, and walking past celebrities and then tweeting about it. It is late-night comedy and early morning yoga. And it is dreamers and darers and doers all brushing up against each other in a city that’s really more like hundreds of villages that have somehow found themselves in the same place.
It’s no surprise that moving to London can be a little daunting. But it doesn't have to be. Here we present to you our fast-track ticket to the city, in the form of our top tips for making the most of your move here.
1. Find your favourite coffee shop
We’ve all heard it before – with chain stores on every corner, you have to work hard to find your favourite coffee in London, and you’ll need it to fuel those early mornings and late nights. But believe us, there are some stellar options.
Saint Espresso is just around the corner on Baker Street, and if you want to go a little further afield, the exceptional Monmouth Coffee is a few Tube stops away over in Seven Dials. By all means, do some exploring and find out what floats your boat. Or if chain stores are more your vibe, we have a Starbucks on campus!
2. Variety is the spice of life
London is one of the busiest and most phenomenal cities in the world, and it has almost everything you could ever want. Good food? In abundance. Good bars? There’s probably one within 100 metres of your current location. Shopping? Everywhere. Fancy some quiet culture? Take yourself to one of the many free (and incredible) museums on offer.
For a start, why don’t you challenge yourself to visit one new place every week? Although you’re here to study, don’t forget to take advantage of all the joys of life and London!
3. Know how to get around London well
If you’ve decided to forgo a car, The Tube and London’s iconic red buses will be your (sort of) best friends. Get acquainted with Citymapper for all your navigating dreams. Unlike public transport, it will never let you down.
Alternatively, for short journeys, why not take yourself for a stroll? It’s the best way to see all that this brilliant city has to offer, and you might be surprised to discover just how close together everything actually is (as well as linking up your internal map). Which leads nicely to our next point...
4. Take yourself outside
Find a park that’s close to you (take, for instance, the Royal Regent’s Park which Regent’s campus is based in) and go and familiarise yourself with it. Elsewhere in central London it can be easy to forget what grass looks like, and a lie down in the sunshine is good for the soul.
And if the sun gets too much? You could always take a dip in Hyde Park’s lido.
5. Get socialising
There will be times the city can feel lonely and daunting, but we're all in the same boat and nine times out of ten those people you think are too busy to make a new friend are probably just as keen to get chatting as you are. One of the most important things Regent’s has to offer is our family community. You’ll make friends here for life.
6. Make the most of London’s location
The cliché about it always raining in England is, unfortunately, rather close to the truth. And sometimes you might feel like being somewhere else, anywhere else, than directly beneath yet another shower.
Fortunately, London contains six airports, as well as Eurostar connections, and is throwing distance from the main continent. Because of that, you could find yourself somewhere wildly exotic in less than four hours. Camel riding through the Sahara, anyone? Or perhaps pici cacio e pepe in Polignano takes your fancy?
7. Find a good gym
Study can be stressful, and you’ll need a good outlet for it. Luckily, you’re in central London and there are loads of choices on offer.
8. Stand on top of Primrose Hill at sunset
Primrose Hill is located at the northern end of Regent’s Park, just across the road, and the less said about it the better.
Take our word for it – go for a quick stroll up to the top. You’ll thank us later, and, what’s more, it’s only just around the corner from Regent’s campus.
9. Learn to love the weather
If you can’t escape it, you’ll have to learn to love it. Or to prepare for any possible outcome on any given day. (We weren’t joking about always having an umbrella on you. Even if the sun’s out and the sky's a clear blue, know that it is always a ruse.)
10. Say yes to new opportunities
Do it all. Say yes all the time. London is utterly suffused with quirks and oddities and brilliant little nooks and crannies which only really exist because someone has told someone else about them.
You couldn’t possibly hope to unravel London by yourself, so if someone recommends something to you which you haven’t heard of before, jump at it. London has so much to offer, and you don’t want to miss out on a second of it.
