Tips from Canadians in London

The Canadians’ London

We know how tired you are from hearing the same recommendations over and over when you are asking people what to do in London. With this new round of tips, we are capturing the views of BrokeinLondoners from different countries who had to spend some time living or traveling on a budget in London. Here are the top 7 things to do in London according to the Canadian superstars Meli , Pav, Liz and Dom who have spent time in London looking for a job, traveling around or just hanging around.

#1 When in London..

Afternoon chilling/reading in a local pub: I love to watch the locals taking it easy with a pint or tea! There’s no pretention and it’s like the café culture in France, which I also love. Essentially do what British people like to do and don’t forget about happy hours.

#2 Bikes, buses and tubes

Cycling in London can be really cool. Rent a Boris bike or get out at a random tube station and explore the different neighborhoods – Canadian cities aren’t as beautiful and diverse in terms of urban planning and architecture. One more thing that I’ve been meaning to do, but haven’t had the chance is to pick a good bus line and just ride the bus from top to bottom… a good cheap way to discover the city.

#3 Who said libraries are not cool?

Hanging out at the local library: (sorry if I sounds like a broken record, I really love libraries!) a good free place for people who can’t drink more coffee to do some work/studying, catch up on email, travel plan while feeling a little social – many of them are in massive beautiful buildings. Check for example our post about Ideas Store in Tower Hamlets.

#4 Where it’s all happening

Weeknight dinner in Soho: there’s so much activity and such a huge diversity of people and cuisines, unlike anything we have back home. And you can come across few cheap places while being in the center where everything is happening.

#5 Everyone loves deers and parks

On a sunny weekend – head to Richmond station, walk around in the town, head to walk along the Thames, walk in Richmond park to try to catch deers! It feels like you’re in a different town completely! If you’ve done that already have a look at our list of London parks.

#6 Cinemas with bars

Go to the Electric cinema or one of the other independent cinemas- I had never seen a movie theatre with a bar in Canada! Here are some cheap cinemas in town.

#7 Canadian Expat Meetup

And the last tip: If you don’t know people around and want to find others then join the Canadian Expat Meetup group or another Meetup group – to have friends to watch hockey , hang around, go to live gigs and eat wings with 🙂

The city needs you:
Imagine that you are contacted by a fellow compatriot of yours who wants to move to London and needs to know what are the coolest cheap things to do in London that are still under the radar. Help us to disseminate information of what residents or visitors of London from different countries recommend their compatriots’ to do. Are you Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Irish, US, French, Nigerian, Brazilian or from anywhere else and you want to contribute to our next ‘Tips from Expats’. Email us your top 5 cheap and hidden things to do in London at hello@brokeinlondon.com.

—

You may also want to check our post about Community Cafes in London.