City Guide
London is one of the world's great cities, and an inspiring place to work from for a week. It has hundreds of coworking spaces, endless neighbourhoods to explore, free world-class museums and some of the best food in Europe. The downsides are the price and the extra admin since Brexit, but with good planning it makes a memorable city workation.
Best for
Culture lovers, networkers and anyone who wants big-city energy
Best months
May to September
Cost per day
Roughly €180–€300 including a mid-range hotel
Internet
Fast in hotels and coworking spaces; check your mobile roaming
Less suited if you are on a tight budget, or want sunshine in winter.
Hotels, cafés and coworking spaces in London have fast, reliable internet, and mobile internet is good across the city.
Since Brexit, the UK is no longer covered by the EU roaming regulation. Some EU mobile providers still include the UK in their bundles, others charge extra, so check your plan before you travel. A UK eSIM is an easy way to avoid surprises. Read my guide to eSIMs for workations.
Day passes in London range from around £15 to £80, depending on the operator and location.
Second Home (Spitalfields and Holland Park)
Colourful, plant-filled spaces with a creative community. Day passes start from £25 plus VAT.
WeWork
Dozens of locations across London, bookable by the day with WeWork On Demand from around £35.
Uncommon
Stylish, premium spaces in several central locations, with day passes from around £40 plus VAT and cheaper bundles of 5 or 10 days.
London's libraries, like the British Library near King's Cross, and many independent coffee shops in Shoreditch and Hackney are also popular with laptop workers.
Covent Garden and the West End
Central, walkable to theatres, museums and restaurants. Expensive, but you will not waste time travelling.
Shoreditch and Spitalfields
Creative East London, full of coworking spaces, coffee, street food and nightlife.
King's Cross
A regenerated area with great transport links, including the Eurostar at St Pancras, and a modern, relaxed feel.
Docklands and Canning Town
Further out and cheaper, with fast connections into the city via the DLR and the Jubilee and Elizabeth lines.
London stays I list, from central to budget:
A rough week for one person, excluding travel:
Stay
€900–€1,700
For a hotel room; much less further out
Food
€250–€400
Markets and pubs are cheaper than restaurants
Coworking
€150–€300
For five day passes
Transport
Pay with a contactless card or Oyster; the daily cap for zones 1–2 is £8.90
Also budget for
Many of London's biggest museums, including the British Museum, the National Gallery and Tate Modern, are free.
London is one hour behind Central Europe, so colleagues on the continent come online an hour before you.
Dec–Feb
Cold, grey and dark early, but festive in December and quieter in January
Mar–May
Spring, with parks in bloom and longer days
Jun–Aug
The warmest months and long evenings, but busy and pricey
Sep–Oct
Often mild, great for a workation
Nov
Rainy and dark, but a good time for museums and theatre
London has several airports; Heathrow is connected to the centre by the Elizabeth line and the Piccadilly line, Gatwick and Stansted by express trains. The Eurostar arrives at St Pancras International, right in the city.
In the city, the Underground, Elizabeth line, Overground and buses cover almost everywhere. Tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone; daily and weekly caps make sure you never pay more than a travelcard. Walking along the Thames is often faster and nicer than taking the Tube for short distances.
Since Brexit, the UK is outside the EU and Schengen. EU citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; it costs £20, allows multiple visits of up to six months, and is valid for two years or until your passport expires. Most EU citizens now need a passport rather than an ID card to enter the UK.
A visitor may do some work-related activities, but not work for a UK employer. Remote work for your own employer abroad during a short visit is common, but check the current UK visitor rules.
Visit a free museum. The British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum cost nothing to enter.
Walk the South Bank from Westminster to Tower Bridge at sunset.
See a West End show; last-minute and day-seat tickets can be surprisingly affordable.
Eat your way through Borough Market, Spitalfields or Camden Market.
Escape to a green space: Hampstead Heath, Regent's Park or Richmond Park.
Yes. The UK ETA costs £20 and is valid for two years for multiple visits.
Not automatically. Check your plan or get a UK eSIM.
Covent Garden for convenience, Shoreditch for a creative feel, King's Cross for transport, Docklands for value.
Yes, especially for hotels. Free museums, markets and capped public transport help keep daily costs down.
London is part of my Europe workation guide. For more city workations, see my Amsterdam, Prague and Budapest guides; for sun, my winter sun workation guide.
