Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts London at 45/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than United Kingdom's national picture overall (61/100 vs 64/100).
City page · part of United Kingdom
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in London report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside United Kingdom's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
55.2
Safety Index
44.8
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as United Kingdom's national page, with crime swapped for London's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in London, specifically
- • In an emergency, telephone 999 or 112.
- • London has two of the oldest police forces in the world.
- • On the whole, London is a safe place to visit and explore. Normal precautions for the safe keeping of your personal possessions, as you would in any other city, are suggested.
- • Crime: Like many big cities, London has a variety of social problems, especially begging, drug abuse and theft; mobile phones are a favourite target, often snatched by fast-moving moped riders.
- • The police have placed significant resources in combating street level crime.
- • Street gang culture is a growing problem in London as with many other cities in England.
Legal status (national law)
Female always legal. Male legal in England and Wales since 1967, in Scotland since 1981, and in Northern Ireland since 1982; equal age of consent since 2001 + UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
G / D / M · 230V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 999 or 112 / ambulance: 999 or 112 / fire: 999 or 112
Tipping
The UK does not have a strong culture of tipping. Locals in the UK usually only tip in limited situations, and usually only as a reward for exceptionally good service, and tips are almost never expected in any circumstance. Visitors from the U.S. and Canada are seen as very generous tippers, and even a bit of a soft touch by some.
SIM / Data
The British use mobile phones for a lot of things, and assume everyone has one with them at all times. Expect to be asked for a mobile phone number when trying to rent a bicycle, have mail forwarded to you, reserve a restaurant table (even when reserving by phone), or many other rather trivial actions.
Cash vs. Card
The currency throughout the UK is the pound (£) (ISO code: GBP). It's more properly called the pound sterling to distinguish it from other pounds, but rarely in everyday speech. It is divided into 100 pence (singular penny) (p). You may also hear the slang term quid for pounds. People often will just say 'pee' instead of pence. "Fiver" and "tenner" are common slang for £5 and £10, respectively.
How this compares to United Kingdom
Numbeo's Safety Index puts London at 45/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than United Kingdom's national picture overall (61/100 vs 64/100).
See the full United Kingdom page and all receipts →