If you want to experience true sophistication, then may we suggest drinking in a hotel bar? Fancier than a London pub and classier than a cocktail bar, drinking in a hotel bar is much more than simply sipping a martini in a foyer. The city's best hotel bars are glamorous hideaways that offer elite drinking experiences. A new list by Forbes has ranked the very best hotel bars in the world with its inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025 .
Even in the rain, London's rich history can be explored indoors. Many iconic landmarks offer indoor areas that are perfect for wandering without exposure to the elements. The Tower of London, for example, provides a fascinating journey through centuries of history with exhibits, armoury displays, and the Crown Jewels. Similarly, Westminster Abbey allows visitors to admire stunning architecture and historical artefacts in a sheltered environment. These sites combine education and sightseeing, making them ideal for a wet day.
The rapid growth of "energy-hungry" data centres is delaying new homes in London, just as its housing crisis is "at its worst", a new report has warned. Data centres are giant warehouses full of powerful computers used to run digital services, such as streaming and artificial intelligence. However, they require masses of electricity from the National Grid to keep running.
They will give 100 free burgers from each of their locations across the UK (32 in London) to the first 100 people to queue up outside their restaurants. Not just a burger, but also a portion of their rosemary salted chips to add some carbs to the protein-rich meal. Honest's Double Smashed Burger features two smashed British beef patties, American cheese, brown butter mustard mayo, diced onions, and homemade pickles - and usually costs just under £13.
And if you're going to cooking school in London, there's really only one place to start - Le Cordon Bleu. Founded in Paris in 1895, it's one of the oldest, most famous and most prestigious cooking schools out there, with campuses all around the world. The London school has been around since 1931 and now has two campuses and even a restaurant, CORD, which opened in 2022.
Getty Images A 2.4m package of support has been announced for victims and survivors of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in London. Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said the money would directly fund new independent sexual violence advocates and expand counselling provision for all survivors of CSE. It comes after the Met announced it would re-examine hundreds of cases of CSE over the past 15 years as part of a national re-investigation overseen by the National Crime Agency and the National Police Chief's Council.
London's status as one of the world's wealthiest capitals stands in stark contrast to the tent encampments that have emerged across its centre, a visible reminder of the capital's spiralling homeless crisis. Opposite Warren Street Station in Camden, around 20 tents are currently pitched, many elevated on wooden pallets to stay dry. Inside, some contain only sleeping bags and a few items of clothing, while others are more elaborate, featuring furniture, mattresses, and cooking equipment.
In June, the company announced plans with Uber to begin trialing Level 4 fully autonomous robotaxis in the capital as soon as 2026, part of a government plan to fast-track self-driving pilots ahead of a potential wider rollout in late 2027. Alphabet-owned Waymo, now a staple fixture of US cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, also has its eyes on London, announcing plans for its own fully driverless robotaxi service in 2026, one of its first efforts to expand beyond the US.
The core ideas of Watch Dogs have always been as engrossing as they are prescient. Playing as a hacker on the fringes of a surveillance state is an inherently cool setup for an open-world game, and when you add in a bunch of novel tech-based abilities that let you alter the world around you, you've got a franchise that meaningfully breaks away from more popular titles in the genre.
While the UK is in the middle of a northern lights boom , London hasn't seen so much of the borealis this year. The capital's southerly location is at a disadvantage when it comes to catching a glimpse of the phenomenon, and on the very rare occasion when the lights do make it down here they're often obscured by light pollution. But that could all change this week. Forecasters are predicting that London could be in for some spectacular shows of the northern lights this week,
Despite the rise of smart technology, physical keys remain the most familiar and universally understood way for guests to access a property. They don't require power, Wi-Fi, or batteries - and even the least tech-savvy guest can use them without issue. However, the way you manage those keys makes all the difference. Handing them over in person isn't always practical in a city like London, where hosts may live miles away or manage multiple listings.
Getty Two men who used the dating app Grindr to trick victims into letting them into their homes have been found guilty of carrying out a string of burglaries across London. After arranging to meet their targets at their homes, Rahmat Mohammadi, 22, and Mohammed Hotak, 21, stole mobile phones and passwords to access their money, the Met said. The pair, both Afghan nationals, carried out 35 burglaries and 20 related frauds within six months, the force said.
Battersea's ice rink will take up its usual spot right next to the Thames for a fourth year. Glide is one of the most aesthetic ice rinks in the city, with views over the river and across London's glistening skyline. Besides the rink itself, there's a vintage fairground and a bar with DJs. Opening date: November 7
FSB's Small Business Index (SBI) for Q3 shows overwhelming pessimism among small firms in the London region, with a headline confidence reading of -46 points. The proportion of small firms in the London region are bracing for contraction, be it downsizing, closure, or a sale, in the next 12 months has risen to 30% per cent.
London hosts plenty of the world's mightiest global hotel chains. Don't get us wrong, many of those are supremely fancy hotels - but all too often they're a tad generic. Perfect if you want to stay somewhere familiar, but not-so-great if you're looking for a bit of character and identity for your London stay. Fortunately, the capital also has plenty of boutique hotels that are just as luxurious as those aforementioned chains but far less predictable.
These days, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez only take on murders in their block of flats. Hulu renewed Only Murders in the Building for a sixth season on October 28. Like the seasons before it, the upcoming season will be ten episodes. Unlike the previous seasons, it will find the main characters heading overseas, landing them in London. Will Gomez's Mabel like beans on toast? Will Short's Oliver enjoy the West End?
A one-year-old child has died following a hazardous materials incident at a flat in east London, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said. Fire crews were called to a property in Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, after two adults and two children attended hospital complaining about a smell of chemicals in a flat. The one-year-old child later died in hospital while receiving treatment. Around 12 people were evacuated from surrounding properties as a precaution as crews responded, LFB said.
London saw more than 440,000 fly-tipping incidents in the year 2023/24, with 50 incidents per every 1,000 residents more than double the English average. Data reveals that eight out of the ten worst locations in the country for fly-tipping are in the capital. It comes after more than a dozen London authorities increased fly-tipping penalties to 1,000 and hired more enforcement officers in an effort to combat the city's spiralling waste problem.
Every year World's 50 Best Hotels enlists the help of 600 experienced hoteliers, travel journalists and 'seasoned luxury travellers' to compile its ranking of the greatest hotels on the globe. The list features establishments that go well beyond just providing a comfy overnight stay. They have magnificent buildings, huge glistening pools, Michelin-starred restaurants, some of the most opulent spas you've ever seen and brigades of the most polished, professional staff around.
What were you hoping for? A new experience, and the chance to meet someone the Guardian thinks I'd get along with. First impressions? She was very smiley and chatty! What did you talk about? Our jobs, what brought us to London, the differences between British and Australian humour (Isla is Australian), and our shared love of tiramisu. Most awkward moment? I was sweating quite a lot for the first five minutes.
Getting spades in the ground in London is crucial if we want to see the biggest increase in social and affordable housing and meet our target of delivering 1.5m homes. I have worked closely with the mayor of London to give the capital the shot-in-the-arm it needs to ensure more Londoners have an affordable home of their own.
