Tips for a great night out in London
It is a well known fact that London offers one of the best night out experiences in the world. It is not only the capital of Great Britain but also the capital of nightlife, music and fun. Some of the world’s best bars are in London and it is not a hard task to find one (or more) for your night out. If you are new in town and you need some first-hand experience you can always check World’s Best Bars and the Reader’s Top 100 there.
After you make your choice there are few important things to take care of. Since the city is crowded with people who want to try the best bars and clubs in London large queues are not uncommon. Therefore it is a good decision to book in advance. If this is not an option you probably have to come early. Most of the parties in the clubs start late. They open at about 10 PM but are full until midnight. Usually people go to a pub or visit the cocktail bars after work and then head to the clubs. During the week parties end at 3 AM but on the weekend the nightlife continues until 5 or 6 in the morning. It is important to know that some clubs don’t allow entrance after 2 AM so you have to be there earlier. So you can start with something typically British like pubbing, have some beers with friends and at 10 PM go to the club you chose for the night.
Smoking is not allowed in bars in London so if you can’t survive without a cigarette you have to be ready to face the London weather and smoke outside. This situation has one serious advantage. If you have shared a bar with heavy smokers you probably know that in the clouds of smoke people get tired easily. When the smoking is taken outside you can enjoy the nightlife tireless until dawn.
London is famous for its bars and clubs but is also known as one of the most expensive places on Earth. The nightlife is no exception. You have to be prepared to pay more than £10 per drink in most of the places, however if you plan well you can reduce the expenses. Every day there are promotions, happy hours or even free drinks at different venues. There are special cards available that give promotional drinks, half-price or free entrance and other benefits to their holders.
What happens during your night out is entirely up to you but there is one more thing to take care of before dipping into the nightlife and that’s going home. Transportation in London during the day is not such a great issue since you can always use the tube, if you mind the gap of course. However the tube closes at midnight so you should either use the night buses or look for the famous black cabs. Do not get into a cab unless you are sure that it is licensed. You can ask at the club or in the bar for a taxi and they will help you get one. Just don’t forget that night fares are expensive and if you don’t plan to leave a small fortune you might want to check the schedule for the night buses. They start at 11:30 PM and run until 6 AM. Night buses are marked with “N” sign and are unexpectedly frequent. Most of them run at half hour intervals. The price is as during the day.
