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Workers and residents in the City of London have been deprived of one of the area’s best parks for quite some time now. But we bring you good news, because Finsbury Circus – the city’s biggest green area managed by the City of London Corporation – is finally re-open for good after more than a decade of building works and closures.  The leafy oval in the heart of the City has been shut for refurbishment since November 2023. But on-and-off closures have been going on since long before then, with Finsbury Circus first being taken over by the Crossrail construction in March 2010, and not reopening until August 2020.  But the park is now back to business as usual, and it’s got a lovely new ‘urban forest’, oval-shaped footpath and islands full of bedded plants. The redesign of the two-acre garden was carried out Realm, who worked with Studio Weave. One of the oldest greens in the city, Finsbury Circus Gardens has been offering Londoners a spot for peace and quiet since 1606 when it was laid out as London’s first public park. The Grade II-listed spot is also home to a Grade II-listed drinking fountain dating back to 1902, which has been restored and moved to a new location under its own canopy. First look: inside plans for a major revamp of Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.  London is officially the second-best city in the world, according to a prestigious new ranking. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow...

We all know that happiness is subjective, but there are some things that are pretty much guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Who doesn’t crack a smile when they visit sprawling green spaces, sample delicious food or experience vibrant culture? Then there’s other, more boring stuff that just makes life inarguably better (and easier), like good air quality, low crime, nearby health services, efficient public transport and high broadcast speeds. Those are all things that the Guardian looked at when it set out to create a list of Britain’s happiest places to live. The newspaper gave extra weight to factors that it knew would be important to its readers, specifically culture and community. It measured those in terms of ‘proximity to cinemas, theatres and museums, pubs and libraries, using data from sources including the Food Standards Agency, and various industry reports and listings websites’. Places in England, Scotland and Wales were given scores for each category and only the top scorers made the final round-up.  Of those top-scorers, five neighbourhoods in the capital made the cut. Here’s a breakdown of all the London areas that are some of the happiest in Britain, according to the Guardian.  RECOMMENDED: Every London borough ranked from happiest to most miserable in 2024.  The Ridgeway, Enfield First up in the paper’s pick of London’s happiest places is the Ridgeway in Enfield. Specifically, the neighbourhood around Chase Farm hospital. For food, the Guardian recommends a Sunday...

If you’re afraid of snakes, we’re afraid it’s not good news. An urgent warning about venomous vipers has been issued across the country, with people being urged to keep their eyes peeled for the reptiles. Before you get hissterical, Britain has been home to one type of venomous snake for years. A new species hasn’t arrived, but they have been on the rise in 2025.  What snakes have been spotted? There’s been an increase in sightings of adders (AKA the common European viper) around the UK recently, with the slippery fellas spotted in the south of England, Cornwall and Wales. Sightings have led to local police forces issuing statements warning locals about the animals.  Are they dangerous? While adders are poisonous, their bites are very rarely lethal to humans. The snakes are also known to be shy and secretive, meaning they rarely approach people. The Wildlife Trust said: ‘The adder is the UK’s only venomous snake but its venom is generally of little danger to humans. An adder bite can be painful and cause inflammation, but is really only dangerous to the very young, ill or old.’ The reptiles can also cause harm to dogs, so its best to keep a close eye on furry friends when out for walks. Adders are often found in basking in long grassy areas. They don’t often approach pets and are known for hiding or playing dead, but they do bite if startled. The snakes can live up to 15 years and measure up to 80 cm in length. Where have snakes been sighted in London? Before...

Here at Time Out, we can’t resist a city ranking – especially when London comes out on top. In one survey, our capital was named the greatest city in the world for the tenth year in a row and in another, it was declared the best city in Europe. Oh, it was also ranked one of the world’s best cities to explore on foot, the best sports city and one of the most ‘dynamic’ cities on the planet.  Now, yet another ranking has bigged up the Big Smoke. Every year, advisory firm Oxford Economics digs into a bunch of economic, cultural, environmental and political factors to create its Global City Index.  RECOMMENDED: Time Out’s pick of the 50 best cities in the world in 2025.  It looked at  a whopping 1,000 cities across the globe, awarding each of them an overall score out of 100. And with a score of 98.5, London earned second place on the index for the second year in a row, beaten only by New York.  The index said that London ‘has established itself as a perpetually relevant locale for business, science and technology, education, and the arts’ and ranked us number one in the world in the ‘human capital’ category. That encompasses things like population growth, educational attainment and corporate headquarters.  The city’s three biggest strengths, according to Oxford Economics, are its number of universities, its large GDP size and its ‘lower emissions intensity’.  Of course, London is far from perfect. The report pointed out that the capital’s largest weaknesses are high housing...

May 2025: It’s finally here! Welcome to Time Out’s brand new list of the very best restaurants in London for 2025.  We’ve spent the past 12 months eating our way through the city, re-visiting some all-time classics, checking out low-key neighbourhood favourites and getting stuck into the best newcomers on the scene. After some serious deliberation we’ve ranked London’s 50 finest restaurants. The result is this: your indispensable guide to where you’ll find the best food right at this moment in one of the world’s most exciting places to eat. There’s a focus on new openings and places that we’ve visited recently, so we can hand-on-heart vouch for their deliciousness.  A new Top 50 also means a new Number 1, as well as a whole bunch of brand new entries. From modern Korean masterpiece Miga in Hackney, through to slick Italian-American joint The Dover in Mayfair, and stealth sandwich bar and diner Cafe Mondo in Camberwell, you’ll find something for every budget and neighbourhood.  This is your guide to eating out in the capital. Don't forget to sign up to our free newsletter for unbeatable London restaurant news and tips. Tuck in.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor and she eats out pretty much every night in the city. It's terrible for her cholesterol, but incredible for getting you the best recommendations. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: All the best new restaurant openings in London this May. The hottest new...

Over the past 12 months, Time Out’s legion of expert food critics have eaten their way through the capital – trying gastropub roasts, sinking into sustainable menus, checking out exciting newcomers and discovering the best of its Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian and Chinese cuisine.  Now, all of that hard work has culminated in the creation of Time Out’s list of the 50 best restaurants in London for 2025. As Time Out’s food and drink editor Leonie Cooper puts it, this is ‘your indispensable guide to where you’ll find the best food right at this moment in one of the world’s most exciting places to eat’.  And after countless dishes and a lot of deliberation, one restaurant rose above the rest to be named the best of the best. Our new number one London restaurant for 2025 is Hackney’s modern Korean joint, Miga. The restaurant moved to east London from New Malden in 2024 and has since become one of the city’s most in demand spots. Leonie said: ‘Miga is all about exhilarating dishes that smash your tastebuds with integrity and panache.’ Jess Hand for Time Out She added: ‘Their landmark dish is yughwe, a ballsy beef tartare accessorised with skinny, crisp batons of Asian pear and a near-neon egg yolk. The soy braised short ribs and slices of pan-fried pork belly delivered in a glowing apple-and-mustard sauce are also must-orders.’ For obvious reasons, securing a table at Miga is no easy feat. If you don’t have a booking, your best bet is to turn up for lunch when walk-ins are more...

A while back, Rightmove declared that London commuter town Slough was the nation’s most miserable place to live. Now, we return to the capital and its environs to discover the most boring places to live in Britain. Of all the complaints we tend to have about living in the capital, a lack of stuff to do doesn’t come up very often. Unless, perhaps, you live in the aggressively-suburban Surbiton, which was recently named the second most boring place to live in the country by the Telegraph.  The newspaper lists Surbiton’s ‘top tourist attraction’ as its train station, which is never a great sign. In the suburb’s defence, however, the art-deco inspired terminal is very impressive – and it even appeared in our own list of the city’s top railway stations. In other words, having a train station as a top attraction is not quite as depressing as it may first appear. Beyond its pretty train station, Surbiton is mostly known for what it’s not. It isn’t on a tube line, and it isn’t as posh as its neighbours. It’s not got the glam or grit of the city, or the comfort of Wimbledon. As described by the Telegraph: ‘Surbiton will be forever boring for those who don’t know it at all.’ But we reckon that’s a bit harsh. There’s a lovely garden park right in the centre of Surbiton, and a farmer’s market once a month. It’s not Zone 1 living, but it’s not quite the drudge some may make it out to be. Photograph: Shutterstock The only place more dull than Surbiton in the Telegraph’s list was...

Last week the Guardian published a list of the happiest places to live in the UK right now. Taking into account factors like access to green spaces and culture, a sense of community and the availability of public services, the newspaper’s ranking intended to reveal Britain’s most joyous roads, villages, towns and cities in 2025. In the overall list – which you can find out more about here – a total of five places in London made the cut. The Ridgeway (Enfield), Surbiton North, Clapham Junction, Bounds Green and Bromley were the only areas of the capital to feature. But that wasn’t all. Several places near – but not in – London featured in the Guardian’s wider list. These are places within easy reach of the city, where you get to enjoy the best of London life without some of the less-good bits. So what are these two cheery places within easy distance of the capital? Let’s dive into it.  Lewes  Lewes is just an hour by train from London Victoria, and the Guardian praised the East Sussex town for its food options (like its Friday Food Market), cultural attractions (such as Glyndebourne opera house and the legendary annual Bonfire Night traditions) and access to nature. Often named among the nation’s prettiest towns, Lewes is inside South Downs National Park and just a short drive from the seaside. Gastronomy, culture and nature aside, the Guardian also picked out Lewes’ range of vintage, boutique and outdoors shops as making the place more joyful.  RECOMMENDED: The best things...

Heavy metal heads, we’ve got massive news – Metallica is coming to London next summer. The legendary American band has announced that it’ll be bringing its M72 tour to Europe in 2026.  The huge world tour began in 2023 to support Metallica’s eleventh studio album 72 Seasons. M72 stopped by Castle Donington for Download Festival two years ago but hasn’t come to the UK since. Until now.  Metallica will play four shows in the UK next year, including two here in the capital. For those, the band will bring its tradition of ‘No Repeat Weekends’, playing each night with entirely different support acts and setlists. Here’s everything you need to know if you want to get your hands on tickets. RECOMMENDED: How to get tickets for Metallica’s M72 tour in Glasgow and Cardiff. When are Metallica playing in London?  The band will be at London Stadium on Friday, July 3 and Sunday, July 5, 2026.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by Metallica (@metallica) When do Metallica tickets go on sale?  You’ll be able to get your hands on two-day tickets from 10am on Friday, May 30, 2025. Find them on Ticketmaster here. Single day tickets will go on sale on July 25.  Is there a presale?  Why of course. Dedicated Metallica fans could get early access to tickets from 11am on Tuesday, May 27. You just needed to sign up for a presale code here.  There was also an O2 Priority presale beginning at 10am on Wednesday, May 28 and lasting 48 hours, while a Live Nation presale from...

  This weekend marks the first day of June, which means summer is tantalizingly close. Make the most of the favourable weather we’re having at the moment by checking out the spoils of the new season: grab a sunny seat in one of the city’s best beer gardens, take a walk around some of the sweetest green spaces in the city, or take a plunge at one of London’s brilliant lidos.  Another sign of summer is that festival season has officially started in London. This week, look out for the first ever London edition of Austin’s music, film and media festival, SXSW. The Texas event will be taking over a whole range of events in the capital for a week-long extravaganza of talks, film and music. Or, head to Shubbak festival – one of London’s largest celebrations of contemporary Arab and South West Asian & North African (SWANA) culture – for performances, exhibitions and community-driven events, including the largest Palestinian theatre production staged in the UK for 25 years.  On top of that, there’s new theatre from David Ireland as Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman star in his dark AA comedy ‘The Fifth Step’ and Imelda Staunton is treading the boards in a startlingly fresh production of Bernard Shaw’s sex worker drama ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’. Start planning: here’s our roundup of the 25 best things to do in London in 2025 Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. Start planning: here’s our roundup of the 25...