Safe neighborhoods in London

Who on earth did you hear that from? I travel to London 5-6 times a year, my son lives there and I cannot think of anywhere I'd feel unsafe in, particularly in the areas of central London frequented by tourists.

If you've been to London before, you know it's safe. Nothing has changed.

I have to say this 'safety' question is almost always asked by Americans - but normally by people who haven't been to London before. I don't know if it's how the UK is reported in the US media, perhaps.

I don't mean to offend, and it is a fair question, it's just that the idea that parts of London are somehow unsafe couldn't further from the truth. I certainly wouldn't have sent my kids to university there if that were the case.

Where you stay comes down to budget. I normally stay in St James', round the corner from St James Palace, so very safe :) but Covent Garden is an area that's central and popular with tourists. If budget is a little tighter, there are lots of cheap hotels around King's Cross Station. But there are numerous areas, and nowhere that I'd specifically avoid as unsafe.

I also would like to hear where exactly the OP heard that London was unsafe. I have always felt safer in London than many of the cities I've visited in the US. But to answer the OP, just like any other visitor, choose a hotel in central London, close to an Underground station or bus stop. I can't think of any place a tourist would want to visit that should be avoided.

What?! London has 'unsafe' areas to be aware of?! Well, as someone who is from there and most of my family live in London and I've never heard of that! London is somewhere I travel on my own feeling safer than anywhere else...certainly safer than anywhere in the USA where I now live. The English do not have a love affair with guns like the USA, our regular police officers do not carry guns. That should tell you something about the way of life there. There will always be petty crimes everywhere of course and common sense should always prevail.

Something I have always found interesting is that not a single member of any of my entire family has ever been called for Jury Duty....something I have had to experience over and over, too many times to count! I can only put that down to the fact that crime levels are very different!
Go visit and relax, you will have a wonderful safe time!

I’d bet London ( and Singapore and any major Canadian city) is safer than any major American city.
Britain doesn’t have the gun epidemic we have here in the U.S. There are more guns than residents in the United States. In London, guns are so rare that even the police do not carry them. And London has cameras everywhere monitoring public streets and sidewalks to help the police keep an eye on things.

We spent 4 nights in London last September after our 21 Day BOE tour and really enjoyed it. The last thing I was even thinking of was my safety. Can’t say that about most major cities in the US. We stayed in an Airbnb in S Kensington a 10 minute walk to the tube station. Plan on a return next August before a cruise. It’s a marvelous city that would take weeks to see everything. Any neighborhood good is nice as long as you are close to the tube. Go and relax and enjoy one of the worlds great and Safe cities.

Physical safety is definitely not a problem. You just need to look after your bag and your phone in the main tourist spots at the height of summer. Just in the same way you would in other large European cities.

I think what makes London safer is that you've not got any language barrier and the vast majority of people are good. I'm something of an advocate for "other neighbourhoods" on here and you'll never be stuck if you speak English.

If you do see a cop, it's fine to approach them to talk. Police here are generally approachable and friendly.

If you were to start another thread, many people on here would be able to offer ideas for accomodation and activities in various neighbourhoods. Don't worry unnecessarily about safety. It's not an issue that will affect choices you make for your visit.

I'm in London quite often. (I just left on Wednesday.)

Violent crime is unheard of. What I have seen is an increase in petty theft such as pickpocketing and device theft.

At my local tube station, there are now signs warning people of device grabbing. I have also seen an increase in the number of police officers that seem to be stationed at the entrance.

But none of this should deter you from visiting London.

I have heard that 8% of Americans have been abducted by aliens but I don’t have to believe it.

Violent crime is not unheard of. There is some, but it's nearly all gang related and will happen miles away from where any tourists are likely to be and the level will be nothing like the level you will typically find in US cities.

As I type my wife is on her way south on the train to stay with our son for a couple of days. She will be using the tube to go out to East London, well away from typical tourist territory and will be walking in a very multicultural area where her white skin will be in a minority. It wouldn't have crossed my mind to think she will be anything other than perfectly safe.

Without a shadow of doubt the biggest risk you will encounter in London will be getting hit by a vehicle because you look the wrong way when crossing the road.

All I’m going to say is I’ve been going to London since 1972.

Last visit 2022 for Wimbledon. Have stayed in a variety of neighborhoods: Bayswater, Paddington, Marylebone, Camden Lock, Islington, Richmond, Shepard’s Bush, Finsbury Park and Battersea to name a few. Hotels, private residences, AirBnB’s.

NEVER have I felt unsafe not even the day after the Paris bombings in 2015 when London was on high alert.

Wherever you’ve read or heard this is utter tripe.

I have stayed in London numerous times over the years and have never felt unsafe even traveling on the tube later in the evening. And I've gone to many different areas that are not heavily visited by tourists and areas less posh, and multicultural. And my feeling is the same today after just returning. Nothing to worry about.

The most risk I have felt is crossing street just after arriving with jet lag.

This seems to be another of those cases where a first time poster lobs a bomb into the forum and is never heard from again.

The question remains - who told you London isn't safe? And where do you come from, just for comparison?

The governing Conservative Party recently launched an attack ad on the (Labour Party) Mayor of London which featured panicked commuters running screaming from a London tube station.

It was very quickly pointed out that the footage was filmed in New York.

Is it any wonder that this sort of nonsense spreads when even our own government plays the game (albeit extremely badly)?

And, before you ask, yes our current government is as utterly incompetent as this event suggests.

This seems to be another of those cases where a first time poster lobs a bomb into the forum and is never heard from again.

The question remains - who told you London isn't safe? And where do you come from, just for comparison?

The individual got their answer which is pretty much "none".

Please give this person a break. She got her questions answered and she’s under no obligation to answer anyone else’s. Although it’s always polite to say “thank you for the responses.” :-)

"Please give this person a break."

Definitely- you should be able to ask anything. I was just surprised that anyone would actually imagine London would be unsafe, particularly when they'd been there before.

That said, it may depend on your context. I live in a very safe city where personal safety wouldn't even cross my mind. If your own locale is not so safe, it's a perfectly reasonable question. I was just curious as to how the poster had become concerned in the first place.

Simon, she said they were there for a day. And if they’re from here in the US, who knows what’s she heard or from what source. We have so much “stuff” being said over social media that’s it’s hard for some not to be paranoid about traveling anywhere. And just to add, some of the comments above are a bit unkind and I wouldn’t respond to them either…

I live in the mountains and my only danger is from bears, wolves and cougars. One of my sources of reading included the London Daily News and one of their articles said “the rate of violent crime per 1000 people is actually much higher in London at 1.77 compared to New York City’s 1.39.
I know that every city has areas that are safer than others. Perhaps I asked the question wrong but what I’m interested in is what are the safest neighborhoods of London? What areas are not quite so safe?

Numbeo, typically a pretty reliable source of statistics IME, shows New York and London to be pretty comparable with respect to crime rates overall, with violent crime somewhat higher in London: https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+Kingdom&city1=London&country2=United+States&city2=New+York%2C+NY

This isn't going to affect my own travel plans, but thinking that London is safer than US cities from a violent crime perspective doesn't seem warranted.

what I’m interested in is what are the safest neighborhoods of London?

Most places where tourists are likely to stay in London are safe in terms of a very low risk of physical violence. If you want an area that is more residential (which often can feel more comfortable to people not used to big cities), South Kensington or Chelsea might be a good choice.

my only danger is from bears, wolves and cougars.

Are you not worried about all the people with all the guns to shoot the bears, wolves and cougars?

Wow. I'm from the USA, just outside of New Orleans. And while New Orleans is a wonderful city, and I hope everyone will come and visit, I feel MUCH safer in London than New Orleans. Just sayin'.

"I know that every city has areas that are safer than others."

Ahh no not really. Not sure where you got that idea from. I can't think of anywhere in London I wouldn't feel comfortable staying, particularly in central London. And you say 'every city' - I would say the same about my home city of Singapore - everywhere is safe.

It's not to say that London doesn't have crime, but it's normally low level. Tourists are very, very unlikely to be victims of violent crime. Do keep an eye put for pickpockets in crowded areas, especially in tourist spots. London is also heavily policed- you see police foot patrols regularly. Again, I wouldn't have sent my kids to university there if I didn't feel it was safe. I'm in London 5-6 times a year, and have never felt unsafe in any area.

In terms of neighbourhoods to stay, this will come down to budget. I mentioned a few in my previous post, and others have mentioned some, but if you do feel uncomfortable for whatever reason, stick to places popular with tourists - Covent Garden, Mayfair, Soho, Bloomsbury, Kensington/Chelsea etc. Not to day that places outside the west end aren't safe (they are), but it's a start. Perhaps if you share your budget, we can make some suggestions.

And I would suggest getting you news on London from a reliable mainstream media source, rather than some random blog site, The BBC is a good place to start.

Laura's suggestion on focussing on Kensington, particularly South Kensington, or Chelsea is a good suggestion if you're worried about feeling safe. Those are neighbourhoods populated largely by the very rich, and don't have some of the underlying problems around poverty that may have a correlation with people behaving antisocially. They're well served with public transport and the sights of central London are a short hop. There's a good choice of hotels and other accommodation with a good range in terms of cost. The local facilities such as shopping, pubs and restaurants are geared towards the visitor and wealthy residents.

Also very popular on this forum is the Waterloo area, particularly the Premier Inn chain of hotels, which have locations at County Hall and Waterloo. Those hotels put you within a short walk of Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament, right in the action for tourists. I have a different outlook as a resident, so I find that area a bit too touristy and lacking in charm, but as a first time or inexperienced London visitor those hotels offer excellent value for money in terms of location.

Bloomsbury is another area to look at that's within walking distance of the central London tourist sites. There's many independent hotels. University of London is centred around there, there's some attractive squares and gardens and The British Museum is right on your doorstep. I rate Bloomsbury highly as somewhere to find good value.

There is some crime in London, but it's very rarely dangerous to your person. Frank II noted above the heightened awareness of phone snatching at the moment. It's good practice to keep your phone stashed away and be cautious about how you're using it on the street. In crowds is where you're most at risk. If you stop at a cafe, take care to place your bag somewhere someone can't lift it and don't leave your phone on the table. These are fairly standard things that apply all over Europe in cities unfortunately.

The visitor is vanishingly unlikely to be affected by violent crime. The most at risk group in London are young men, often from minority ethnic backgrounds, suffering violence from their peers. Gang violence exists, but you'd never know it as a tourist. As a middle aged white guy, I've never been affected by it, even though I live in very diverse neighbourhood in terms of income and racial makeup. Even the crackheads are fairly non-threatening over here. It's the same faces I've been seeing around the neighbourhood for years and the worst I have suffered is some friendly hustling.

Personally, I think the posters mentioning guns and what have you are comparing apples to oranges. The UK and the US are quite culturally different in terms of how people generally think of personal safety. Having a self defence strategy, especially involving weapons, doesn't enter into the average person's psyche in the UK. It's just not something people have to think of here. If the OP is from rural parts, having a gun to take care of pesky animals that may eat you, or to defend your property, is quite normal. It's just different.

I think the main thing is feeling safe. Crime stats can be a bit of political football and may not always represent the actual situation accurately. The overwhelming feeling I get is that Americans feel safer walking around London in its entirety than they do in most US cities. Try not to let any concern about crime get in the way of having a fun visit.