London advice

Sep 28, 2022 Updated on Feb 6, 2026

In 2022 I had a few friends staying at my place while I was in Amsterdam. Below is the advice I shared. Nothing important, but I find it worth saving here as there are details that I will definitely miss in the future, and this can help me remember those (and other) details. Specific details are omitted.

The address of the flat is:

Flat 65 Wentworth Dwellings
E1 7PN London

There are three Tube stations nearby: Liverpool Street Station, Aldgate and Aldgate East. All are within walking distance of the flat (and each other), so if you can make it to any one of these, you are good. Liverpool Street Station is better connected, but both Aldgate and Aldgate East can get you to a lot of places. My recommendation is to just use Google Maps and see what it recommends. However, if you are going to use, say, the Northern line, it might be easier to walk to Moorgate (a few minutes of walk from Liverpool Street than taking the Tube from Liverpool Street to Moorgate).

You cannot access the flat from Wentworth Street, as it is in Wentworth Dwellings. It is on the other side of The Bell (a pub), where you can walk into an area with parking spaces (it is the door straight ahead once you get in there).

There are two keys: one key is for the main entrance to get into the building, and the other is for the flat (the one with the blue plastic). The main entrance door might be a bit heavy, but all should be fine. Once you are into the flat, there are two locks. I have never experienced anything weird in the building but I recommend just getting used to using them both.

Once you are inside the flat, make yourself at home. Feel free to use anything in the flat (ingredients, towels, books, etc.). If you can’t find something, just look around. If you need to wash anything, there is a washing machine (cleaning supplies and whatnot are below the sink). And I should emphasise that there is no need to clean anything before you leave. Just leave it as it is when you are done.

If it is too warm in the flat, just open whatever windows you want. If it is too cold in the flat, there is a central heating “smart home” screen in the entrance. If you press it, you should be able to turn on the heat and set the temperature to whatever you want.

I have had some issues with the boiler (something with the pressure), but a plumber should have looked at it in September (before you arrive). If not, this might affect the temperature of the water in the bath, and what you can try to do here is to just turn on the heating in the flat before turning on the water for the shower (as it should make it warmer).

The shower is not necessarily intuitive and you need to pull up in the thing (whatever it is called) to make the water come out of the showerhead. However, that thing has been broken for a long time so you just need to pull it up with your fingers (it is difficult to explain but I promise it will be intuitive once you see it). Also, if you encounter any issues at any point, feel free to call.

Everything else (kitchen, etc.) should be easy to use and I can’t think of anything you need to be aware of here.

Here is the information for the Wi-Fi (also available on the router in the living room):

Name: HometelecomNYWR
Password: **********

The flat is in East London near Brick Lane, Shoreditch, Spitalfields Market, Hackney, etc., and I would spend a day just exploring the area. If you don’t like walking, I would take public transportation (e.g., the Overground) to get to Hackney and explore a few different places (I am sure you can find a lot of recommendations on Instagram and whatnot). It is also near the financial district, so you will see a shitload of suits on weekdays and nothing going on in the weekends.

You are also less than 20 minutes of walking from Tower Bridge, and I highly recommend going there and just walk along the Thames (you can walk all the way to Westminster), as you will see a lot of London just walking there. You will also find Tate Modern on that route which is free and a good place to check out.

I will not recommend specific places and restaurants as I am sure you can find something much more aligned with your taste by asking friends and Google. You can find more restaurants within half an hour of transportation than you would be able to visit in a year, so you should have enough opportunities nearby. I know that there are also a lot of clubs in East London, so worth looking into that if you want to explore that side of London.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of people go out early, get drunk and go home and sleep early. For that reason, London can seem dead once you after midnight, but it is mostly because most places are closed and people move on to specific clubs.

Also, as it is the UK/London, remember:

Power adapter for your tech stack (I have one or two in the flat in case you need it)
People drive and walk in the left side (not the right) – however, people walk in whatever side they prefer in touristy areas
Stand on the correct side of escalators
You will see a lot of homeless people (especially compared to Amsterdam) and they might approach you – I never engage.
You might encounter some shady people. Take care of your stuff and yourself!

I do most of my grocery shopping at Tesco Express (next to Liverpool Street Station, 158-164 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4LN). It is open 24 hours a day six days a week (Sunday only from 12 to 18).

You can go to Oxford Circus if you want the traditional London shopping spree experience. However, if you are into shopping, I would do my homework before getting here and check out the unique places you can find here (for whatever taste you have).

Have fun!