London is the perfect choice for a student who loves the hustle and bustle of a capital city—but also love great food and drink, parks, live music and the arts.

There’s an awful lot to like about this diverse, dynamic, thriving and ever-changing city. Centuries of rich and vibrant history surround you wherever you go, with beautiful, iconic and often imposing buildings appearing around every corner. And whatever ignites your passion and creativity, you’ll find it inside one or more of those buildings.

“If you are going to be a creative, you need to immerse yourself in a creative environment. London has all that and more!” —Kate Holland, Australia

Information about London:

• Population and demographics
• Weather information
• Public holidays

Shillington details:

• Our campus location is conveniently located the middle of the City of London, a 5 minute walk from Liverpool Street and Aldgate Stations.
• Course dates and fees for London

Interviews with past students:

• Khadijah Abdul Nabi, Iraq to Shillington London
• Nick Jacobs, Portland to Shillington London
• Camila Rogelis, Bogota to Shillington London

Visit GOV.UK to learn more

Looking for where to live in London? Since you’ll be spending a lot of time at Shillington, we recommend sticking within a 30 minute commute-time of campus. Past students recommend areas such as Dalston, Stoke Newington, Southwark, Bermondsey, Clapham, Whitechapel and Walthamstow.

“I ended up finding a perfect room in a really nice and comfortable family house in Airbnb, with a direct line to Shillington. Because it was a brand new listing, it was a reasonable price. I would also suggest that you start looking as soon as possible.” —Carolina Reis, Portugal

Research your options:

• AirBnB
• Room Go
• SpareRoom
• IQ Student Accommodation
• Homes for Students
• Moveflat
• Findaflat
• Gumtree
• Beaumont House Student Living
• Sanctuary Students
• Unite Students
• Chapter Living
• Zoopla
• Rightmove
• OpenRent
• Amber Student

Transportation in London:

• You can just use your bank card! There is contactless payment on buses, London Underground, London Overground and some National Rail.
• If you don’t want to use your bank card, get an Oyster card. Easy for payments on all buses, tubes and overground trains, and you can save with a weekly or monthly travel card.
• Santander Cycles and Lime E-Bikes and Scooters are available throughout the city.
• Please note: Shillington students are not eligible for travel concession cards.

You’ll probably have a lot of questions about how much moving to London will cost. Do your research to best prepare for your study adventure!

Here are some helpful financial resources:

• XE Currency Convertor is a great tool to calculate the exchange rate from your home country into pounds.
• Numbeo offers a cost of living calculator, designed to help you discover how much it would cost to live in London.
• Visit London shares top 11 money-saving tips for tourists.
• Broke in London shares a guide to living in London on a budget.

There’s so much to see and do in London!

Want to know the cool spots according to people in the design scene? On the Grid is a collection of cultural guides lovingly curated by local creatives. Check out top recommendations for London, broken up by unique neighbourhoods.

“The scale and longevity of a city like London with such a deep and rich culture around art and design really lends itself to being an inspiring city to study design in.”—Nick Jacobs, Portland

Shillington’s top 10 things to do in London:

1. Design Museum. One of the world’s leading design museums—covering product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design—alongside outstanding exhibitions.
2. The Barbican Centre. Located on the famous Brutalist estate, the Barbican centre hosts a gallery, library, cinema, concert hall, theatre only 15 minutes walk from the London campus.
3. Borough Market. Dating back to 1014, Borough Market is the best place to discover London’s food culture—there’s everything from a cheesemaker to handcrafted alcohol.
4. Columbia Road Flower Market. Every Sunday, Hackney’s Columbia Road is taken over by stalls selling an abundance of flowers and plants—a delight for all the senses!
5. Tate Modern/Tate Britain. No matter what kind of art you are in to, London’s two Tate galleries have got you covered. Their collection ranges from John Everett Millais to Ai Weiwei.
6. Bermondsey Street. With a few galleries and museums, and a lot of pubs and restaurants, Bermondsey Street is a great way to get a real taste of London.
7. Brick Lane. Home to one of the best markets in London, Brick Lane is a magical mix of vintage shops, street art and world famous 24-hour bagel shop Beigel Bake.
8. Kew Gardens. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is home to over 50,000 living plants—you’ll hardly believe you’re still in a city.
9. Hyde Park. London has over 3000 parks but Hyde Park is the biggest. As well as taking in the greenery, you can open water swim in the Serpentine or soak up some culture at the Serpentine Gallery.
10. God’s Own Junkyard. A neon wonderland in Walthamstow, East London—and a great place to grab a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Websites for arts, culture, and lifestyle inspiration:

• Londonist
• Culture Whisper
• TimeOut London
• Design Calendar
• Eater London
• Dice

Instagram accounts to follow:

• @secret.london
• @londonhistorian
• @londonfromtherooftops
• @londonist_com
• @mumhad1ofthose