Hurrah! You’ve made it to London! Now it’s time to get with the living. With the world seemingly at your doorstep, the hardest part is figuring out how to make the most of it. These websites and apps are great if you’re feeling at a loss. So sit back, take it all in, let someone else take care of the chores, and get exploring this wonderful city.

See also…

• Moving abroad: what we’d do differently if we could do it again
• Expat packing tips (and a bit of a pre-move pep talk)
• 10 London flats a gerbil couldn’t live in
• Moving in together: 2 people, 1 flat, zero space
• Moving flat in London? 5 lifehack services that’ll help you out

At home

SpareRoom

Pick your new flatmates, pick your new life. This is a website full of characters! The tough (but very fun) part is finding ones you want to live with. If no part of their ad makes you cringe, then you’re on to a winner. Remember to be honest with people about your lifestyle habits to avoid future housemate blowouts. You’ll send a few messages back and forth, arrange a time to meet and check out their pad, and hopefully get yourself all settled with your very own handpicked London family. And then you need…

Splittable

A true London app (in that it started in London), Splittable helps flatmates avoid some of the aforementioned housemate blowouts but from a financial perspective rather than personal hygiene (now there’s an app someone needs to invent). Splittable takes any shared costs, splits them and then allows you to pay your half of the bill discreetly. No more difficult conversations about who isn’t paying their way; with Splittable, it’s all there clear as day. And you get to put your spreadsheets away, too, which is always a bonus.

Boxman

When you’re living abroad, you come across new things all the time – and lots of them, you end up buying. But where to keep them all until you head back home? Boxman can come to your house within hours, deliver waterproof boxes, wait for you to fill them and then store them safely for you. It’s self-storage with a difference: all you have to do is pack. They tag everything digitally, too, so when you want something returned, all you have to do is log on and ask. Perfect for people in small living spaces with lots of stuff.

Lavanda

You’ve just arrived in London, your new job starts tomorrow morning but your clothes need a bit of a refresh. Not a problem, because Lavanda can have someone at your door almost immediately, ready to take your laundry away and make it smell like new. They do ironing too, so that’s one chore you can say goodbye to for the remainder of your London stay.

Quiqup

One of the best parts of arriving in a new town is exploring your new surrounds. But sometimes the jetlag takes over and you just wish you could stocked up without having to go very far. That’s where Quiqup comes in useful – you don’t have to go anywhere at all! For those times when you just want to lounge on the sofa, Quiqup will bring you takeaways, get your grocieries, deliver flowers, buy your shampoo, pick up your aspirin… all at the touch of an app button. And, like Uber, you can even see what your ‘Quickie’ is up to and get in touch for a chat. Genius!

Going out

Fever

Can’t decide what to do? Then this app is for you. It’s chock full of daily deals based on your location, so you can find cool places to go out without too much travel stress, and the notifications are great if you don’t mind a random suggestion every now and then. Cocktails for a fiver? I think yes!

Groupon

One of the greatest parts of moving to a great big bustling city like London is the variety of activities you now have at your disposal. Groupon is fantastic if you’re looking to learn something new, pamper yourself, or see the sights of London at a discount. With a seemingly endless selection of deals and offers, it’s easy to waste an afternoon (and a good chunk of your bank balance) on this one. If you’ve got friends or family visiting from home, be sure to check what Groupon has to offer for those touristy things that nobody gets around to until they have visitors (Madame Tussauds, anyone?)

Londonist

This website is the lost Londoner’s bees knees! With a new list of goings-on everyday, you’ll never be short of fun things to do. To make the deal even sweeter, they release a weekly list of free and cheap happenings (if you haven’t realised yet, London is going to take you for everything you’ve got – although you’ll love every minute of it). They also put out loads of London-related articles so you can stay in the loop.

Dice

Find a gig nearby and book it. So simple, it shouldn’t be true – but thank the heavens – it is! With loads of cool new artists and shows, any night can turn into a big event. All it takes is just a few swipes of your new Londoner fingers.

Getting around

Citymapper

Anyone who has spent their fair share of time riding the Victorian tube lines of London knows how ridiculously complicated getting from A to B can get. Forget looking at all those colourful squiggles the locals call a ‘tube map’, and plug your points into Citymapper. Presto! Journey sorted!

Uber

We’d by surprised if you hadn’t come across Uber yet, but if you haven’t, then today really is your lucky day! For everyone, including expats in London, Uber is the answer to your travel woes. Book a car from anywhere in London for a fraction of the price of the traditional black cabs (save that expense for when you take the visitors to Madame Tussauds). This one’s a good app to have before you come to London as you’ll just want to get ‘home’ when you get off that awful plane. All you’ll need to do is open the app, enter your destination, click book, and watch as an ant-like black car makes its way to you across the map. Once you arrive, it’s all paid up – no need to worry about tips. What a time to be alive!

Tubenav

An app that puts London’s coolest spots in the palm of your hand. We can all relate to this story – checking out a new place with your friends but feeling at a loss because no one’s ‘in the know’ about the area. This app suggest fun attractions based on your tube stop and lets you see pictures people are sharing online nearby. With pubs, cafes, parks, museums and more, there really is something for everyone.

Food and drink

The Food Assembly

Calling all health nuts and eco-conscious grocery shoppers! The Food Assembly is about to be your new best friend. They’re all about buying local, so you’ll know exactly where your groceries have come from. The online selection is top notch and ordering could not be easier. You can pick your market based on location and the time you’ll be able to collect. Everything is ordered online and delivered to an assembly point near you, so all you need to do is get there and you’ll have a beautiful selection of groceries waiting for you to take home – as well as a bunch of like-minded people to share a coffee with while you’re there.

Deliveroo

This one’s great for all those random unquenchable BBQ cravings that can only come from months of comfort food deprivation, offering takeaway delivery for hundreds of restaurants. You can rest assured your stomach will soon be satisfied… if you can stop looking through the menus, that is! If it’s more than meat you’re looking for, don’t fret. Most places offer a variety of ‘fixins’ (that’s southern American for side dishes) that will take you back to a simpler time of sweet, gluttonous home-cooked meals. Note: the fried chicken game is especially strong with this one!

Pact Coffee

There’s one thing that stays the same wherever you go in the world, and that’s the need for a decent caffeine hit in the morning. Pact Coffee makes sure you’ve always got delicious Joe to hand, delivering the best coffee beans to your door every month as part of a coffee subscription. Everything is done in the fairest ways and to the highest quality. Pact may not deliver the barista, but they can get you started on your own journey to coffee perfection.

Time Out

The granddaddy of them all, Time Out magazine has been going since 1967. It’s almost as old as the Beatles, but it looks a lot younger – the website is full of hints and tips on where to go and what to do in London, and the app helps you find things quickly and easily. However, Time Out’s real strength is in food and drink. You won’t find better restaurant and bar reviews anywhere else – and in a city the size of London, knowing where to get good food at any time of day can make all the difference.

Have we missed an app or service for expats in London that you think should be on here? Drop us a message in the comments below and we’ll update this article in the near future. Feature image via The Presier Project/ Flickr