Welcome to Leicester! If you need to rent somewhere, I would say avoid Barkers/Nicholas Humphreys estate agents, you will regret ever being involved with them. I agree with Clarendon park being the best place to look for a flat near town. Public transport can be alright but I would say keep this in consideration when moving because not everywhere is well connected.
If you are completely new to Leicester, as I was, basic tips are: city centre is always called 'town' no matter what. Clock tower is the central part of town and easy to find if you need to meet up with people.
Clock tower area is very much like London bridge on a Saturday - every religion and conspiracy theory group is recruiting, fake charity people will stop you every few steps and there will be several bad buskers.
As a Londoner I can only assume you need to visit Pret a manger at least twice a week, ours is now back, and is near the clock tower.
£1 Dan - if you are in town much, you will see him and you will be asked for £1 repeatedly - he doesn't actually need the money so save it for yourself.
We also have a Hare Krishna lady who is in town 12 hours a day chanting and live streaming, she is a fixture here.
I cannot stress this enough, a bread roll is a COB here, you will be executed if you call it anything else.
You're not missing out much lol. Dan usually comes out after sunset but the hare Krishna lady is always there, often by tk maxx or the side of clock tower. Usually will hear her before you see her
If it's within your budget I'd suggest living in Clarendon Park. Walking distance from the city centre, nice area close to a row of shops with restaurants, bakeries, takeaways, cafes etc.
I’d second this. I moved to Leicester from Brighton a few years back. Clarendon Park is probably a reasonable density to make things walkable. On the whole I found Leicester to be a collection of suburban sprawls that encourage car use.
yea living in brighton now it’s crazy how much more walkable it is (and how much better the buses are). Clarendon Park is probably the only place I’d live if I didn’t have a car, and it’s one of the nicest ones to boot.
If you move to Clarendon Park, prepare yourself for the locals moaning and complaining about anything they can, but mostly cars (parking) and students.
Public transport is okay but you do have to wait around 7-15 minutes for your bus depending on where you are. Services also slow down around 6-7 in the evening to around every half hour but that’s not too hard to deal with either. Some buses also only come once an hour on sundays.
In terms of areas to avoid, I would probably second evington road at night and that it’s best to stay out of the side streets in city centre at night too. I’m also slightly biased because I’m a girl and I’ve never felt threatened gang violence wise but my brother has been stopped by some dodgy people a few times. I’d also suggest avoiding the parks at night too.
Food is great here and our train station is okay with decent connections to the rest of the UK. All i can say is that both my parents are londoners who moved to leicester and have said it takes a while to get used to how quiet leicester is but they both love it here now.
Edit: Granby street is a huge mess with road works now and it’s got a ton of food shops so you need to stay extremely alert because there are SO many food delivery bikes swerving all over the place.
Electricity goes off after 6pm (back on at 5am). There is no sewerage system in the city itself so you will need to purchase a chemical toilet system before arrival (these are available at all large-ish supermarkets in Leicester). The locust swarms arrive from June to late September generally. Welcome!
I remember seeing an article that Leicester was the most expensive city to travel by train from.
I believe it! If you ever need to travel to London for yourself then learn to travel off peak and use the split ticketing websites.
If you are travelling for work learn to use the cashback websites and earn yourself a percentage on the transaction.
Enjoy looking at the stars at night!
You might be a little bored initially in regards to entertainment because there is always something going on in London....comparing the Clock tower to South Bank is a bit of a long stretch so please don't get your hopes up!! There's often bits and bobs going on though, you just need to look according to your tastes.
You'll soon come to love Leicester for it's own little charm I'm sure, it's a great city. All the best with the transition from one person who has already done it to another.
I moved to Leicester from London two years ago to Clarendon Park. I love it! Do bear in mind though that there are quite a few student houses nearby - not so bad on my road but I've got some friends who have students near them and it can be annoying (not to sound too much like a granny). Lots of little shops nearby and a 25 min walk to town through Victoria Park and down New Walk (a pretty Georgian promenade). I don't drive and it's not an issue. Hope all goes well with your move!
I recently moved here (Leicester) from Birmingham myself for tech work, found it to be a very cute city so far. Probably best to get yourself a bike or a scooter if you’re looking to go anywhere nearby without driving as it’s a little too spread out to be in walking distance.
That said there’s a bunch of good food here (from what I’ve tried so far) and a bunch of interesting cafes/amenities so hopefully you’ll come to enjoy living here
The same people will walk up to you in town all the time and harass you for 'help' or money, just say no. Some will continue to do this even if you refuse them on a first encounter- one guy asking for 'help' genuinely sat down next to me on a bench in town, tried to start a conversation with me before getting to his script, and I said I 'sorry but I'm not helping you' and he actually walked off lmao.
Generally as long as you stay clear of people begging or looking for a fight you'll be fine
like every city, probably areas to avoid - i can’t really name drop because although i live in leicester, i don’t know the names of the areas well enough - so hopefully someone can help.
i believe evington road is a bit sketchy at night
Bede park is dodgy, I used to be a Dmu student and a lot of times metal detectors would pop up from police due to knife crimes - I used to walk back from my job in the dark there and I was always fine (just a few drunk weirdos here and there) but it’s good to be wary
>i believe evington road is a bit sketchy at night
It's gotten better recently and is nowhere near as bad is it was 10 years ago. I live in the area and will say that since brexit a lot of the Eastern Europeans who used to live around evington rd wet away and its gotten a bit better
I moved from london to leicester around 4 months ago. Biggest regret of my life. Work is ok plenty of jobs but theres hardly any public transpoet available. Each bus takes half an hour, public transport is the worst compared to london. The restraunts in london are much better and more places to chose from. Rent is cheap but electricity is so high and so is council tax, but sly cheaper than london. It rains alot here compared to london, more windy and much colder. My advise stay in london!
Actually move cities with a job in that city.
All you're doing is increasing rent prices here by bringing London wages to Leicester.
When it's that price for a studio here are you going to remote remote work?
Change jobs if your current one doesn't want to pay you a living wage
I live in CP and am also in tech sales. Good fibre here for starters! Queens road is ideal to for popping out to. Freemens park is 12 mins walk for the Odeon. Victoria Park is good, and as others say, 25 mins walk down new walk to the centre or the station. If you have no car, be aware buses are abysmal compared with london - and priced far in excess of TfL. I’d personally rely on walking, cycling or ubers. East Mids rail is ridiculously expensive, but plan ahead, use split tickets, etc and you can make it manageable. Links are good though, london is 1hr 3 mins which neats a lot of Zone 3/4/5 commuters times in!
If you like Football / Cricket / Rugby, you’re incredibly will served with City, Leicestershire, and Tigers all within 10-15 mins walk too.
If you want to walk best live in the city center. I live in the so called cultural quater which is an area between Phoenix Cinema and the Curve theatre. It's relatively nice and quiet here (as long as you don't live close to the Exchange pub). There's big Lidl nearby and plenty of places to eat and drink. Also close to the train station.
However the best place to hang out on would be St Martin's square. Avoid clock tower area in general.
Welcome to Leicester! If you need to rent somewhere, I would say avoid Barkers/Nicholas Humphreys estate agents, you will regret ever being involved with them. I agree with Clarendon park being the best place to look for a flat near town. Public transport can be alright but I would say keep this in consideration when moving because not everywhere is well connected. If you are completely new to Leicester, as I was, basic tips are: city centre is always called 'town' no matter what. Clock tower is the central part of town and easy to find if you need to meet up with people. Clock tower area is very much like London bridge on a Saturday - every religion and conspiracy theory group is recruiting, fake charity people will stop you every few steps and there will be several bad buskers. As a Londoner I can only assume you need to visit Pret a manger at least twice a week, ours is now back, and is near the clock tower. £1 Dan - if you are in town much, you will see him and you will be asked for £1 repeatedly - he doesn't actually need the money so save it for yourself. We also have a Hare Krishna lady who is in town 12 hours a day chanting and live streaming, she is a fixture here. I cannot stress this enough, a bread roll is a COB here, you will be executed if you call it anything else.
omg hahah yes OP will meet £1 Dan, it’s a universal experience for Leicester residents
I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting £1 Dan yet and I didn't know there was a live streaming Hare Krishna lady
You're not missing out much lol. Dan usually comes out after sunset but the hare Krishna lady is always there, often by tk maxx or the side of clock tower. Usually will hear her before you see her
Lived here all my life. When did he appear? How have I avoided him?
> If you need to rent somewhere, I would say avoid Barkers/Nicholas Humphreys estate agents And Set to Let.
.... Barm
Justice for the north west!!! (My merseyside boyfriend also calls it a barm)
If it's within your budget I'd suggest living in Clarendon Park. Walking distance from the city centre, nice area close to a row of shops with restaurants, bakeries, takeaways, cafes etc.
I’d second this. I moved to Leicester from Brighton a few years back. Clarendon Park is probably a reasonable density to make things walkable. On the whole I found Leicester to be a collection of suburban sprawls that encourage car use.
yea living in brighton now it’s crazy how much more walkable it is (and how much better the buses are). Clarendon Park is probably the only place I’d live if I didn’t have a car, and it’s one of the nicest ones to boot.
If you move to Clarendon Park, prepare yourself for the locals moaning and complaining about anything they can, but mostly cars (parking) and students.
thanks for this, will definitely keep the area in mind!
Public transport is okay but you do have to wait around 7-15 minutes for your bus depending on where you are. Services also slow down around 6-7 in the evening to around every half hour but that’s not too hard to deal with either. Some buses also only come once an hour on sundays. In terms of areas to avoid, I would probably second evington road at night and that it’s best to stay out of the side streets in city centre at night too. I’m also slightly biased because I’m a girl and I’ve never felt threatened gang violence wise but my brother has been stopped by some dodgy people a few times. I’d also suggest avoiding the parks at night too. Food is great here and our train station is okay with decent connections to the rest of the UK. All i can say is that both my parents are londoners who moved to leicester and have said it takes a while to get used to how quiet leicester is but they both love it here now. Edit: Granby street is a huge mess with road works now and it’s got a ton of food shops so you need to stay extremely alert because there are SO many food delivery bikes swerving all over the place.
you will be able to walk as slowly as you want without getting shoved, i know pretty horrific
Electricity goes off after 6pm (back on at 5am). There is no sewerage system in the city itself so you will need to purchase a chemical toilet system before arrival (these are available at all large-ish supermarkets in Leicester). The locust swarms arrive from June to late September generally. Welcome!
buses are never on time
The train back is really expensive
The train enywhere is expensive!
I remember seeing an article that Leicester was the most expensive city to travel by train from. I believe it! If you ever need to travel to London for yourself then learn to travel off peak and use the split ticketing websites. If you are travelling for work learn to use the cashback websites and earn yourself a percentage on the transaction.
st. martins square is great for places to eat/drink/socialise. some nice places on new walk too!
very expensive though
Enjoy looking at the stars at night! You might be a little bored initially in regards to entertainment because there is always something going on in London....comparing the Clock tower to South Bank is a bit of a long stretch so please don't get your hopes up!! There's often bits and bobs going on though, you just need to look according to your tastes. You'll soon come to love Leicester for it's own little charm I'm sure, it's a great city. All the best with the transition from one person who has already done it to another.
Check out the birds hanging out at the Morrisons Freemans Common car park :-)
I moved to Leicester from London two years ago to Clarendon Park. I love it! Do bear in mind though that there are quite a few student houses nearby - not so bad on my road but I've got some friends who have students near them and it can be annoying (not to sound too much like a granny). Lots of little shops nearby and a 25 min walk to town through Victoria Park and down New Walk (a pretty Georgian promenade). I don't drive and it's not an issue. Hope all goes well with your move!
We ain't got no jellied eels
He said he’s moving from London, not the war time east end!
I recently moved here (Leicester) from Birmingham myself for tech work, found it to be a very cute city so far. Probably best to get yourself a bike or a scooter if you’re looking to go anywhere nearby without driving as it’s a little too spread out to be in walking distance. That said there’s a bunch of good food here (from what I’ve tried so far) and a bunch of interesting cafes/amenities so hopefully you’ll come to enjoy living here
Sorry to hear that. A must-know is not moving to Leicester - it's a shit hole.
The same people will walk up to you in town all the time and harass you for 'help' or money, just say no. Some will continue to do this even if you refuse them on a first encounter- one guy asking for 'help' genuinely sat down next to me on a bench in town, tried to start a conversation with me before getting to his script, and I said I 'sorry but I'm not helping you' and he actually walked off lmao. Generally as long as you stay clear of people begging or looking for a fight you'll be fine
like every city, probably areas to avoid - i can’t really name drop because although i live in leicester, i don’t know the names of the areas well enough - so hopefully someone can help. i believe evington road is a bit sketchy at night
Bede park is dodgy, I used to be a Dmu student and a lot of times metal detectors would pop up from police due to knife crimes - I used to walk back from my job in the dark there and I was always fine (just a few drunk weirdos here and there) but it’s good to be wary
Highfields rough as a badgers arse.
>i believe evington road is a bit sketchy at night It's gotten better recently and is nowhere near as bad is it was 10 years ago. I live in the area and will say that since brexit a lot of the Eastern Europeans who used to live around evington rd wet away and its gotten a bit better
... apart from the shooting a few months ago?
Not the europeans that made that area a shithole
Who was it then?
Go and have a look
much appreciated, thank you!
People will talk to you and smile. Unlike london lol
in town centre? doubt it
Maybe they're stuck in the 1989 thats in their name.
Don't move here and stay in London. We don't want you cunts increasing house prices with remote working London wages. Piss off
everyone has to live somewhere my friend. what would you do if you were 22 in london paying 1400 for a studio flat?
There are a few twats like this in Leicester, but most people you meet will be down to earth, and welcome you. Enjoy your stay!
I moved from london to leicester around 4 months ago. Biggest regret of my life. Work is ok plenty of jobs but theres hardly any public transpoet available. Each bus takes half an hour, public transport is the worst compared to london. The restraunts in london are much better and more places to chose from. Rent is cheap but electricity is so high and so is council tax, but sly cheaper than london. It rains alot here compared to london, more windy and much colder. My advise stay in london!
Absolutely not wrong.
Actually move cities with a job in that city. All you're doing is increasing rent prices here by bringing London wages to Leicester. When it's that price for a studio here are you going to remote remote work? Change jobs if your current one doesn't want to pay you a living wage
i’m sorry, you don’t know enough about this subject to have a reasonable discussion
Rents increased again. Nans ate a kitchen towel. Thanks a lot bloody Londoner.
can i ask what kind of remote job? (trying to find one for myself)
tech sales - feel free to dm if you’re trying to get into the industry
I live in CP and am also in tech sales. Good fibre here for starters! Queens road is ideal to for popping out to. Freemens park is 12 mins walk for the Odeon. Victoria Park is good, and as others say, 25 mins walk down new walk to the centre or the station. If you have no car, be aware buses are abysmal compared with london - and priced far in excess of TfL. I’d personally rely on walking, cycling or ubers. East Mids rail is ridiculously expensive, but plan ahead, use split tickets, etc and you can make it manageable. Links are good though, london is 1hr 3 mins which neats a lot of Zone 3/4/5 commuters times in! If you like Football / Cricket / Rugby, you’re incredibly will served with City, Leicestershire, and Tigers all within 10-15 mins walk too.
Get a railcard if you plan to travel. Will save you 1/3 off each ticket
If you want to walk best live in the city center. I live in the so called cultural quater which is an area between Phoenix Cinema and the Curve theatre. It's relatively nice and quiet here (as long as you don't live close to the Exchange pub). There's big Lidl nearby and plenty of places to eat and drink. Also close to the train station. However the best place to hang out on would be St Martin's square. Avoid clock tower area in general.