Best place to live in London

London is a great city and in truth there is not just one best place to live in London. If you're looking for the best place to live in London it will very much depend on what you like and what you're looking for in a place to set up home. Every Londoner has their own opinions on the best part of the capital to live and in this article I am going to present mine. I am covering the area of Lewisham, Greenwich and Blackheath which are all really nice places to live and especially great for families, professionals and people looking for the quieter life. If you are looking for an area with great nightlife you would probably need to look elsewhere. If your looking for somewhere quiet, green, commutable into Canary Wharf and the city and relatively safe than this may be the best place to live in London.

I currently live in the Brockley area of Lewisham, London. If you do move to Lewisham this is a lovely area to live. I live in a really nice friendly street which has a large, leafy park just a couple of roads away. I live with my husband and my 2 year old son. I paricularly like Lewisham as it's reasonably priced, friendly, there's a lot going on for children and its right next to the lovely areas of Greenwich and Blackheath which have a lot to offer. Below I present the best parts of Lewisham, Greenwich and Brockley as well as there drawbacks.

I live on the outskirts of the Brockley area of Lewisham and it is a lovely place to live especially for famililes, professionals and basically people looking for a quieter more peaceful place to live. There is lots of open green space and parks in the area including Hilly Fields, Ladywell park and Blythe Hill Fields.

Transport links are good from Lewisham. There are three train stations within a close proximity (Lewisham, Ladywell and St. John's) and it takes about 10 minutes to get into Central London. The DLR station will take you into nearby Greenwich in about 10 minutes and to Canary Wharf in about 20.

Lewisham has a shopping centre with a few shops including Argos, Boots, WHSmith, Primark, Marks and Spencers, Sainsbury and BHS, although not for the serious shopper. There is also a decent size Tesco for all your grocery needs. The best thing about Lewisham town centre are the fruit markets where you can buy very large quantities of very nice fruit at a fraction fo the supermarket cost. If you like shopping, Central London is a short journey away. Canary Wharf is also good for shopping too. Bromley is about 20 minutes away in the car.

The downsides: I have to admit Lewisham isn't for everyone and perhaps not the prettiest place to live. The Brockley area where I live is nice, but there are some less desirable parts of Lewisham. There aren't many restaurants but as you get to know the area better you will find there are some nice pubs that serve food in the area (a lot of them family friendly). Hop on the DLR and there are plently of nice restaurants in Greenwich. A 5 minute car journey or bus ride and you will find Blackheath with more pubs and restaurants. 

The other great thing about Lewisham is there is lots to do. There's lots of tourist attractions nearby including museums, Greenwich park and observatory and Central London is just on the doorstep, There's lots of groups and classes and there's lots going on for kids. (See below for more information).

One of the best things about Greenwich is it's fantastic park which is one of the Royal Parks (like Hyde Park). It is built on top of a hill and you will find the Greenwich observatory at the top as well as a great view of the River Thames and Canary Wharf. At the bottom is the National Maritime Museum. There is a lovely children's playground, flower gardens, a duck pond and a place to spot deer as well as lots of open green space.

Again transport links into the city are good from Greenwich. A train from Greenwich station into London Bridge will take about 10 minutes. There are also river boats that will take you into Canary Wharf in 13 minutes and Tower Bridge in 22 minutes. Also there is the Docklands Light Railway which will take you into Canary Wharf and North Greenwich has an underground station.

Greenwich has a few restaurants, cafes and shops but for real shopping you would need to head for Canary Wharf or Central London. There is a lovely market hall with great stalls, excellent for buying little gifts. They also have arts and crafts markets.

Blackheath is centered around a huge open grassland with a picturesque church in the centre. It is often refered to as Blackheath Village. It really does feel like a village rather than part of a London. There are lots of restaurants and pubs in Blackheath as well as nice boutiques and bookshops. There is a train station which will take you straight into Central London in as little as 15 minutes. If you work in Canary Wharf, it's within cycling distance and is a good option. It's also just next to Greenwich Park so you can see why it's very popular area with young professionals and families.

There's always lots going on in Greenwich, Blackheath and Lewisham. Firstly there are some great museums nearby including the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, The Docklands Museum and the National Maritime Museum. These museums are especially great for families and quite often have family events days and there is lots going on for kids.

If you have children under 5, there's lots of activties and groups. The libriaries have free singing and story telling sessions for the under 5s. There's soft play sessions at the Arches Leisure Centre, lots of toddler groups, Mudchute farm on the DLR line and under 5 sessions at the museums mentioned above. If you do have children under 5 and live in London or are visiting London you may be interested in the website London for Toddlers.

Additionally, like most areas of London you should find classes and groups covering whatever your interested in.