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All city guides

London

Prepare a specific question about the office you are considering, then leave room to ask how your contact spends time in London beyond work.

Sources checked .

Plan a visit

Use the same card or device

TfL advises using the same card or device throughout travel so fare capping is applied correctly. On buses and trams, touch in only; for rail journeys that require it, touch in and out.

Transport for London, TfL Community Team

A few things to know

The City and Greater London have different mayoral roles

The Lord Mayor of the City of London heads the City of London Corporation, whose area is the Square Mile. The Mayor of London leads the Greater London Authority. These are separate roles with different responsibilities.

City of London Corporation

An old civic tradition still crosses the City

The Lord Mayor’s Show grew from the newly elected mayor’s journey to pledge loyalty to the Crown. Its origins reach back to the early thirteenth century.

The Lord Mayor's Show organiser

A museum visit need not require an exhibition ticket

Tickets to the British Museum's permanent collection are free. The museum advises advance booking, and temporary exhibitions can have separate tickets.

The British Museum

Published event dates

Each listing belongs to the named year. Organisers can change dates or arrangements; check the linked programme before making plans.

Lord Mayor's Show 2026

These are the organiser’s published dates for the named edition. Follow the official listing for arrangements and later editions.

At the 17 October 2026 source check: Future listing. Confirm arrangements with the organiser.

The Lord Mayor's Show organiser

Questions to take into a coffee chat

Use one that matches what you want to learn. These are suggested questions, not statements from employees or claims about office culture.

  • What did you learn about working in this particular London office that you could not have learned from its recruiting page?

  • When you chose where to live, which part of the office commute turned out to matter most?

  • Is there a London place or annual event you now make time for, and how did you discover it?

Ask a follow-up about the person’s own experience, and check whether it applies to your target office and role.

Keep your notes in the coffee-chat tracker

Sources and corrections

Facts are summarised in our own words. Transport rules, access arrangements, office addresses and event programmes can change. The source-check date records when we reviewed the references; it is not a guarantee of current service.

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