Student Welcome Guide Peax ba OO £ oA te UEStudent Welcome Guide London Introduction Finding your way around London sometimes can be stressful and exhausting. For most of us who have just finished high school, transitioning to university life in a country we are not familiar with may turn out to be a very frightening experience. In order to help first-year students be better prepared for living in London, we, six bachelor students, decided to create a guide including all the information and tips we wish we were told when we arrived here. It is meant to be a complement to the school's guide by providing a student perspective on the life in this wonderful city. Student Welcome Guide Introduction... Accommodatiot Groceries... Public transport Transport to Airports. Sports. Recommended bars.. Useful tips..... Recommetnded restaurants. London Hacks. Culture... Recommended one-day trips Leisure... Nightlife. iAmStudent.net.Accommodation Nido West Hampstead The Nido Collections Luxury Student Accommodation can be found at Blackburn Road, NW6 1RZ, London. It is just perfect for ESCP Students, for it is situated a 10-minute walk away from ESCP. Students can choose between studios and en-suite apartments with a shared kitchen and living room. The rooms are all perfectly furnished and get usual maintenance. The accommodations have its own parties paid for by Nido, every month. The facilities include: elaundry room epool and ping pong table 24-7 security 24-7 gym & cinema room wifi and all bills included Most O2 centre restaurants give 10-20% off for Nido residents. The building itself is very modern, built in 2013. Prices: from 204£/week to 464£/week, depending on the type, size, view and level of the selected room. You would have to sign either for 51 weeks for most rooms. Some can be rented for 43 weeks but with the increase in rent, it totals at almost the same price for the whole period. Studios 2 Let Visit studios2let.com and type in name of the university. You will be offered a variety of studios within a five-minute 7 walk from school. The building is located on Finchley road and has a nice garden in the back. Prices start from 250£/week. *Caution Many students from our university choose to live in Cricklewood and Kilburn. There you can find cheap accommodation, however, these areas of the city are not among the safest. We strongly advise you to research further if you are considering living there in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises upon your arrival in London. i>Meat Chicken breast — 7£/kg © Chicken legs — 7,35/kg ¢ Turkey breast ~ 9£/kg © Pork “steak” — 5£/kg Meatballs — 6£/kg Vegetables © Carrots — 60p/kg e Potatoes — 80p/kg Onions — 75p/kg © Tomatoes — 2£/kg Cucumbers — 45p/unit e Salads — 1£/pack Grains Bread — 70p/kg e Rice — 1£/pack e Flour — 0.75/kg © Pasta — 1.2£/kg Fish Cod fillet - 9£/kg ¢ Salmon -- 16.35/kg Where to go Groceries jO Prices- what to expect Drinks e Coke — 1£/litre e Beer — 3,6£/litre © Coffee — 2-3£/cup e Bottled water: 40p/litre Ice-Tea — 1.3£/litre e Red Bull- 1.22 Fruits Melon — 1.8£/unit Strawberries — 2£/pack © Apples — 2£/kg @ Oranges — 3£/kg e Bananas- 76p/kg Blueberries/Blackberries — 2£(150g) Dairy © Yogurt - 1£/unit Cheese — 6£/kg Milk — 65p/litre © Butter 1.6£(160g) Oils ¢ Oil 1.2£/litre Olive oil-4£/litre The biggest supermarket in the area in the Sainsbury's in the O2 Centre. It is 15 minutes away from the university and 4 minutes away from Nido.If you are on a restricted budget, Kilburn is the place to be. There you can find Aldi - the cheapest supermarket in the area. You can also visit Primark if you need any cheap clothing. i>Transport Public transport [J qj ’ When you need to go outside West Hampstead there is a perfect option for you: order a travel oyster card, which enables you unlimited public transport (overground, underground, buses and boats) for only 6.80£ per day for Zone 1-2, 8£ for Zone 1-3 and 9.80£ for Zone 1-4. If you would like to use the public transport regularly, then being a student in the UK enables you to get a student Oyster card for 88£ per month. Prices of single tickets: Underground- 2.4£ (2.9£ in rush hour) Overground- 1.5£ Bus- 1.5£ Transport to airports xX Heathrow Company: TfL (London underground) Station: West Hampstead (Jubilee line); Green Park (Piccadilly line) ETA: 80 minutes Cost: 3.10£ Stansted Company: National express (coach) Station: Finchley Road Station (next to 02 Centre) ETA: 90 minutes Cost: 11-14£ Gatwick Company: Thameslink (train) Station: West Hampstead Thameslink ETA: 80 minutes Cost: 17£ Luton Company: Thameslink (train) Station: West Hampstead Thameslink ETA: 45 minutes Cost: 13.90£ (incl. shuttle bus to airport) aaSports Gym The Gym London West Hampstead is just three minutes away from the campus. It offers clean facilities and is open 24/7. The membership costs 23 pounds per month, however, there is a very good deal for 8 months (exactly our stay in London) - only 100 pounds! Address: 41 Fortune Green Road, D2, London NW6 1DR. Located on Fortune Green Road Basketball For individual basketball training, there is an open court, close to West End Lane, on Lymington Road, open 24/7. For coached basketball training there is a club called GO MAMMOTH (24 Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm NW3 2BQ) and it offers trainings for only 7,5£/week. Tennis & Squash Cumberland Lawn tennis club is located close to the University, at 25 Alvanley Gardens, one street away from Finchley Road, offering professional training for those who desire it. However, the fees are very high, as it is a prestigious tennis club. Martial Arts The Martial Arts Place, at Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, 88 Avenue Road offers several types of martial arts. Boxing, MMA and Judo are an option. The training is held all day depending on age and level. The London Fight Factory has a venue at Golders Green offers Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai boxing, MMA and Wrestling. Those who would like to kick the intensity up a little, their main training facility is located in Old Street, London, N1 7LU. The fees per training are 15f, first training is for free if you give them your email address, and after paying the compulsory registration fee of 35£, you are good to go.The Jewish Community Centre (JW3) on Finchley road, a few minutes walk south from the campus, offers Krav Maga training for all levels. Swimming The Virgin Active gym at the O2 centre on Finchley road offers swimming individually or with an instructor and is open each day until 11 pm. If you have a lower budget, The Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre offers swimming training from 24£ per month to all, and isn’t that further away, only by one bus stop. Running Hampstead Heath and Regents Park both offer several running routes to enthusiasts. Also, due to the suburban area of where ESCP is located, running is possible practically anywhere at any time. On the other hand, unfortunately, running clubs are nowhere near this area. ryRecommended bars West Hampstead Black Lion Black lion is a delightful pub located only 2 minutes away from West Hampstead tube station. It feels cosy and atmospheric and is the perfect place to hang out with friends on winter nights. ESCP students have a special discount of 10% in this pub. Best bars in London IceBar It is a unique -5°C cocktail experience inside a bar shaped entirely from arctic river ice. First Aid Box Agreat fit for the area’s relaxed, thirtysomething inhabitants, First Aid Box's white tiled walls, shelves of pseudo- pharmacological gear and menu with a medicinal theme suggest the snap of a latex glove, but it's a concept lubricated by charming staff, upbeat music and flattering, flickering candlelight.Recommended bars Tea Room The Hong Kong-style bar is lit by the glow of Cantonese lettering in green neon, which bounces off luxurious red drapes, creating a room as saturated in colour. The menu is printed on a newspaper and a jukebox loaded with vintage vinyl sourced from Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong warbles out '60s tunes. Authenticity is in your glass as well as on the airwaves, with drinks featuring Chinese spirits and flavours. Of course, there's a list of Chinese tea blends, too. Bounce There are two Bounce bars, one on Old Street and one on Holborn. The Old Street spot is a little more fun, graffiti adorning the walls, the Holborn spot somewhat more upmarket. Still, they both deserve a mention, and for the simple reason they're damned good fun. Drinks here are good, with a decent spirit selection at both and a respectable selection of beers. Food is fine, simple. Still, you come to play ping pong- they have tables everywhere. Ballie Ballerson Play, dance or flop into the waist deep balls - this is an adult ball pit cocktail bar where messing about with your friends is fully encouraged. They have used light, art and balls to produce mind bending visuals. Expect to take lots of photos and to laugh. A lot. Mischievous bartenders will be shaking theatrical cocktails based around retro sweets and & trickery. Expect liquid nitrogen, glitter and flames.Useful tips Pub closing times Most pubs are open from 11 AM to 11.30 PM (Mon-Sat) and 12 noon to 10.30 PM (Sun), but the hours vary from business to business. Some pubs stay open later if they have the right license — especially the ones in the tourist hotspots. Some of them even stay open for the whole 24 hours. Nightclubs usually open from 10 PM to 3 AM (Mon-Sat) and 8 PM to midnight (Sun). Last orders will normally be called 30 minutes before closing time, which means you have an extra half-an-hour to drink up and leave from when the bell rings. Drinking alcohol on the street It is generally okay to drink on the street (as long as you're not drunk and causing mischief, of course, because you can still get arrested for that). But there are laws against drinking on public transport, even whilst sober — so don’t take any open containers on the buses, trams or trains, because you'll get it confiscated. Age limit You have to be over-18 to buy and drink alcohol in England, but a lot of pubs ask for ID if you look under 21 — so being 19 is no guarantee that you'll get a drink. Getting in a Club You will find that a lot of pubs in central London have bouncers on the door once it starts getting late. Large groups of men are more likely to get turned away than a pair (especially if they don't have any women with them), so you might want to try splitting up into little groups to increase your chances.Recommended restaurants I Cheap restaurants are all over London. But for posh food at a fraction of the usual cost, try somewhere like the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism in Ealing, where you get a three-course meal for under £20. Or the Vincent Rooms, where a seven-course tasting menu costs under £30. London Geller College Vincent Rooms of Hospitality and Tourism DISCOUNTS FOR ESCP STUDENTS TortelliniCup is an Italian restaurant located in the O2 centre (Finchley Road), just 10 minutes-walk from ESCP Europe London campus. Acoording to TripAdvisor it is considered as one of the top 10 italian restaurants in London for the great products it offers to its clients at a very low cost. Moreover, from 2018 ESCP students will be eligible for a discount at this venue, making it by far the restaurant with the best quality/price relationship in the campus surrounding area. Discount details: -10% off from the main course dishes. The menu is based on different types of pastas (all main courses), therefore with this discount you will be able to eat with LESS than 108, including water or soft drinks. *Students will have to show their ESCP student's ID card in order to get the discount. yo NLondon hacks 1) Free drinks- Competition between London bars is fierce. Download the Drink app, check in on Facebook and receive a free cocktail. Publicity for the bar, free booze for you — what's not to love? 2) Free beer- Download the Match Pint App to claim your free pint at a number of London pubs. 3) Cycling Hack- Pay £2 for 24 hours and make sure to ride in half an hour intervals only before docking, you'll only end up paying £2 for the whole day! 4) Free activities- Looking to try something new in London but not ready to invest in case it's not for you- check out our free activities page for a whole host of free sessions in London, including free dance classes, free workout classes and more. 5) Tube hack- In the underground stand where the yellow lines are most worn, this is where people get on and off the train so the perfect place to stand for the doors. 6) Bus hack- Oyster Need to make one more journey home but have no cash —you can go up to £1.50 negative on your oyster card! 7) Free entry to Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral will cost you more than the average church collection, however, you can visit both for free, so long as you're there on religious business. 8) Free foods and drinks- you can also scoff free booze, cakes and even roast dinners - by attending various press launches, previews and the like. 9) Free haircuts- one of the easiest things to get for free in London (especially for men): check out places like London School of Barbering. 10) A pace along the Thames - City cruises are available from a variety of private companies in London. However, the Thames Clipper is a regular boat service that travels from Putney in the west via many of the city’s prime locations all the way to historic Greenwich in the east for only £4 ALondon hacks 11) Bus 11 will cost only £1.50 with your Visitor Oyster Card! It takes you to all the spots that the hop-on-hop-off bus tour would, so you'll be able to see various landmarks of London such as the Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and the Royal Courts of Justice. 12) Mcdonalds Vouchers- Grab your free Metro newspaper and find them inside. 13) Citymapper is the number 1 app you need to install- while Google Maps has many of the features Citymapper has, it doesn't tell you how much your journey is going to cost you. Citymapper, on the other hand, calculates your journey to the last penny, which will allow you to choose the cheapest journey and stay within your budget. 14) Free entrance to museums- you can visit the British Museum, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum and National Gallery and others. 15) London-eye views for free- finding decent views of London from up high is pretty hard. You're either going to have to spend an ungodly amount at a posh restaurant or pay £20 to head up to the Shard. However, there are two ways you can get extraordinary views for free. ® Go to the Sky Gardens, a glass dome packed with three storeys of landscaped public gardens. It's located at 20 Fenchurch Street and entry is completely free, but you'll have to book in advance. Visit the Shard, but request to go to the Aqua Shard when you enter the ground floor. It's a bar with free entry, but | would recommend you buy a drink as a couple of pounds is worth it to complement those breathtaking views. 16) Half-price sushi- Itsu is a Japanese chain that sells healthy and delicious sushi, salads and soups. Everything in the store is half price half an hour before closing time. Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 8:30am - 9pm; Sun: 10:30am - 7pm 17) Free personal shopping at Knightsbridge and Oxford Circus- It's simple to book a personalised appointment online here, where you can select anything ranging from a 30-minute “perfect jeans” session to a complete 120-minute “wardrobe overhaul.” You'll also get to pick your own stylist to ensure that you're shopping with someone of a similar fashion sense to yours. With your own private dressing suite and one-on-one advice, you'll be confidently strutting your stuff in no time. You're not obliged to buy anything, so feel free to just have some fun.Student discounts As you are a university student, there are several discounts offered for you! Unidays is a webpage/app most useful in this case. There are occasional discounts up to 70% (but those last a few hours, and are usually only applicable when you order something online, rather than actually going to the shop yourself). Here we will ist few of many great discounts available! e ASOS products - 10% # Domino's Pizza - 25% McDonalds - free CheeseBurger for each meal you purchase © Spotify - 50% © Apple - 10% off MacBooks MS Office - 15% Vodafone - 10% off (selected plans) © Office Footwear - 10% e Urban Outfitters - 10% oO Hampstead Heath T- Wild and undulating, the 791-acre grassy sprawl of Hampstead Heath makes a wonderfully untamed contrast to the manicured parks elsewhere in the capital — and it will feel even more delightfully rural if the City of London Corporation's ‘aspiration’ to graze sheep on the heath as a flock of organic lawn mowers comes to fruition. Insider tip: Take a dip in the heath swimming ponds. The men’s and ladies’ ponds are open all year round, but be warned that even in the summer the water is pretty frosty. e Regent’s Park Covering 410 acres in north-west London, Regent's Park is teeming with attractions, ranging from the animal noises of the ZSL London Zoo to its enchanting Open Air Theatre. Insider tip: Get a taste of the Far East by heading to the park’s Japanese Island, which is full of winding paths, ornamental shrubs and flowers, a lake framed by overhanging willows and a picturesque wooden footbridge, the latter covered in sweet-smelling wisteria in the spring. ¢ Richmond Park The largest and grandest of London's royal parks boasts rare species, stretching grassland and plenty of wildlife. Insider tip: Rent a bike to really see the park, don’t miss the Isabella Plantation for swathes of blossom in spring and summer and always keep your eyes peeled for herds of wild red and fallow deer. ParksCulture ¢ British Museum If you've already paid your respects to Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles, it's time to delve deeper at the BM. You'll find the Merman in the Enlightenment gallery. e Natural History Museum Check out the great big blue whale skeleton at the Natural History. Go back 50 million years and learn how whales became lovely, sociable, intelligent animals, and see what's lurking in their ambergris-lined paunches. While you're at it, explore the extraordinary adaptations that dolphins and porpoises have made to their underwater world. The Natural History Museum remains your go-to spot for all things prehistoric. e Science Museum The Science Museum is a noisy home of scientific discovery, allowing you to see live experiments and shows, and get interactive away from the crowds. From moving exhibits and a chemistry bar to friction slides you can try yourself. e Museum of London Atrip to the Museum of London will make you see the city in a whole new light. Discover what was here before it was even Londinium, or reignite your understanding of the Great Fire of 1666, before honing in on the revolutions, innovations and trends that turned us into a global metropolis. e National Gallery The National Gallery displays more than 2,000 Western European paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. You can explore inspiring art by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner, Renoir and Van Gogh. There are free guided tours, audio guides available in multiple languages and free family activities for children of all ages. e Imperial War Museum The museum's WWI Galleries examine the politics and legacy of the 1914-1918 conflict, but also day-to-day life in the trenches. In photographs, artefacts like tins of food, and a collection of letters the museum tells a powerful and moving story. e Transport Museum The city's iconic red buses may not be a constant feature on the roads these days, but you can admire them at these Covent Garden vehicle vaults — without having to wait for ages for one to arrive.Recommended one-day trips - Stonehenge & Bath - Loch Ness - Windsor Castle - Oxford - Cambridge - Brighton Leisure 8 London Dungeon We all know how horrific London's past is: severed heads were skewered on spikes, men scrapped for soiled bread and everything smells rancid. But did you know you could go back there? At the London Dungeon, it takes 110 minutes to go through 1,000 years of grim history, including all the heavyweights: the plague, the medieval torturer and Jack the Ripper. Watch a Tennis match at Wimbledon Top tickets must be applied for by ballot but there are also tickets available each day during the tournament for those prepared to queue. The action is also broadcast for free on a big screen just outside the grounds, on Aorangi Terrace. Meet the royal family at Madame Tussauds Ever since Marie Tussaud modelled French author and philosopher Voltaire, the world’s been transfixed by the waxy complexions and uncanny likenesses that are still lovingly built in her name. Go now and find the members of the royal family, then rub shoulders with more A-listers before checking out the immersive Star Wars Experience. See the Christmas lights in central London For generations, an evening stroll to see the lights has been a Christmastime tradition. Switched on in early November, usually by a celeb who's likely to draw a crowd, the lights in Oxford Street tend to be more modern, whereas the Regent Street lights are usually classic and classy. The Castle Cinema Homerton's cinema has been a bingo hall, a shoe factory and a snooker club. That was until a local couple stepped in and restored it to its 1913 cinematic glory, creating a boutique film house.> > + a Finding the right club for your big night out is harder than it seems. Clubs are always full, therefore to ensure a place for you and your friends there is the need to organize everything in advance. Clubs in London range from very VIP to jeans-and-sweatshirt kinds of places. If you are looking for private booths, champagne popping, international DJs and extravagant nights, you are in the right city. This guide provides you with the hottest clubs and bars in the city. Nightlife Exclusive Clubs London Montezuma Montezuma is an Aztec-themed nightclub in South Kensington and winner of the 2016 Best Boutique Club at the London Bar and Club awards. The music policy is commercial R&B and hip-hop. It is very close to the underground station making it perfectly placed for the 24-hour tubes running in London. Maddox The award-winning Maddox Club is located on Mill Street in the glamorous heart of London's Mayfair. This is one of the hottest places to go in London, in fact, entrance is limited. Cirque Du Soir Cirque Le Soir is an immersive circus experience that would make your night out amazing. This club is famous for their inspiring club nights across the globe from the Monaco Grand Prix - Cannes Film and it has always been present in events when the world is watching. Cirque is in prime position for after parties, corporate drinks receptions, Christmas parties and celebrations. Charlie Charlie is a luxurious club located on Berkeley Street (Mayfair), next door to the world-renowned Japanese restaurant, Nobu. Capacity club of 500 people and the entry policy is strict as there is the = need to have a balance between men and women.+ + ye + Toyroom ToyRoom London is an exclusive club, which combines a luxurious interior with some cheerful accessories like the 6ft tall bear “Frank the Teddy”. A lot of celebrities can be spotted in Toy room regularly which is why the entry policy and also the dress code are very strict. Nightlife The Roof Gardens A perfect place where to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and unwind in the award-winning themed gardens in the heart of Kensington. Dress Code is strict. Other locations Leicester Square is home to some of the most tourist-oriented clubs because of its proximity to the famous site of Piccadilly Circus. Around this area there are various clubs and pubs where you can spend the night, even though they can be very overpriced due to their central location in London. O'Neills and the Zoo bar are both in this area and in the weekends tend to be crowded both by tourists and residents making it an international site where to have fun. HOW TO BOOK Booking in London is necessary to go clubbing as most of these clubs are very exclusive, therefore there is a strict dress code. Many of the London clubs offer a guest list service so if you know when and where you want to go, it is advisable to email the guest list as it ensures that you will enter, sometimes saves waiting and is also cheaper. An alternative can be found on secondary pages which offer discount and more detailed information about costs and dress codes. https:/www.luxguestlist.com/en/clubs AoiAmStudent.net The website iAmStudent.net is an excellent complement to this guide. It is developed by and for BIM students. There you can find useful study notes, as well as information on assignments, deadlines and exams. We highly recommend it! Ballie Ballerson Se ae Ae Le aia) Deke Meiers ee ee eee