Citymapper also reveals the secret life of the Underground. It shows you which stations have abandoned platforms you can ghost-hunt from your seat. The app highlights “walking routes” above ground that are actually faster than the train for short hops.
For example, going from Covent Garden to Leicester Square? Don’t take the tube. You’ll spend more time climbing stairs than the walk itself. Citymapper gives you a 2-minute walking shortcut through a flower market. You feel like a local spy.
The 10 best apps for London - Globetotting
Fun fact: The app’s algorithm once suggested a route via a canal boat. I took it. I arrived late, but I saw a heron eating a pigeon. You can’t get that from a paper map.
Foodie SOS: Too Good To Go
London is expensive. Your lunch budget is crying. Enter Too Good To Go. It’s the app that fights food waste. Bakeries, delis, and fancy restaurants sell “surprise bags” of unsold food for a fraction of the price.
You can grab a bag from a Michelin-starred pastry shop for £3. The catch? You don’t know what’s inside. It’s like a culinary lottery. Last week I got a smoked salmon bagel and three éclairs for the price of a banana. Absolute chaos.
Pro tip: Watch the collection time. Get it wrong, and you’ll be that person running through Borough Market clutching a paper bag like it’s the Holy Grail. It’s fun. It’s cheap. It’s saving the planet while you snack.
