To ask where the best part of London is to live?

[Ifeelfat]

I want to buy a 2 bed garden flat, £450-£500 max. Want to be somewhere nice, do no work to it, with good atmosphere and transport links to west end. Restaurants etc but equally not manic. Any suggestions?

For your budget you'd be looking at the outskirts, particularly to the west and north, to maximise what you can get for your money. I believe the best parts of London are in SW London, and then heading out towards Richmond, Twickenham etc.

Blackheath, Hither Green, Lee, Westcombe Park, Greenwich

12-14 minutes to Charing Cross

Lovely restaurants etc, the great park/heath/museums/river etc

Bromley, Beckenham out towards Sevenoaks. 30mins to Victoria then easy journey to the West End .

South west Is best by absolutely miles!

You could get a nice garden flat in Wimbledon for that price - it doesn’t feel as ‘on top of each other’ as some other areas of London, you’re on the District Line, there’s a big common, 10 minutes into Waterloo.

Budget tight, and won’t get a period property - but Pimlico. It’s very central, but quiet and feels like you’re almost just observing the world. I lived there right at the start of my career, and it’s still a very special place for me.

Sorry @Ifeelfat but I think you need to give more information, or all you'll get is people saying where they once enjoyed living / where they currently live.

You'll get a lot of "Blackheath, Wandsworth, Queens Park, Hither Green, Herne Hill, Dulwich, Tooting, Balham, Twickenham" etc....because this is Mumsnet! People who have kids want to live in reasonably green, affluent-ish or up and coming places with cafes, restaurants, big parks, zone 2 or 3, train line.

Are you childfree or do you have DC? Do you want to live somewhere quiet, but spend your time jumping on a train to join the action in the West End? Or do you want to actually have some action in your back yard you can go to?

And by West End, are you strictly Soho? I have been going out in Shoreditch/Hackney for the last 15 years and I would consider that more West End than the West End is these days if you know what I mean.

Sorry for all the questions but I think they're relevant .

Oh and if we're reeling off wish lists of places we'd loved then I would say -

Peckham (buses will take you to West End)
Brixton
Queens Park

We used to live in Raynes Park between Wimbledon and Kingston, it was lovely.
The area around Kew Gardens is also really nice but it takes ages getting anywhere.

SW London is fantastic OP.

You might struggle a bit in Putney, Barnes or Fulham with that budget tbh.

But a little further out - Mortlake (which is basically Barnes), Sheen, Richmond, St Margaret’s?

The river is so beautiful in this area.

Chiswick? Or Acton?

Wimbledon, Raynes Park? Southfields?

Mmm I thought maybe Pimlico, but space is a premium obvs. Kids are teens but I’m not thinking of them being there, this would be for me and DH to enjoy the city when he’s retired, and to rent out until then. Love London and all its little ‘villages’ and want to explore.

It’s really difficult not knowing areas because within an area some roads can be lovely and others not so nice but unless you ‘really’ know an area you can’t tell. I used to have a flat off Battersea Rise up by the common. It was bloody lovely. Can’t afford it now ...

Wimbledon is a good shout I think, but it isn't exactly central.

Why are you moving to London and buying immediately if you don't mind me asking?

Also, where will you be working? Do you need to be central or not really?

You might have a look around Chorleywood, it's very pretty and on the Metropolitan line. It is rural-ish though.

Pimlico's a no go with your budget.

Lots of the places people have mentioned in North West, West and South West London you won't get a 2 bedroom garden flat particularly near a train/tube/overground station as gardens add a premium to the price. You would get a one bedroom garden flat or a two bed flat without a garden though the second bedroom won't likely be much, you would need to look East.

Can recommend Highams Park quick transport into Liverpool Street or West end via Victoria line from Walthamstow.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-94219904.html

Crouch End.

Pimlico would be too expensive, unless you wanted an ex-council type place.

Do you have to have 2 beds?

Another area that might work is Parsons Green which is basically the west end of the kings road.

If you’re looking to retire, definitely come to the SW and near the river. You can meander down there for miles and miles- so much to discover. Lots if character and very “villagey.”’

Have a google of Barnes Pond. It’s a village in a loop of the river. 15-20 min drive to Sloane Square. Nestled between Putney and Richmond. Very green. Lovely restaurants and shops. River all around. Richmond Park walking distance. Super friendly. It’s like the best if both worlds because it’s so green, yet you can be in the Westfield in 15 mins. Or South Ken, Notting Hill, Chelsea etc.

If you are looking for somewhere with a good High Street and very close to the West End for living / spending time in once your kids have left home, I recommend West Hampstead. But I doubt you'd get 2 bedroom garden apartment for that money. More likely than in Pimlico, though.

If you are looking for somewhere with a good High Street and very close to the West End for living / spending time in once your kids have left home, I recommend West Hampstead. But I doubt you'd get 2 bedroom garden apartment for that money. More likely than in Pimlico, though.

I would recommend Angel, I love it there. Lots of little streets, markets, walking distance of Kings Cross, on the Northern Line, great buses.

I would recommend Angel, I love it there. Lots of little streets, markets, walking distance of Kings Cross, on the Northern Line, great buses.

Also Barnes is not at all manic. There the Wetland Centre here which is a nature reserve. Loads of green space and water. Yet, you can be at Waterloo by train in ten mins. Or walk to Hammersmith tube just over the bridge (District and Circle, Hammersmith and City lines).

Mortlake basically is the western end of Barnes and also really lively as you have the “White Hart Lane” shops there. It kind of feels like a fishing village down there. Mortlake could be a great investment because I’ve heard there are plans to convert an old brewery there into a shopping / flats complex. If this is still happening, house prices could rocket in the future.

Richmond is further out but also gorgeous in and of itself, yet very quick to get into town. Kew is lovely too.

I'd recommend NW2, something like this?
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-85753535.html

You wouldn't get a 2 bed garden flat in Angel for the OP's budget though

I would recommend Angel, I love it there. Lots of little streets, markets, walking distance of Kings Cross, on the Northern Line, great buses.