If you want to predict where London’s under-30s will spend their weekends, forget well-established postcodes and check TikTok instead.
New research from Chase¹ reveals that 75% of Gen Z (18-24) in London use social media recommendations to shape their weekend plans – that’s the highest of any generation and over 1.5 times more than those aged 35 and over (42%). While word of mouth still leads for Londoners overall (53%), social media recommendations are snapping at its heels (50%), far outpacing online reviews (33%), inspiration from TV and film locations (23%), and journalist recommendations (16%).
For Gen Z Londoners, the weekend starts on their social feeds – with platforms like TikTok and Instagram increasingly shaping where they go and what they do. Nearly two thirds (63%) of 18-24-year-olds who live in London say social media “often or always” influences their weekend plans, compared with just one in eight (12%) of those aged 55 and over. And it’s not just passive browsing: over half (51%) of Gen Z Londoners actively use TikTok recommendations to decide where to go, and nearly half (46%) rely on Instagram as their personal guide to the city.
This appetite for discovery is reshaping London weekend itineraries. On average, Londoners will travel up to 1 hour and 14 minutes across the city to explore somewhere new at the weekend – a distance that stretches beyond the entire Jubilee line from Stanmore to Stratford (1 hour), or the same distance between Hounslow and Hackney Wick (1 hour 19 minutes)². This willingness to venture across London combined with Gen Z’s algorithm-driven discovery habits, shows that emerging neighbourhoods and trending spots are capturing young Londoners’ attention.
Soho still dominates as London’s top destination, with nearly half (45%) of Londoners naming it as the best overall³ neighbourhood. It leads across multiple categories: 28% say it’s best for drinks, 27% for food, and 14% for coffee, tea or matcha.
Londoners’ top 10 favourite neighbourhoods – overall³
Soho | 45% |
Kensington and Chelsea | 30% |
Richmond | 24% |
Canary Wharf | 23% |
Greenwich | 22% |
Camden | 22% |
Knightsbridge | 20% |
London Bridge | 20% |
Hackney | 20% |
Wimbledon | 19% |
Source: Chase
Outside of Central London, East is the best all-rounder, being voted the prime location for pubs and bars (26%), for the best foodie spots (27%) and for being the preferred location for a coffee, tea or matcha (29%).
Binay Agarwala, Managing Director for Rewards and Lending at Chase, says: “London offers something fun for everyone, and the TfL network makes it easy for people to get around and explore, whether that’s spending time with friends and loved ones, heading to a gym class, enjoying the capital’s world-class dining scene or simply taking a walk around the city.
“By partnering with TfL, we’re helping Londoners get more from the city they call home – connecting to the people, places and experiences that matter most, while giving customers 2% cashback on their travel. It’s another way we’re helping customers get more from their everyday spending while making travel across the capital more rewarding.”
Rewarding Londoner’s journeys
Chase customers in London can earn 2% cashback – up to £20 – when they use their Chase debit card to pay for TfL travel⁴. That cashback is also available across spending on groceries, everyday transport (including train, tram, buses and ferries), fuel and electric charging. Find out more here.
