How to make friends in London

Friendships tend to form when you see the same people repeatedly, without having to plan it. At school, university or a first job that happens automatically. In London it often doesn't: you might live in Hackney, work in the City and have your closest friends in Clapham, an hour apart.

So the trick is to rebuild that repetition on purpose, as close to home as you can. A friend who lives ten minutes away is one you'll actually see.

The single most reliable way to make friends is to join something that meets every week and to keep turning up. The first visit is awkward; by the fourth, people know your name.

Good options in London include a running club or a weekly parkrun, a five-a-side or netball league, a choir, a climbing wall, a pottery or life-drawing class, a book club at your local library, or volunteering with the same group each week.

London is easier as a collection of villages. Use the same café, the same gym, the same market stall. Become a regular and small conversations start to happen on their own.

Our area guides cover where people meet in each part of north London: try Camden, Islington, Hackney or Haringey, or start with the London overview.

When a colleague mentions drinks or a neighbour mentions a quiz, say yes, even when the sofa is calling. Then take the next step people rarely take: suggest something specific yourself. 'I'm going to the market on Saturday morning: want to come?' is much easier to say yes to than 'we should hang out sometime'.

Most people are waiting for someone else to make the plan. Be that person a few times and you'll be surprised how often it works.

Many of the city's best things cost nothing, which makes them easy to suggest to someone you've just met: the big free museums, the parks, the canal towpaths, the markets and the public talks put on by libraries and universities.

We've put together a list of things to do alone in London that also happen to be great places to meet people.

Apps for meeting people used to mean dating apps. That's changed, and plenty of Londoners now use them to find friends, workout partners or people in the same industry.

PingMee is built for this. You post a status saying what you're up for ('Walk round Victoria Park this afternoon?'), see people nearby who are open to meeting, and send a ping. If they ping back, a private chat opens. It shows only an approximate distance, never your exact location, and it's free. See how it works for making new friends.

Whichever app you use, meet somewhere public the first time and read our safety checklist.

If you don't know where to start, look closer to home than you'd think. Libraries keep noticeboards and run their own groups. Leisure centres list clubs that train there. Parks often have a friends group that organises clean-ups and events. Local Facebook and WhatsApp groups for your street or neighbourhood are surprisingly active, and are often where people ask whether anyone fancies a run or a pub quiz.

Universities and adult education colleges run evening courses open to everyone, and many community centres run social groups that welcome newcomers whatever their background.

Close friendships take time. Many hours spent together, usually over months. Don't judge a new friendship by the first coffee. Keep showing up, keep suggesting plans, and keep the people you like close to home. London gets a lot smaller once you know a few people in it.