Don't talk on the Tube. Talk after it.

London, minus the trek

The rule is simple: on the Tube you look at your phone, the map or nothing at all. London is full of people you'll never say a word to, which is a strange way to live in a city this big and this sociable.

And it is sociable. After-work drinks spill onto the pavement from half five, Soho is busy every night of the week, and someone is always off to a gig in Camden or a club night in a railway arch out east. The catch is distance: a quick drink with someone four zones away is an hour each way, so most London plans quietly die in the group chat.

YesTonite only shows who's out tonight and nearby. Say hello once, pick somewhere you can both reach, done. The Night Tube runs on a handful of lines on Friday and Saturday nights, and the night buses cover the rest.

Thursday is the big after-work night, and Friday and Saturday run late. Plenty of pubs call last orders around eleven, so later plans move on to a bar or club.

Pick your end of town

• SohoNarrow West End streets of bars, theatres and late spots, busy every night.
• ShoreditchEast London's bar and club hub around Old Street and Shoreditch High Street.
• DalstonKingsland Road and around: small clubs, cocktail bars and late kitchens.
• PeckhamRye Lane's lively crowd, with rooftop bars in summer.
• BrixtonSouth London nights with big music venues and bars around the market.
• ClaphamClapham High Street and the Common: busy bars and a big after-work crowd.