What is actually open 24 hours in London

London has a reputation as a city that never sleeps. The reputation is roughly half earned. Plenty of things do run through the night — but far fewer than the phrase “24-hour city” suggests, and the list shrank considerably after 2020 and has not fully come back.

This guide sorts the round-the-clock city into three honest buckets: what genuinely never closes, what closes later than you think, and what claims to be 24 hours but is not.

Genuinely 24 hours, every day

Emergency services. 999. Hospital emergency departments. NHS 111 by phone. These are the true always-on layer of the city, and they are the only ones you should ever rely on without checking first.

Transport, partially. Night buses run every night. Licensed black cabs work through the night. Hire bikes and dockless e-bikes are available around the clock. The Tube is the exception, not the rule — see which lines run at night.

Airports, on their own schedule. Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton have terminals staffed through the night, though Heathrow operates under a strict night flight curfew, so “open” and “flying” are different things.

Fuel and forecourt shops. A reliable spine of 24-hour petrol stations crosses London. They are the most dependable place to buy water, painkillers and a sandwich at 4am. Unglamorous, and it works.

Some supermarkets, but fewer than before. A number of large stores run 24 hours on weekdays. Very few do so on a Saturday night into Sunday, because of Sunday trading law — see below.

Later than you think, but not all night

Restaurants and takeaways. Certain areas keep going well past midnight — parts of the West End, Soho, and the areas around major markets and nightlife strips. But “late” here mostly means 2am to 4am on a weekend, not permanently open. A genuine all-night kitchen is a rarity worth a trip when you find one.

Bars and clubs. Late licences run to 3am, 4am, sometimes 6am, and are concentrated in a handful of areas. Licensing conditions vary street by street.

Gyms. Several chains offer 24-hour access at selected branches. The critical word is selected — the brand being 24-hour does not make your branch 24-hour, and many run staffed hours only at night.

Cinemas. Occasional all-night screenings and marathons, rather than a permanent night schedule.

Claims to be 24 hours, mostly is not

“24-hour” chains with normal branches. A national brand advertising 24-hour service usually means a few locations, often not the one nearest you. Always check the specific branch page, never the brand page.

“24-hour” pharmacies. Very few genuinely open all night in London. There is a correct method for finding one that is truly open now — see our 24-hour pharmacy guide.

“24-hour” emergency trades. Locksmiths, plumbers, boiler engineers. Advertising round-the-clock availability is cheap; actually staffing it is not. Treat these adverts with real caution, and agree the price before anyone starts work.

The three rules that stop you wasting a journey

1. Sunday trading law changes the picture

Large shops in England — broadly, those over 280 square metres — may only open for six continuous hours on a Sunday. This is why the 24-hour supermarket that is open at 3am on Wednesday is shut at 3am on Sunday. It is law, not a local decision, and no amount of checking Google will change it.

Bank holidays follow similar restrictions. Christmas Day closes almost everything, including much of the transport network.

2. Google’s “Open now” is a claim, not a fact

Opening hours on a map listing are supplied by the business and frequently rot. Before crossing London at 2am, do one of these:

• Look for a recent review or photo mentioning the late hour.
• Ring the number. If nobody answers at 1am, that answers the question.
• Check the venue’s own site or social account, which is usually more current.

3. Late on a Friday is a different city from late on a Tuesday

Almost everything discretionary in the night-time economy is concentrated on Friday and Saturday. A Tuesday at 2am is a much emptier, quieter, colder city. Plan for the night you are actually in.

The honest summary

If you need it at 3am and it is not an emergency service, a night bus, a black cab or a petrol station, check before you go. Everything else in London’s night is real but patchy, concentrated in a few areas, and worth confirming with one phone call.