The 50 best places to live near London
Where are the best villages, towns and small cities which are a pleasure to live in, but still offer a decent commute to the capital?


For those who don't want to live in London, commuting is a necessary evil. Dinner parties in town are set alight on the topic, for which the shorthand is ‘doing the BM' (the Big Move).
‘These days, when both parents often work, the move to the country is more complicated,' explains Belinda Aspinall, who set up the website lifeafterlondon.com, on which people can share advice and tips on where and when to move. ‘It's not easy to juggle school runs with both parents doing long commutes.'
The good news is that it's perfectly possible to find rural (and cultural) idylls within an hour's radius of a London terminus.
For the purpose of this exercise, we've picked out the most attractive and convivial villages, towns and small cities that boast a fast and regular train service to the capital - that is, a choice of more than two trains taking less than an hour between 7am and 8am on weekdays - or amenities that simply can't be beaten.
We've taken on board an assumption that no one wants to drive for much more than 15 minutes from home to the station and have only included places that aren't just commuter dormitories, but which boast enough of a community spirit to support a village shop.
Season-ticket prices are for the journey to the London terminus only and are for standard travel (some routes have high-speed services that attract a higher rate).
The best places to live near London: Surrey
Discover the charm of Haslemere, Farnham, Chobham, Dunsfold, Windlesham, Frensham and Shamley Green.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The best places to live near London: West Sussex
Lindfield and Lurgashall offer a commuter idyll.
The best places to live near London: Kent
We delight in Langton Green, Cranbrook, Aldington, Penshurst, Westerham and Otford.
The best places to live near London: Essex
There is much to enjoy in Great Waltham, Stock, Terling, Earls Colne, Saffron Walden and Clavering.
The best places to live near London: Suffolk
East Bergholt and Nayland boast the best amenities here.
The best places to live near London: Cambridgeshire
Discover the charm of Grantchester, Cambridge and Brampton.
The best places to live near London: Hertfordshire
Much Hadham, Barley, Ashwell, Harpenden and Aldbury offer a commuter idyll.
The best places to live near London: Warwickshire
We adore Dunchurch.
The best places to live in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire
We delight in Amersham, Long Crendon and Haddenham.
The best places to live near London: Oxfordshire
Sutton Courtney, Dorchester-on-Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Sonning, Stratton Audley, Great Milton, Hethe and Blewbury are the dream locations in this county.
The best places to live near London: Berkshire
There is much to enjoy in Bucklebury, Bray, and Yattendon.
The best places to live near London: Hampshire
Overton, Winchester and Kingsclere offer a commutable country lifestyle.
* Search for the best country houses for sale in these areas.
The best places to live for commuters: West Sussex
Two villages in West Sussex have been selected for our list of the best places to live near London for
The best places to live for commuters: Cambridgeshire
Country Life selects the best places to live in Cambridgeshire based on quality of life and an easy commute into
The best places to live for commuters: Suffolk
There are two places in Suffolk on our list of the best villages and towns close to London.
The best places to live for commuters: Essex
Good trains from Essex into Liverpool Street mean the county has five spots on the Country Life list of the
The best places to live for commuters: Warwickshire
Just one village in Warwickshire made it onto our list as commutable by train within an hour to London -
The best places to live for commuters: Oxfordshire
There are a good number of villages and towns in Oxfordshire on our list of the best places to live
The best places to live for commuters: Berkshire
Country Life has identified the best places to live in Berkshire within easy reach of London for commuters.
The best places to live for commuters: Hampshire
Overton, Winchester and Kingsclere offer a commutable country lifestyle.
The best places to live for commuters: Kent
There are six villages and towns in Kent which made the list of our best places to live for commuters,
The best places to live for commuters: Hertfordshire
Here's our list of the most attractive villages in Hertfordshire which boast an easy commute into London.
The best places to live for commuters: Bedfordshire / Buckinghamshire
Country Life has identified the best towns and villages in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire for commuters looking for an easy journey
-
A day walking up and down the UK's most expensive street
Winnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like?
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Life in miniature: the enduring charm of the model village
What is it about these small slices of arcadia that keep us so fascinated?
By Kirsten Tambling Published
-
A day walking up and down the UK's most expensive street
Winnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like?
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow down
The glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
By James Fisher Published
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heart
Stokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for sale
The five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
Is the 'race for space' officially over?
During the lockdowns, many thought the countryside was the place to be. It seems many are now changing their minds.
By Annabel Dixon Last updated
-
What's a 'wellness village' and will it tempt you back into the office?
The team behind London's first mixed-use ‘wellness village’ says it has the magic formula for tempting workers back into offices.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'
The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Hidden excellence in a £7.5 million north London home
Behind the traditional façades of Provost Road, you will find something very special.
By James Fisher Published