London is a vibrant city, full of opportunities to make friends. It is a city to which many people move for work, a better standard of living, or even some to seek fame and fortune. The city attracts a wide range of people from students attending the university and colleges there, to visitors and residents of all ages, attracted to the history and culture of the city. Of course, it is also a modern city with numerous opportunities for a great job and lively social life. Yes, when you want to make friends in London you will not be short of opportunities. You just need to know where to look for them – or how to make your own!

1. Be in the right place

There are many places to make friends in London, no matter what interests you have. You can do the club scene, visit bars, the theatre, opera, dance or join a sports club or any other kind of club which interests you. In London, the facilities are there in almost every neighbourhood for you to join a club that interests you and these are good places in which to make friends as here you will find like-minded people coming together to enjoy a mutual interest. It is from groups of people like you that you most successfully make friends in London.

2. Make yourself approachable

You say far more with your body language than you could ever say in words, and you probably don’t even realise you’re doing it. Therefore, you should make sure that mentally you are open to making friends; that way, you don’t give off ‘stay away from me’ vibes that will put people off from wanting to make friends with you. Even if you are just sitting in one of the many bars in London, smile as you look around and make eye contact with people comfortably; that is the way to encourage people to talk to you and that is the first step on the way to making friends.

3. Follow through

If you exchange phone numbers with someone you like, or even business cards, which many people in London carry, don’t be scared to call up the other person. Don’t feel that you must wait for the other person to make the first move. If they don’t call you, it doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want to make friends. It could just be they are busy, or as shy as you. These days, you are likely to get their mobile phone number so it is simple to send a text just to say ‘I had fun chatting’ or something like that.

4. Set a goal

This may seem clinical when you set out to make friends in London, but people are more successful when they aim for something. Therefore, if you go out somewhere, aim to speak to three new people before you go home. This will give you a good chance of making new friends.

5. Be helpful

Friendship has to be earned, in some respects, so you need to be positive and friendly and cheerful to make friends. You might also try helping out someone that you would like to make friends with. The traffic in London can be awful, so you may offer a lift to someone or to car share on the way to work and back. That would offer you a good opportunity to make friends in London with someone who lives near you.

These are all good ways you could start to make friends in London as well as any other city. Mainly, they are being about being in the right place or setting up opportunities to meet people with whom you have things in common: these are your potential friends.