Telephones / Post

Useful telephone numbers

Police, ambulance, fire, coastguard – 999
Operator – 100
International operator – 155
Reverse-charge / collect calls – 155
Directory inquiries – 118 500
International directory inquiries – 118 505
Speaking clock – 123

Making international calls

If you are you making an international call to London then you should dial 00 44, and omit the first 0 from the area code. For example: The Adelphi’s telephone number is 0207 344 0055, so you would dial 00 44 207 344 0055.

If you are making international telephone calls from inside London, then place the following prefixes at the start of the number. (If the telephone number that you are dialling happens to have an area code that starts with a zero, remember to drop the zero.)

Telephone number prefixes

The most common telephone prefixes are listed below. If you require detailed information on pricing, then speak to the operator.

00 – International dialling code (always followed by a two-number country code)

010 and 020 – Area codes

0500 and 0800 – Freephone numbers

0845 – Calls charged at local rates

0870 and 0871 – Calls charged at national rates

07 – Calls charged at mobile phone rates

09 – Calls charged at premium rates (60p a minute or more)

Poste Restante

All Poste Restante mail ends up at the Trafalgar Square Post Office, 24-28 William IV Street (8.30–6.30 Mon–Fri, and 9–5.30 Sat). Your mail will be held for a maximum of four weeks, and you will need ID to pick it up.

Post Office opening hours

Times vary from business to business, but Post Offices in London generally open between 9–5.30 Mon–Fri, and 9–noon Sat.

London postcodes

Please note: The following post codes should be taken as a rough guide only, as many of the codes cover several areas.

N1: King’s Cross; N2: East Finchley; N3: Finchley; N4: Finsbury Park; N5: Highbury; N6: Highgate; N7: Holloway; N8: Hornsey; N9: Enfield; N10: Muswell Hill; N11: Friern Barnet; N12: North Finchley; N13: Palmers Green; N14: Southgate; N15: Seven Sisters; N16: Stoke Newington; N17: Tottenham; N18: Edmonton; N19: Archway; N20: Totteridge; N21: Winchmore Hill; N22: Wood Green

NW1: Camden Town; NW2: Cricklewood, Neasden; NW3: Hampstead; NW4: Hendon; NW5: Kentish Town; NW6: Kilburn; NW7: Mill Hill; NW8: St. John’s Wood; NW9: Kingsbury; NW10: Harlesden, Willesden; NW11: Golders Green

SW1: Pimlico; SW2: Brixton; SW3: Chelsea; SW4: Clapham; SW5: Earl’s Court; SW6: Fulham; SW7: Kensington; SW8: Battersea, Vauxhall; SW9: Stockwell; SW10: Earl’s Court; SW11: Battersea, Wandsworth; SW12: Balham; SW13: Barnes; SW14: Sheen; SW15: Putney; SW16: Streatham; SW17: Tooting; SW18: Wandsworth; SW19: Wimbledon; SW20: Raynes Park

SE1: Lambeth; SE2: Abbey Wood; SE3: Blackheath; SE4: Brockley; SE5: Camberwell; SE6: Catford; SE7: Charlton; SE8: Deptford; SE9: Eltham; SE10: Greenwich; SE11: Lambeth, Vauxhall; SE12: Grove Park; SE13: Lewisham; SE14: New Cross; SE15: Peckham; SE16: Rotherhithe; SE17: Vauxhall; SE18: Plumstead, Woolwich; SE19: Crystal Palace; SE20: Penge; SE21: Dulwich; SE22: Peckham; SE23: Honor Oak; SE24: Herne Hill; SE25: Norwood; SE26: Sydenham; SE27: Streatham; SE28: Thamesmead

E1: Whitechapel; E2: Bethnal Green; E3: Bow, Stepney; E4: Chingford; E5: Clapton; E6: Beckton, East Ham; E7: Forest Gate; E8: Hackney; E9: Homerton; E10: Leyton; E11: Leytonstone; E12: Newham; E13: Plaistow; E14: Docklands, Poplar; E15: Stratford, West Ham; E16: Canning Town; E17: Walthamstow; E18: Woodford

EC1–4: City [Square Mile]

W1: West End; W2: Bayswater, Paddington; W3: Acton; W4: Chiswick; W5: Ealing; W6: Hammersmith; W7: Hanwell; W8: Kensington; W9: Maida Vale; W10: Kensal; W11: Notting Hill; W12: Shepherd’s Bush; W13: Ealing

WC1–2: Soho, West End

For more information on London postcodes, telephone 0845 7111 222, or visit royalmail.com.