Its tight-knit centres – Fulham Broadway, Parsons Green and Wandsworth Bridge Road – have enough bars, shops and restaurants to keep you in what locals call the “Fulham Bubble”.

Why Fulham?
The area’s busy, chock-full of pubs and it’s far enough out of central London to feel like you’re getting away in the evenings. It’s also posh, well-off and safe – all reasons why Fulhamites are devoted to where they live.

Stacey Dryden, who lives in and works Fulham, at Chard estate agents, says: “I stay in my bubble. I need to get out of it, but it’s just too good! I love it. It’s full of young people so it has a great atmosphere.”

Football fans will be at home straight away, with Chelsea’s stadium and Fulham FC in the area, while it’s also got a few
green spaces and the river to the south.

Don’t move here if…
You want to save money – high demand has made sure rent in the area is above average.

The people
A mix of sociable, cash-rich young professionals in their twenties and thirties, who spend a big chunk of their free time in the bars, as well as quite a few young families and a big French population.

Fulham attracts a type of person, says Jane Jenrick from Kinleigh Folkard and Hayward estate agents: “Laidback, young and they like going out and socialising.”

Where to hang out
There are parks, like Hurlingham, (where you’ll find polo – the event of the summer, darling) and Fulham Palace Gardens, where there are open-air film screenings.

Fulham also has a good choice of beer gardens, with The White Horse (famous for its summer barbecues) and Aragon House on Parsons Green. There are plenty of winter hangouts too – The Blue Elephant Thai restaurant is renowned for its grub, as is Del Aziz Moroccan restaurant. There’s Vagabond Wines (vagabondwines.co.uk), where there are affordable wine tasting evenings and, for a tone lower, the Elk bar does some tempting deals on cocktails.

The connections
Transport couldn’t be better – Fulham has several stations in Zone 2, and if you live in the north end of the area, you can walk
to Earl’s Court, which is in Zone 1, and save a packet on your commute.

On the other side of the river, there’s Clapham, for more bars and restaurants. Head east for Chelsesa and the King’s Road.

What can you rent?
You don’t see many tower blocks in Fulham. The buildings up for rent are mostly well-kept period houses – many converted into flats – plus a few modern apartment blocks.

Parsons Green is the most desired part of Fulham, so it’s pretty pricey. But for affordable places, try Sands End, east of Wandsworth Bridge Road. It’s a little further away from the Tube but the houses are still cosy period conversions and the area is served by Imperial Wharf Overground station.

The top end of Munster Road is also a good place to look for more affordable places to live – it’s still got a village feel to it, but it’s also just a little further from the Tube.

 

Borough
Hammersmith & Fulham

Average Council Tax
£1,127 per year

Travel time to London
30 mins

Tube
Zone 2; District; Fulham Broadway, Parsons Green

Average room share 1 bed
£600pcm

Average rental 1 bed
£1,400pcm

Average flat 1 bed
£300,000