People forget that Croydon is surprisingly green. You’ve got the beautiful Addington Hills for weekend hikes, the breathtaking Happy Valley Park, and even the Wandle Trail for a riverside stroll. It’s like having a slice of the countryside tucked under the flight path of Gatwick.
Is it as pretty as Richmond? No. But it’s a lot more affordable, and the parks are genuinely massive. You can walk for an hour and forget you’re in London at all. That’s a rare and precious thing in this city.
Living in Croydon | London Area Guide 2026 | CBRE UK Residential
The “But” Factor
Okay, let’s be real. Croydon has problems. The high street is littered with empty shops, the crime stats aren’t great in certain pockets, and the local council is… let’s say, trying to sort things out. You’ll see a lot of “For Rent” signs that look like they’ve been there since the 90s.
But here’s the rhetorical question: Which London suburb doesn’t have its own version of that? Peckham used to be a joke, and now it’s the hipster capital. Croydon might just be on the upswing. The Boxpark 2.0 is bringing in new businesses, and the Croydon Creative Quarter is slowly turning into a real thing.
