London Essentials: What to know before coming here🛫🇬🇧🎡
🆘 Emergency Numbers
999 is the only number you will need! Police, ambulance, fire department, really anything.
🛂 VISA Requirements & Arrival
Do you need a VISA to enter the UK? Just fill in your nationality and the reason for your visit (it could ask some additional questions) and it will tell you everything!
I find this so much better than just reading through so much information and it is provided by the official government website.
⛅ Weather
Look we all know what the UK weather is famous for so don't be surprised if it's not sunny, actually be surprised if it is!
Even during summer do not expect very hot temperatures, most of the time 25C is our max, but trust me when I say that the UK can't handle anything more than 30C so it's going to be alright.
I would recommend visiting during summer so that you get more chances to have nice days, but rain and clouds could always be there.
But if you come during winter, you must come for Christmas! This city is magical during this time of the year (and also very busy!) In winter, it can get colder but not crazy cold like Iceland. In London, the minimum temperature could be -5 on very cold days, but usually it keeps around 5-8C as min.
💵 Currency and Payment Methods
Currency: the British Pound - GBP - £
I NEVER carry cash with me. Since I live in London I always pay for everything with a card, even when it's just 0.20p and all contactless. Sometimes I even forget to bring the actual cart with me, so don't worry about bringing cash or having to withdraw.
There are places, especially the buffets in Chinatown that will tell you they only accept cash, but trust me if you insist they will most likely accept the card payment!
Anyway, I use Revolut as a Travel Card around the world and even in London to help me budget my life, so you shouldn't have any issue with this.
📱 Internet and SIM Cards
If you are travelling from the EU, you might not need to buy any additional sim or internet plan, but please check with your provider as it could be different for different countries and plans.
When choosing the plan for you, if you are on a budget, keep in mind that many places will have free wifi, especially museums and cafes.
ESim
eSims are very popular as you don't need to physically switch your sims and it is so easy to just activate/deactivate. A con is that you don't have access to phone calls, but if you don't need them I find it the best choice.
I used Airalo in the past for overseas trips. It was very easy to buy and activate it from the app.
Pocket Wifi
I never had to use it, but doing some research I think this has the best value for money.
Physical Sims
If you prefer having calls available or a more traditional option, you can get a sim at the airport, a relevant store or even a convenience store.
Here is a link to blog where it's all well explained.
🚈 Transportation
London has a very good transportation system. You will find buses, metro (called the tube by Londoners), cycles and mopeds. And then, of course, taxis, uber and the various apps, instant rentals, all sorts. But the fastest way will be the tube.
From and to the airports
The airports are all very well connected and you will have different options. I would personally recommend the coaches if arriving late in the evening/night or departing very early in the morning, as there will not be traffic and trains will not be available most of the time.
I always use National Express for the coaches and it worked fine so far. It's cheaper if you buy both ways, than buying separately. The journey could take around 1/1.5 hours depending on which airport and station you are arriving/departing.
If you are arriving during the day and don't mind any extra delay that traffic might cause, coaches could still be suitable and the cheapest options, but if not, trains and airport express might be faster. Depending on the stations and airports, it could take around 40 minutes/1 hour.
Heathrow is connected by two tube lines: the Elizabeth Line (pretty new, larger, faster) and the Piccadilly Line (older, smaller, slower).
Stanstead has its own express which you can find in here.
While Gatwick is connected by both regional trains and its express. You can check the regional trains on Trainline or Thameslink websites, while the one below is for the express.
I never met someone who flew in London City Airport but if you are lucky enough to have this flight, you will be happy to know that it is located in zone 3 and well connected to many areas of the city. The station is served by the DLR and you can be in central in 30 minutes.
The Tube
If it's the first time in a big city, take into consideration that time might feel different from a smaller city. Here, it is normal to get 45/60 minutes to get somewhere, and when it's 30 min or less, we actually feel it's near. That's because the city is so big, that it could easily be 8 smaller cities together, if not more!
I would not recommend getting an Oyster but using your card to pay for your tube rides. You will get charged at the end of the day and there is a max cap for every zone, the fares are the same as the Oyster but you will not need to spend extra money to get the card.
City Mapper App
I highly recommend downloading the app City Mapper, which will help to get around, telling you all the different options with timings and prices. It is always updated with strikes, street closures, and delays. It gives you a real-time update on your journey and guides you on which exit will be the best. Even Londoners use it, as it's impossible to know every place in this City and it's just the best app!
🔌 Sockets Voltage and Types
Power plug sockets: Type G
Standard voltage: 230V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Check your electronics before hands, usually cameras, phones, powerbanks, tablets and similar all have "100-240V" and "50-60Hz" market which means they are safe to use over there as well.
Things that require more energy like laptop chargers and hair dryers usually are not suitable and you must buy a converter rather than a simple adaptor.
If you need a simple adaptor, I strongly recommend this one. Me and my partner used this in the UK, but also on our trips to Japan, Italy and Spain. With the many ports available it was enough for all our appliances.
📌 Personal tips
To be fair I find it difficult to give tips on London, as I live here I could talk about it for so long and with so many details. But I will stick with some basics and if you want to know more or in detail, you can always get in touch.
🪤Tourist trap in the city
From food to experiences to overpriced things, London is a big city and the city centre and famous spots will have many tourist traps. Check prices around before buying in one place, check different restaurants (or guides with food places in London), and argue with them saying you are a Londoner and they should give you a different price.
🥷Pickpocketing and phone stealing
London is very busy, so you will get surrounded by many people, especially in some parts of the city, When surrounded by people, do not have your phone in your back pockets, or important things in your backpack pockets, just make sure your important things are well kept and not an easy target.
Ensure you don't look at your phone or hold it loosely while checking the map. In London they steal phones like no tomorrow, it's crazy. While waiting at the bus stop, crossing the street, or just on the side checking something, it could always happen, so be very aware of who is around you and if bicycles have easy access.
Another way how they will try to steal your phone (if you are sitting at a table) could be with the paper trick. They will ask for money like beggars, with a piece of paper with something written on it, they will cover your phone with that paper and when you tell them to go, they will take your phone with them. By the team you realise your phone is missing it will be too late. I saw it so many times on CCTV in my previous job and even in real life with a friend - luckily I grabbed the phone before the thief!
Here I dropped a video that shows it visually.
📑Book in advance
London is BUSY! As a Londoner, I always book if it's a special occasion and I really want to go to a place. Book experiences, and restaurants or be ready for queueing. Free places like the Sky Garden should be booked even 2 months in advance.
⏰Timings
In a big city like London, you will always find what you are looking for and at every hour, but it could be a bit more difficult than usual hours.
A lot of convenience stores are open 24 hours, however, their prices are much higher than a supermarket, so always try to shop in those.
Restaurants usually don't have a break in between like in some European countries, most of them will be open from Breakfast/Lunch till dinner. The most busy time is 12-3 pm and 6-9 pm. Closing time could be from 10 till midnight and you will need to check before going if it's late and they could close the kitchen earlier.
There is a rule about Sunday working a max of hours, so many shops, museums, supermarkets, etc will be open just 11 am-5 pm or 12-6 pm, and unless is a bank holiday, Sunday evening is empty around.
☺️ Queueing and being polite
In England you will hear 'sorry' and 'thank you' so often and it could feel for no apparent reason. People here are just used to saying it even when it's not their fault or when there is nothing to be thankful for. For example, if you bump into someone they will probably say sorry, but you definitely should say it too! Sometimes this can also lead to fake politeness, like people will say nice words but their tone and facial expression will not be nice at all, which is very frustrating.
Queueing: coming from the south of Italy I never saw an organised queue and I was SHOCKED when I saw it in England. Do not try to cut the queue, do not try to make your way in, just respect it and follow the rules because people really care about queueing in here.
If you need help booking your trip to London, book a consultation call with a Londoner like me and get to ask all those specific questions you can't find online ✨
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