How to travel to London, England - and have a great time!

Having family in England, I try to go there each year to visit. This is how I plan my trip.

When I have picked my travel dates, I visit various on-line travel sites, such as Expedia, Kayak, etc., to find the best deals on flights. However, it is also a good idea to double check the prices against the individual airline web sites, such as American, Virgin and British Airways, because sometimes you can get a better deal if you go to them directly.

By the way you will need a current passport! So make sure you get one in plenty of time before your trip (or renew if it is expiring soon) US citizens do not need a special visa for vacations or business trips in the UK if the visit is for less than six months, (although I heard that the Brits are considering changing this time frame to three months some time in the future.)

http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Step 1 Flying away!

If you fly from JFK in New York, to London's Heathrow airport, there are plenty of air carriers to choose from. I like to fly direct, as changing planes and hanging around airports is no joke. Incidentally non-stop flights are usually cheaper any way.

Comments

[ber3gf]

Thank you. I have some friends in London and now I am planning a travel, i live in colombian Coast,(a paradise for me) see you.

[mrfusi0n]

I'm very happy to see this guide, I just wish I had seen it sooner. I'm currently near the end of a three week stay in London for business (after which I'll be returning to Maine). Since I've been staying in a hotel near St. Paul's Cathedral, I've spent quite a few hours wandering around various places via the tube and buses but also quite a bit in this area. If you're up for a good 2 or 3 mile walk, I would highly recommend the following route: 1) Start from and check out St. Paul's Cathedral (or follow this list in reverse). 2) Head south and cross the the Millennium Bridge. 3) If you like modern art, check out the Tate Gallery of Modern Art at the south end of the bridge. 4) Head east (and a little south) to Borough Market for amazing variety of food, wine, cheese, fruit, etc. 5) Now go north east to the Thames river and follow the walking path at the river's edge east. 6) This walking path will take you to the WWII ship HMS Belfast. A little further is city hall. I don't know if there's much to do there but I was lucky enough to find a free theater performance going on out front. 7) Slightly farther east you will find the Tower Bridge. I'm sure you would have noticed this back at step 5. 8) Cross the Tower Bridge back to the north side of the river 9) When you reach the north end of the bridge, you can check out the Tower of London which will be on your left (north west). 10) Extra step. If you want to make this a complete circuit, you can head north west to the Bank of England on your way back to St. Paul's. That's it! Lots to see and experience in just a 2 or 3 miles walk, if of course, you don't mind all the walking!

[ratgod]

Nice pics, but northern England is much cleaner and nicer :) but then again I'm a Mancunian so I would be a little biased on the subject :)

My mum come from London though so we visited a lot.

Did you see the H.M.S Belfast while you were there?

[randomhand]

Londons Hidden Gem - The Cheshire Cheese
parts of it from the 13th centuary, rebuilt after the great fire(1666). renound drinking hole of Dr Samuel Johnson - genuine living history, perfect beer and Ludicrously cheep price £1.90 a pint.

Its in the middle of fleet street hidden around the corner of the banking district and not far from st pauls.

http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_details.php?pub_id=154#

its my favorite pub. :)

[randomhand]

And charles Dickens. i forgot.

[gareth99]

Hi.

I have always booked my Airport Taxi with Hummingbird Cars as they are a Licensed Private hire London Airport Taxi company. They provide Taxi services from and to all London Airports Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City Airports. They have very good fleet of cars and also very experienced and well mannered drivers . They also provide 5 % discount on all return journeys.
http://www.hummingbirdcars.com

[skinnyboy]

The traffic being on the left means that usually, you need to look to your right to check for any immediate threats when crossing.  Helpfully, most cities now paint instrucitons on the tarmac at crossings indicating which direction to look for traffic. 

[skinnyboy]

No, the steering wheel is on the "right" side, just look.  See, right side.  :p  It was a British car after all... 


Nice 'ible,

E

[lemonie]

This is quite comprehensive!
You might like to add a UK-based train guide to it:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

L

(I have family near Woodbridge)

[stinkymum]

You are right. I never thought of that. The trains drove me mad, with all the special rules and regs on buying cheap tickets. Luckily I had purchased my rail card before I went which saved me mega bucks and I could travel any time on any train.

[F1X0R]

Wow I see a lot of people are bad mouthing london. Great! go away, we don't want you here. I might (as I have a lot of time off) make an instructable on getting around and places to visit in London, from a Londoners point of view. Some of the great places that you don't see in the tourist travel guide. With regards to photography on the tube. I have a few nice pictures of my friends and I standing on a platform at Temple station, and Angel Islington station. The met or city of london police may get a bit picky if you've got a big DSLR and are taking a lot of photos, but I've never been stopped. They can not make you delete your photos, remember that, some officers (tend to be new) have in the past tried to (with varying success) tried to make people Delete photos. You are no longer permited to smoke in any enclosed public space any more, though it will be marked with a nice big no smoking sign, makes my day better anyway. My biggest tip is, don't drive, london is very busy, so you won't get far, try to avoid traveling in rush hour, Buses, trains, Tube trains, DLR services, they all get packed out. Buy a 1 day (or I think you can buy 3 and 7 day ones too) that give you access for that day to all the above services. and the one day one is GBP 7 so about $13 or so for an adult and 2 pounds for a child under 16, just don't make my friends mistake and carry your driving license and then buy a child ticket! London is great really, Huge cultural melting pot, there are a lot of people from very different backgrounds here. Very modern, and old buildings, a lot of interesting history, most museums are free or have a very nominal entry fee, the Natural history museum and Science Museum are both pretty great and free.

[stinkymum]

I agree about not driving in London. Beware the "dreaded Congestion Charing Zone" My husband and I got caught entering it a few years ago when it was fairly new - we had never heard of it, and the car rental place didn't warn us! However we fought the fines imposed and won! We just paid the basic fee, which was fine with us.

[F1X0R]

You want to ask the locals that have to deal with it everyday (and don't forget its bigger with the western extension, but that may be scrapped) and well, the replies would only be aired after the watershed. My Dad when traveling into it nearly got a fine because the guy that printed up the original "pass" got his number plate wrong by one digit. They did let him off though. It is something that is very unpopular with everyone in London. Given the motorist has to pay Road fund license anyway. /rant But try to avoid actually driving, partially if you are not used to driving on the left. In other words it may take some time to get used to a car where everything is the right way around!

[stinkymum]

Too right!

[thinker]

londons new mayor has delared it his mission to get rid of the bendy busses, so you shouldnt have to see them for too long ⁺

[F1X0R]

Yeah Boris Johnson says a lot of things. He said he'd bring back routemasters, so they were wheelchair friendly (they were scrapped because it is hard for them to be used by wheelchair users) and make them hybrid powered, now after he gets into office "That might be too expensive" which roughly translates as, ain't gonna happen.

[The Jamalam]

Apparently we invented ping pong and called it wif waf if i remember rightly...

[stinkymum]

Hooray - I hate those things. The double decker is a London icon. It's a shame you see more of them in New York City and Toronto. To quote Flanders and Swan from their song Transport of Delight! "That 30-foot-long by 10-foot-wide Inside that monarch of the road, Observer of the Highway Code, That big six-wheeler scarlet-painted London transport diesel-engined 97-horsepower omnibus."

[johnomi]

I live here, not to offend anyone but i dont see why people come here. Theres only a few attractions and no not everyone speaks like on the tv shows. Why not go to NY or Dubai or somewhere else nice, thats only my opinion. Feel free to visit!

[stinkymum]

Perhaps they do go to NY and Dubai and lots of other places - and London too! (I don't think I fancy Dubai myself though!)

[Kiteman]

You came to England and didn't call in? Shame on you!

When did you travel, though? Concorde hasn't flown out of Heathrow for five years, and you've got two in that photo!

Other sites I can personally recommend - Science Museum, British Museum, V&A museum (since you're into fabrics & what-not, not good for small kids), Covent Garden market, Imperial War Museum. Have a ride in a black cab. Tate Modern, and the Millennium Bridge.

Oh, and the London Eye has the same carry-on rules as airports, because it's owned by British Airways. They took my camera tripod off me last time (you get them all back, though).

[thinker]

call in where? o.0

[Kiteman]

Suffolk

[whatsisface]

I'll second the Tate and the Science museum. Buck House is always a good one. Also, "very efficient train services that spider out from central London," - am I thinking of the same England here? I kid I kid. Also worth noting is that it is considered common courtesy to keep to the right on underground escalators, so impatient people can get past.

[Artekus]

agree on the 'keep to right' etiquette. Be careful not to get mown down by suits marching off to board meetings :)

[stinkymum]

well.....compared to Long Island the trains are wonderful. I did have a problem last year though when arriving on a Sunday, we found that the trains did not go straight through to Ipswich from Liverpool Street, (because of repairs to the tracks) and we had to get off the train and get on a bus that was provided - and that took us there instead! Yes impatient people on the escalators were the cause of me dropping my case down the stairs, because they kicked it out of my hand and then yelled at me!

[stinkymum]

This September I am coming over to Woodbridge in Suffolk (and visits to London) for 5 weeks!

[Kiteman]

Oh, that is so near me!

[stinkymum]

I remember when the Tate Modern was Bankside Power Station in the 1950's, belching forth smoke. It is across the river from where I used to live as a child in the City of London (one of the few). My Uncle Tom worked at the power station by the way. I'm glad it was not demolished as it is a wonderful building, although I'm not that keen on some of the exhibits!

[stinkymum]

I was last there in November of 2007, but I thought the Concorde picture was an interesting one (and the only one I have of planes at Heathrow by the way!) I arrived there the day of the last flight in 2002 on a previous trip. I didn't know you lived in England! Rule Britannia! I love the Science Museum (happy childhood memories) Imperial War Museum is fabulous, also the V & A although I always get lost there.

[DIYDragon]

A great Instructable! - England is one of the places I've always wanted to visit. You've got some great tips for getting the most for your money. I unfortunately don't know anyone over there; I just think it's a cool place. Though I'm not much for ugly tourist hats with huge flags.. must be my being born in Florida that makes me hate anything that makes you explicitly look like an 'introduced species'. XD Tabz

[wibbble]

Yeah, but don't take pictures inside or of the outside of Tube stations. That's not legal any more and the Met will probably shoot you in case you're a terrorist. Don't go to London! It's a horrible, horrible city. Dirty, overcrowded, and miserable.

[jlms]

That is completely untrue. You can take as many pictures as you like outside tube stations. Inside tube stations the only restriction is that falsh photography is not allowed. London i snot horrible: the architecture is unique and interesting, it is not more overcrowded than other places, neither is dirty. Unfortunately most people see only Central London and live with this wrong impression of the full town forever, nevertheless it takes a shor tube ride to places like Blackheat, Primrose Hill, Richmond and other similar places to really get to know London beyond the tourist cliches propagated by misinformed people.

[wibbble]

You're wrong.

TFL's rules on photography

[jlms]

Which part of "LU Film Office Commercial Film/Photography Rates" is not clear? It is nice to pull straws to win an argument, but the truth lies elsewhere. Tourist photography is not commercial and as long as you are not told to stop by a member of staff (since you are in "private" property) you can snap away as much as you wish. Normally the only reason you will be stopped is if you use flash, try to set up a tripod or become an annoyance to other users. As for taking pictures outside tube stations, specially in public spaces, there is absolutely no shred of truth that such activity is not permitted or that is regulated in general. To say it is illegal takes the biscuit.

[wibbble]

I quote:

> Do I need to obtain permission to film or photograph on London
> Underground?

> Yes. Anybody wanting to film or take pictures must seek prior permission
> from the London Underground Film Office.

(Emphasis added.)

[stinkymum]

I note you are from Edinburgh - now that is a beautiful city - like London!

[wibbble]

I try to spend as little time in London as I possibly can - I just don't see the appeal. Edinburgh's much nicer, but so is Glasgow, or Birmingham, or any other city I've been to! There's also something of a cultural issue: the vast majority of the UK media are based out of London and there's an inherent assumption in most of the major newspapers and all the TV broadcasting that their main audience is in London. Which is hellishly annoying when you live very far away from London. FWIW, my comment about photographing the Tube is correct - a BBC news crew got moved on by the police for trying to use a Tube station as a backdrop. You need to get a permit or face getting your camera taken off you.

[jlms]

Again, you don't know what you are talking about. Professional photography may be regulated in some places for diverse reasons (even in Canary Wharf you need a permit for this, even though it would seem like a public space). The regular public is at complete freedom to take pictures as long as one does not make a nuisance of himself. London is one of the top cultural centres in the world. Classical and pop music, museums, teathre, cinema, literature are all well represented by regular visits of world top class performers. London is also host to many sports events like regular Premiership matches (the best league in the world, there are always 6 or 7 teams in the top flight), Wimbledon tennis tournament, one official NFL game and many others. Foodwise London is unbeatable. For 3 or 4 quid you can go to a takeaway and buy Chinese, Indian, Turksih, Lebanese, Japanese, Italian or many other kinds of food, or sit down in a proper restaurant and sample delicacies from anywhere around the world (including haggis mind you). Finally how the media behaves has nothing to do with the objective qualities of London as a place. You can't seriously transfer your dislike of the media attitude against London i general. It simple is not objective.

[wibbble]

Canary Wharf is private property, as is made explicit by the sign on the walkway across the dock which goes to great lengths to point out that it's not a public highway and by allowing you access they're not granting you any other rights, blah, blah, blah. Technically the Tube is too, although that might not occur to most people. I'm not going to respond to the rest for the simple reason that opinions do not need to be objective.