Hi there, London.
SURE, everyone knows the basics of London - the home to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the London Eye.
England’s capital and most visited place is commonly seen as the gateway to Europe. No-one misses visiting London when they head to the UK, it’s almost compulsory.
Whether you want fish and chips, to ride the tube or visit Camden Markets, London has it going on. Modern London is multicultural and full of life and you’ll never get bored however, there’s more to it than you’ll imagine. The city nicknamed ‘The Old Smoke’ isn’t all plain sailing.
Things are different in London and you may want to check these pointers out before you head there.
GETTING AROUND
You’ll need an Oyster card or a travel card, they cost around £3.50 or around $7 followed by a further £1.50 ($3) for each journey. If you’re from Melbourne you’ll understand the switch as similar to using the Myki, and Sydney’s Opal card.
Download the City Mapper app, it’s incredibly useful. You’ll never be lost when you have this active.
TRAVEL ETIQUETTE
If you want to rest while you get taken up or down on the escalator, make sure you stand on the right side. Especially in London, people will frantically be coming past you on the left so make sure you remember this.
JUST REMEMBER
The tube gets crammed! Peak times such as rush hour in the morning anywhere from 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm can be tight. The tubes will fill up quickly and it won’t be a comfortable ride back.
It’s not unusual for it to be silent on the tube. In London no one seems to speak to each other, whether they are staring at their smart phones, reading the paper, snoozing or gazing into the distance, expect this.
WEATHER
It doesn’t rain as much as you think. London actually rains less than Paris or Rome not to mention the rest of the UK. It may be grim sometimes but when it rains it is normally just in spurts rather than all day long. Just take a hoodie or a coat just in case, or a small umbrella if you want to carry one around.
SPENDING MONEY
London has its costs. According to recent research, London may be more than 30 per cent more expensive than Sydney. That’s clothes, food and transportation all considered with the latter being nearly double the cost!
Tips aren’t as essential in London as they would be in the US, however it’s common to tip. If you’ve ordered food 10 per cent is a good start however if there is a service charge added, which is more often now 12.5 per cent then that’s the majority or all of your tip right there.
HUNGRY?
Dining out in London doesn’t have to cost the Earth. Visit a money saving website like MyVoucherCodes to avoid paying full price when eating out at London’s popular restaurants.
THIRSTY?
Pubs are a way of life here. People will often go to the pub during the week but mostly on weekends. If you sit in the pub all weekend then that’s considered pretty standard in London. Don’t feel the need to do something productive, the pub’s a fine substitute for that!
FREE ACTIVITIES
Most of the city’s top museums and galleries are completely free entry. So if you want to head to the famous British Museum, Tate Modern or National History Museum then you won’t have to pay a thing.
PHOTO OPS
London is one of the places left in the world where the telephone boxes exist and actually work. The famous red telephone boxes are decreasing however but you’ll still at least one or two kicking about the streets of London.
SPORTS
Soccer is football and football is the number one sport. London is no different to the rest of the UK on being football mad, but in London there are more teams to consider. Whether it’s EPL big hitters like Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, you also have to consider West Ham, Crystal Palace and smaller clubs such as Watford, QPR and Fulham. The list goes on!
MEETING PEOPLE
You are definitely not the only foreigner. Sometimes it may take a while to meet or speak to an actual local. Modern cities are full of people from the world and London is definitely no different from this. You’ll more than likely bump into someone from a different country first given hundreds of languages are spoken here.
SHOPPING
Shopping alternatives from Oxford Circus are Covent Garden, Kings Road and Regent Street. They’ll be more low key in comparison however are good options to consider.
STREETS
Jaywalking doesn’t exist in London; if it did no one would get anywhere. Be careful when you cross because London is hectic for traffic.
NEED A RIDE?
The black cabs have a novelty about them but you’ll find if you do ever take a taxi local cabs and Uber are cheaper and more convenient.
This story originally appeared on CheapFlights.com.au
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