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WORST London Mistakes that Visitors Make // London Travel Tips + Secrets
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มี.ค. 2021
- These are the WORST mistakes that people make in London, including transportation mistakes in London and other London travel tips to help make the most of your London vacation.
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Do not mess with any guards at any site, these people are real soldiers and carry "live" weapons! They deserve your respect!
Correct Mike.
Also, don't be an ugly tourist, often associated with loud Americans, but we Aussies have a bad rep sometimes too.
It's also worth noting that whilst Buckingham Palace is inaccessible, there are places like the Horse Guards where they sometimes are. As many people have said though, don't try to mess with them. They'll tolerate you walking past just fine, but walk in front of them and they will give you a verbal "Make Way for the Queen's Guard!" warning. Repeated attempts at distracting or aggravating will get you arrested.
Exactly, I think some tourist think they are actors like the characters at Disneyland. Nope they are Soldiers
@@OneTrueScotsman No I think they have already earnt our respect. These men and women have to complete regular tours which may have included war zones and peace keeping duties. The fact they are regulars means they are prepared to go to war to defend us, that should be enough to earn anyone's respect.
As a London cabby it’s worth explaining that when our yellow light is off, we are not available. Many times I’ve seen tourists frustrated and waving their arms at occupied cabs. Also because cabbies are self employed you can negotiate a cheaper price upfront for the longer trips, tours and airports.
Great tip, thank you so much for sharing!
You should really mention that pretty much all ‘national’ museums are free and a lot of them are awesome!
AS someone who works in the 'museum' (we like to call it the cultural) sector I totally agree. The number of Free Museum and Galleries is outstanding. As also a Friend of the British Museum I can say with certain that you will never see everything in the British Museum.
@@marcuswardle3180 The free museums aer a feature of many capital cities. I can cite Wellington NZ, Canberra Australia, Washington DC USA as other examples of cities taht have free museums. Many governments see it as their duty to fund free museums as a way of taking care of the valuable artifacts. legends, history of the country. London has many FANTASTIC museums. The Imperial War Museum i thought merited several days not just one visit.
@@afpwebworks The structure under which we get funding, whether we be a National or a small private museum, is that we have to make the collections freely accessible. This is in relation to what the grant was awarded for. For example the museum in which I work has a large collections of magazines which we are wanting to be digitised. We can get more stories and solve people’s enquiries in doing this. If we get a grant we would have to make it freely available. If we raise the money ourself we can charge, if we want to. Some of these grants can run into millions. Another museum I know wanted to conserve an exhibit and open it up more. They got a grant for about £5 million pounds! The plane was Concorde though!
A note about the guards... Tourists always seem to imagine that the guards are "Chocolate Box" soldiers who do nothing else - this is NOT TRUE. The guards regiments are regular soldiers who take on combat missions abroad and who perform all the normal duties of any other regiment. The horse guards for instance are a mobile armoured regiment when deployed. They take on "Ceremonial duties" in historic uniform ON TOP of their regular duties as normal soldiers. Messing with the guards is deeply disrespectful and can land you, as a tourist, in very serious trouble.
Exactly dont do anything you wouldnt do to a soldier in your country who is carrying a real gun on duty in a city at risk of terrorist attacks.
The Guards are elite regiments.
I have also heard they get docked pay if they do laugh. So it may be funny to the person messing with them, not so much for the guard.
For the American tourists planning on a UK visit, the comparison would be messing with the USMC sentinels at the Arlington memorial or the White House. Most have completed multiple combat tours in Iraq or Afghanistan (many times both). They are front line soldiers who are carrying out the ceremonial part of their duties.
I think the worst mistake you can make as an American coming to London is to ignore the "Look right" sign as you step off a curb. That sign is there to prevent your getting hit by a car or bus. Enjoy your channel. Keep it up.
Oh so true!! Thanks for watching!
'Kerb'?
@@LondonEd Yes, no doubt. We spell it differently in the States. Thanks .
@@russandomire7349 When in Rome!
I don't even need to watch this video. As a Brit I can tell you what the NUMBER ONE rule is:
*DO NOT STAND ON THE LEFT OF THE ESCALATOR. EVER.*
The funny thing is that this literally only applies in London. In the rest of the UK we really don't care.
It is a bit confusing because where AVI am from (Sydney ) you stand to the left
There are signs everywhere, and announcements, and you can see other people standing on the right. So… why? Why? Many Londoners have long and tiring commutes. We might have only a few minutes to make a connection to another train. So that lovely clear space you see ahead and behind you… there’s a reason for that!
@@brontewcatMelbourne too. (So there ARE things we can agree on!)
You're one of us now, that's the first time I've heard an American correctly call our takeaways the chippy 🍟 🐟
Let's remember though that chippys don't just do fish and chips...batters sausage,spam fritters,"scraps - (not fights)
And fishcakes
@@itsmephil2255 it also varies depending on where you are. Saveloys and Rock, chip barm, fried Mars bar, Eels, pickled eggs, scallops. The list is endless.
As an aside, the word chippy comes from it's original name. The Chipped Potato Shop. Apparently it was classd as a luxury and very few working people would use it until prices dropped.
@@philipmason3218 exactly
@@itsmephil2255 The chippy I've favoured for years is owned by a Chinese family, so they also do a load of chinese dishes. If you spend a minimum amount, you get prawn crackers for free whether you are having a chinese or fish and chips 😁
@@luckytri9716 I like the sound of that 👍
Get a tube from Charing X to embankment. Takes about 30 minutes. The walk takes 2.
best fish and chips are on the coast in seaside towns like whitby in london fish and chips r overpriced and crap
Agreed
That’s a bit of a generalised remark, there are some really good chips shops In London, also some crap ones like most places
My son in law makes the London Bus Maps. They used to be produced by London Transport but they stopped making them years ago. Now he not only produces them, he supplies them to the London Transport Museum. They are an absolute must for any London tourist.
I think it is worth reminding visitors to be very careful when crossing the road as vehicles come from your RIGHT.
Whenever I go to London, I don't get jet lag. But, then again, it's 25 minutes on the train.
This made me laugh, thank you!
A flight would probably have been cheaper, than the train.
@@crcomments8509 maybe, but my closest airport is Heathrow!
Don't forget most museums are free !! - May have to book in advance as things open up - there may be restrictions on numbers - but normally you could just walk in - Natural history museum for example - although most appreciate a donation or contribution for a guide book etc
Great tip! Love all of the free things to do in London!
Museums are free but its always very polite to put a contribution in the clear boxes on the way in or out.
Without funding they can't keep providing education for the masses
I'd suggest going to Greenwich for the National Maritime Museum. I remember seeing the uniform Nelson was shot in at Trafalgar, complete with bloodstains.
I always take friends and family visiting London on the Thames Clipper. Can't recommend it enough. You can see most of the sights from the River, the clipper is fairly cheap, frequent and fast (compared to tour boats) and is a much nicer way to get from Westminster to Tower hill and Greenwich than using the tube (although getting the DLR can be fun too with kids at the front of the train). There's a bar on the boat too - used to commute home by boat sometimes in summer and grab a beer on the way home. So good.
That sounds ace 😄
You can't sit at the very front of the DLR at the minute. It's reserved for staff for social distancing purposes! The other carriages behind it you can sit in the front seat at least
When I returned to Ireland after ten yers in London, I used to call it a "Chippy" and everyone looked at me funny.. "You mean Chipper?" they'd ask... a Chippy in Ireland is a carpenter... (a Sparks is an electrician)...
A Chippy can also be a carpenter in the UK
I would suggest buying a pocket sized A-to-Z street atlas. Pretty cheap and really clearly laid out. Much better than even a smartphone for getting a sense of where you are and ad-libbing interesting ways to get from here to there. Also, Android and probably iPhones allow you to download areas of their maps so you can still use them where there is no wifi signal and avoid expensive data roaming charges.
As an ex-Londoner I watched this video expecting a few glaring errors but
I think you absolutely nailed it. Well done
Brilliant video. I’m British. And what you said is very true and great advice.
Thanks for watching!
One thing I’d add is the size, most people including English people that don’t live in London don’t realise how big it is
If you don't know London from the ground, you won't know what you're looking at from the Shard, or the London Eye. I could look out from the Shard forever, but I lived in London for 10 years, and moved around a lot. If you're keen on high buildings, that's a different matter.
The zoologist Desmond Morris wrote some great books about how humans work, the most famous is "Manwatching". This theory is that on places like The Tube, people are placed closer together than they really want to be, or are used to. It makes people uncomfortable - and one coping mechanism is simply to try and pretend nobody else is there - to ignore them. This is the reason people seem to ignore you on the tube. They're not being rude, they're being defensive.
I live ten miles north of the London boundary, and fairly often find myself on the Piccadily Line to Cockfosters (where my partner will pick me up). For the last couple of stations there might only be one or two people in my carriage, and sometimes , we even start talking to each other - the stress is gone so the conversation is easy.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
When I worked in London it was more of a case of every day you get ground down to senible silence to avoid beggars, drunks,druggies, pick pockets and if you are a woman unwanted attention to want a nice chat on the tube. People will help tourists if not in a rush. Quaint theory though and you are right about defensive for real reason. There are places where you can talk with londoners like the pubs.
I am a Londoner by birth, but South East London where there is no tube. So I ‘ve always talked on the tube, screw you North, West, South and East London!
The O.G. London Bridge is actually on Lake Havasu in Arizona. 😂
There are some horrendous hotels in London. Like old houses knocked through into one complex: all squeaky floorboards, thin walls and no aircon. Stay in a modern hotel, or stay in an airbnb. Almost anywhere could be good, but be sure to check the area thoroughly on street view to ensure there isn't a 24hr gas station or refuse (rubbish) transfer station across the road. Or a fire station or ambulance station! An airbnb in a leafy suburb like Ealing or Hampsted, near a tube station, could be good. I prefer an apartment closer to the centre, but ensure there isn't a pub below you or across the road!
Great tips, thank you for sharing!
YES!!! Chippy chips are by FAAARRR superior to anything you get in a restaurant, it's hard to explain, especially when you're at the seaside, being attacked by seagulls lol. I think it has something to do with the oil they use, the way they drench the meal in salt & vinegar then immediately wrap them in paper, takes it to another level.
Mmmm, I can taste them now!
BUT: make sure they use proper malt vinegar - not the ghastly “non-brewed condiment” most of them will attempt to pass off. Moreover, it is best to find a chip 'ole that uses dripping or lard to fry fish and chips in, not oil. You cannot heat oils to the high temperature required to cook the food properly. Oil needs an extended time because of the low temperature, so there is opportunity for your fish and chips to absorb the oil and become greasy. Using animal fat at a higher temperature means less fat is absorbed.
Any particular chippy you recommend, TIA.
What is downtown. I hear Americans say 'downtown' all the time but what is it. Its not an expression we use here in Scotland. Fish and chips. Definitely go to a fish and chip shops but remember, Londons fish and chips even from a chippy aren't as good as in the rest of the UK.
I found out the awkward way. Oyster is a guaranteed payment method. A lot of banks, mine included, like to put a stop on your contactless card if they think it's an unusual transaction. If I'm travelling in the UK, I let my bank know about it so my card doesn't get declined
If you pay buy contactless make sure that you touch out even if the barrier is open if you don't the system will default to the highest fare, for rail station there are normal small stand alone touch point by the exits as well as the barriers
Wow lady, this aint your first rodeo!!! I spent a lot of time earlier in my working life travelling through Asia and Europe for business and it got to where i had a million frequent flier points. ( i say that not to brag but just to emphaasise my qualifications for saying the next thing) - everything you say here is so sensible and well thought through. You've clearly learned all that stuff by personal experience or from the actual experiences of people you know. Visitors to London will not go wrong by following your advice to the letter.
Thanks for your positive feedback and for watching Mike! I appreciate it! London is such an amazing city and I'm so grateful to have called it home for so many years now. :)
You should do London outside of Zone 1 on the tube. By the way, Its only non Londoner's who describe anything as zones on the tube. Real London culture is mostly found in the non tourist areas so get to Clapham, Whitechapel, Brixton, Canning Town, Kentish Town, Hammersmith etc
A travel trip for those who may travel outside of London by train check out the various rail cards that are available which gives a third off train fares, one for example is the twotogether card which if two adults travel together they get a third off each, the card does cost £30 and you will need passport style photos for it but you can easy get the cost back after only two trips.
Your comment on using the tube too much is really true. Sometimes you spend more time going down to the train than the journey on the train. However I once decided to walk from Paddington to Whitehall... had to stop for a coffee in Hyde park and was almost late for a meeting!
Great city to visit I still have lots of the museums to see.
Another YT personality, Geoff Marshall, and his wife Vicki Pipe actually have videos up where Geoff will take the tube while his wife will walk the same journey. Of course he is a Tube expert, so they pick the station pairs where Vicki is likely to win, but they usually pick stations where you might transfer to a different line. Also check out their channel All the Stations.
Good information here, though.
@@gdofred I have raced a friend from Leicester Square to Piccadilly Circus. I strolled along at street level while he took the 1 stop tube journey. I reckon he probably had to walk further than I did, just getting to and from the platforms.
Some intelligent observations.
Hi I agree, get an Oyster Card. You can order them from abroad, if you are happy for it to be posted to you. Using contactless cards is OK, but make sure you use the same card for the whole day. There is a limit on how much you will be charge in any day, but if you use multiple cards the system will not know so the limit will not apply. Make sure you tap in and importantly out for each trip (if you only tap in you will be charge for maximum journey).
You don't need to tap out on bus or tram.
Oyster card can be used on Tube, Bus, DLR and Tram (Croydon) as well as some Mainline Trains.
Each adult needs their on card (oyster or credit/debit) you can't share by tapping in twice.
Good Advice. Regarding Royal Guards, Some Visitors to Buckingham Palace love provoking the royal guards in a bid to get them to smile. But their attempts are in vain. No matter how many jokes you make or photos you take the royal guards somber expression won’t crack.
So true!
Yeah don't mess with the Queen's guard. The guns ain't for show and if you mess with them, they will mess you up and they're allowed to do so. Also they're severing on the frontline.
'Serving'?
We are not impatient walking up or down the escalator. Those 30 seconds can mean 30 minutes wait for the next train. 😁
Yes that is true! I have been one of those London commuters and have fully pushed tourists aside in my dash!
avoid rush hour from three to six pm, everyone wants to go home
A few years ago London Underground did some experiments at Holburn, which has a long escalator. They were stopping people walking up the left side during rush hour and getting people to stand on both sides. They found that they could get more people up the escalator that way, but they did have to have someone stood at the bottom all the time. I don't think there would be a benefit on the short escalators from standing on both sides.
@@johnclements6614 Absolutely! I was one of those commuters putting up with that experiment for what felt like years. A good idea, but human nature won over and people weren't happy about having to wait - something about getting to walk up maybe feels like you're going somewhere faster even if you aren't!
@@johnclements6614 yeah, maybe when the escalators are like five floors long but Northern Line Waterloo is too short for that. I know that from experience! It really sucks getting stuck when you know you could have made it to your train to sunny Surrey if only those pesky tourists have moved out of the way, haha! Seems so silly and ridiculous now in March 2021 but that was our lives and will be again come June!
Funny story. On a rush hour tube. Went arse over tit. Loads of people grabbed me but time I turned to thank them they were all back engrossed in their phones or papers.
haha, if that's not a great example of Londoners, I don't know what is!
Got off the train once at Cannon Street once, my shoelace was undone so I bent down to do it up. Some bloke who was in a rush did not see me and went arse over tit.
I can remember been screamed for standing on the left of the escalator, I was helping hold onto my disabled wife as the station had no lift.
Great advice with walking, check your phone to see first. There are so many stations really close together and also some that look closer than they are esp when changing lines (looking at you Bank to Monument expedition) bus every 5 minutes for that and your legs will thank you.
Thank you! YES! The Bank to Monument absolute trek...thanks for adding your insights and watching!
Avoid the London eye and do a boat tour instead. You see so much more that way . It will take you from Westminster to the tower of London, passing HMS Belfast, Shakespeare's Globe theatre and right under tower bridge!
it doesn't rain as much as you think, in fact there is more rainfall in Paris and Madrid.
..but it does drizzle a lot. I think, from memory, that parts of East Anglia have a borderline 'semi arid' classification.
@@glynnwright1699 People always seem to come out with x city has more mm of rain than Britain, but we never claim to have heavy rain. Often it can be wet all day and only really drop a couple of mm. Why we say about the rain is because England has about 177 rain days a year, and Scotland and Wales more than that.
London is on the east coast of the UK, and usually the prevailing weather comes from the west. Moisture laden air, having travelled across the Atlantic Ocean, gets forced up as it meets land and forms rain bearing clouds, which normally falls in the west of the UK, leaving the east much drier, with typically around half the rainfall. I think London might have around 110 to 120 rain days per year, but cities like Cardiff, Bristol or Manchester would be considerably more, maybe even double that?
@@nickbrown6457 ...and, as for Cornwall! Let's just say always have your raincoat in the car.
@@glynnwright1699 - the last couple of winters have been particularly damp, but I wouldn't really think of London as a wet city. Manchester is by far a wetter city and it drizzles there a lot.
In London rain is recorded on 109 of the days on average each year. This is totally unremarkable in comparison to other cities around the world.
Manchester comes in at 140 days a year - a while month more of rain.
Seattle in the US has 150 days a year. Niigata in the West coast of Japan has 184 days of precipitation a year - I lived there for a time and an umbrella is part of your everyday items.
There is something special about London Bridge. It's London's 1st bridge. Though not the present one. The original Roman bridge is long gone.
Definitely walk, same as in NYC. You miss so much by catching the tube. A walk along the south bank is great in itself.
As a London born visitor to London, I would always travel by tube or walk.
I haven't been in a while, but I would usually get a one day travel card for the zones I needed.
I'm not a Londoner, but this seems to be great advice for anyone wishing to visit, whether you live in the UK or not.
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Your doing a great job
@@FlightProgramAborted Hey. The original London Bridge is in Arizona over a dry river.
@@kylehill3643 yep I believe they thought they were buying Tower Bridge :)
Found this very interesting and am enjoying your posts, keep up the good work👍
Thank you Brian for watching!
If you want to see guards close up walk up the mall, with your back to the palace, take the first turning on your left at the traffic lights, walk down this short road, turn left at the street end and there on your left are guards standing on the pavement. They are guarding the building behind them, which is St James Palace. Hope this helps, are was when working a London Cab Driver.
If you're visiting London, do not forget to check out my insider London guide: courses.girlgonelondon.com/courses/the-ultimate-guide-to-london-for-visitors/
Also good tip is to plan a day trip or longer outside of London. If you get rail tickets before you arrive they are much cheaper, you can purchase online for sites like the train line. They also have an app and you can just use the app to hold your tickets but make sure that your mobile device is charged because you will need this to enter the station or to show to the train conductor once on board.
Great insights, thanks for sharing!
Good advice luv .👏🏻
You talk a lot of sense and know London well. The museum’s are generally free and obviously great value.
I would say instead of London eye, use the Emirates line cable car Only 4 pounds per person return, and much less queues and waiting than london eye. Especially in spring/ summer.
Need to try the cable car this year, thanks for sharing!
Because public transport is very good in London, you can save money by staying a little outside the centre. For instance, some years ago I had to stay in Brentford for a business meeting, and the Premier Inn there was much cheaper than the Premier Inn on York Road near Kings Cross.
Actually, that can work in other places around the world, too. I once saved a lot of money when going to a business meeting in Frankfurt when there was a trade fair on (in German cities that host trade fairs, hotel prices increase massively when there’s a big trade fair happening). The Frankfurt hotels were very expensive, so some colleagues and I stayed in Mainz, which was about half an hour away by train.
Great insights, thanks for sharing!
Good advice, and many sights are in the outer boroughs or beyond (Hampton Court, Windsor Castle)so staying in the suburbs can reduce journey time to such places.
In the south of England, particularly the southeast, our winter weather is on-and-off showers.
When it rains it rains hard but not constantly, and you'll get a chilly wind with the rain.
So wear layers and invest in materials that will keep you warm and dry, but also look for clothes that will look good.
A good wool jacket will keep you warm, even when wet. Pea coats are trendy, so a wool pea coat is a good investment for coming here.
Kashmir wool jumpers look good and dry quick, invest in some.
Black cotton slacks look good in any setting, they dry quick and don't feel as uncomfortable when wet as denim.
As to shoes, high ankle and leather is your friend. So Chelsea boots, Doc Martin's or similar footwear weather well. Just make sure they're comfortable to walk in.
The real trick is to layer your garments though, by which I mean: -
Lowest layer = underwear & a wicking tshirt.
Next layer is jumper and pants
Top layer is jacket and scarf, the scarf should tuck between the jacket and jumper to stop rain trickling down your neck and under your shirt.
Umbrellas are nice, but easy to leave behind ... a good jacket isn't as easy to leave behind!
National rail days out 2 for 1 offers are better than London pass for me.
Re using the bus in London, there are a number of bus routes (e.g. 15 and 23) that take you past all the sights in the City of London and then on to Trafalgar Sq. You see all the sights of London for £1.50 rather than a sight seeing by a coach tour that would cost a lot more.
In London once you have paid for a bus journey, you can make any number of changes of bus within an hour and not pay again: just make sure you use the same Oyster Card or Contactless credit or debit card each time. Also after you have paid for a certain number of journeys you don't pay for anymore. So travelling on public transport can be economical.
Personally, if you're coming to the UK, London is the capital but jesus, there is a whole ass country around it! (well mostly north of it). Don't just be like "I wanna go to London", go to Liverpool, it's full of history
London is great and all but it's like saying I'm going to Arizona to see the sites, sure, you have the grand canyon but what about the white house, Washington Monument, rushmore, yellowstone?
This film is specifically about London, and visitors (especially first time) with limited time will naturally devote the greater part of their stay to exploring the many attractions unique to the city. I should add that Arizona is actually larger than England and about three thousand miles away from The White House and at least a thousand from Mount Rushmore, so any traveller there would also be better off sticking to the local sights.
If you are coming to the U.K. the chances are you will want to cram as much into a short period of time, if you went to Liverpool the actual area of any interest is very small, you could literally see all the sights within a few hours and a weekend would be plenty, the same goes for nearly all the other major U.K. cities including Manchester. London on the other hand, you can almost consider separate areas being the size of of whole cities. e.g. Knightsbridge, Chelsea, the city square mile, Covent Garden, Soho, etc, etc...... I have been to every city in England and Wales and Many other around the world, (I’ve not been to New York), but London is in a league of its own as a de facto place to go, Edinburgh is much smaller but still worth a visit.
my point to both was sure London is great but every time I hear of somebody talking about visiting the UK it's always London
Which is a lil funny to consider her talking about being "touristy" and every tourist goes to London
And, I'm guessing, a good portion of people watching this video are Americans thinking of either visiting or moving to the UK (and people in the UK "fact checking her)
So I just wanted to comment that it's not London or bust and the rest of the UK is vast wasteland
@@crcomments8509 I went to New York and, as a Londoner, I was surprised how small it is.
Dont pre book London Eye as weather is changeable and the ride on will be wasted if you can't see 10 feet outside. I've never waited more than 40 minutes in peak of summer.
Completely and totally agree on that one!
This has to be one of the best helpful vlogs I've ever seen.
I'm a Londoner, and you are so right!
One of my tips is to go to a greasy spoon cafes for breakfast rather than the hotel or restaurant breakfast!
It’s a bit of a myth that it rains a lot in London. It’s partly in the rain shadow to the higher ground to the west of a Britain. Most of Spain is wetter than London. Most days it does not rain, a few days a week may have patchy light rain, and occasionally there will be wetter spells with longer heavy periods of rain. For example at the time of writing its sunny, and i don’t think we have had any rain nearly a week.
Wales have more rainy than rest of the UK have
London Buses: Generally cooler, cleaner and a much more pleasant way to travel than the Underground. All of them are accessible. They all have screens and audio information that say where you are. Enter at the front door - tap in with Oyster Card, on the yellow reader. Exit by the middle door - no Oyster tap out required. Fares are £1.75 per journey but capped at £5.25 per day, regardless of how many journeys you make.
These are great tips! Thanks for taking the time to share these with us! Blessings!!
Great video! My advice for London would really vary depending on how many days you are staying and what your budget is. Don't try and do a huge amount of things each day as you won't succeed and will be stressed. Select maybe just one attraction a day and give yourself the time to enjoy it. You can always come back! London comprises two cities : Westminster (The Royal and Power District) and The City (the original Roman settlement and financial district). Get to grips with a London tourist map before you come because walking is your best friend, if you are physically able. Walking around, is really the highlight. Follow the Thames river North or South bank. Take a free or specialised paid walking tour which will be for a very specific area and or theme, as London obviously is massive. Wear comfortable shoes! If you are watching your dimes then London can be ridiculously cheap! Major museums are free. Small versions of major supermarkets like Sainsburys or Tesco are everywhere and do inexpensive snacks, lunch deals (eg £3 total for sandwiches, drink, snack). If you want to spend little dining then go to markets or a pub like the Wetherspoons chain for a meal. The internet is your best friend for research before you go. Check the weather reports. It is unlikely it will rain, it may be super hot! Have a small retractable umbrella if winter time. Do not carry things around with you. Leave at much as possible in your accomodation. And if you have your heart set on going to The Tower of London, then prebook the first time slots and get there when it opens and go straight to the back of the site to see the Crown Jewels. Zero queues, (unlike later) and then you can relax.
for public transport avoid peak times unless you want to play sardines
With regard to "rain Boots" (aka Wellies) what you said is very true people should buy Waterproof shoes. But I would advise people to buy shoes that are both breathable and waterproof. This is because breathable shoes help keep your feet fresh and airy and cooler plus much more comfortable than just waterproof (these make your feet smell!) lol.
and I would add that London, the UK in general, is not nearly as rainy as
it is made out to be. There is more rain in Brussels, Paris, Ireland, ,
remember though that the UK is an Island in the Atlantic and as such our
weather comes from all directions, it is usually wetter in the West, and
much drier and sunnier in the East ... but then the wind changes 1
When visiting London in mid-winter, because of the northerly latitude it does not get to be daylight until about 10 am - and it's completely dark at 4 pm. (Which obviously limits the hours available for sightseeing.)
But in mid-summer, it's daylight by 5 am - and it does not get dark in London until between 9.30 and 10 pm in summer.
Another great tip, thanks for sharing! Love a London summer!
The latest dawn is at 8:06am . Not sure where you get the idea that it's dark until 10.
55% of the Underground system is above ground. Use it visit Richmond.
@@kevinjones4559 The nearest anywhere in London gets to looking like Prague. Great place.
You are obviously joking our not a Londoner. It is always light by 8am and never completely dark by 4pm.
If you are using a contactless credit card on the Tube, make sure that you check in at the beginning and check out at the end of your journey. If you don't check out, the system will assume that you have gone to the end of the line and charge you the maximum fare.
I am a Londoner who doesn't live in London anymore. I still use an Oyster card rather than contactless because I can top it up and then if I don't use all the money I have put on there it is there for next time. Also I personally believe Oyster Cards are easier because you can then keep your travel money separate from your spending money
Thank you, Cutie 😊
Pretty much spot on.
Thank you!
if you don't know where you are going in a hurry, you're fair game to being stopped for directions - just like that gazelle that's a bit slower than the rest. 😂
I used to work on the tube and your advice is good. Another reason not to use your card if you’re visiting is that the system charges you the maximum fare when you tap in to make sure that everyone taps out correctly, if your bank stops your card because you’re using it abroad (which happens a lot) you’ve been charged the maximum and then have to sort it out with them. Any problems with an Oyster card we can fix on the spot.
Also with your advice about using the buses as well as walking that’s also good advice. What a lot of visitors don’t realise is that London is simultaneously bigger and smaller than you might expect. It’s better to pick a few things to do in an area each day, find the best tube station and then just walk from place to place or hop on a bus. It’s a lot cheaper and quicker that way.
I have visit England twice with my family twice. When we visit London... We use oester to get around, is so easy. We combined buses, tubs and walking a long to get around. When we do sightseeing... Some are planned and other is spontan. In 2012 we saw : London dungouns and London tomb. We also visit Borough market (love it). We like to taste food from other countries... All from cheese, cakes, Meat etc. I love cheddar. And we saw a lot more. The weather is simulary to my home country denmark, so we have an idea what to wear.
Premier in near the train station that you arrived from. Then you can walk to your hotel. For example Waterloo is near Southwark, 15 minute walk to hotel.
Don’t buy food or drink from street venders, this includes ice cream vans/trucks (a caveat with this one). The street venders are not licensed or cleanliness/hygiene checked, many hide their little carts in bushes or open yards overnight so vermin has access to their carts. They my look like the American style hot dog stands but it is a good way to get ripped off or get food poisoning.
Ice cream vans/trucks in tourist areas often do not display a price list and those will rip you off. If they are displaying a price list at least you’ll know the price before getting to the front of the queue. For drinks and snacks you’re far better off just popping into a shop, the shop prices don’t change just because they know you’re a tourist.
@Nicky L that’s the plan. Realistically it doesn’t happen like that. Police and council officers are constantly chasing them away but the officials cannot be everywhere at the same time. Many tourists still succumb to the little cart men.
I’ve stood in a queue for an ice cream van and heard them sell cans of Coke to the people in front of me for £2.50. When I got to the front astounded he sold them to me (as a local) for 60p a can. It happens all the time and I work in Westminster.
a time away from central London, if you like gardens try Kew gardens go by boat underground or local train, you can spend a day wandering around, historic greenhouses and parkland, the house that Princess Elizabeth played in, is there
Ah yes, love Kew Gardens - have gone by boat once and it was a great journey for a sunny day!
Don't be surprised if you never actually meet a Londoner in London. The majority of people there are either tourists or expats from all corners of the world living and working in London. I read somewhere that London is France's 3rd biggest city by population, because of the sheer volume of French people living there. In terms of it's people and general vibe on the streets, London is the most un-British city in the UK. I completely understand London is a top tourist destination and well worth a visit. Loads to see and do, of course. But my advice for anyone visiting London (if you have time) is to also get away from London and visit some other nice places. Do a bit of research, the UK has a lot more to offer tourists than just London. Most British people avoid London like the plague!
Definitely agree, I always advise visitors to head out to other areas and take day trips even if they're based in London.
Agree. I'm a Londoner, but I always encourage visitors to get out of London and see done other parts of country - you can see a lot within an hour by train v
Great tips! Especially the recommendation for taking the bus. If you go to the website of some place you'd like to visit that day, most have a directions link that will give you bus #s. Hubby always laughs about Americans playing "gopher" on the tube.
The best way to describe London us as a huge conglomeration of smaller towns, villages and neighbourhoods which each have their own central area (downtown in the US). Each area has its own personality and atmosphere.
I have just come across this video. You are right about the tourist areas, if you visit London, avoid any shop that sells souvenirs and drinks etc as they will charge a higher amount than the item is normally, same for food places in that area. It is worth walking away from the tourist area down a couple of side streets and you can get the items for normal rather than tourist inflated prices.
For London Bridge, yes it is boring compared to Tower Bridge, however the current bridge was built or repaired by ladies in the second world war and is also known as the ladies bridge.
Another good tip for tourists is to go on a boat down the Thames, best trip for sights is to go from Westminster to Greenwich. Use Millennium or Thames Cruises and rather than the clipper as they usually give you a commentary and it is quite relaxing, you also get to see the Cutty Sark at Greenwich and can return by boat or DLR to central London.
Agree re the Shard. If you don't have the pass and want to go up the Shard it's better value to have lunch with a view in Aqua £39 for 3 courses vs £28 just for the viewing platform. In addition to the Sky Garden for a free view in London on a fine day I'd go to Greenwich Park or Primrose Hill and pack a picnic 😄
I can vouch that walking to some spots is faster than the tube. I am guilty of using it too much on my trip.
I also didn't realize there are a million stairs in the tube between some platforms and stations. Trying to get to my hotel was so hard with 2 suitcases. LOL Thank the Lord for the wonderfully nice Brit who helped carry them up the stairs when I was about to give up.
oh yes!! Love a good story of someone helping out a visitor stranded with too much luggage in the tube! Happens so often!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial I think seeing me crying helped. LOL
Look on tube map for the wheelchair symbol.
@@johnclements6614 Now I know, but when I read what tubes to take to my hotel, the directions didn't mention going up and down stairs. It just said Take this line to this stop, change to this other line, and get off at this station.
Next time, I will just take a shuttle from the station to the hotel.
ironically Miami , New York and Rome all have more rainfall than London, Scotland however rains for 25 hrs a day.
The London tube map was designed bu an electrical engineer and drawn like a wiring diagram. It is not geographically correct so don't assume stations that look close together are actually close. They maybe but maybe not. The original London Bridge is now on Lake Havasu in Arizona. There was a story that the buyer thought they were getting tower bridge but not sure if that's true or not.
No the original London Bridge fell down sometime after the Romans built it.
@@nigelhyde279 Thank you Nigel. Let me put that another way then by saying the 19th century stone Bridge that was replaced by the current one in 1973.
Sorry love I am an old man in Wigan in lock down so its nice to talk, I did not know cash is not allowed on London busses
Sorry No cash on London Busses.
@@stephenlee5929 Thank you I was an electrician so worked about a bit but as I say didnt know no cash but maybe after my time love Jeff
sorry pal a lot drunk but replied to you to you and got what I said to you came back to me ? as I have said I am not clever, so have a good one anyway love Jeff
Central London feels more like Disneyland than a real city. I remember back in the seventies when the city was much grubbier but somehow more real.
Interesting thoughts, thanks for watching!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial interesting but nonsense
What is Disneyland about it?
This is full of good advice. London is usually a 5 hour difference from Eastern time in the US, not 8 (that's the flight length). You are right about getting an Oyster card. You can use it on some train lines in the London area too. There are ceilings on the daily and weekly total cost so you should not spend more than having a daily or weekly travel card. Don't forget to tap in and out at stations which do not have gates (sounds obvious but I sometimes forget). One extra risk of using contactless is you might get your cards mixed up or accidentally tap in or out with more than one card if you have them close together.
On not messing with Guards, my now-wife (who is from Europe) stood next to a soldier at Horse Guards for a photo and he shouted at her to stand clear, which really shocked her.
For location, it is vital to stay near a Tube station on a major line. You can check journey times on the TFL web site. For fish and chips, the Poppies chain is pretty good and does have seating areas with various knick-knacks on the walls. Another tip - don't use flash if taking photos of trains on the Tube.
She did say from the West coast.
Remember many of the people working in London commute in they may not even be Londoners. Although from South London the last 10 years i worked in London I commuted in from the Kent coast 70 miles away. Yes we rush cause miss the tube mean you miss a train and you have a 30 min wait for the next one. But we are not miserable and will help tourists if we have time.
I've never heard of rain boots. that sounds very unusual to me as I always assumed everyone calls them wellies.
I would say the best tip is to stay outside of London and travel in to london on the tube, just make sure it's after 9am going into London and before 5pm or after 6:30pm returning, otherwise you'll be crammed in like sardines
Its worth taking a river trip up to Greenwich or Hampton Court. Allow a full day.
One thing thats never mentioned in these guides is the monument, great 360 views but damn near gave me an heart attack going up and broken neck going down. Great channel BTW!
Thanks for the tip, Jimmy! I haven't climbed the Monument before!
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial I think there's a small charge to enter the Monument and you need to be fit to climb all those stairs (there's no lift), but there is a good view from the top and it's less crowded than many other attractions and the location is historic too!
It's a really good attraction to visit if you didn't heed this video as it is probably the closest worthwhile thing close to the disappointment of London Bridge. It is especially fun as it is over 300 years old!!! I think they even give you a certificate for managing to climb all those steps.
@@MeFreeBee - I'm afraid the certificate is a myth.
@@capitalb5889 I just found mine from 2010 so not a myth, though maybe now just part of history.
If Americans want to see the previous London bridge, they need to head to Arizona :-) It was sold to an American and rebuilt over there. The "folklore" explanation is he thought he was buying Tower Bridge but denied this. But if you bought the wrong bridge would you admit to it? Someone else mentioned this but the Tower Bridge thing adds a bit to it.
Been watching a few of these comparison videos the past few days and funnily enough You tube had put a "people messing with guards" video in recommendations this morning. The meetings don't end well for a lot of the people trying to be clever. There are a few spots where you can basically stand right next to the guard.
The other thing to remember about public transport over here. Don't think you have to be in central London for accommodation. You can technically be in the countryside and still be on a tube line. Or a mainline rail station. The longest tube journey is just over the hour and that's between two places tourists wouldn't be going to and doubt Londoners would unless it's work or family/friend thing. For Americans who don't live in NY or another city with reasonable public transport that's probably the main day to day surprise, how easy it is to get around without a car. Even Hugh Grant has been known to grab a bus :-)
Another thing worth mentioning, Transport for London (TFL) have an underground map with the walking times between stations on it. Whilst the times are between adjacent stations you can do a quick bit of math :-) to get a rough idea of any two points in London without having to have a map on your phone (thinking data usage here) Don't know if it's in your book, but TFL have a map page with a few useful maps on for people. Avoiding stairs, toilets etc.
And that reply went from a one liner to a ramble on while having a morning cup of tea lol
Fantastic insights, thank you so much for sharing! Definitely agree.
"If you bought the wrong bridge, would you admit it?" gave me a smile on this lockdown winter day!!
My contactless card , the contactless part often doesn’t work when I go abroad, so your contactless may not work here
London Bridge itself is nothing special. But the area around London Bridge (both sides of the Bridge) is worth seeing. Borough Market is right by the Bridge. The medical museums are right by the bridge, obviously The Shard is near London Bridge, as the The Monument, I could go on. You wont be far from Leadenhall Market or Thread Needle Street (if you go the other side of the Bridge and bother to look around and look up, you can see some absolutely fantastic architecture that most people miss when they are just looking straight ahead). Also if you stand on London Bridge, you get easily the best view of Tower Bridge, which is especially good when the Tower Bridge is being raised. So no, dont go to London Bridge to look at the bridge itself, but do go to the area of London Bridge for all the other things that are there.
Great points, thanks for sharing!
LOL, you forgot to mention that the London Bridge is no longer in London. I have been to London and the Tower Bridge, but I have also been to the original London Bridge in its new location in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA.
One thing I love doing on a sunny day is chilling on a deckchair in Leicester Square with a few beers 😀 rather than spending £5 a pint in The Moon Under Water or All Bar One, there’s a Tesco five minutes walk where you can buy 4 pint cans for a fiver 😀
Spent the last 25y telling Americans to go to the 4pm changing the cards, Hours Guards parade. Now I've seen people annoying the guards feel sorry. I think they just put up a guard rail so you have to stand back from the guard and horse. Agree with all your recommendations. I always recommend Americans visit at least one city 100m from London. Just not Stratford on Avon.