How to Plan a Visit to London

With its population of nearly 8 million people, London is a cosmopolitan hive of multicultural activity, where 14th century towers stand alongside ultra-modern skyscrapers and leaders of the art and theatre worlds compete with some of the finest restaurants and most beautiful parks for your attention.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Getting There and Getting Around

1. Choose your method of transport. Flying into one of London’s five major airports is obviously the easiest way for most international passengers, although those travelling from mainland Europe could try taking the Eurostar directly from Paris to London’s Waterloo. All airports are easily accessible via fast, direct train services to London’s main train stations
2. Take the bus or the train if you’re travelling within England. If you book early, both National Express and National Rail offer very cheap return fares from most of the UK’s major cities to central London.
3. Remember that if you intend to drive to London you will have to pay the daily Congestion Charge to drive within the centre of the city – you can do so by visiting the Congestion Charge website (see Resources below). You will face a fine if you are caught without paying. It’s also worth bearing in mind that unless you are offered free parking at your hotel, parking in London can be very expensive.
4. Buy a Travelcard from any London Underground station which allows you to travel on Tubes, buses, overland trains or trams within a given area for one price all day. You will need to decide how many Zones you expect to travel in throughout the day, but a Zone 1 and 2 Travelcard is usually adequate for most tourists wishing to see the main attractions.
5. Buy an Oyster card if you’ve planned a long stay in London. You can buy these from any London Underground Station for a returnable deposit of £3, and paying for your transport with one works out much cheaper than paying by cash. Make sure you swipe your Oyster card on the yellow reader as you enter and exit the stations, or the system will automatically charge you the maximum cash fare for your journey.
6. Invest in a weekly Travelcard if you plan to do a lot of travelling on your stay. They work out as 7 day’s worth of travel for the price of 5.
7. Learn how to navigate London’s Tube system! Tube maps are available from all Underground stations and are relatively easy to follow, with each colour representing a different line. All stations are manned by TFL staff, who will be able to direct you if you get lost.
8. Use London’s famous black cabs to get around if you want door to door transport. The drivers have to take a test on London geography, so will know any destination you ask for! They are charged by the mile, but have a minimum charge which is added to the meter when you first get in the cab (the minimum charge is slightly greater if you take a cab at night).
9. Book yourself onto a London Tour Bus (an open air one is best if the weather is good) or a River Cruise. These tours will take you past some of London’s favourite attractions whilst a guide explains what you’re looking at and the history of the city.

Where to Stay

10. Decide on your accommodation budget. London has every type of accommodation to offer, from dirt cheap hostels, to Easyhotel’s cut-price, basic hotel rooms, to the Dorchester’s luxury suites.
11. Choose which area of London you’d like to stay in. Covent Garden and areas around the West End are generally the most popular with tourists, due to their central locations. However, there are hotels literally everywhere, and if you prefer to stay in a less manic part of town, try the moneyed areas of Park Lane, Mayfair or Knightsbridge for a more relaxing and more luxurious visit. Business visitors might find accommodation nearer to the City or around London’s Dockland’s more convenient.
12. Check out the Time Out, Rough Guide or Wallpaper Guides to London for recommendations of hotels by Londoners. They have reviews of most London accommodation ranging from £10 a night hostels to deluxe palaces where you can spend thousands a night on stay! Remember that many hotels will charge more for a room at weekends than during the week.
13. Book your accommodation by phone or internet before you set off for London. Although it’s often possible to book a hotel room in the city on the day, you will have less choice and might end up paying over the odds for a place that’s not ideal.

What to See and Do

14. Remember that as hard as you try, it’s not possible to see everything London has to offer in a week, let alone a weekend! Trying to pack too much into your trip means you’ll feel rushed and won’t enjoy any of it.
15. Decide which London museums you’d most like to see. The largest on offer are the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the British Museum (housed in an awe inspiring glass roofed building), the Victoria and Albert Museum (famous, amongst other things, for its comprehensive fashion exhibition), the Imperial War Museum and the Design Museum. However, there are so many more than these, so it’s worth doing a bit of research before you arrive.
16. Choose which art galleries you’re going to visit – the Tate Britain, Tate Modern, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, and the Courtauld Institute housed inside Somerset House on the Strand are the most prominent of London’s galleries and are all well worth a visit. Be aware that the two Tate galleries are huge, and you’ll need at least a whole afternoon to explore them.
17. Marvel at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in Westminster and book yourself onto a tour of the building where you’ll be able to see Parliament at work (overseas visitors can only do this during certain times in the Summer).
18. Take a ride on the London Eye on the South Bank for the best views of the whole city. It’s most impressive after dark when you can see millions of lights stretching out for miles. From here you can stroll down to Shakepeare’s Globe theatre, where you can learn about the great playwright’s history and even see a performance of one of his plays in the summer.
19. Keep walking down the South Bank towards London Bridge, where you’ll find the London Dungeons. Walk around these underground caverns learning about London’s history of torture. From here it’s also easy to reach the Tower of London where you can see the Crown Jewels.
20. Visit Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral to see two of London’s most impressive church buildings. You can even climb the (many!) stairs to the top of St Paul’s magnificent dome for remarkable views of the city.
21. Head to Regent’s Park to visit London Zoo and the newly built Gorilla Kingdom, where you can watch gorillas in an ‘African forest’. It’s a very popular exhibit so it’s recommended you buy tickets in advance.
22. Remember that no visit to London is complete without a trip to Buckingham Palace! Between July and September you can take a tour around the Queen’s home to look at the State Rooms and the Royal Collection of artworks.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that although they might appear to be far apart on the Tube map, many London Underground stations are in fact within easy walking distance from one another. For example walking from Leicester Square to Picadilly takes only a couple of minutes, but would end up taking longer by Tube.
• Invest in an A-Z map! They can be picked up cheaply from many newsagents in the centre of London and will be an invaluable help on your trip to London.
• As with many major cities, pickpockets operate in the touristy areas of London. Never, never keep anything in your back pockets, and try and keep all valuables, money and tickets out of sight in a zippered bag.
• Central London is generally quite safe to walk around, especially if you stick to the well populated and lit areas. However, muggings and other crimes aren’t completely unknown so remember the basic rules of safety particularly when walking around at night – don’t walk down badly lit side streets, don’t advertise your belongings or mobile phones to thieves, and try not to walk around alone.
• Avoid travelling in unlicensed ‘mini cabs’. These look like normal cars, usually don’t have any taxi signs on them, and it is actually illegal for them to pick you up in the street. Although they may offer you cheaper rates than a black cab, they can be dangerous and several attacks on women by unlicensed minicab drivers are reported each month.