A Accommodation You can arrange a hotel through the London Tourist office, or at the Airports and Train Stations. Try many price comparison sites online to find seasonal bargains and if you have a hotel in mind - it can pay to contact them direct for their best price. Most hotels also offer very good web deals that often, heavily undercut their rack rates, and websites such as lastminute.com filter out the very best deals. Many chain hotels - there are many in every area of London and lots near to the big train stations - offer discounted rates at certain times of the year and some weekends. Some hotels will offer a discount if you are staying for more than a few days.
Architecture: Just some of the Architectural Highlights in London. Banqueting House - Whitehall, Hampton Court Palace, the Inns of Court, Westminster Tube station, British Museum Great Court, Lloyd's Building, St Pancras Station, St Paul's, Sir John Soane museum , The Barbican, Tate Modern, Somerset House, Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, St Bartholomew's Church.
Art Galleries: For details of the nearest tube / London underground stations to Art Galleries in London - please see: London Art Galleries National Gallery, Tate Modern and many more.
B Banks and Money Bank opening hours are usually 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday-Friday with some now opening on a Saturday morning. International credit cards are widely accepted and most banks offer very similar exchange rates so unless you are changing very large sums of money, it may not be worth shopping around. Some High Street travel agents also offer comparable exchange but be sure to check the rates offered by private bureaux de change - they are not always competitive. ATMs (Cashpoints) are plentiful in the UK and you should have no problems finding one in all central London locations and on train and tube stations. Check before arriving in London that you can use your cards to withdraw money in Europe. Post offices can vary in their opening times, but most are open from 9am to 5.30pm on Monday to Saturday.
Bookshops Second hand books can be found at Cecil Court and Waterloo Bridge, also many London Markets.
Other bookshops:
Blackwell's - 100 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0JG - wide range of academic and general interest books to cater for all customers.
Daunt Books - 83 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4QW - An original Edwardian bookshop - travel guides, novels and non-fiction.
Foyles - 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB - the World's most famous bookshop, founded in 1903, has a quarter of a million different titles.
Gay's The Word - 66 Marchmont Street, London WC1N 1AB - the largest and most comprehensive lesbian and gay bookshop in the UK.
Grant & Cutler - 55-57 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7AY - the largest foreign-language bookseller in the UK, carrying thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, cassettes and software in more than 150 languages.
Hatchards - 187 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LE - first opened in 1797 and is the oldest surviving bookshop in London. They have a reputation for giving a knowledgeable and professional service.
John Sandoe Books - 10 Blacklands Terrace, London SW3 2SR - an independent literary bookshop covering 3 floors of an 18th century building.
Murder One - 76-78 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0BD - Europe's foremost crime and mystery bookshop - they also have a vast selection of second-hand & out-of-print crime fiction titles.
Waterstone's - 203-206 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HA - The largest bookshop in Europe.
Buses
Each bus will display its destination and number on the front - bus stop signs generally give the numbers of the buses which stop there. It's best to use an Oyster card (cheapest travel) or a bus pass (sold in many newsagent shops) for travel on london busses because you need a ticket before you get on the bus - you can't always rely on a bus stop having an automated ticket machine.
Bus tours Several bus tour companies offer a hop-on, hop-off tour (with commentary) of London's major sights and attractions, including: the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Madame Tussauds as well as including panoramic views from seven London Bridges, including London Bridge. As the ticket usually includes a free River Thames Cruise, buying a ticket can work out to be an economical way to see a lot if you only have a short time to spend in London.
C Climate The weather in England is unpredictable but the warming effects of the city means the weather in London is usually mild even in the winter months. It is unusual for temperatures to fall below freezing and settled snow is rare. Be prepared at all times for showers of rain though and remember temperatures can fluctuate daily whatever the season. Temperatures in the summer months average 18C but can soar much higher; the average for January is 6C.
Crime The main problem, as in any busy city, is petty theft and pick-pockets are waiting for the unsuspecting in all places that are congested. So when travelling on the London Underground, shopping in busy streets or sightseeing - stay aware at all times. London policemen are not armed and London remains a comparatively safe city.
Leave your valuable items and large amounts of cash in your hotel safe and obtain a receipt for them.
Currency Pounds, divided into 100 pence. Coins come in denominations of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, 1 and 2 Pound coins. Notes are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, and 50 pounds.
Car Rental Firstly you must be 18 and also have 12 months driving experience to rent a car in London. Obviously, using public transport is a lot less expensive and probably a lot quicker than driving in London. www.easycar.com, www.hertz.com, and Yellow Pages telephone directory, all list hiring options.
These days casual wear is the norm and acceptable for most places in London unless you are visiting a top restaurant or club that has a formal dress requirement - then you will be required to wear a shirt and tie.
Customs Visitors from E.U. countries can bring any ammount of goods for their own use. Non E.U nationals - duty free allowance; 57g of perfume and a quarter litre of eau de toilette, 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco.BR>
Driving:<> Remember if you are driving in London that drink-driving is carefully monitored - if you are found to be over the legal limit you will almost certainly be charged by the police and have to appear in court.
Don't park on double yellow lines and if you are to avoid the congestion charge - don't drive in Central London between 7am-6pm on Monday to Fridays (except public holidays).
E Electricity 220 volts. Britain uses three-pin plugs and two-pin shaver plugs - if your equipment uses 110 volts, you will need to bring an adaptor.
Emergency The emergency number 999 can be dialled for free from a telephone box - only ever ring this number in a real emergency where a patients condition warrants immediate care and would not wait to be checked-out in the casualty department of a hospital. This number 999 is also the emergency number for the Police and Fire-Brigades - remember to only use this number for true emergencies.
G Gay London London's gay quarter is to be found in streets such as Old Compton Street in Soho with its choice of gay bars such as the well-known gay bar, The Admral Duncan and the Edge - a sprawling bar and club covering four floors. These and many other bars in this tolerant and relaxed area of London are a big attraction for Londoners of every colour, class and sexual persuasion who want to have a great night out.
Although Soho is the social centre of London's Gay and Lesbian community, a number of other areas around London are also popular. Vauxhall and Clapham are popular whilst Earl's Court, Hackney and Stoke Newington, in the north of London, have thriving lesbian and gay communities.
Guides - Tourist Guide See: Tourist information below for address and locations - they will provide you with a list of official tour guides.</LI><BR>
H Public Holidays
January New Years Day (1st)
March/April Good Friday, Easter Monday</LI>
May May Day (first Monday), Spring Bank Holiday (the last Monday in the month).
August Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in the month)</LI>
December Christmas Day (25), Boxing Day (26)
Health EU nationals are entitled to free medical treatment for any illness that arises while in the U.K. EU nationals can obtain free emergency treatment on presentation of an E111 form that has been validated in their home country. Some other countries have reciprocal arrangements with the U.K. for free medical treatment but most visitors will have to pay for dental and medical treatment - it is wise to take out private health insurance before you arrive in London from a country whose citizens are not entitled to free treatment in the U.K. All hotels and hostels should have the address of the nearest hospital with an Out-Patient department or / and the local G.P (General Practitioner Surgery - a Group of Family Doctors).
Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross/St Pancras station...kids will love to have their photograph taken near the plaque on the wall and the half-vanished luggage trolley!
I Internet & E-Mail If you are bringing your laptop you will find many hotels, cafes and pubs offer Wi-Fi access - most will display a prominent sign advertising the fact. For hot spots that provide free wireless networks in London and other places in England, visit
Most business-class hotels in London provide ports for laptop modems, and many hotels in London now offer free high-speed Internet access. Also, it's worth checking with your Internet service provider to find out if they have a local access number for use in England - which would allow you to go online just by making a local call.
Cybercafes can be found all around London and in all U.K. cities. EasyInternet cafes (www.easyinternetcafe.com) has several branches in London and other U.K.locations.
Many airports and hotels receptions have Internet kiosks for a fee but the charges are likely to be higher than an Internet cafe.
L Left Luggage At all major train stations. The queues at busy times can be horrendous so always allow plenty of time to retrieve your luggage.
M Mail Poste Restante If you want to collect your mail from a London or UK post Office, the sender must address your mail and include the following details : your full name, 'POSTE RESTANTE', followed by the full address of the branch of the Post Office. If the address of the branch is not included - for example if it is just addressed as 'Post Restante, London', then it will go to the closest main Post Office branch.
If your mail has been posted from the UK, it will be kept for two weeks - mail posted from abroad - for one month. A return address should be included so that if the mail is not collected; it can be posted back to the sender. The Poste Restante service is free - don't forget to take your passport when you collect your mail.
Maps of London Small maps of London and the London Underground are given away free at tourist offices, hotels, banks and train stations.
N Newspapers There are 10 national daily papers and 10 national Sunday papers in Britain. The Evening Standard is London's main newspaper and is very popular with Londoners (a certain number are distributed free) and it has a free listings magazine ('Hot Tickets') every Thursday. Other London newspapers (free) can be found at London's mainline train stations where you can also buy foreign newspapers and magazines.
O Opening Hours Shops are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm. Nearly all shops are open on Saturdays from about 10am to 7pm. In central London most of the larger shops are usually open on Sundays from about 10am or 12 noon to 4pm. The major department stores stay open until 8 or 9pm on Thursdays for late night shopping. Most supermarkets are now open until 8pm or later in the week, and until 4pm on Sundays.
Oyster Card What is Oyster? - Oyster is a blue plastic card you can use instead of paper tickets - no more spending your time in ticket queues. You can put Travelcards on it, as well as credit which you use up as you travel. Just keep topping up with credit or renewing your Travelcards on the same Oyster card when you need to. Oyster automatically works out the cheapest fare for all your journeys so you'll never pay more than the price of a Day Travelcard. You can buy your Oyster Card at any London station or apply for one on-line.
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Population 6.4 million - in the larger metropolitan area it's around 9 million.
Q Queueing Londoners queue for just about everything and have formed a positive passion for getting in queues. They will queue for buses, theatre tickets, shop openings, taxis and takeaway food and you risk feeling the displeasure of the patient masses if you attempt to "queue Jump". The only time this orderly "rule" breaks down is during rush-hour on rail and London Underground commuter services when it is a case of "every man/women for themselves".
Radio Besides the BBC which has many stations (Radio 4 documentaries and news), there is a wide range of commercial stations including LGR (Greek Radio).
Religion Church of England (Protestant): the primate is the Archbishop of Canterbury who lives at Lambeth Palace, London: The Queen is titular head of the church.
S Smoking Smoking is not allowed in many of London's public spaces. These include, theatres, cinemas, pubs, buses and London Undergound tube stations.
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Television BBC1 and BBC2 are without advertising; ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are the three commercial channels. There are numerous cable and satellite channels to choose from if your hotel provides them.
Time zone Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), 1 hour behind European Time. Summer time from March to October (+ 1 hour).
Telephone If you are calling London - London's area code is 020 followed by an eight-digit number beginning with 7 or 8. Only dial the 020 when you are calling London from somewhere else in the UK. If you want to call London from from another country, dial your country's international access code, then 44 (the UK's country code), then 20 (dropping the initial 0) followed by the eight-digit phone number.
Daytime rates apply from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday (dearer rate); the cheaper rate applies from 6pm to 8am Monday to Friday; the cheap weekend rate applies from midnight Friday to midnight Sunday.
Theatre For a map of West End Theatre's and details of the nearest tube / London underground stations to Musicals and Theatres in London - please see: London Theatre. addresses, telephone numbers and current shows.&
Tourist Information London's main Tourist Information Centre is to be found at: 1 Lower Regent St, SW1. Tube: Piccadilly Circus. opening hours: 9.30am - 6.30pm Mon, 9am - 6.30pm Tue - Fri and 10am - 4pm Sat & Sun. Jun - Sep, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm. There are also the official Tourist Information Centres (TIC) at Euston, Victoria and Waterloo railway stations.
Travel in London If you are going to be making more than one trip per day on London Transport it is advisable to buy a London Oyster card which can be used on all buses, trams, Tube, DLR and London Overground services, and nearly all National Rail services.
An Oyster card is an electronic smartcard ticket that will save you money and time queuing. Simply touch your card on the yellow reader to open the Tube Station gates or when you board other London public transport services.
V Visas and Passports Entry to the U.K. requires a valid passport. EU nationals, visitors from the U.S.A. and Commonwealth citizens do not require a visa. Check that your visit is not granted for only a limited period if you wish to stay for a longer length of time.
W London Walking Guide Free Guide To Walks in London For walks around London's secret places - please see our free London walks.
Water Tap water is safe to drink in London and all of the U.K
Weather It's not easy to predict London's weather at any time of the year and even in summer there is always the chance of a shower of rain, although, officially, the end of September to the end of November is the wettest period of time. Bring something warm to wear if you are visiting in the winter months but at all other times, a light jacket and an umbrella with you should be sufficient.
Weights & Measures Metric; although imperial is still used for beer (pints) and distances (miles).
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London Information, Facts and Tips for London Visitors
