Tips and Advice for Visiting London

Hi there! In this post I will be sharing with you my best tips and advice for visiting London! In 2017 I moved to London to pursue my MA at University College London. While it’s no secret that I did not love living in London (this is a long story), it’s still one of my favorite places to visit! Personally, I think London is a fantastic city to visit and explore. For English speakers there’s no language barrier, and it’s a relatively short plane ride from the East Coast (6.5 hours). Additionally, you have easy access to the rest of Europe. Although London has a reputation for being expensive, in my experience this is not always the case – especially when the Dollar to Pound exchange rate is around $10 = £8. Keep reading for my best tips and advice for visiting London, England!

10 tips

1: Get an Oyster Card

Oyster Cards in London are used for public transportation – the tube (subway), buses, trains, airport trains, etc. They are super convenient and make traveling by public transportation much easier. You can purchase an Oyster Card at tube stations, including airports like Heathrow! Oyster Cards wills save you a lot of money as opposed to purchasing single fare tickets. With an Oyster Card a single ride will be around $2.50/3 and with a single fare ticket the same trip will be $5.50/6.

There are also Visitor Oyster Cards that offer additional tourist benefits, such as discounts to select attractions. These cards aren’t available for sale at every tube station, so they can be a little more difficult to find. Visitor Oyster Cards can be purchased online here, or from visitor centers in London, linked here. Keep in mind that shipping these cards to the USA is $21, so probably not worth it.

Keep in mind: you’ll need an Oyster Card for each person who’s traveling, since you have to tap in and out of the tube, trains, etc.

2: Stand on the right, walk on the left

When on an escalator, especially coming in and out of the tube, stand on the right and walk on the left. Do not stand on the left. Locals will get angry with you and someone will probably yell at you. This is a “rule” in many other majors cities, like DC and NYC – so it’s a good one to remember!

3: Look both ways when crossing the street

In the U.K. drivers drive on the opposite side of the road then in the US. This means that cars are going to be coming from the opposite direction than you’re used to. Just take a second a look both ways to avoid getting hit by a car.

Many crosswalks in London will have writing on the ground telling you which way to look! Use these, they are so helpful!

4: Pack layers

The weather in London has a reputation for being *not great.* Always bring layers, as it can get cold and rainy pretty fast.

5: Tips are often included in the bill

Most restaurants include a 12.5% service charge on your bill, which is equivalent to a tip. If this service charge is on your bill, there’s no reason to tip extra (unless you want to!) If there isn’t a service charge added onto your bill, 10-12% is a customary tip at restaurants.

6: Buy same-day or discounted theatre tickets

Seeing a show in West End (like Broadway in NYC) is a must when visiting London! This was one of my favorite things to do. You can buy discounted theatre tickets from the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, or online! Click here to check out their website. Buying these discounted tickets is a great option if you have flexibility in the shows you want to see, and the days/times you can see them.

Keep in mind that they aren’t guaranteed to have tickets available for all shows, so if it’s a brand new, super popular musical that you’re dying to see, you probably should buy your tickets in advance.

7: Visit Oxford Street during the week – at daytime

Oxford Street is one of the best shopping streets in London. It is also one of the busiest places in the city. Trust me on this one, if you visit during the work week, during the day, you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience. It will likely still be crowded, but nowhere near as crowded as weekends or evenings. On weekends/evenings, expect a long line to get into the tube station, and jam-packed trains and sidewalks…this is not fun.

8: Visit Camden Market during the week

Like Oxford Street, Camden Market is a super popular destination, especially on the weekends. The market has food stalls and shops, and is definitely a must visit. I recommend visiting during lunch time on a weekday. It will likely still be a little busy with the lunch rush, but it will be way more manageable than on a weekend.

9: Grocery stores are extremely affordable

Most people don’t know this, and I was honestly surprised as London has a reputation for being very expensive. However, groceries in the U.K., for the most part, cost far less than in the USA. You can buy many staple items for about half the price, even with the conversion rate. For example, you can get loaves of bread for about 1£ – whereas in the US it’s common for a loaf of bread to be $3.50+. You can also get a small jug of milk for .30£, as opposed to about $1.50+ in the USA. If you’re trying to save money on your trip, stock up on snacks/breakfast foods at any grocery store and keep them in your AirBnb/hotel mini fridge.

10: Buy a U.K. specific travel adaptor

The U.K. and Europe do not use the same power adaptors. I recommend buying a a universal adaptor with plug-ins for a bunch of different countries – it’s the most convenient. Click here for a great option from Amazon.

Other important tips:

Call 999 in case of emergency – this is the equivalent to 911 in the USA

Typical ice-coffee (like you get in the USA), is really hard to find

Drip coffee, aka regular coffee, is also not super common – some places brew it but it’s hit or miss. For example, the cafe on campus at my University (UCL), only brewed drip coffee a few times a week.

Carry an umbrella, it rains a lot in London

Check out Primark – a very affordable, super cute clothing store for men + women. The best one is on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. Take the tube to the Tottenham Court Road Station, or walk from the Oxford Circus (Oxford Street) station

For more information about moving to London as a student, click here! And check out more London posts here.

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Thanks for reading our best tips and advice for visiting London! Now that you’re all prepared for your trip, check out this awesome travel guide for London for amazing things to do and see while in the city! We hope you have a great vacation!

♡Kate