London is a huge city, 7.5 Million to give you a round number, and the various cultures that have settled here are as vast as its population. Nowadays, with the US$ in the tank, traveling to Britain can be quite expensive if you're choosing a holiday location, but still a must see in anyone’s lifetime. Here is a link to Yahoo Finance for up to date currency quotes. After playing a central role in the international community for hundreds of years, London’s culture is hard to describe. As you walk around the city, you might pass a traditional English pub only to find yourself passing by a group of women wearing full Burqas leaving an Indian Market. This diverse cultural mix forms the distinctiveness of London, a city that has no more singular cultural identity than Americans do. It is said that London has more Indian restaurants than Bombay; this stands testament to all that London has to offer outside of fish and chips.
Getting there
AIRLINES
Getting to London from the States is a bit tricky; airline prices are pretty steep year round. If you are lucky enough to live on the East Coast, or a major airline hub like New York, you may have a better chance at finding a cheaper flight. One option I know can be very cost efficient is flying into Dublin instead of directly to London. Timing is everything and it really depends on what time of year you are doing you're traveling, but it is worth looking into when you're searching for flights. The Traveler’s Toolkit – London site has a great page on discount airlines running out of London.
UPON ARRIVAL & SIGHTSEEING
Once in London, you might feel overwhelmed by everything going on around you. London has so much to see and do that you might not know where to begin. I suggest that you make a b-line for your hostel or hotel and get settled in ASAP, if you we’re lucky enough to arrive in the morning, London time, you can get a whole day of sightseeing in so you can hopefully never have to do it again. Open-top, ‘hop on/hop off’, tour buses are also a good way to kill the sightseeing fast, here is information on the tours.
Note: I’ve never really experienced jet lag in the horrific ways some people describe it, I find that staying up as long as possible to reset my internal clock is the best solution. This being said, I like arranging my flights to land in the morning of my destination city so I can get the inevitably mundane tourist traps out of the way first.
Weather
The weather is always stereotyped as a drearily cloudy mess, but the experiences I’ve had paint a bit brighter picture. It does tend to rain, but nothing unbearable. Remember to wear layers around when you're exploring the city so you are prepared for any changes. I carry my pack around with a fleece or light raincoat just to be prepared, which is a good idea in any city you visit. There are definitely some things about the city you will find to make you forget all about the weather if it does turn sour, and what the hell, it’ll make for a good story later. One note, I have been told by my friend Zara, an Aussie living in London, that during the Winter it begins to get dark in the early afternoon, 4pm to be exact. Here is a link to check out the local weather for a heads up.
Getting around
CABS
I’m big on trying to see the city as the locals do, so using the tube and busses with a lot of walking in-between is just up my alley. Also, since I write for those young at heart, y'all might appreciate not having to pay a cabby to get you around, it gets expensive fast. If you do think you’ll be using cabs a lot, here is a link to a site that can help you understand their system a bit before you get over there. Also, offtolondon.com and londontoolkit.com are great sites with a lot of information on transportation, including nice breakdowns of the transportation system. Though I don’t believe in using cabs all that much, it is a nice experience to say you have ridden in a classic London black cab, and much cheaper than riding the Eye of London.
UNDERGROUND/TUBE/METRO
The London Underground is unbelievable; everything in the city is easily accessible through any tube station. For a nice pocket map, don’t purchase some book at Borders for $35 with “Maps included”, they’re included cause they’re free everywhere else. This is just as idiotic as buying bottled water, or eating at McDonalds while anywhere abroad (hint). If you choose, there are some nice street map books for £5 from newsstands or drug stores called London A-Z. You can get small ones that are easy to carry around in your bag. Here is a great map that lays out all the sights in London and gives you some great information. I just saved you $35 and having to carry around a 4” thick book, you’re welcome. If you don’t print out the linked map, just stop into the ticket purchasing area at the entrance to any tube station and pick up a free map located near the tellers, grab a bus line map while you’re at it. Orienting yourself to the map only takes a couple minutes, but once you’ve ridden the tube once or twice to get your general bearings down and be a pro in no time.
Just as I said before, London is expensive, so even though the tube is the cheapest means of getting around, its all relative. Depending on how hard up you are, you can stand outside the exit and see if you can coax a tube pass from someone on their way out.
TICKETS
Tickets are normally good for an allotted time period, and once the machine stamps them, you have a window of time to travel within your zone. You shouldn’t need more than a Zone 1 pass to see the city, at the most a Zone 2. I’ve been all around the city and never needed anything more than a Zone 1. If you do want to see something outside of Zone 1: make sure it’s worth the step up in ticket price, risk riding the line outside of your zone, or walk it out.
OYSTER CARD
Alternately, if you were going to be in London for a bit of time, the Oyster Card would be a good thing to look into. It may not be worth loading the card with credits, only to be leaving the next day, it’d kind of like having a gift card that expires and you lose the money to big brother. The great thing about the Oyster Card is that it gives you discounted fairs compared to paying cash for single fairs, and you don’t have to look like a hobo asking for old tickets outside the tube station, though it does make for a good story later.
Note: Zara sent me this helpful tip: it’s good idea to put a weekly zone 1 & 2 on it - £23.20 and this allows you unlimited tube, bus and overground train rides. It works out cheaper, depending on your usage, otherwise each single bus trip costs £2.
Where to go
Now that you have the means of seeing the city, just get out there and start wandering. I’ll tell you this right now, you will not see everything, it’s impossible, so pick out the major sights you want to see and hit those first.
LONDON EYE
Don’t lose any sleep over not seeing something lame like the Eye of London. It looks just the same up close as it does from across the river, and unless you want to stand in line behind every idiot with a camera and a group of little kids, I’d take a picture and move on. Save your money for a couple of pints later on at night. Quick tip though, they have free clean public restrooms and water fountains in the museum located at the base of the glorified Ferris wheel. Actually, in hindsight I’m not sure if they are “public” per say, but walk in like your supposed to be there and nobody will say anything to you.
FOOTBRIDGE
Since you will be walking around a lot, try and make your way across the London Millennium Footbridge. This is an architectural masterpiece that is free for everyone. You can get some great views of the city skyline from the bridge, and you’ll always remember walking across it and being able to tell people you were there.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
As you're moving around to the different sights, try and make it over the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It’s a great change from seeing statues and buildings but be careful, there are tons of tourists, which mean tons of pickpockets. Just keep an eye on your stuff and you’ll be fine.
Note: If you're from Texas, or wish you were, when the guards march back to Wellington Barracks, follow them back up Marlborough Rd. Spend a moment or two to watch the guards forming ranks and disbursing, then continue up the road to the intersection of Marlborough and Pall Mall. As you come to the intersection, continue walking straight and veer left up Saint James St. Within one block from the intersection, there is an alleyway on the right hand side of the street. It’s a very narrow alley and you might miss it the first time by. When you do find it, just inside on the right hand side there is a plaque for the original Embassy of The Republic of Texas.
LOCAL MARKETS
Another great alternative to the overcrowded tourist hotspots are the local markets, and wandering doesn’t cost a thing. Local markets are a great way to get an authentic cultural experience in any city. Zara highly recommends the following markets:
· Camden – kind of a “hippy” market, very London.
· Portobello Rd – famous London market
· Borough – located near London Bridge, Zara describes this as “one of the coolest markets ever!”
ARSENAL FC
If you have the opportunity, the money, and are lucky enough to get tickets, try and make it to an Arsenal FC game. This world renown team is a tube ride away while in London. Having the opportunity to see a soccer game anywhere in Europe is one of the greatest experiences you could possibly have. I normally would not suggest spending a lot of money on any attraction while traveling abroad, but this is an exception. If things work out, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, and one that should not be squandered. Here is a link to the directions published on the Arsenal FC official website, you can also find the season schedules and ticket information.
Shopping
I’m not big on shopping, stickers are the only souvenirs I buy, but Zara accused me of doing the “boy thing” and leaving it out so I added this section for her. She notes, “Any visit to London should include a quick shopping trip to Oxford Street!” This is a famous shopping strip between Marble Arch and Bond Street tube stations. Check out the website linked above for heaps of great information on stores, events, and directions. More importantly, Zara noted that located just off the main street you can find some great bars, pubs, and restaurants in the little alleyways. This way you can spend the day looking at stuff you can’t afford, then drown your sorrows in a pint.
Eating
With all this walking and sightseeing, you're undoubtedly going to want to eat somewhere, and if you dare go traveling anywhere in the world and eat McDonalds, you deserve to have your tongue cut out so you cant spread your blasphemy to anyone else. At the very least while in London you must have fish and chips in a pub with a pint, you get a great story, a full belly, and a beer, what else could you ask for.
PRICES
Most places will have prices written on chalkboards or a clearly posted menu in the window. Staying off the main streets is a good rule of thumb, though there are some exceptions. Just make sure to look around a little bit to find a good place at a reasonable price. You shouldn’t pay more than 6£ for your meal. Use this base price to gauge the prices at restaurants and pubs around London, they are all more than likely to have fish and chips.
ORDERING & SUGGESTIONS
For travelers, the ordering process may be a bit strange. You have to order at the bar in most pubs I’ve been to, so don’t sit there like a fool waiting on a server like I did. Also, try and make it to an Indian restaurant while in London. As I said earlier, they are everywhere, and London is rumored to have some amazing Indian food.
Note: Zara once again suggests a famous street in NE London, Brick Lane. Here you will find “heaps of really cheap but great Indian places.”
If you're in a bind, some local websites like allinlondon.co.uk, or plain ol’ asking other people, will help you find a good place. The AllinLondon website lets you find restaurants by name region or tube station which is very helpful in such a large city.
Nightlife
Choosing where to go out in London is a daunting task. Each time I go through London and am fortunate enough to have a night out, I usually end up at the closest neighborhood pub. They aren’t hard to find, and a beer is a beer. On the other hand, I really like clubs and have not had the opportunity to visit many while in London. I can best relate it to trying to choose where to go out while in Vegas, there is a lot to choose from and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. It is for this reason that I strongly suggest either making some friends preemptively, upon arrival, or at a pub. Notice how pubs always seem to make it back into my conversations. Unless you have a specific place in mind, you can brows these sights for some ideas 1 2 3, I would ask the locals for what’s around. There is no way, unless you’re moving over for a while, that you’ll be able to take in the whole nightlife. This mean you need to narrow down your choices, and there is nothing better to do than talk to the locals. My personal favorite is to ask bartenders for suggestions, if there is anything I have learned from being a bartender is that they always know where a good party is.
London is an amazing city and is defiantly a main point of interest for any trip through Europe. The amounts of history, uninhibited cultural influences, and the unique blend of experiences that these combine to create, make London the astonishing city it is. Try and spend at least three days in and around the city, and I suggest you only use one at the most to see the run of the mill touristy side of the city. Spend an afternoon eating with some friends or reading a book in Hyde Park, ride the tube to some random part of London and get lost for a while, visit some random cultural section of the city, or sleep in after spending all night out with friends and new acquaintances. Whatever you decide, just get out and do it. London is an experience, and holidays like this should not be taken for granted.
A special thanks to Zara for her help with this article. I couldn't have done it without her Aussie touch.
