This article has been republished and sponsored by Rebtel.
I recently visited London last Fall and wish I had read an article about London travel tips. If you’re headed across the pond, here are 5 travel tips that can help save you money, point you to a couple of neat attractions, and help you enjoy this beautiful city even more. If you have some London travel tips of your own, please share them with us in the Comments section below.
- Make a reservation to see the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour. Enough said – read my article on it.
Harry Potter Studio Tour: Hogwarts at Night - Take a ride across the Emirates Air cable car in East London for a great view of the Thames River from above. If you’re scared of heights, you may want to skip this. I shared a car with a couple who had a fear of heights and they squealed just about the entire ride. Although it’s another form of transportation, the 5 minute ride is not as inexpensive as the Tube. However, since you’re visiting, just view it as an attraction. This will help you get over the £10 round-trip sticker shock.
Emirates Cable Car Gives Great View of East London - When flying out of London Heathrow, pack all of your toiletries in your checked luggage. (Tip 3B: Check where you’ll be staying in London and decide if Heathrow is the closest option for you. There are two other airports that may be closer and a more economical choice once you land and have to commute to your accommodations). Unlike the U.S., agents will only allow you enough items to fit in 1 Ziploc bag, which they provide, which has to be closed! Whatever doesn’t fit, will go into the trash. If you don’t get the point by my bold lettering, know that I learned this lesson the hard way. I’m short some very fancy miniature toiletries!
Thank goodness for hotel samples! - Opt to take the Tube everywhere to save money. You’ll be traveling like a local, dodging high cab fares, and avoiding heavy London traffic. Be sure to purchase an Oyster card for however number of days you plan to be in town, respective of the Zones (located on a Tube map) where you’ll most likely visit. If you plan to do a lot of sight-seeing, purchasing an Oyster card is a lot more economical that purchasing per trip tickets. Plus, you’ll bypass long lines at limited teller windows in the stations. You can also use the Oyster card to transfer to buses and to use on ferries. If you purchase a per trip card, be sure to scan in and scan out as you go through the station or you could be charged the maximum fee. Also, you might end up paying higher ticket prices during the rush-hour commute.
Tube Map - “Service Charge” in London means tip in America. If you see this on your bill, your waiter/waitress is already taken care of. My two travel buddies and I were given misinformation by a very opportunistic server and ended up leaving our waitress a $53 tip. On our way out of the restaurant, we found out from one of the managers that “service charge” is exactly what we thought it meant. Lesson learned.
Here’s a bonus tip for you: Compare your international service plan options before you get there. There are lots of free calls app for iPhone on the market. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on international calls or roaming. I’m an iPhone user but my international calling plan with my service provider is the worst.
However, there are ways around me having to pay for an international call or for SMS texts. As long as I’m calling another iPhone user who has their text messages settings on iMessage and I can find WiFi, I can send them a text for free or I can FaceTime for free. Great! But what if I can’t find wifi? I can use an app like Rebtel, tell whoever I need to stay in touch with to also get the app, and can call them for free over WiFi (or 3G) and if the connection is dodgy, just press a button and continue talking over the regular operator network at no extra cost. If the other person doesn’t have the app, I can still make cheap international calls for a fraction of what I’d pay on my international calling plan. I love technology!
Everyone can use some London travel tips, whether you’re an American or not. There are dozens more out there but based off of my personal experience, these are the top 5 that I wanted to share. As a native New Yorker, London has never been an intimidating city for me. My philosophy is all about, give me a few good tips and I’ll be on my merry way. Share your tips with us. We’d love to hear what you think.
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Thanks for the great tips. London is on my list of vacation spots and this has really helped. I especially appreciated the Tube information. It can all seem so confusing when you are in the moment trying to travel in a city economically. The Oyster card sounds very similar to the NYC metrocard and I will research it further.
The Oyster card is somewhat similar to the metrocard. However, the metrocard is not restrictive. With the Oyster card, the multi-day pass is good only for certain zones and you have to scan it on your way out of the station. (No jumping the turnstile in London) Whereas with the metrocard, we don’t have zones – whether you travel from Far Rockaway to East New York or Far Rockaway to the Bronx, you pay the same price. That would be considered 4 or 5 different zones in London. The metrocard is a lot cheaper but the general idea is the same. And if you can navigate the subway in New York, the Tube is a piece of cake.
I know I’m going to start to sound like the crazy cupcake lady, but I really enjoyed the London Cupcake Tour. Not only did I get to sample the sweet treats, but it forced to me explore different areas of London that I probably never would have ventured to. It’s a great idea for solo travelers or groups and because it’s self guided, you can do as little or as much of it as you want, when you want.
April, you don’t sound like the crazy cupcake lady. I love cupcakes too and I think it’s a different way to enjoy the city – a nice mesh between food and travel.
Service charge huh? Why are some people so mean to us Americans! Great tips Tawanna. The air cable car looked like a lot of fun? What’s up with the eats there? Last time I went to London, I hated the food, but that was many years ago and I had no knowledge of the city.
Yes, service charge! In general, tipping and customer service overseas is much different than it is here in the States. Our motto of the “customer is always right” doesn’t apply in most countries. It’s almost like they make you feel like they’re doing you a favor by providing you with food to eat. It’s kind of funny and it does vary but as a general rule, expect a difference and less bending-over-backwards. The cable car was fun, especially when there were funny people in it at night. The eats…yeah, that’s a challenge. I would say stick to Chinese, Indian food, and high tea!
Your tips are totally on point! The only other thing I can think of is to bring a buncha money because London is a SUPER expensive city!
I SUPER duper agree with you on that one. OR, just eat tea and crackers while you’re there. LOL!
Thanks for the great tips… Especially about the restrictions at the Heathrow Airport. You can’t blame them of course… It’s for our own security.
No, I don’t blame them – it is for our own security. I was just more annoyed than anything else (probably more so because I didn’t know beforehand). It would be great if the airline agents would lend a tip as you’re checking in. Something like, “Oh, I see you have a carry-on bag. Please make sure that you have a limited amount of liquids in your carry on and check the rest with your luggage” would be great.
I have to get back to London! The first and only time I was there, I was sick the entire time. I’ll be sure to refer to your tips when I do, thanks!
Good deal Kelly. Hope you can enjoy it the second time around.
Thanks for the great tips!! I simply love London as it is 40 miles from my birth place. I have new places to visit the next time I visit. Thanks
Yeah, London is pretty cool but like my friend Tracey mentions, it’s expensive for us Americans. The dollar is weak so be sure to save up for it so that you can do everything you’d like to do and have something left over for shopping. Love the fashion over there.
The cable cars look so cool! Thanks for the great tips. I had no idea about toiletries – that really stinks that threw some of your items away.
Yeah, I was not amused about my toiletries but luckily most of them were freebies from higher-end hotels. The cable car is fun and a must if you’re on that side of town.
It’s too bad when locals take advantage of tourists like your server did. I think the best thing you can do is share your experience like you have on this blog so that others don’t get taken advantage of too.
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London is one of my favorite cities. You have such useful tips listed here. I tried to take the tube a few times but still am getting used to it. But, as a New Yorker I am sure that you are a pro! Oh yes, and the service charges are destined to get someone every time. Have fun on your most recent excursion!
Hi Lisa, I look back at my own tips whenever I travel back to a place like London. This time around all the toiletries are going in the checked luggage and no tips!
Awesome tips as I begin to plan my first trip to London next Fall. Any thoughts on the Theatre experiences?
Thanks
Hi Anthony, I don’t have much thought on London theaters. I did check out a theater in Bristol, which is about two hours outside of London. It would make for a nice overnight to visit this port city and perhaps check out a show. The Bristol Old Vic is one of the oldest continuously running theaters in England and has a variety of shows to choose from. The only other theater I went to while I was over there was a movie theater in London that issued tickets with assigned seating. For a movie! Weird but at least I had good seats. Hopefully by the time you travel there, all the safety checks on the theaters will be completed so that you won’t have anything to worry about. Thanks for stopping by.
Much of London is actually free. Museums. Art galleries. Or on DLR you can travel for miles for just £ 1.50 at weekends.
Hi Chris, thanks for stopping by. Yes, a lot of London is free, yes. However, people want to see the big tourist draws such as a Tower of London tour, The Shard, Westminster Abbey, a London show, dinner out on the town, a ride in a black cab, tea at the Ritz. Take these attractions into account, housing and the dollar-pound exchange, the city is expensive for Americans. Indeed there are dozens of free opportunities such as museums, green spaces and art galleries. It all depends on what one wants to get out of their London visit.
Just to say about the “service charge”, if no one has mentioned it before.
If automatically applied to the bill, many restaurants do not give that to the waiting staff, or if they do they distribute across all kitchen/waiting staff equally. That’s great, but if you really like the service, you should give a cash tip. And you can also ask for the service charge to be waived..
Thank you for that input, Gary. I didn’t know that this was the case. A British friend of mine told me that what I pay at the restaurants there is all I need to pay because the servers and waiters and rest of the staff do not make their salary primarily from the tips as is the case here in America.
My daughter is traveling to London on a school trip. I am wondering if there are any recommendations regarding the best method of payment while in London. I hate to have her carrying cash. Is Apple pay or a debit card generally accepted?
The good thing about London is that most places accept credit cards/debit cards there. And yes, Apple pay is accepted at several establishments. I think if you got her a pre-loaded cash card that would help give her a budget and also avoid her walking around with cash or a card that was linked to a bank account (just in case she loses it). Bonus: she’ll get a better exchange rate on the card through the bank than she would through exchanging cash at the airport.