Travel Tips For London

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Read and/or post London travel tips for packing, airlines, hotels, flights, attractions, cruises, cheap travel, airports and more.

You Must Know from London:

In London bring you student ID for discounts. A lot of places will only accept your student ID if it has an expiration date, so if your ID doesn’t have one, you might consider getting and ISIC card.

By Nikki and Leon

Flying in to London:

1. When booking your flight to London, pay close attention to which airport you are flying in and out of. To avoid any mix ups, search your departure/destination city by airport code rather than by city. If you put in London, several airports may come up and you could accidentally click on the wrong one. If you do make a mistake, there is a charter bus between Gatwick and Heathrow airports that costs 20 pounds and takes 1.5 hours. A taxi takes 45 min. and costs 90 pounds.

By Nikki and Leon

2. If you are flying Ryan Air, KNOW THE RULES. For example, you must print your boarding pass in advance or they will charge you 40 euro to print it at check-in. Also, there is a weight and size limit for your luggage and carry on bags. Make sure you are within the weight limit because the fees are extraordinary (15 Euros per kilo). If you have extra weight, pack the extra weight into a carry on bag. You can only bring one carry on the plane, so when you get to the gate and they catch you with two bags, they will make you check the second bag under the plane. The difference is that once you are at the gate, they only charge a flat 30 euro for your extra bag instead of 15 Euros per kilo.

By Nikki and Leon

What to Do / Activities in London:

1. n London buy tickets to the attractions in advance to avoid long lines and try to buy your tickets to the different attractions at the same time to save money. For example, you save 5 pounds per person if you buy the Wax Museum and the London Eye at the same time.

By Nikki and Leon

2. In London buy your theatre tickets at the ticket booth in Leicester Square called TKTS which is run by The Society of London Theatre. It is the only free standing booth actualy within the square. They have the best seats and prices, but are also trustworthy. The other half price booths are known to sell tickets that are over priced or have an obstructed view. If you do buy from another booth, make sure they show you exactly where your seats are on the chart and make sure your seats are not obstructed. If they don't want to show you the exact seats, take that as a red flag.

By Nikki and Leon

Getting Around in London:

1. In London the black cabs are considered safest by the locals.

By Glenda and Larry

2. When booking your flight to London, pay close attention to which airport you are flying in and out of. To avoid any mix ups, search your departure/destination city by airport code rather than by city. If you put in London, several airports may come up and you could accidentally click on the wrong one. If you do make a mistake, there is a charter bus between Gatwick and Heathrow airports that costs 20 pounds and takes 1.5 hours. A taxi takes 45 min. and costs 90 pounds.

By Nikki and Leon

3. The London Underground (Metro) is more expensive during rush hour, before 9:30 am, so check the price and schedule when planning your day.

By Nikki and Leon

4. The London Heathrow airport has free buses that run near the airport hotels. Most people will tell you to take the Hoppa bus for 4 pounds, but that may not be necessary if you can take a public bus. The advantage of the Hoppa bus is that it leaves you at the hotel rather than a block away. The advantage of the public bus is that it's free and the wait time is about the same.

By Nikki and Leon

Dining in London:

1. Eating in the London pubs is both way cheaper and tastier.

By Glenda and Larry

2. In London if you sit down to eat, or even just to drink a cup of coffee you will be charged a fee.

By Glenda and Larry

Money in London:

European ATM's only take cards with 4 digit pin #'s. If your pin is 5 or more #'s make sure to change it before you go. The ATM ate my card in Italy and my bank had to send me another one such a hassle!

By Giuliette

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