London of course is my home town, so I biasedly consider London to be one of the greatest cities in the world; it’s an extremely multicultural city with influences from all over the world. Double decker buses, Buckingham Palace and fish and chips are not all London or England has to offer. Each county in England has its own set of customs and unique beauty. Most travellers tend to stick to London when visiting the UK, however, travelling around England’s smaller cities and towns is extremely rewarding, the further out of London you go, the cheaper things are and the more nature you will see. A few helpful websites to help with your stay in England are; EatWith (www.eatwith.com) The website allows you to attend dinner parties and cooking classes in peoples homes across the UK, a great way to enjoy the British culture and make some friends. BlaBlaCar (www.blablacar.co.uk) allows you to rideshare throughout England sharing the gas price with vetted local drivers. This is a good way to meet people and travel different parts of England for relatively cheap. There are so many great things to explore in England depending on your interests and tastes, there is something for everyone. I hope this short summery will help you plan your trip, please comment below if you have any questions I haven’t covered, I will do my best to help.
Best Time to Visit
England is a great place to travel all year round. Spring (late March to early June) and autumn (September to November) are perhaps the ideal times to visit, as you will avoid the crowds of the summer months.
Things to do and see
- Stonehenge: Leave the city behind you and travel to Salisbury, where you can see the ancient rock formations of Stonehenge, it’s a mysterious place with an interesting history and worth the visit while in England.
- London Sightseeing: Go on a bus tour throughout London and soak up the key sights, Explore Westminster Abbey and watch the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. You can also cruise the River Thames to the Tower Bridge.
- Cotswolds: The Cotswolds covers five counties, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. These villages are quintessentially English with picturesque hills. The Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty well worth the visit.
- Loch Ness: Scotland is worth including on your trip to the UK, you can explore the Scottish Highlands. Enjoy a boat ride to Loch Ness, and the surrounding villages.
Food
British cuisine is a combination of dishes from all around the world. However, there are some traditional British food which you should try while in England. The first dish I recommend is the British breakfast which is a combination of bacon, eggs, sausages, beans, mushrooms, black pudding, tomato and toast. The second dish to try is the Sunday roast which is roasted meat either chicken, pork, lamb or beef; served with roast potatoes vegetables and gravy. The final dish to try is considered by many to be the national British dish; the chicken tikka masala, which is roasted chunks of marinated chicken in a curry sauce, served with rice. Although an Indian dish it was traditionally made to accommodate the English palate. Tea is the national drink, so don’t leave England without having a cup of traditional tea with biscuits or scones.
Transportation
Air: There are many domestic flights connecting all the major cities in England, Leading airlines for domestic flights include Ryanair, easyJet, Flybe, British Airways and bmibaby. Flying may be quicker to get around major cities in England and sometimes cheaper than taking the train. England is also ideally located to travel to the rest of Europe, the middle east and North Africa, you can travel to all these places cheaply, directly and just under 5hrs. Most of Europe will take you under 3hrs.
Roads: England’s roads are good and well maintained in the towns and cities throughout the country. The roads also have clear signposts. However, expect heavy congestion during peek times because of the constant road works especially in London. Drivers drive on the left-hand side of the road.
Rail: Trains are the most popular way to get around England and reliability remains good.National Rail Enquiries is the most reliable place to get timetables, fares and special offers on trains throughout the country. wwww.nationalrail.co.uk). In order to get the best fares, book early, at least a few weeks in advance of your travel plans. Rail passes aimed at giving tourist discount on rail travel can be purchased before you get in the country, BritRailpass is one of the companies offering discounts to tourist (wwww.britrail.com). Megatrain (wwww.megatrain.com) allows you to buy budget tickets to limited routes around the country. Eurail passes (wwww.eurail.com) provide discounts on Eurostar trains to England and some ferry routes. Travelling long distance by train can be very expensive, the cheapest type of ticket to buy is an advance ticket; it can save you as much as 80% of the fare, Off-peak is the second cheapest while Anytime tickets are the most expensive. If your using public transport in London buy an Oyster card for 5£ from any newsagent, then top it up to travel through out London. You can also use your credit or debit card if it is contactless.
Taxi: Taxis in the UK come in three forms, Uber which can be ordered through an app, private hire cars which are called minicabs which must be booked in advance and cannot be flagged down on the street, the fares vary depending on the car firm and the cabs are not metered. Black cabs are the final type of taxi they have a distinctive style which is different from normal cars and they are the only form of taxis that can pick up passengers on the street or from designated taxi ranks they can also be booked in advance. All black taxis are metered with the fare set by the government.
Ferry: England has a network of rivers and canals which are used as a means of transport, sightseeing and accommodation. There are also eight major sea ports throughout the country. The biggest cruise port is Southampton, majority of the destinations offered at this port is generally for countries in the Baltic Sea. Dover is the second largest port, with a lot of modern facilities. The largest port in Scotland is in Edinburgh, the port Leith. Majority of the cruise ships from this port connect to Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Port Harwich in Essex is famous for its lighthouse which is now a maritime museum. Port Hall in Yorkshire offers short cruises from the UK to Holland Finland and Belgium. Port Liverpool offers cruises around the British Isles and Canaries. The Liverpool port also offers passengers the option to disembark right in the city centre. Port Tyne in Newcastle offer cruises to Baltic countries and Scandinavia. Port Tilbury in London accommodates passengers and cruise lines from all over the world. And covers Northan Europe and Baltic sea destinations.
Bus: Local buses throughout England are run by many different companies. As a rule, the further away from the city you get, the less frequent and cheaper bus services become. Travel by coach is generally much cheaper than by train. Some coach services follow routes that would otherwise be impossible by rail. Traveline (wwww.traveline.org.uk) has full details and timetable information for every bus route in England. The biggest coach operator in England is National Express (www.nationalexpress.com)
Visa
Visas are not required for all E.U, U.S, Canadian and Australian nationals. For stays of up to 90days in a 6month period.
Language
The official language spoken in England is English, However, different regional accents exist which can be quite strong and difficult to understand, for example Cockney in London, Geordie in Newcastle and Scouse in Liverpool. The Scottish accent can be hard to understand and in Wales they speak English but also have their own Celtic language. London is a cultural melting pot, so you may hear many languages spoken for example, Polish, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, Somali and Romanian.
Money
The official currency used across the United Kingdom is the Sterling Pound (GBP) American Express and Diners Club cards are not widely accepted. ATMs are commonplace in big cities and small towns; most machines will accept all major credit and debit cards. Be aware that foreign cards usually incur charges. Most big cities and towns across the U.K have Currency exchange bureaus where you can change foreign currency to pounds. To get the best rate comparisons visit www.compareholidaymoney.com You will need your passport to exchange money.
Tipping
The UK does not have the same tipping culture as the US and Canada, in general you’d only give tips to waiting staff in restaurants, a tip of around 10% is expected. Do check your bill first though, as some restaurants will add the tip automatically.
Social etiquette
In the United Kingdom been seen to be polite is very important. For example, most English people tend to over-apologise; if you were to accidentally bump into someone, they would apologise to you as though they are sorry for being in your way. If you were sitting in someone’s reserved seat it would be common for them to say, “I’m sorry but your sitting in my seat”. In England it is quite normal for the victim and the person to blame to both apologise to each other. Orderly queuing is also a very British obsession. British etiquette dictates that when you arrive, you join the back of the queue and wait your turn. It is seen as extremely rude if you push in. British people also say please and Thank you for everything, when you are in a shop, restaurant or anywhere you are receiving customer service, you should say thank you to the person serving you and please before asking for help. There are many taboo subjects that the English do not like to discuss, money is one of them, it is considered extremely rude to ask someone how much they earn? Or to discuss money full stop, unless invited to do so. Good manners at the dinner table is a very important British etiquette, the key important rules to remember are:
- Your knife should be held in your right hand and your fork in you left.
- Do not talk while there is food in your mouth.
- Try and eat with very little noise when your chewing.
- Eat slowly and drink slowly.
- Do not put your elbows on the table.
- Lastly you should wait till everyone has finished before leaving the table and if you need to leave, excuse yourself and ask permission.
When it comes to conversation the British are obsessed with talking about the weather, it also works as an icebreaker to start a conversation with a stranger. Lastly drinking tea is a British pastime, you will most likely be offered a cup of tea anywhere you go in the UK and as you travel around, you will spot many cafes.
Adaptor
There is one plug associated with England, plugs with three rectangular pins.
Wi-Fi
There are many Internet cafes throughout England, most hotels and restaurants provide free Wi-Fi also.
Ruth’s Lonely Planet 