I Need some Tips for a Travel to London?

Question

Hi, I'm going to London for 4 days on August and I need some tips, like how much is usual to leave as a tip in a restaurant, the ways to go from Gatwick to Downtown London in the night other than a taxi, what to do as a first time visitor, and so on, Thanks!!!

Answer 1

from what i've heard, everything is super expensive. even a dump restuarant can cost you an easy $200 if you are going with a few friends and having a couple beers each. im going there myself in a few weeks. good luck! have a great time.

Answer 2

when you get their ask random people if they know David Beckham

Answer 3

Taxi's are a good way to get around London (expensive, but as long as the taxi is genuine then it's better than walking round late at night). Make sure you use the London Underground- cheap, efficent, and fast. And you get to check out the locals in all our quiet glory as every local uses the Underground here.

As a few other answers have suggested, I wouldn't go to a restaurant if you don't want to spend too much money but instead, there are many nice deli's or shops you can pick up cheaper food from. The best places to get sandwiches, pasta, wraps etc. are supermarkets: Sainsburys and Tescos do some good pre-made stuff, and they only cost a couple of pounds.

However if you are looking for a restaurant, London has some great ones. I recommend Launceston Place in Kensington, it's not too pricey and it's good a traditional British menu and the few times i've been there, i've never been disappointed. A chinese noodle bar called Cha Cha Moon in Soho is really cheap. Alot of restaurants add a service cost to the bill after everything has been ordered- a bit cheeky. Otherwise, go by how much you liked the meal. If it was c**p, don't leave anything. If you loved it, give them loads. How the system should work. And a must is to try fish and chips- there are so many fish and chip shops in London, make sure you grab yourself a portion. Another nice idea is to have a full English breakfast one morning, every single cafe serves it up.

As you're a first time visitor, you'll probably want to see all of the typical sights of London- London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, Buckingham Palace. There are many museums and art galleries if you're into that sort of thing, and alot have free admission.

Have a wonder arround Harrods, and other expensive shops.. window shopping doesn't cost a penny (; Prince Charles Cinema near Leicester Square shows films at really cheap prices (£1.50 usually, £1 on a Friday night.. bargain.) Hyde Park is free, and worth seeing. If you've never heard of Banksy, now's the time to check him out (banksy.co.uk), he's a graffiti artist and alot of his work is featured around London, see if you can spot some.

Check out Time Out London, a great website- http://www.timeout.com/london/

Oh, and bring an umbrella.

The weather's a bit unpredictable here, even in August.

Have a lovely time in London, i'm sure you will (;

Answer 4

Carina's answer is good - other places to visit in London - South Kesington, and Islington for instance. I used to leave in Islington. It is a little town on its own with lots and lots of restaurants, pubs/bars and young people but not so many tourists, which can be nice! London Eye is quite a nice tourist attraction right by the Thames & Big Ben, you get a cool view of London. Watch out for transports they are very expensive so plan yoru budget accordingly. Tube website as per Carina's comment is a good place to start to have an idea on rates. As far as tips, i believe you don't have to leave any but it is always nice to do so, so it depends how generous you are. Enjoy!

Answer 5

Resturants and bars (yes even the dump ones) are rather expensive! unfortunatly so are the supermarkets atm but my advice is if you dont want to eat in resturants 3 times a day is grab something to eat from tescos or any supermarket and have lunch in hyde park! or sit on the benchs round by the palace! tips...well you dont have to leave a tip if you dont want too...its not really important unless the service has been absolutly outstanding then maybe £2..

for a first time visitor i say ditch the travel guides and jump on the tube and just explore there are some great hidden shops in convent garden and lecister square... and the obvious the london eye, tower of london, buckingham palace and watch the guards do there little routine thing!! have fun!!