The land of pounds, pints and poms – the UK.
Forget the stereotypes and lap up all the treasures on offer – head to Stonehenge for a dose of the ancient, get along to a pub for an ale and a tasty dish of ‘toad in the hole’ or experience the madness of a football match in Manchester or Liverpool. London alone will keep you busy – go and wave at the Queen, see the city from the heights of the London Eye or grab a curry down Brick Lane. Cup o’ tea luv?
Check out my UK travel guide which is jam-packed full of all the travel tips including where to go, what to do, budget and prices, events, attractions, and other England tourism highlights.
Countries in the UK
• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland
Fast Facts
Population
50,714,000
Languages Spoken
English, with many local accents throughout the country.
Currency
Pound (GBP) £
Electricity
The electrical current in England is 240V and the cycle is 50Hz and you will need a converter if you have appliances that don’t accept this voltage. Square three-pin plugs are standard.
Time Zones
GMT: Daylight savings means clocks go forward one hour from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
Country Dialling Code
+44
Weather
UK skies are often overcast, showers can occur out of the blue. Winters (December to February) are cold, and snowfall happens periodically as temperatures hover around freezing. Summer (from June to August) sees temperatures of between 14-30o and the northerly latitude means the summer evenings are long. In the middle of summer the sun won’t set until 10 pm. Overall England’s climate is fairly temperate but periods of fine weather or rainfall can happen on any given day.
Best Time to Go
Peak time for travel to England is during the summer. It often isn’t very hot but you can still enjoy the beaches. The best months to travel are April, May, September and October as the flights are often cheaper and there are fewer tourists.
Money & Budget
The currency in the UK is the pound.
Sample Prices
The UK, particularly London, is one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the world! Budgeting is essential to avoid running out of money. Here are a few sample prices to help you budget for your England trip:
• Pint of lager = £3.50
• Fish and chips pub meal = £8
• Admission to a big-name club on a Friday = £10
• Entry to Madame Tussauds = from £20
• Ticket to a Premiership Football match = from £30
• Average room prices = hostel prices start from about £18, cheap hotel rooms cost £50-80, something mid-range from £80-100, and you could spend £100 (or well beyond!) on a classy pad.
• Average meal prices = if you’re on a budget you’ll be able to get a decent meal for about £6, a nicer restaurant will charge around the £12 mark, and if a posh place is more your style you could be looking at spending £20 and beyond.
These prices are in British pounds and are subject to change.
Tipping
A service charge could be included on menu prices but is most likely to be added at the end. If service isn’t included you’re expected to fork out at least 10% so check the bill carefully before handing over any extra.
Banking Hours
Banks are generally open from Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Many are also open on Saturdays. All major credit cards are accepted.
Visa & Entry Requirements
Get all your England work & tourist visa info right here! Whether you’re wanting to go on holiday or you’re keen to work you’ll find all you need to know before you go about England visa requirements.
Tourism Visa
EU nationals can visit England visa-free. The citizens of many other countries are permitted to enter for 6 months without a visa; and visits beyond this time period will require entry clearance.
Working Holiday Visa
Bring on the pounds! There’s a great big list of countries whose citizens aged 18-30 can apply for the working holiday visa, allowing you to live and work in England for up to two years. You’ll need to apply at least three months before you intend to arrive here to ensure you receive your visa in plenty of time and have over £1600 in your bank account before you even apply so start saving early!
UK Travel Tips
Have an awesome time while on your trip but remember to respect the local culture in England. Check out the England travel tips and advice below:
London Tube Etiquette
At the last count the tube consisted of 275 stations with 3,988 tube carriages carrying around 2.5 million passengers a day on 12 tube lines… phew! Firstly you’ll need to remember to stand to the right on the escalators (walkers to the left), if you get it wrong a grumpy commuter will probably set you straight… Once on the train stand clear of the closing doors, they can give you a pretty decent knock if they hit you. When getting on or off the train make sure you mind the gap! This varies from a few inches to a foot at some of the stations.
Eat-in, Eat-out Charges
You’ll find that some cafes will display two prices – a price to eat-in and a price to eat-out. If you’re trying to save cash go for the eat-out option.
English Food
The myth that English food is boring and tasteless isn’t true! At least not anymore. You’ll find a huge variety of international restaurants, especially in London. Make sure you sample some of the old-fashioned traditional foods in pubs though, and wash it down with some local beer!
Hot and Cold
Come prepared for any sort of weather – even if the day starts off well it’s likely that the temperature will change. The best thing to do is layer your clothes so you can add or subtract as necessary.
Being Polite
The British are in general very polite people and will expect at least basic politeness from travellers. Pleases and thank you’s go a long way! At the same time they have a wicked sense of humour.
Name-calling
Don’t be surprised or offended if you’re called darling, dear, dearie, flower, love, chick, chuck, me duck, me duckie, mate, guv, son, ma’am or any other similar pet name by someone you don’t know. It’s quite normal.
Getting to the UK
London Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world with a ton of flights arriving daily from all corners. Travel to England is easy! And once you’re here there are plenty of England transport options to get you around. Check ’em out below:
Airports
London Heathrow
Heathrow is located 24 km west of London. The Underground (also known as the tube) services much of London and takes around 45 minutes to an hour to the central areas. The approximate fare is £4. A faster but more expensive train option is the Heathrow express, which takes only 15 minutes but costs £15. To take a cab you’re looking at a cost of around £50.
Other London Airports:
Gatwick airport – take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria station. The journey takes around 30 minutes and costs approximately £11.
City airport – grab a shuttle bus to Canning Town at a cost of around £2.50 and then jump on the Jubilee tube line to take you to central London, costing about £2. Expect the journey to take 30 minutes.
Stansted airport – take the Stansted Express train to Liverpool St. station. The cost is approximately £13 pounds and the journey takes around 45 minutes.
Luton airport – The Thameslink Trains run to central London regularly and cost about £10.
Manchester Airport
Manchester airport is located 17 km southwest of the city centre. You can take the train from Manchester airport to the city centre at a cost of £2.80; the journey takes around 20 minutes. Jump in a cab for around £16, you will arrive at the city centre in around 30 minutes.
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle airport is located 10 km northwest of the city centre. The metro is the easiest way of travelling to and from the airport, and there is a station right next to the passenger terminal. The journey takes about 25 minutes to the central city and trains run regularly. A cab will cost about £15 pounds and takes about half an hour.
How to Get Around
If you want to get around England fast then you’ll find all the main cities are covered by a range of airlines. However, because England is a reasonably small country many people rent a car or take a train or bus to different regions. There are plenty of discount rail passes available to overseas travellers offering unlimited travel on the network.
Getting to Towns and Cities
All towns and cities have bus services, and many cities have rail as well as taxi services. London transport options are excellent and you can choose from the underground (tube), overground trains, buses, taxis, even boats and trams.
Organised Tours
If you’re travelling alone, for the first time, or just fancy meeting some new and exciting people, then why not try an organised tour.
Best Attractions in the UK
Check out my list of places to see/visit in the UK, including tourist attractions and all the best places to go sightseeing. This is just a taste of what this great country has to offer!
Bath
The natural hot springs are what attracted the Romans to Bath over 2000 years ago. The amazing temple and bathing complex they built gave the city its name and still flows with natural hot water today. With the bathing complex and some beautiful architecture, Bath is Britain’s only city with World Heritage Site status. Have a soak in the therapeutic spa complex which utilises water from the same springs the Romans used.
Brighton
Visitors flock to Brighton, one of the first of the great seaside resorts of Europe. It’s only an hour away from London and key features are the sand-less shingle beach, Brighton Pier with its amusement park rides, and the Royal Pavilion – a former royal residence built in the 19th century for King George IV. You’ll also find a pumping nightlife, great shopping, and some great seaside bars, cafes and restaurants to boot.
Liverpool
Follow the path of The Beatles from humble beginnings in Liverpool to international stardom at ‘The Beatles Story’ museum. For a dose of Asia head along to Chinatown – it is the oldest in Europe. And let’s not forget the part that football has to play in this city – experience the atmosphere at one of the premier matches, or if you can’t make it, take a tour of the grounds and club museum, including the famous trophy room. Check out my Liverpool travel guide.
London
Never a dull moment in London – home to the Queen, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the ‘tube’ and plenty of pubs! Make sure you schedule in a night out at the theatre, watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, do a Jack the Ripper tour, try a curry down Brick Lane, go to one of the many museums and art galleries, take a London black cab, go shopping in Oxford St or sift for goodies at the Camden or Portobello Markets. View my London travel tips.
Manchester
Manchester is a lively, bustling city that was the hub of Britain’s cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution; many attractions relate to this boom period including buildings, exhibitions and museums. Among the old is the new and there are plenty of modern buildings such as the Urbis to catch your eye. The city is also famed for its football talent and Coronation St fans will be excited to hear that the soap is set in this city. View my Manchester travel tips.
York
York is steeped in history, owing to its past Roman, Saxon and Viking inhabitants. The ancient wall still encircles the city and in fact York has more miles of intact wall than anywhere else in England. Within its walls you’ll find the York Minster, Yorkshire Museum (one of many) and Jorvik Viking Centre. Stay on the lookout for wacky street names such as Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma Gate and Mad Alice Lane.
North Wales
Wales is where there’s beautiful scenery, beaches, and castles for you to explore. The medieval town of Conwy has an 11th-century castle and from there just a short scenic drive away you have the traditional, Victorian seaside town of Llandudno. Hikers can enjoy Snowdonia National Park with beautiful views and the highest mountain in Wales. With so much to see and adventures to be had it’s not surprising that North Wales was named one of the best places in the world to visit in 2017 by the Lonely Planet.
Other
Some more popular places to check out include Bournemouth with some of the most beautiful beaches in the country and the historic capital of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Health & Safety
Medical Services
England health care is of a high standard. All nationalities receive free emergency treatment at accident and emergency departments of NHS hospitals.
Safety and Security
The UK is generally quite safe but you’ll need to be more careful in London and the other large cities, especially at night. Choose a train, tube or tram carriage that has plenty of people in it and avoid deserted suburban tube stations at night. There are many night buses you can catch but try not to do this alone. A licensed cab is often the best option.
Try and leave valuables in your hotel room, as pick pockets do operate in some areas, be careful of bags especially when in busy areas.
Remember to buy travel insurance! Accidents happen – and they can happen in the strangest places at the strangest times, like on the beach in Brighton or in an alley in London at 3 am. Travel insurance can cover you for all sorts of mishaps during your travel, and even before you leave.