Travel Tips for London, England

Westminster Abbey:

Visit us | Westminster Abbey

Explore a place that’s touched the lives of kings, queens, and statesmen, poets, heroes and villains. Westminster Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066.

Houses of Parliament:

Visit

Visitors are welcome to take a tour or watch debates and committees at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Sky Garden: (FREE!)

Plan your visit – Sky Garden – London

Sky Garden is accessible to all, and entry is free of charge . Tickets are available to book on a weekly basis, up to three weeks in advance of your visit.

London Eye:

London Attraction Tickets & Passes | The London Eye

Book your London attraction tickets to make the most of your visit to the UK’s capital city. Discover the place that changed London’s skyline. A must-see!

Tower of London:

Tickets and prices

Save time by booking your tickets online in advance for the Tower of London. Here you will find information on prices.

Kensington Palace:

Tickets and prices

Be sure to save time when purchasing your ticket to Kensington Palace by booking online.

Tower Bridge:

Bridge Lift Times | Tower Bridge

Find out the date and time of the next Bridge Lift at Tower Bridge.

British Museum: (FREE!)

British Museum

Welcome to the British Museum – discover two million years of human history and culture.

Victoria & Albert Museum: (FREE!)

V&A · The world’s leading museum of art and design

Welcome to the V&A – the world’s leading museum of art and design

Wallace Collection: (FREE!)

The Wallace Collection

A free museum in London with a collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture and arms and armour. Explore our Collection online today.

There are a couple of options to get to and from the airport.

Underground:

It is possible, but it is a long ride to central London and you may have difficulty finding lifts (elevators) and escalators which make traveling with luggage difficult. And even if you do find an escalator – it may not be working – which I experienced (luckily without baggage) at the Angel station with the longest escalator.

The link below is for the visitor Oyster card: (if you planned your trip ahead of time)

Visitor Oyster Card

Visitor Oyster cards are plastic smartcards you can use instead of the classic paper-based Travelcards. It is the cheapest way to pay for single journeys on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line, and most National Rail services in London. Also, you can use them without fares cappin…

If you haven’t planned ahead of time you can purchase an Oyster card for 5 GBP plus the top-up. The machines take credit cards – and you can get a refund of your unused portion at the end of the trip. There is a daily cap so it works like a travelcard.

Fares

Information about fares for all TfL services

Since the underground is complicated I recommend using a smartphone app like Moovit or CityMapper to choose the quickest route.

Heathrow Express:

This is the convenient method (and quickest) to getting to the city center to and from the airport. There is a luggage rack on the train and it is easily accessible with lifts (elevators). The express service (leaves every 15 minutes) is a direct train from Heathrow airport to London Paddington train station. They have lines on the ground in Paddington station between the train and the taxi queue. The train also has charging plugs to keep the mobile devices charged.

Train to Heathrow | London To Heathrow | Heathrow Express to London

Heathrow Express is the fastest way between Heathrow Central & London Paddington. Transfers from Heathrow Terminals to London Paddington which is fast, frequent & comfortable. One way tickets from just £5.50

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Don’t forget your adapters to charge your electronics. Here is a good website with the information you need for all the places you want to go.

Plug & socket types

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about standards

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Before you leave the United States it is highly encouraged to register with the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. You will receive security messages from the Department of State and the Embassy of the country you are visiting. More information regarding this free program can be found on the U.S. State Department’s website shown below.

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

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The last thing anyone expects on vacation is rain… To protect my camera (and hide if from pickpockets) I recommend a ‘dry bag’. This is usually used for people enjoying watersports (kayaking, boating, etc.) and available at most outdoor stores (as well as online retailers).