London Attractions and Things To Do

Visiting London

Best Time To Visit

London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, all year round.

Spring is a popular time. to visit London, the weather is cool, but not cold, the flowers are blooming in the parks, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived.

June is the time to be in London if you want to see the highlights of the ceremonial calendar with both The Queen's Birthday Parade and Beating Retreat taking place.

Summer, July and August the warmest months, tend to be extra crowded and expensive due to the school holidays.

Autumn, or Fall for our American friends, sees London go from very crowded to just crowded.

Winter, with average temperatures of between 2 and 6C rewards those who wrap up warm with smaller crowds and queues and some great deals on airfare and hotel rates.

Winter highlights include the Lord Mayors Show in November, December has the added bonus of the Christmas lights, decorations and New Year's Eve and for shopaholics the January sales, which start straight after Christmas are a must.

It's always time to visit London, yes it rains, but nowhere nearly as much as some would have you believe.

What to do in an emergency

Dial 999 to reach the police, fire or ambulance service in case of an emergency.

Emergency Calls are free from any public or private phone, but should only be made for real emergencies.

The Police

Police officers walking their beat is still a common sight in the UK.

Policemen or women are courteous, approachable, helpful and always ready to help with directions.

For non-emergencies the police can be contacted by calling 101.

Public Transport in London

London has an extensive public transport system which includes buses, suburban trains, the Underground,(also called the Tube), the Docklands Light Railway, iconic black cabs, cycle hire, trams, river buses and even a cable car system to help you get around easily.

Bus and rail travel is divided into zones; the further the zone is from central London, the more expensive it will be to get there.

You can pay for journeys on London Underground with cash, a Travelcard or Visitor Oyster Card. Paying with cash is much more expensive than paying with a Travelcard or Oyster card.

You can pay for journeys on London buses with a Travelcard or Visitor Oyster card. Cash is not accepted.

Taxis can be used all over London: for people traveling together, using an iconic black cab will often be cheaper than buying single-journey tube tickets.

Electricity Supply

The voltage in the UK is 220/240 AC, 50 Hz.

UK plug sockets are rectangular 3-pin for which European and US visitors will need adaptors.