WORST London Mistakes that Visitors Make // London Travel Tips + Secrets

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These are the WORST mistakes that people make in London, including transportation mistakes in London and other London travel tips to help make the most of your London vacation.
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3 мар 2021

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@GirlGoneLondonofficial 2 года назад

You're missing out on exclusive weekly videos (and the controversy over how I tiered British food...sorry, Yorkshires are the best!) if you haven't checked me out on Patreon! www.patreon.com/girlgonelondon

@mikeykerr2765 3 года назад

Do not mess with any guards at any site, these people are real soldiers and carry "live" weapons! They deserve your respect!

@MegaBoilermaker 3 года назад

Correct Mike.

@owenshebbeare2999 3 года назад

Also, don't be an ugly tourist, often associated with loud Americans, but we Aussies have a bad rep sometimes too.

@mikejamesporter 3 года назад

It's also worth noting that whilst Buckingham Palace is inaccessible, there are places like the Horse Guards where they sometimes are. As many people have said though, don't try to mess with them. They'll tolerate you walking past just fine, but walk in front of them and they will give you a verbal "Make Way for the Queen's Guard!" warning. Repeated attempts at distracting or aggravating will get you arrested.

@OneTrueScotsman 3 года назад

Respect? No. But caution, sure. Respect by me has to be earned.

@Bonglecat 2 года назад

Exactly, I think some tourist think they are actors like the characters at Disneyland. Nope they are Soldiers

@kphedges1 3 года назад

As a London cabby it’s worth explaining that when our yellow light is off, we are not available. Many times I’ve seen tourists frustrated and waving their arms at occupied cabs. Also because cabbies are self employed you can negotiate a cheaper price upfront for the longer trips, tours and airports.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Great tip, thank you so much for sharing!

@andykegs5584 3 года назад

You should really mention that pretty much all ‘national’ museums are free and a lot of them are awesome!

@marcuswardle3180 3 года назад

AS someone who works in the 'museum' (we like to call it the cultural) sector I totally agree. The number of Free Museum and Galleries is outstanding. As also a Friend of the British Museum I can say with certain that you will never see everything in the British Museum.

@afpwebworks 3 года назад

@@marcuswardle3180 The free museums aer a feature of many capital cities. I can cite Wellington NZ, Canberra Australia, Washington DC USA as other examples of cities taht have free museums. Many governments see it as their duty to fund free museums as a way of taking care of the valuable artifacts. legends, history of the country. London has many FANTASTIC museums. The Imperial War Museum i thought merited several days not just one visit.

@marcuswardle3180 3 года назад

@@afpwebworks The structure under which we get funding, whether we be a National or a small private museum, is that we have to make the collections freely accessible. This is in relation to what the grant was awarded for. For example the museum in which I work has a large collections of magazines which we are wanting to be digitised. We can get more stories and solve people’s enquiries in doing this. If we get a grant we would have to make it freely available. If we raise the money ourself we can charge, if we want to. Some of these grants can run into millions. Another museum I know wanted to conserve an exhibit and open it up more. They got a grant for about £5 million pounds! The plane was Concorde though!

@BoredOfBills 3 года назад

A note about the guards... Tourists always seem to imagine that the guards are "Chocolate Box" soldiers who do nothing else - this is NOT TRUE. The guards regiments are regular soldiers who take on combat missions abroad and who perform all the normal duties of any other regiment. The horse guards for instance are a mobile armoured regiment when deployed. They take on "Ceremonial duties" in historic uniform ON TOP of their regular duties as normal soldiers. Messing with the guards is deeply disrespectful and can land you, as a tourist, in very serious trouble.

@captvimes 3 года назад

Exactly dont do anything you wouldnt do to a soldier in your country who is carrying a real gun on duty in a city at risk of terrorist attacks.

@SvenTviking 3 года назад

The Guards are elite regiments.

@brontewcat 2 года назад

I have also heard they get docked pay if they do laugh. So it may be funny to the person messing with them, not so much for the guard.

@64mickh 2 года назад

For the American tourists planning on a UK visit, the comparison would be messing with the USMC sentinels at the Arlington memorial or the White House. Most have completed multiple combat tours in Iraq or Afghanistan (many times both). They are front line soldiers who are carrying out the ceremonial part of their duties.

@slashdisco 3 года назад

I don't even need to watch this video. As a Brit I can tell you what the NUMBER ONE rule is: *DO NOT STAND ON THE LEFT OF THE ESCALATOR. EVER.* The funny thing is that this literally only applies in London. In the rest of the UK we really don't care.

@brontewcat 2 года назад

It is a bit confusing because where AVI am from (Sydney ) you stand to the left

@DWXY 2 года назад

There are signs everywhere, and announcements, and you can see other people standing on the right. So… why? Why? Many Londoners have long and tiring commutes. We might have only a few minutes to make a connection to another train. So that lovely clear space you see ahead and behind you… there’s a reason for that!

@philroberts7238 3 месяца назад

@@brontewcatMelbourne too. (So there ARE things we can agree on!)

@NickfromNLondon 2 года назад

I think it is worth reminding visitors to be very careful when crossing the road as vehicles come from your RIGHT.

@philipmason3218 3 года назад

You're one of us now, that's the first time I've heard an American correctly call our takeaways the chippy 🍟 🐟

@itsmephil2255 3 года назад

Let's remember though that chippys don't just do fish and chips...batters sausage,spam fritters,"scraps - (not fights) And fishcakes

@philipmason3218 3 года назад

@@itsmephil2255 it also varies depending on where you are. Saveloys and Rock, chip barm, fried Mars bar, Eels, pickled eggs, scallops. The list is endless. As an aside, the word chippy comes from it's original name. The Chipped Potato Shop. Apparently it was classd as a luxury and very few working people would use it until prices dropped.

@itsmephil2255 3 года назад

@@philipmason3218 exactly

@luckytri9716 2 года назад

@@itsmephil2255 The chippy I've favoured for years is owned by a Chinese family, so they also do a load of chinese dishes. If you spend a minimum amount, you get prawn crackers for free whether you are having a chinese or fish and chips 😁

@itsmephil2255 2 года назад

@@luckytri9716 I like the sound of that 👍

@russandomire7349 3 года назад

I think the worst mistake you can make as an American coming to London is to ignore the "Look right" sign as you step off a curb. That sign is there to prevent your getting hit by a car or bus. Enjoy your channel. Keep it up.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Oh so true!! Thanks for watching!

@LondonEd 3 года назад

'Kerb'?

@russandomire7349 3 года назад

@@LondonEd Yes, no doubt. We spell it differently in the States. Thanks .

@who-gives-a-toss_Bear 3 месяца назад

@@russandomire7349 When in Rome!

@ianz9916 2 года назад

My son in law makes the London Bus Maps. They used to be produced by London Transport but they stopped making them years ago. Now he not only produces them, he supplies them to the London Transport Museum. They are an absolute must for any London tourist.

@mericet39 3 года назад

Whenever I go to London, I don't get jet lag. But, then again, it's 25 minutes on the train.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

This made me laugh, thank you!

@crcomments8509 3 года назад

A flight would probably have been cheaper, than the train.

@mericet39 3 года назад

@@crcomments8509 maybe, but my closest airport is Heathrow!

@dogstar5572 3 года назад

Get a tube from Charing X to embankment. Takes about 30 minutes. The walk takes 2.

@loquayrocks 3 года назад

When I returned to Ireland after ten yers in London, I used to call it a "Chippy" and everyone looked at me funny.. "You mean Chipper?" they'd ask... a Chippy in Ireland is a carpenter... (a Sparks is an electrician)...

@jasonsmart3482 2 года назад

A Chippy can also be a carpenter in the UK

@IanSparksRC 3 года назад

One thing I’d add is the size, most people including English people that don’t live in London don’t realise how big it is

@amandahall5395 3 года назад

I always take friends and family visiting London on the Thames Clipper. Can't recommend it enough. You can see most of the sights from the River, the clipper is fairly cheap, frequent and fast (compared to tour boats) and is a much nicer way to get from Westminster to Tower hill and Greenwich than using the tube (although getting the DLR can be fun too with kids at the front of the train). There's a bar on the boat too - used to commute home by boat sometimes in summer and grab a beer on the way home. So good.

@luckytri9716 2 года назад

That sounds ace 😄

@rockracingfan 2 года назад

You can't sit at the very front of the DLR at the minute. It's reserved for staff for social distancing purposes! The other carriages behind it you can sit in the front seat at least

@patcharinbaynham9681 3 года назад

Don't forget most museums are free !! - May have to book in advance as things open up - there may be restrictions on numbers - but normally you could just walk in - Natural history museum for example - although most appreciate a donation or contribution for a guide book etc

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Great tip! Love all of the free things to do in London!

@MrMinimanmatt 3 года назад

Museums are free but its always very polite to put a contribution in the clear boxes on the way in or out. Without funding they can't keep providing education for the masses

@allenwilliams1306 3 года назад

I'd suggest going to Greenwich for the National Maritime Museum. I remember seeing the uniform Nelson was shot in at Trafalgar, complete with bloodstains.

@MeFreeBee 3 года назад

I would suggest buying a pocket sized A-to-Z street atlas. Pretty cheap and really clearly laid out. Much better than even a smartphone for getting a sense of where you are and ad-libbing interesting ways to get from here to there. Also, Android and probably iPhones allow you to download areas of their maps so you can still use them where there is no wifi signal and avoid expensive data roaming charges.

@gillchatfield3231 3 года назад

If you don't know London from the ground, you won't know what you're looking at from the Shard, or the London Eye. I could look out from the Shard forever, but I lived in London for 10 years, and moved around a lot. If you're keen on high buildings, that's a different matter.

@johnellis6569 Год назад

As an ex-Londoner I watched this video expecting a few glaring errors but I think you absolutely nailed it. Well done

@leecal5774 3 года назад

Brilliant video. I’m British. And what you said is very true and great advice.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thanks for watching!

@andrewbaker7839 3 года назад

The zoologist Desmond Morris wrote some great books about how humans work, the most famous is "Manwatching". This theory is that on places like The Tube, people are placed closer together than they really want to be, or are used to. It makes people uncomfortable - and one coping mechanism is simply to try and pretend nobody else is there - to ignore them. This is the reason people seem to ignore you on the tube. They're not being rude, they're being defensive. I live ten miles north of the London boundary, and fairly often find myself on the Piccadily Line to Cockfosters (where my partner will pick me up). For the last couple of stations there might only be one or two people in my carriage, and sometimes , we even start talking to each other - the stress is gone so the conversation is easy.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

@captvimes 3 года назад

When I worked in London it was more of a case of every day you get ground down to senible silence to avoid beggars, drunks,druggies, pick pockets and if you are a woman unwanted attention to want a nice chat on the tube. People will help tourists if not in a rush. Quaint theory though and you are right about defensive for real reason. There are places where you can talk with londoners like the pubs.

@SvenTviking 3 года назад

I am a Londoner by birth, but South East London where there is no tube. So I ‘ve always talked on the tube, screw you North, West, South and East London!

@marinangelov 2 года назад

The O.G. London Bridge is actually on Lake Havasu in Arizona. 😂

@asylumgamingcartel6137 3 года назад

best fish and chips are on the coast in seaside towns like whitby in london fish and chips r overpriced and crap

@JosephSeabourne 3 года назад

Agreed

@richbutler718 3 месяца назад

That’s a bit of a generalised remark, there are some really good chips shops In London, also some crap ones like most places

@jlily8909 3 года назад

YES!!! Chippy chips are by FAAARRR superior to anything you get in a restaurant, it's hard to explain, especially when you're at the seaside, being attacked by seagulls lol. I think it has something to do with the oil they use, the way they drench the meal in salt & vinegar then immediately wrap them in paper, takes it to another level.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Mmmm, I can taste them now!

@allenwilliams1306 3 года назад

BUT: make sure they use proper malt vinegar - not the ghastly “non-brewed condiment” most of them will attempt to pass off. Moreover, it is best to find a chip 'ole that uses dripping or lard to fry fish and chips in, not oil. You cannot heat oils to the high temperature required to cook the food properly. Oil needs an extended time because of the low temperature, so there is opportunity for your fish and chips to absorb the oil and become greasy. Using animal fat at a higher temperature means less fat is absorbed.

@drwhpod Год назад

Any particular chippy you recommend, TIA.

@ambernelson3653 2 года назад

These are great tips! Thanks for taking the time to share these with us! Blessings!!

@philipmason3218 3 года назад

I found out the awkward way. Oyster is a guaranteed payment method. A lot of banks, mine included, like to put a stop on your contactless card if they think it's an unusual transaction. If I'm travelling in the UK, I let my bank know about it so my card doesn't get declined

@TheClunkingFist 3 года назад

There are some horrendous hotels in London. Like old houses knocked through into one complex: all squeaky floorboards, thin walls and no aircon. Stay in a modern hotel, or stay in an airbnb. Almost anywhere could be good, but be sure to check the area thoroughly on street view to ensure there isn't a 24hr gas station or refuse (rubbish) transfer station across the road. Or a fire station or ambulance station! An airbnb in a leafy suburb like Ealing or Hampsted, near a tube station, could be good. I prefer an apartment closer to the centre, but ensure there isn't a pub below you or across the road!

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Great tips, thank you for sharing!

@keithweelands5822 3 года назад

I can remember been screamed for standing on the left of the escalator, I was helping hold onto my disabled wife as the station had no lift.

@lordshadow3822 3 года назад

Yeah don't mess with the Queen's guard. The guns ain't for show and if you mess with them, they will mess you up and they're allowed to do so. Also they're severing on the frontline.

@LondonEd 3 года назад

'Serving'?

@Westcountrynordic 3 года назад

A travel trip for those who may travel outside of London by train check out the various rail cards that are available which gives a third off train fares, one for example is the twotogether card which if two adults travel together they get a third off each, the card does cost £30 and you will need passport style photos for it but you can easy get the cost back after only two trips.

@brianchalkley1093 3 года назад

Found this very interesting and am enjoying your posts, keep up the good work👍

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thank you Brian for watching!

@mikelee5649 3 года назад

You should do London outside of Zone 1 on the tube. By the way, Its only non Londoner's who describe anything as zones on the tube. Real London culture is mostly found in the non tourist areas so get to Clapham, Whitechapel, Brixton, Canning Town, Kentish Town, Hammersmith etc

@JazCorta 3 года назад

We are not impatient walking up or down the escalator. Those 30 seconds can mean 30 minutes wait for the next train. 😁

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Yes that is true! I have been one of those London commuters and have fully pushed tourists aside in my dash!

@ianprince1698 3 года назад

avoid rush hour from three to six pm, everyone wants to go home

@johnclements6614 3 года назад

A few years ago London Underground did some experiments at Holburn, which has a long escalator. They were stopping people walking up the left side during rush hour and getting people to stand on both sides. They found that they could get more people up the escalator that way, but they did have to have someone stood at the bottom all the time. I don't think there would be a benefit on the short escalators from standing on both sides.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

@@johnclements6614 Absolutely! I was one of those commuters putting up with that experiment for what felt like years. A good idea, but human nature won over and people weren't happy about having to wait - something about getting to walk up maybe feels like you're going somewhere faster even if you aren't!

@JazCorta 3 года назад

@@johnclements6614 yeah, maybe when the escalators are like five floors long but Northern Line Waterloo is too short for that. I know that from experience! It really sucks getting stuck when you know you could have made it to your train to sunny Surrey if only those pesky tourists have moved out of the way, haha! Seems so silly and ridiculous now in March 2021 but that was our lives and will be again come June!

@graveperil2169 3 года назад

If you pay buy contactless make sure that you touch out even if the barrier is open if you don't the system will default to the highest fare, for rail station there are normal small stand alone touch point by the exits as well as the barriers

@richt71 3 года назад

Funny story. On a rush hour tube. Went arse over tit. Loads of people grabbed me but time I turned to thank them they were all back engrossed in their phones or papers.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

haha, if that's not a great example of Londoners, I don't know what is!

@johnclements6614 3 года назад

Got off the train once at Cannon Street once, my shoelace was undone so I bent down to do it up. Some bloke who was in a rush did not see me and went arse over tit.

@MyWalkLondon 3 года назад

Good Advice. Regarding Royal Guards, Some Visitors to Buckingham Palace love provoking the royal guards in a bid to get them to smile. But their attempts are in vain. No matter how many jokes you make or photos you take the royal guards somber expression won’t crack.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

So true!

@tonywilkinson6895 3 года назад

Good advice luv .👏🏻

@afpwebworks 3 года назад

Wow lady, this aint your first rodeo!!! I spent a lot of time earlier in my working life travelling through Asia and Europe for business and it got to where i had a million frequent flier points. ( i say that not to brag but just to emphaasise my qualifications for saying the next thing) - everything you say here is so sensible and well thought through. You've clearly learned all that stuff by personal experience or from the actual experiences of people you know. Visitors to London will not go wrong by following your advice to the letter.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thanks for your positive feedback and for watching Mike! I appreciate it! London is such an amazing city and I'm so grateful to have called it home for so many years now. :)

@wessexexplorer 3 года назад

Your comment on using the tube too much is really true. Sometimes you spend more time going down to the train than the journey on the train. However I once decided to walk from Paddington to Whitehall... had to stop for a coffee in Hyde park and was almost late for a meeting! Great city to visit I still have lots of the museums to see.

@gdofred 3 года назад

Another YT personality, Geoff Marshall, and his wife Vicki Pipe actually have videos up where Geoff will take the tube while his wife will walk the same journey. Of course he is a Tube expert, so they pick the station pairs where Vicki is likely to win, but they usually pick stations where you might transfer to a different line. Also check out their channel All the Stations. Good information here, though.

@MeFreeBee 3 года назад

@@gdofred I have raced a friend from Leicester Square to Piccadilly Circus. I strolled along at street level while he took the 1 stop tube journey. I reckon he probably had to walk further than I did, just getting to and from the platforms.

@MegaBoilermaker 3 года назад

Some intelligent observations.

@adys6115 3 года назад

Nice work, all good advice.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

If you're visiting London, do not forget to check out my insider London guide: courses.girlgonelondon.com/courses/the-ultimate-guide-to-london-for-visitors/

@markhutton6055 3 года назад

As a London born visitor to London, I would always travel by tube or walk. I haven't been in a while, but I would usually get a one day travel card for the zones I needed.

@davidscargil9145 3 года назад

Good advice on the Tickets

@shaunbyrne9037 3 года назад

Great video Kalyn 🙂 .

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thanks Shaun!!

@stuarttaylor1799 3 года назад

There is something special about London Bridge. It's London's 1st bridge. Though not the present one. The original Roman bridge is long gone.

@OEDODRAGON 2 года назад

I'm not a Londoner, but this seems to be great advice for anyone wishing to visit, whether you live in the UK or not.

@simonbaker5972 Год назад

This has to be one of the best helpful vlogs I've ever seen. I'm a Londoner, and you are so right! One of my tips is to go to a greasy spoon cafes for breakfast rather than the hotel or restaurant breakfast!

@smaouh Год назад

Thank you, Cutie 😊

@dazza9326 3 года назад

Pretty much spot on.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thank you!

@itscliffvtr 2 года назад

Definitely walk, same as in NYC. You miss so much by catching the tube. A walk along the south bank is great in itself.

@captvimes 3 года назад

Great advice with walking, check your phone to see first. There are so many stations really close together and also some that look closer than they are esp when changing lines (looking at you Bank to Monument expedition) bus every 5 minutes for that and your legs will thank you.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thank you! YES! The Bank to Monument absolute trek...thanks for adding your insights and watching!

@brontewcat 2 года назад

Good tips.

@stephenlee5929 3 года назад

Hi I agree, get an Oyster Card. You can order them from abroad, if you are happy for it to be posted to you. Using contactless cards is OK, but make sure you use the same card for the whole day. There is a limit on how much you will be charge in any day, but if you use multiple cards the system will not know so the limit will not apply. Make sure you tap in and importantly out for each trip (if you only tap in you will be charge for maximum journey). You don't need to tap out on bus or tram. Oyster card can be used on Tube, Bus, DLR and Tram (Croydon) as well as some Mainline Trains. Each adult needs their on card (oyster or credit/debit) you can't share by tapping in twice.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Love what I’m doing (or if you’re British, think what I’m doing is “not bad”)? Consider joining the Girl Gone London crew on Patreon here (www.patreon.com/girlgonelondon) for exclusive monthly videos and content.

@FlightProgramAborted 3 года назад

Your doing a great job

@kylehill3643 3 года назад

@@FlightProgramAborted Hey. The original London Bridge is in Arizona over a dry river.

@FlightProgramAborted 3 года назад

@@kylehill3643 yep I believe they thought they were buying Tower Bridge :)

@anjajacobsen9739 3 года назад

I have visit England twice with my family twice. When we visit London... We use oester to get around, is so easy. We combined buses, tubs and walking a long to get around. When we do sightseeing... Some are planned and other is spontan. In 2012 we saw : London dungouns and London tomb. We also visit Borough market (love it). We like to taste food from other countries... All from cheese, cakes, Meat etc. I love cheddar. And we saw a lot more. The weather is simulary to my home country denmark, so we have an idea what to wear.

@janettaylor1264 3 года назад

Great tips! Especially the recommendation for taking the bus. If you go to the website of some place you'd like to visit that day, most have a directions link that will give you bus #s. Hubby always laughs about Americans playing "gopher" on the tube.

@jarrodh8041 3 года назад

Also good tip is to plan a day trip or longer outside of London. If you get rail tickets before you arrive they are much cheaper, you can purchase online for sites like the train line. They also have an app and you can just use the app to hold your tickets but make sure that your mobile device is charged because you will need this to enter the station or to show to the train conductor once on board.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Great insights, thanks for sharing!

@transformyourwealthandheal8555 2 года назад

You talk a lot of sense and know London well. The museum’s are generally free and obviously great value.

@theomega616 3 года назад

Personally, if you're coming to the UK, London is the capital but jesus, there is a whole ass country around it! (well mostly north of it). Don't just be like "I wanna go to London", go to Liverpool, it's full of history London is great and all but it's like saying I'm going to Arizona to see the sites, sure, you have the grand canyon but what about the white house, Washington Monument, rushmore, yellowstone?

@mikesaunders4775 3 года назад

This film is specifically about London, and visitors (especially first time) with limited time will naturally devote the greater part of their stay to exploring the many attractions unique to the city. I should add that Arizona is actually larger than England and about three thousand miles away from The White House and at least a thousand from Mount Rushmore, so any traveller there would also be better off sticking to the local sights.

@crcomments8509 3 года назад

If you are coming to the U.K. the chances are you will want to cram as much into a short period of time, if you went to Liverpool the actual area of any interest is very small, you could literally see all the sights within a few hours and a weekend would be plenty, the same goes for nearly all the other major U.K. cities including Manchester. London on the other hand, you can almost consider separate areas being the size of of whole cities. e.g. Knightsbridge, Chelsea, the city square mile, Covent Garden, Soho, etc, etc...... I have been to every city in England and Wales and Many other around the world, (I’ve not been to New York), but London is in a league of its own as a de facto place to go, Edinburgh is much smaller but still worth a visit.

@theomega616 3 года назад

my point to both was sure London is great but every time I hear of somebody talking about visiting the UK it's always London Which is a lil funny to consider her talking about being "touristy" and every tourist goes to London And, I'm guessing, a good portion of people watching this video are Americans thinking of either visiting or moving to the UK (and people in the UK "fact checking her) So I just wanted to comment that it's not London or bust and the rest of the UK is vast wasteland

@ianz9916 2 года назад

@@crcomments8509 I went to New York and, as a Londoner, I was surprised how small it is.

@richt71 3 года назад

National rail days out 2 for 1 offers are better than London pass for me.

@johnmunro4952 3 года назад

Avoid the London eye and do a boat tour instead. You see so much more that way . It will take you from Westminster to the tower of London, passing HMS Belfast, Shakespeare's Globe theatre and right under tower bridge!

@Lily_The_Pink972 2 года назад

The best way to describe London us as a huge conglomeration of smaller towns, villages and neighbourhoods which each have their own central area (downtown in the US). Each area has its own personality and atmosphere.

@mrjoneseastend 3 года назад

it doesn't rain as much as you think, in fact there is more rainfall in Paris and Madrid.

@glynnwright1699 3 года назад

..but it does drizzle a lot. I think, from memory, that parts of East Anglia have a borderline 'semi arid' classification.

@Flakey101 3 года назад

@@glynnwright1699 People always seem to come out with x city has more mm of rain than Britain, but we never claim to have heavy rain. Often it can be wet all day and only really drop a couple of mm. Why we say about the rain is because England has about 177 rain days a year, and Scotland and Wales more than that.

@nickbrown6457 3 года назад

London is on the east coast of the UK, and usually the prevailing weather comes from the west. Moisture laden air, having travelled across the Atlantic Ocean, gets forced up as it meets land and forms rain bearing clouds, which normally falls in the west of the UK, leaving the east much drier, with typically around half the rainfall. I think London might have around 110 to 120 rain days per year, but cities like Cardiff, Bristol or Manchester would be considerably more, maybe even double that?

@glynnwright1699 3 года назад

@@nickbrown6457 ...and, as for Cornwall! Let's just say always have your raincoat in the car.

@capitalb5889 3 года назад

@@glynnwright1699 - the last couple of winters have been particularly damp, but I wouldn't really think of London as a wet city. Manchester is by far a wetter city and it drizzles there a lot. In London rain is recorded on 109 of the days on average each year. This is totally unremarkable in comparison to other cities around the world. Manchester comes in at 140 days a year - a while month more of rain. Seattle in the US has 150 days a year. Niigata in the West coast of Japan has 184 days of precipitation a year - I lived there for a time and an umbrella is part of your everyday items.

@itscliffvtr 2 года назад

Premier in near the train station that you arrived from. Then you can walk to your hotel. For example Waterloo is near Southwark, 15 minute walk to hotel.

@Tarantio1983 3 года назад

In the south of England, particularly the southeast, our winter weather is on-and-off showers. When it rains it rains hard but not constantly, and you'll get a chilly wind with the rain. So wear layers and invest in materials that will keep you warm and dry, but also look for clothes that will look good. A good wool jacket will keep you warm, even when wet. Pea coats are trendy, so a wool pea coat is a good investment for coming here. Kashmir wool jumpers look good and dry quick, invest in some. Black cotton slacks look good in any setting, they dry quick and don't feel as uncomfortable when wet as denim. As to shoes, high ankle and leather is your friend. So Chelsea boots, Doc Martin's or similar footwear weather well. Just make sure they're comfortable to walk in. The real trick is to layer your garments though, by which I mean: - Lowest layer = underwear & a wicking tshirt. Next layer is jumper and pants Top layer is jacket and scarf, the scarf should tuck between the jacket and jumper to stop rain trickling down your neck and under your shirt. Umbrellas are nice, but easy to leave behind ... a good jacket isn't as easy to leave behind!

@ianprince1698 3 года назад

a time away from central London, if you like gardens try Kew gardens go by boat underground or local train, you can spend a day wandering around, historic greenhouses and parkland, the house that Princess Elizabeth played in, is there

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Ah yes, love Kew Gardens - have gone by boat once and it was a great journey for a sunny day!

@johnsimmons5951 3 года назад

Re using the bus in London, there are a number of bus routes (e.g. 15 and 23) that take you past all the sights in the City of London and then on to Trafalgar Sq. You see all the sights of London for £1.50 rather than a sight seeing by a coach tour that would cost a lot more. In London once you have paid for a bus journey, you can make any number of changes of bus within an hour and not pay again: just make sure you use the same Oyster Card or Contactless credit or debit card each time. Also after you have paid for a certain number of journeys you don't pay for anymore. So travelling on public transport can be economical.

@terencestrugnell4928 3 года назад

Central London feels more like Disneyland than a real city. I remember back in the seventies when the city was much grubbier but somehow more real.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Interesting thoughts, thanks for watching!

@richardsinger01 3 года назад

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial interesting but nonsense

@chriswright4677 Год назад

What is Disneyland about it?

@Terrahawk_ 2 года назад

I used to work on the tube and your advice is good. Another reason not to use your card if you’re visiting is that the system charges you the maximum fare when you tap in to make sure that everyone taps out correctly, if your bank stops your card because you’re using it abroad (which happens a lot) you’ve been charged the maximum and then have to sort it out with them. Any problems with an Oyster card we can fix on the spot. Also with your advice about using the buses as well as walking that’s also good advice. What a lot of visitors don’t realise is that London is simultaneously bigger and smaller than you might expect. It’s better to pick a few things to do in an area each day, find the best tube station and then just walk from place to place or hop on a bus. It’s a lot cheaper and quicker that way.

@jerry2357 3 года назад

Because public transport is very good in London, you can save money by staying a little outside the centre. For instance, some years ago I had to stay in Brentford for a business meeting, and the Premier Inn there was much cheaper than the Premier Inn on York Road near Kings Cross. Actually, that can work in other places around the world, too. I once saved a lot of money when going to a business meeting in Frankfurt when there was a trade fair on (in German cities that host trade fairs, hotel prices increase massively when there’s a big trade fair happening). The Frankfurt hotels were very expensive, so some colleagues and I stayed in Mainz, which was about half an hour away by train.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Great insights, thanks for sharing!

@mikesaunders4775 3 года назад

Good advice, and many sights are in the outer boroughs or beyond (Hampton Court, Windsor Castle)so staying in the suburbs can reduce journey time to such places.

@sandpiper2012 3 года назад

Great video love, really nice, i come from northern ireland, but great video all the same...

@anthonyholden3373 2 года назад

If you want to see guards close up walk up the mall, with your back to the palace, take the first turning on your left at the traffic lights, walk down this short road, turn left at the street end and there on your left are guards standing on the pavement. They are guarding the building behind them, which is St James Palace. Hope this helps, are was when working a London Cab Driver.

@dinastanford7779 2 года назад

Its worth taking a river trip up to Greenwich or Hampton Court. Allow a full day.

@EmilyCheetham 3 года назад

When it comes to the equivalent of down town I agree there is none in London however the west end has more to do than say the east end. When it comes to popular places with many choice to eat & shop I like Covent Garden. When it comes to places to stay I find near kings cross a good area as you can get transport to so many areas from there. Especially if you are going to visit multiple sites around London.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Thanks so much for sharing and watching!

@niallrussell7184 3 года назад

if you don't know where you are going in a hurry, you're fair game to being stopped for directions - just like that gazelle that's a bit slower than the rest. 😂

@bitsandblocks7826 2 года назад

Agree re the Shard. If you don't have the pass and want to go up the Shard it's better value to have lunch with a view in Aqua £39 for 3 courses vs £28 just for the viewing platform. In addition to the Sky Garden for a free view in London on a fine day I'd go to Greenwich Park or Primrose Hill and pack a picnic 😄

@richardb3363 11 месяцев назад

London Buses: Generally cooler, cleaner and a much more pleasant way to travel than the Underground. All of them are accessible. They all have screens and audio information that say where you are. Enter at the front door - tap in with Oyster Card, on the yellow reader. Exit by the middle door - no Oyster tap out required. Fares are £1.75 per journey but capped at £5.25 per day, regardless of how many journeys you make.

@nickbrown6457 3 года назад

Don't be surprised if you never actually meet a Londoner in London. The majority of people there are either tourists or expats from all corners of the world living and working in London. I read somewhere that London is France's 3rd biggest city by population, because of the sheer volume of French people living there. In terms of it's people and general vibe on the streets, London is the most un-British city in the UK. I completely understand London is a top tourist destination and well worth a visit. Loads to see and do, of course. But my advice for anyone visiting London (if you have time) is to also get away from London and visit some other nice places. Do a bit of research, the UK has a lot more to offer tourists than just London. Most British people avoid London like the plague!

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Definitely agree, I always advise visitors to head out to other areas and take day trips even if they're based in London.

@capitalb5889 3 года назад

Agree. I'm a Londoner, but I always encourage visitors to get out of London and see done other parts of country - you can see a lot within an hour by train v

@Martin-lc1sk 3 года назад

Due to the buildings, it may be hard to get a GPS signal to navigate. If walking or using the tube, plan out your journey, which tube, which platform (northbound etc), any landmarks you go past

@lbailey9607 2 года назад

This is full of good advice. London is usually a 5 hour difference from Eastern time in the US, not 8 (that's the flight length). You are right about getting an Oyster card. You can use it on some train lines in the London area too. There are ceilings on the daily and weekly total cost so you should not spend more than having a daily or weekly travel card. Don't forget to tap in and out at stations which do not have gates (sounds obvious but I sometimes forget). One extra risk of using contactless is you might get your cards mixed up or accidentally tap in or out with more than one card if you have them close together. On not messing with Guards, my now-wife (who is from Europe) stood next to a soldier at Horse Guards for a photo and he shouted at her to stand clear, which really shocked her. For location, it is vital to stay near a Tube station on a major line. You can check journey times on the TFL web site. For fish and chips, the Poppies chain is pretty good and does have seating areas with various knick-knacks on the walls. Another tip - don't use flash if taking photos of trains on the Tube.

@alanjjeff 2 года назад

She did say from the West coast.

@ItsMeJenBB 3 года назад

I can vouch that walking to some spots is faster than the tube. I am guilty of using it too much on my trip. I also didn't realize there are a million stairs in the tube between some platforms and stations. Trying to get to my hotel was so hard with 2 suitcases. LOL Thank the Lord for the wonderfully nice Brit who helped carry them up the stairs when I was about to give up.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

oh yes!! Love a good story of someone helping out a visitor stranded with too much luggage in the tube! Happens so often!

@ItsMeJenBB 3 года назад

@@GirlGoneLondonofficial I think seeing me crying helped. LOL

@johnclements6614 3 года назад

Look on tube map for the wheelchair symbol.

@ItsMeJenBB 3 года назад

@@johnclements6614 Now I know, but when I read what tubes to take to my hotel, the directions didn't mention going up and down stairs. It just said Take this line to this stop, change to this other line, and get off at this station. Next time, I will just take a shuttle from the station to the hotel.

@ValenTina-ho7ht Год назад

Your videos are very very helpful!!! I'm going to have a layover in London for about 6-7 hours and I 'd like to know what's gonna be the best for me to do or see. (arriving at Heathrow t5 should I use the underground to go downtown?)

@ianprince1698 3 года назад

for public transport avoid peak times unless you want to play sardines

@rmc1461 3 года назад

I have just come across this video. You are right about the tourist areas, if you visit London, avoid any shop that sells souvenirs and drinks etc as they will charge a higher amount than the item is normally, same for food places in that area. It is worth walking away from the tourist area down a couple of side streets and you can get the items for normal rather than tourist inflated prices. For London Bridge, yes it is boring compared to Tower Bridge, however the current bridge was built or repaired by ladies in the second world war and is also known as the ladies bridge. Another good tip for tourists is to go on a boat down the Thames, best trip for sights is to go from Westminster to Greenwich. Use Millennium or Thames Cruises and rather than the clipper as they usually give you a commentary and it is quite relaxing, you also get to see the Cutty Sark at Greenwich and can return by boat or DLR to central London.

@ttrjw 3 года назад

Oyster cards can be purchased and topped-up at PASS agents - Oyster Ticket Stops.

@dokessezeaka5159 3 года назад

I always preferred the bus, I think I only took the tube on school trips or with family cause I always got confused. I never minded taking an hr bus ride

@messyaspie808 2 года назад

One thing I love doing on a sunny day is chilling on a deckchair in Leicester Square with a few beers 😀 rather than spending £5 a pint in The Moon Under Water or All Bar One, there’s a Tesco five minutes walk where you can buy 4 pint cans for a fiver 😀

@calebcrook5875 2 года назад

I've never heard of rain boots. that sounds very unusual to me as I always assumed everyone calls them wellies.

@rantymcrant-pants9536 2 года назад

Yeah, treat the Queen's Guard like you would those guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They will curb stomp you with no regrets.

@iammyriad71 3 года назад

Whitehall and St James Palace have guards outside that the public can come into contact with.

@COMEINTOMYWORLD 2 года назад

Great video! My advice for London would really vary depending on how many days you are staying and what your budget is. Don't try and do a huge amount of things each day as you won't succeed and will be stressed. Select maybe just one attraction a day and give yourself the time to enjoy it. You can always come back! London comprises two cities : Westminster (The Royal and Power District) and The City (the original Roman settlement and financial district). Get to grips with a London tourist map before you come because walking is your best friend, if you are physically able. Walking around, is really the highlight. Follow the Thames river North or South bank. Take a free or specialised paid walking tour which will be for a very specific area and or theme, as London obviously is massive. Wear comfortable shoes! If you are watching your dimes then London can be ridiculously cheap! Major museums are free. Small versions of major supermarkets like Sainsburys or Tesco are everywhere and do inexpensive snacks, lunch deals (eg £3 total for sandwiches, drink, snack). If you want to spend little dining then go to markets or a pub like the Wetherspoons chain for a meal. The internet is your best friend for research before you go. Check the weather reports. It is unlikely it will rain, it may be super hot! Have a small retractable umbrella if winter time. Do not carry things around with you. Leave at much as possible in your accomodation. And if you have your heart set on going to The Tower of London, then prebook the first time slots and get there when it opens and go straight to the back of the site to see the Crown Jewels. Zero queues, (unlike later) and then you can relax.

@duncanflood7983 2 года назад

If you do want to try real fish and chips and would like to sit in, Faulkners Restaurant, 424 Kingsland Road in Dalston and the Seashell Restaurant on Lisson Grove (2 mins walk from Marylebone Station) have both been around for ages and both do excellent authentic fish and chips.

@philwill0123 3 года назад

I would say instead of London eye, use the Emirates line cable car Only 4 pounds per person return, and much less queues and waiting than london eye. Especially in spring/ summer.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Need to try the cable car this year, thanks for sharing!

@itsmephil2255 3 года назад

Loving the videos really interesting...it's it's "the underground" not the tube Just working my way through your videos 👌

@stephenlee5929 2 года назад

Hi, The signs outside often say Underground, most people call it the Tube. TFL, the group that run the service call it the Tube.

@peterleswell6621 3 года назад

With regard to "rain Boots" (aka Wellies) what you said is very true people should buy Waterproof shoes. But I would advise people to buy shoes that are both breathable and waterproof. This is because breathable shoes help keep your feet fresh and airy and cooler plus much more comfortable than just waterproof (these make your feet smell!) lol.

@marycarver1542 2 года назад

and I would add that London, the UK in general, is not nearly as rainy as it is made out to be. There is more rain in Brussels, Paris, Ireland, , remember though that the UK is an Island in the Atlantic and as such our weather comes from all directions, it is usually wetter in the West, and much drier and sunnier in the East ... but then the wind changes 1

@TheTexas2 3 года назад

Very helpful! Did you grow up in Pgh?

@duncanbeaumont7121 2 года назад

If you are using a contactless credit card on the Tube, make sure that you check in at the beginning and check out at the end of your journey. If you don't check out, the system will assume that you have gone to the end of the line and charge you the maximum fare.

@jasonsmart3482 2 года назад

Remember many of the people working in London commute in they may not even be Londoners. Although from South London the last 10 years i worked in London I commuted in from the Kent coast 70 miles away. Yes we rush cause miss the tube mean you miss a train and you have a 30 min wait for the next one. But we are not miserable and will help tourists if we have time.

@davidflurrie7857 3 года назад

When visiting London in mid-winter, because of the northerly latitude it does not get to be daylight until about 10 am - and it's completely dark at 4 pm. (Which obviously limits the hours available for sightseeing.) But in mid-summer, it's daylight by 5 am - and it does not get dark in London until between 9.30 and 10 pm in summer.

@GirlGoneLondonofficial 3 года назад

Another great tip, thanks for sharing! Love a London summer!