As others have said, London weather can be quite unpredictable so a small umbrella might be a good idea too.
Here are a few suggestions for things to do while you're here in case you haven't made plans yet.
There's a
half price theatre ticket booth in the middle of
Leicester Square (
map). The correct pronunciation of Leicester is
Lesster and
not Lie-sesster or
Lie-chester - Gloucester similarly is pronounced
Glosster. The nearest tube stop is Leicester Square followed by Piccadilly Circus. London has some great shows to rival Broadway and I'd recommend Chicago and Mamma Mia for starters. It's worth taking in a show while you're here - an essential part of the London experience.
Here's a major safety tip for London - at all costs you
must not be tempted to eat in any restaurant called
Angus Steakhouse or Aberdeen Angus Steakhouse or similar. They're quite recognisable with large illuminated red or green signs, red velvet booths and menus outside which don't prepare you for the horrors lurking within. They serve only the tourists (they can't get repeat business but there are so many tourists they don't need to), they aren't hygienic, the food is poor quality and they are overpriced. They are only to be found in tourist hotspots in London. There are three within spitting distance of Leicester Square. You can read a newspaper article about them
here. They
have been taken over recently and may have improved but I wouldn't risk it.
London has some incredible museums and you ought to have a look at the
Victoria & Albert Museum (free entrance - nearest tube is South Kensington), the
Theatre Museum in
Covent Garden (nearest tubes are Covent Garden or Charing Cross) and the
Fashion and Textile Museum (nearest tube is London Bridge).
For shopping,
Oxford Street (tubes are Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road) and
High Street Kensington (Tube is High Street Kensington) are great but also give the
King's Road in Chelsea (nearest Tube is Sloane Square) a look. While you're on Oxford Street by the Bond Street tube stop check out
South Molton Street too.
For alternative and retro fashions you need to head up to
Camden Markets (tube is Camden Town)
If you head to
Carnaby Street (close to Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus tubes) you'll find all sorts of stores but more importantly for me the M·A·C Pro store lurks there just off Foubert's Place.
Other highlights should include the
Tate Modern gallery where most exhibitions are free (
map). To get there, take a tube to Mansion House and walk over the
Millenium (wobbly) Bridge
One thing you need to be aware of is that to an American, London is very expensive but there are ways to help with this. If you're staying in London itself for most of the time it is worth getting a
Visitor Ticket or
Travelcard which can be used for unlimited travel on tubes and buses during your stay. Another thing that often catches visitors out is tipping. In restaurants 10% is standard in the UK. The servers are all paid a basic wage so don't have to survive on tips. Also, double check the bill to see whether service has already been included. Less scrupulous restaurants add service and then leave a blank "gratuity" line on the credit card slip hoping that you'll double tip. Don't tip in bars and pubs or fast food outlets. In England you ask for the bill at the end of a meal, if you ask for a check the server may get confused!
Don't buy things from vendors hawking things in the streets, they're invariably poor quality and any "designer" goods or perfumes will be fakes. Avoid taxis if you can help it as they get very expensive very fast. Never take a cab ride in anything other than a licensed London Taxi displaying a visible Taxi sign and a licence plate on the back or a prebooked licensed minicab. There are lots of illegal minicabs that tout for business (usually outside pubs and clubs late at night when genuine taxis are hard to find) but they are often uninsured and unroadworthy and there have been numerous cases of passengers being
sexually assaulted by illegal minicab drivers. If you want a licensed minicab, you can't hail one from the kerbside, you have to book a ride in advance and the driver will come to pick you up. If you're staying in a hotel, the concierge should be able to give you numbers of a reputable licensed minicab firm. For more details about taxis and minicabs see
here. If you're going to be out late, get the phone number of a licensed minicab firm you can call to get you home safely.
Don't give money to panhandlers - a lot in London aren't as homeless as they'd want you to believe and much of the money given goes on alcohol or drugs (
story). If you want to help someone who is genuinely homeless, look for a
Big Issue vendor and buy their magazine.
Be prepared to do a lot of walking. London is a very walkable city so bring comfortable footwear. As well as looking at a map of the underground when moving between places also look at a streetmap because a lot of stations are close enough together to be able to walk and that can be quicker and more pleasant. The tubes stop running from about midnight but there are plenty of night buses which run all night.
If you need any more help, please let me know. I'm off to Atlanta on 20th September but if you need a tour guide before then I'd be happy to help a fellow M·A·C addict. Double decker bus tours are also a good way to learn about the city.
I hope you enjoy your trip to London, it's a truly great city.
Sarah W
