Trip to London: Do’s and Don’ts

London in 4 days. Who much can one see? Along with our friends Kristina & Manfred we went to find out. We had a wonderful time and got to see lots of treasures in London.

My Observations

• London is not as expansive as one would think: meals start at 7 EUR a 0,5 l beer in a pub is 3 to 4 EUR
• Entries to touristic highlights (apart from some museums) are very expansive
• There is just immigration when entering the country, none if you are leaving (so you don’t have to arrive as early to the airport as one would think)    
• Here come my tips of “do’s”:
• Take the double decker buses instead of the subways, they are not as fast, bus often we got to see in the front seat, and an incredible view that is! Packed food in supermarkets seem to be much fresher then in other places, so for a couple of pounds you can get some delicious snacks and have picnic in a park
• If you like photography the new high rising buildings close to Monument station are great for taking pictures
• For public transport get an oyster card, it’s basically a deposit card, when you return the card you get the 3 pounds deposit fee back and all the credit on the card
• When arriving in stansted airport, get a return train ticket, the train is so much faster!
• Once a year London has a “open house day“, try to go that weekend to be able to enter the interesting buildings and the best panoramic views for free. A good view for little money can be achieved at the monument column (3 pounds entry)

Here come “don’t s”:

• When going to a Pub, don’t wait for a waiter, order your beer at the bar yourself, that’s way tips for drinks are uncommon, sometimes you even have to order the meals at the bar…
• Touristic attractions seem to be a ripoff, most of them costed around 22 EUR, just leave them out, to get to now London, you don’t have to enter Buckingham Palace, Madame Tussaud’s or the London Eye..
• Borough Market is a great place for pictures, but don’t expect it to be a traditional market, 90% of the visitors are tourists, and prices were extremely high, better to come with a full stomach, so your wallet is safe ;)