London is an exciting, vibrant city, offering a whole host of things to
do and see. It is also one of the safest cities in the world.
In order to make your experience as enjoyable as possible you should exercise the same amount of caution as you would at home.
London Transport
Avoid using unlicensed cabs. Safe cabs to use are those licensed by the
Police. The driver will wear a badge and the cab will have a licence on
display. When using a hire car, be sure to fully check the car over
for any damage prior to signing the forms.
Accommodation in London Accommodation in London is
given a Star and Diamond rating by official tourist organisations. The
greater the number of stars or diamonds, the higher the quality.
Crime As with any major city, crime can be a
problem. However, if you follow the same basic principles as you would
at home, you will be perfectly safe. Keep purses and wallets in zipped
compartments. Avoid using rucksacks. Keep cameras hanging round your
neck, not over your shoulder. Never put your bag on the floor of a
restaurant or bar, keep it with you at all times.
Your Money It is not always cost effective to
change your money up at your Hotel. Try to shop around for the best
rate. Banks and Building Societies often offer the best rates.
Once you have changed up your money, be sure to store it in the safe at your hotel.
Eating And Drinking Be wary of young ladies
inviting you into bars for a drink. These ladies are often escorts and
you may end up paying hundreds of pounds for one drink and the
privilege of the ladies company for the evening.
It is now expected that diners will tip their waitress or waiter in
a restaurant. Before doing this, check your bill to see if service is
included. It is accepted that a tip of around 10% of your total bill is
reasonable. However, don't be tempted to tip if the service or the food
is poor.
Weapons
It is illegal to carry a knife, a gun or CS spray in London.
Important Holiday Dates
Holiday dates for 2009 are as follows:
New Year's Day - 1 January
Good Friday - 10 April
Easter Monday - 13 April
May Day - 4 May
Spring Bank Holiday - 25 May
Summer Bank Holiday - 31 August
Christmas Day - 25 December
Boxing Day - 28 December
Our Banks are closed on Bank Holidays however the most popular shops now open between the hours of 10am to 4pm.
Bank Holidays are classed as family days, therefore there are
usually plenty of activities organised to keep everyone entertained.
Shopping It may distress American ladies to know
that you will gain a dress size during your stay in London, and it
won't be down to the food. If you are a size 8 in America, you will be
a size 10 over here and in Europe. Let's hope that doesn't put you off
your shopping! If it's any consolation, you will need shoes 2 sizes
smaller, a 7 in America is a 5 over here for ladies. Mens clothes sizes
are no different. Their shoes however are 1 size smaller over here.
Driving In London We could write a book about
driving in London. It is of course much easier to say, "don't do it!"
Driving in London is not a pleasurable experience. You may be
interested to learn that in 1898 the average speed of cars in London
was 11mph, in 1998 it was also 11mph, so much for progress. It may be
some comfort to you to know that there is an excellent underground
system, which is cheap and fast. If driving is your thing we have a
wealth of information for you to read and digest.
It's a fact, we are obsessed with roundabouts. Roundabouts
are placed at junctions where typically traffic is heavy. Love 'em or
hate 'em, they work well. On approach to a roundabout look to your
right, if there is nothing coming there is no need to stop. You must
give way to the right and travel round the roundabout in a clockwise
direction. You should indicate your intentions to assist other drivers.
A valid (full) European, US or Canadian licence is needed to drive in the UK.
Seatbelts must be worn by all passengers.
You
must come to a complete stop where you see a stop sign and a solid
white line in the road, even if you can see your way is clear.
Unlike most other countries, drivers have to stop at zebra crossings if a pedestrian is waiting to cross.
On
pelican crossings you must come to a complete stop on red. On amber you
must wait until all pedestrians have safely crossed prior to driving
off.
Traffic lights follow the following sequence; red (stop), red and amber (get ready), green (go).
We overtake on the right, and quickly move back to the left hand lane after overtaking.
To
cope with the mass amount of traffic visiting London on a daily basis
the Mayor has introduced a congestion charge. This charge applies to
vehicles entering central London by car between the hours of 7am-6.30pm
Mon-Fri (excluding Bank Holidays). The charge is £8 daily. This can be
paid in advance by visiting http://www.cclondon.com
you'll also be able to pay at garage forecourts, in shops, by post and
actually in and around the congestion charging zone. You can now also
pay by text message although you have to register online first. Simply
text the last four digits of your credit/debit card to 81099 on the day
of travel and they will text you back your receipt number within 30
minutes. A hefty fine applies to those that do not pay the charge by
midnight on the day of travel.
Parking in
London is neither cheap nor easy. If you have parking at your hotel, we
suggest you leave your car there and use the tube. Traffic wardens in
London have a habit of popping up when you least expect them, and
following closely behind them is the clamper van. The release fee is a
bitter pill to swallow.
When driving in London, always lock your car doors. Gangs have been known to strike when vehicles are stuck in traffic.
