12 Essential Tips for Visiting London (from a Local)

When I first visited London I wasn’t sure whether I liked it. Scratch that actually. I didn’t fall in love with London. But when a letter of acceptance for a postgraduate degree came in the mail I couldn’t say no and I moved to London after all, and I’m glad I did because I surely enjoyed living in London and kept coming back every time I tried to leave.

London can be confusing, annoying and expensive, but it can also be rewarding and charming. If you’re visiting for the first time it’s important to come prepared in order to enjoy your visit and come back for more. Here are my best tips for visiting London from a former long-time resident.

Also check out these posts before your first visit:
Where to Stay in London – Best Hotels in London
Things to Do In London on Your First Visit

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1. Pick the Right Time to Visit Depending on Your Preferences

London weather can be quite unpredictable regardless of when you decide to visit. That being said, each season in London is different.

If you don’t like crowds, can skip June, July or December, if you don’t mind cold weather, maybe you should visit in January. Check out my full guide to figure out the best time to visit London for you.

2. Bring an Umbrella

There’s no denying that London is a rainy place. While the weather is not so bad as in Scotland (sorry, but it’s true!), it rains for about a third of the year, so come prepared. Get a foldable umbrella, so you don’t get wet in case it starts raining.

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3. Use Public Transportation, Including from the Airport

London’s public transport is easy and safe to use. Most tourists opt for grabbing a cab from the airport to their hotel, but in case of London, that’s absolutely not necessary as the public transport connections are relatively quick and simple. It will also save you a LOT of money, and I really mean a LOT.

The underground, buses and overground trains work well and cover all the best areas to stay in London. An even if the trains aren’t running on a certain day, there’s always a replacement service. The only exception is a Christmas Day when public transportation is entirely off-limits. Use Journey Planner to find the best route.

TIP: If you’re traveling with a baby or toddler, look at the ends of the platforms for the elevator as there are a lot of steep escalators in the tube network.

4. Don’t Stand on the Left on the Escalator

In London you’ll lose your sense of personal space while using public transport. Weird people saying random things on night buses won’t bother you anymore after a few days either. 

Since we’re talking about transportation there’s one golden rule about escalators: stand on the right side, walk on the left side. Londoners are likely to push you out of the way if you’re hanging out on the left side. Also, if you need to stop and study a map of the underground lines ‐ don’t do it on a crossover between lines, stay to the side and out of the way and you’ll be fine.

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5. Pick the Right Airport to Fly Into

London has six different international airports that you can fly into. Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stanstead are the bigger ones and then there’s Luton, London City and Southend Airports.

Each of them are in different areas of London. The closest one to the center of London is London City Airport but most flights that fly in and out of here are smaller aircrafts such as Easy Jet or Ryan Air so this, as well as Stanstead, may be a good option if you’re coming in from nearby European countries.

The bigger international flights come in from Heathrow and Gatwick (including most British Airways flights). And lastly, Luton and Southend are the furthest away from the center so these aren’t the best choice for most travelers.

There are underground train lines and bus or coach routes that run safely and directly from central London to all of the airports.

6. Don’t Necessarily Get an Oyster Card

Oyster Cards used to be the only way (apart from paper tickets) to move around London’s public transportation. But, some time ago the TFL (Transport for London) introduced a new payment method to use your contactless bank card. It’s much cheaper to pay with the credit/debit card, as long as your bank doesn’t impose high overseas bank charges.

When using your credit/debit card, you don’t need to get a ticket from the machine, simply tap on and off at the gates to the station as you would with an Oyster Card. Remember to use the same card when you leave the tube that you used to enter, otherwise you’ll be charged a lot for not checking out.

Alternatively, if you’re planning on visiting many attractions in London, consider getting a London Pass. It gives you access to many London’s top attractions and a hop-on-hop-off bus ticket. 

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7. London is a Big City, so Plan Accordingly

One of my top tips for visiting London would be to plan your trip in advance and try to visit places that are close to one another on the same day. This is especially important if you are planning a whole lot of things to do with kids as London is huge!

If you don’t plan your activities properly, you might end up spending a lot of time in the tube or bus getting from Big Ben to your afternoon Tea, instead of enjoying your visit.

That said, make sure to stay somewhere central. While it might look like a great deal to spend half on a hotel near Heathrow or Richmond, you’ll not be happy traveling on the tube for 1,5 hour each way to get anywhere that you actually want to visit. It’s not worth saving a few bucks.

Click here to check out my best recommendations for hotels in London and what to expect from each neighborhood.

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8. Make a Use of Skip the Line Tickets

There are plenty of free things to see and do but if you want to see some of the typical, paid attractions you may want to consider a London Pass. It’s a sightseeing card at a fixed rate and covers over 55 attractions.

But make sure not to buy a pass unless you’re sure it offers admission to enough places you actually want to see. The London Pass allows you to skip the long line-ups so you can spend more time sightseeing and less time waiting in London’s busy crowds.

9. Take Advantage of Free Activities in London

London may be one of the world’s most expensive cities but there are so many fun and more importantly, free things that you can enjoy. There are plenty of markets in London to walk around and peruse such as Borough Market in Westminster and Covent Garden flea market that has plenty of fun English nicknacks. 

You can also visit some of the cities best museums like the National Gallery, the British Museum and the Tate Modern art museum completely free. You may want to visit these earlier in the day to avoid the crowds.

Another great free attraction is Greenwich Park, where the Eastern and Western hemispheres meet. It’s free to walk around the area, see the Greenwich line and marvel at the view of the city.

It’s free to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and London also has plenty of beautiful parks to wander about including Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and Richmond Park where you can spot some wild deer. Not to forget all of the incredible street art to be seen in London in the trendy area of Shoreditch in East London. 

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10. Watch Out for Pickpocketers

Sadly, London has many pickpocketers, but don’t panic – it’s not that unsafe. After years of living in London, the only thing that got stolen from me was a plastic bag with a dirty sports bra and a half-eaten brownie (I wish I could see the thief’s face when he opened the bag!).

Try to wear clothing that zips up valuables safely in inside hidden pockets and don’t leave your handbag open when you’re walking on the street or taking the tube.

Don’t keep your phone on the table in pubs or leave your bag unattended. I witnessed a few people having their phones and purse stolen when I worked in a pub.

11. Tipping Isn’t Compulsory, But…

Many say that tipping isn’t customary in London, but as someone who worked in hospitality in London I beg to differ. While your Uber or server won’t get mad at you (like it happens way too often in the US), it’s a nice gesture to tip servers on a minimum wage if you’ve enjoyed some delicious British food.

Most restaurants often add on a service charge (usually 12.5%), so it’s worth checking your bill if you don’t want to tip twice. In pubs it’s not usual to tip, but if you have a nice chat or service from a person behind the bar it’s nice to offer a small amount of money or buy them a drink by saying “and one for yourself”.

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12. Take a Day Trip Outside of London

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the crowds, you might want to escape London for a day to see some other places or head to some of the more unusual attractions in London.

There are so many amazing day trips from London, that you can easily spend a week or two and not get bored. Most tourists head to Stonehenge, Bath, Windsor Castle, or recently popular due to its Instagrammability – The Cotswolds.

Any questions about visiting London? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to respond ASAP!