Must See - Must Do

• London Zoo
• London Eye
• Madame Tussauds
• Tower of London and the Royal Palaces
• London Dungeon
• Legoland
• Buckingham Palace
• Thames River Cruise
• The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
• Natural History Museum - our favourite!
• Imperial War Museum - another favourite!
• British Museum
• Science Museum
• National Maritime Museum
• Britain at War
• National Gallery
• Victoria & Albert Museum
• Soho
• Tate Modern
• Speakers' Corner - superb.
• London Walks
• Royal Parks
• Visit a good old British pub

Travel

• Public transport in London is very good. Both the bus and Tube services are reliable and clean. We recommend that you buy an Oyster Card if you are going to use public transport as you will save a not insignificant amount of money. You can view London transport maps here.
• Airports - for travel from Heathrow, try the Heathrow Express. From Gatwick, try the Gatwick Express. From Luton, take the Luton Airport Express which is only 25 minutes into London. From Stansted, take the Stansted Express.
• Cars - we advise against hiring a car in London. Public transport is more than adequate, and the legions of traffic wardens have been known to ruin the days of many drivers, myself included. However if driving is unavoidable, then there are plenty of car parks dotted around.

Tipping

It's usual in London to tip after a meal at a restaurant, 10% to 12.5% being the norm. Sometimes this is already added to the bill. It's not usual to tip in pubs, but after you've had a few ales, you may wish when buying your next round to offer the person serving you "one for yourself".

Speaking of tipping, here's a list of London's top 50 restaurants.

Speak to the natives in their own language!

Smoking

In London (and the rest of the UK) it's now illegal to smoke indoors in a public place (pub, cinema, restaurant, hotel common parts, etc). A pack of 20 cigarettes will cost close to 6 pounds. Travellers from the US will be glad to know that most newsagents stock Lucky Strikes and if you're really lucky then you might be able to get hold a pack of Winstons.

The Weather

It turns our umbrellas inside out, soaks us to the skin, gives us a tan and is totally unpredictable. It gives us something to moan about... constantly. It's here to stay. A five day weather forecast can be seen here.

Is London safe?

Definitely yes, especially in Central London. London isn't a scary city. Just a few tips: when walking around, make sure you keep your bag closed; when travelling home after a night out, avoid unlicensed cabs.