UK & Ireland FAQ thread

Welcome to the UK, described by Lonely Planet in the latest UK guide as "simply one of the most beautiful islands on earth". You'll find that whilst people can appear flippant and/or sarcastic on this branch, it's only part of the unique British sense of humour so don't take it personally.

Please read this thread first before you ask a question, hopefully you'll find your answer already inside!

Feel free to add anything relevant to the thread too. Before we start though, here's some advice from the TT team:

1. Do a TT search! At least five posters a week ask what to do in London, whether to go visit Stonehenge on their way around the world, and whether it's possible to work under the table/overstay a tourist visa. The road is well traveled. Find those threads, add a reply (which brings the topic to the top, restarting the conversation), and then see #2. Ask one question at a time.

2. Be specific. You might include: How much do you have to spend? ("reasonable" doesn't cut it) budget or up-scale? What are your interests?

Finally: If you haven't filled in your profile on the TT, make sure your post mentions anything about you that would be helpful to know. An 18 year old Canadian on his first trip abroad usually wants different advice from a Italian family with an infant or a couple in their 50s from Cornwall.

Airport transfer details are available in this FAQ, check it first. Now back to Fwoggie's excellent post:

To get here by plane Most long haul arrivals will come into London either via Heathrow or Gatwick. The advent of the budget carriers such as Southwest in the US and VirginBlue in Australia has also caught on in Europe and these days many people using them will find themselves arriving in Luton or Stansted airpots as well. If you're interested in who the big players are, try Easyjet or Ryanair. There are many others as well, so if in doubt, ask.

Getting around The train system was the first in the world and as such, bits of it are a bit old these days, leading to the odd delay. Recently the rail industry was privatised and rail fares have rocketed as a result as firms try to make a profit out of the railways. Buying in advance can still get you a bit of a bargain, so try www.thetrainline.com or www.qjump.com. National Express runs coaches throughout the country for very reasonable prices, so try their website (available at www.nationalexpress.co.uk. If you would like to drive around, be aware that traffic levels south of Manchester can be very heavy and especially so in the South East. In the UK we drive on the left, and we tend to drive fast. Most motorways (freeways) are 3 lanes, and cars in the fast lane can often cruise at 90mph (140kmh) despite the density of the traffic. Many people though are frequently unprepared for our fuel costs which are amongst the highest in the world. It varies depending on your region, but an up to date list of prices is maintained by our automobile association at www.theaa.com (direct link to fuel prices here). As a guide, it's about 3 times the cost that it is in the US for example.

Attractions - London. You can't really avoid London if you're a first time visitor and its numerous attractions and sights can easily keep you occupied for a week. I've done the London Eye (London Eye) 4 times now (yes, it does wear thin after a while). Tickets can be booked ahead in advance by phone or on the net and this will supply a given time. Turn up half an hour before the given time and join the queue. Don't be discouraged by the size of the queue - it moves pretty quickly. The attraction sells a photographic guide to London so you can figure out what you're seeing. If you're not totally familiar with London this is definately worth buying and makes for a nice souvenier. Try and ride it in nice weather if possible. I personally prefer it at night, but sunset is also definately worth checking out (is my personal favourite time). Tube: Waterloo is closest - walk out past the Eurostar terminal, over the bridge and you can't miss it. Personally I recommend Westminster, come out by the river, and you can get a good photo shot before you cross over the river to get to it. Talking of the tube, it has a website - see www.thetube.com.

Try also Madame Tussauds (Madame Tussauds) - lots of waxworks in there - some of which you might not have a clue about (eg various politicans, King Arthur), some of which you should instantly recognise (Diana, The Queen). Good chance to educate kids and yourself re the history of famous UK people. However, it is prohibatively expensive these days and is seriously worth questioning whether it's worth the cost. Tube: Baker Street.

Re hop on hop off tour buses - they're all much of a muchness, usually about £14 a daytrip - get on and off as and when you want, children cost around £6. Options are Big Bus but the language options are a bit iffy although English is of course included. More appealing could be the original London Sightseeing tour (The Original Tour) which includes a free river cruise. Languages offered are English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Hebrew. For a bit of an off the cuff experience you can always try the totally unique Frog tour - why tour London's roads when you can do the river also in a special amphibious vehicle. See Frog Tours.

An alternative is to get a travelcard which gives you total access to the tubes and buses and use them instead. Much cheaper, but minus the narrative. But they still are almost all double deckers. But they're kinda only good if you're familiar with London. Still, the tour buses are the way to get around London. The tube is mostly underground in central London, so you won't see anything of note, although it is the fastest way from A to B if A and B are a few miles apart - use the buses if you want to keep on filming with your camcorder.

There are McDonalds restaurants seemingly every 200 yards, so if children get desparate for one, it's not an issue, ditto Burger Kings. There's several pizza chains including deep pan pizza, pizza hut etc. If Princess Diana is your thing, try the tasteless but heavily photographed bottom of the egyptian escalators in Harrods - there's a permanent memorial set up by Mr Al Fayed to the two of them, complete with her "engagement ring" and the wine glass she used. The (free) Victoria and Albert museum is just up the road too as well which is very handy. Tube: Knightsbridge.

Make sure you check out Buckingham palace one day for about half eleven for the changing of the guard - it happens at 12, but you'll need to be early to get a good vantage point by the railings. If the queen is in, the royal standard will be flying at full mast. It never flies at half mast even if she dies it'll be lowered, and then raised full mast for Charles as the new king. See info at London Tourist board info. Tube: St James' park, Green park or Victoria.

There's also Covent Garden (Govent Garden) - they have street entertainers that you can watch for free, or often they interact if you chip them 50p or £1. There's an indoor market there with small and large items, some of which are under £5 for small souveniers. Tube: Covent Garden/Charing Cross/Leicester Square - warning - Covent Garden tube station is shut on Saturday afternoons to anyone wishing to get back on the tube system - this is due to major congestion.

There's a whole bunch of parks for walking in, though I don't recommend picnics at this time of the year, leave that for the summer. Talking about this time of the year - get yourselves warm rainproof coats (or buy them when here). It will probably rain. Trust me on this.

Websites for general tourist info: This is London London Tourist Board.

Do not bother hiring a car for London - it is simply not an option for anyone and nigh impossible if you're under 25. The traffic in London has to be seen to be believed, and car parking prices (if you can find a space) will give you a heart attack. Besides, the public transport system works fine. The good news is that the drinking age is 18 in the UK, so take advantage if this isn't the case back home.

Attractions everywhere else in the UK

Visit Wales is the tourist board website for the principality and you'll find a very warm and welcoming people if you want to off the beaten path a bit. It's only 2 hours to Cardiff (the capital) from London by direct train and arguably doable in a day trip. Cardiff has great shopping opportunities, and in particular has the Millennium Stadium - you cannot miss the bugger when you get off the train at Cardiff Central - it's totally dominates the landscape and is arguably one of the best rugby stadiums in the world, hosting the 1999 world cup final. Go catch a rugby match if possible whilst there - the 6 nations tournament is held every spring and Wales will play several of their games at home each year, but be careful tickets go fast, particularly if they're at home to England. Further outside of Cardiff, Snowdonia park has some of the best scenery in the UK but mind the crowds on warm sunny days. If you're lazy, a train goes to the top of Snowdonia mountain, or you can always walk up it of course. Castles abound throughout the UK but some of the best are to be found in Wales (they do have over 400) including the famous Caernarfon Castle as well as the heavily fortified Caerphilly Castle. Public transport gets iffy internally in Wales, especially trains and a spot of patience will be needed. It is worth considering hiring a car for this part of the UK. As it's in the West of the UK, it experiences considerably more rain at any time of the year. Make sure you're prepared. If you're going hill walking, make sure you have the correct gear (which can often be hired at low cost) and that you've told someone where you're going and when you'll be back.

Visit Scotland is the tourist board website for Scotland. They're proud of the fact they're not English and won't let you forget it in a hurry. The capital is Edinburgh, full of life and colour and it boasts the Military Tatoo as well as the world famous Hogmanay celeberations. Glasgow is the major international airport for direct entry into Scotland and the two cities are only an hour apart from each other by train or bus. Glasgow is home to Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Burrell collection is a haven for culture lovers, a wonderful display of art objects from across the world. The Lighthouse, right in the heart of Glasgow, is where a Charles Rennie Mackintosh conversion houses a variety of dynamic exhibitions on art and architecture. The Gallery of Modern Art, set in the neo-classical elegance of the former Royal Exchange displays the work of living artists from across the world. But the real delights of Scotland arguably lay outside their cities. Wind the way through the twisting roads past the countless lochs and find your way to the Highlands. Gliding, golfing, salmon fishing, pony trekking and nostalgic steam train trips are available as is snowboarding or downhill skiing. But when you finally tire of enjoying the scenic outdoors, don't forget to try some whisky. Campbeltown used to boast more than 20 distilleries in the 19th century, but there's only 2 left. Islay is only a small island, but has its own distinctive brands due to the level of peat used, whilst the highlands has some of the most famous whiskys in the world with others that are smaller yet arguably even better.

Staying a while in London?

Money - 6 months.

Self catering will cost £20 minimum, probably £25 per week
Going out in London will set you back, oh £40 per week if you go easy (that's assuming two easy nights a week, getting in and out of town).
Rail passes are available online.
Hostels can cost anything you like, assume an average of... hmm... £10-11 outside London per night for a dorm bed, £12-14 per night in London.

So, at a rough guess, ignoring travel costs and flights, I would estimate 6 months would cost you

£600ish on food
£1000 going out, sightseeing etc.
£2000 accomodation.

So that's £3600 before a rail pass or flights or whatever. Should you want more information, try the downunder friendly gumtree, www.loot.co.uk for advertising and www.ukvisas.gov.uk to find out what type of visa you're entitled to. Finally, another useful London website - www.tfl.gov.uk - a London wide journey planner to help you figure out how to get from a to b or even back to the airport.