10 Things to Keep in Mind While Visiting London

London is an amazing yet funny place. Why I say so? The incredible city is perfectly optimized for tourism, has some world-class attractions and surely every travelers dream destination but on the flip side, the famous city is sometimes a vacation disaster if you didn’t prepare well. Here we bring the list of things that you should keep in mind while visiting London for perfect trip.
1.Cash is easy to carry: though it’s true but if you’re thinking that cash is all you need in London then you might get in trouble here. It’s weird and unexpected but at many places in London only card is accepted so travelers should bring some cards with them along with cash when visits London. Specifically at few market places who decided to join the whole cashless revolution, so make sure to bring your credit/debit card or you can use apple pay in addition to the bills in your pocket.
2.Know the basics: In London everyone speaks English right? But hold on, British English is different from outside English, so much different that sometimes you’ll feel you’re hearing an entirely new language. For smooth and hassle free trip, it is best to brush up little on classic frequently used terms in England. Also, keep in mind that in England you’ve to pay in pounds instead of dollars and they use pence instead of cents. You might hear the word ‘quid’ or sometimes even ‘squids’ don’t get confused they’re simply talking about pounds. When they say 2 quid or squids, pay them 2 pounds. Don’t say elevator in London but say lift and put the trash in bin not in the garbage can. When you see people in line that’s called queue here and never ever try to break or jump into the queues. Lastly, you might here people asking you, ‘you alright’ it doesn’t mean you don’t look well but they use it as greeting just like we say ‘hey, how are you’.
3.Visiting paid London attractions: The notorious city undoubtedly has plenty of attractions that every tourist wants to cover. But visiting all these attractions in one trip is neither possible nor recommended. Why? Because London is an expensive city, doing paid attractions one after another definitely burn your budget in a hot minute. Also, there are tons of other people visiting the city same time you’re doing which means wherever you go you’ll catch a long queue which is not recommended at all as no need to kill your time standing in lines. There are many attractions that doesn’t cost you a pence, choose to visit some of these attractions along with paid attractions like Tower of London, London Eye, Buckingham Palace or Madame Tussauds.
4.Don’t rely too much on Google maps in London: Google Maps are deities for tourists to reach your destinations but this deity is not recommended in London. Instead of Google Maps use CityMapper app, more up-to-date on delays, route possibilities, closures etc. the app even have calorie counter option so you can keep record how much you walk and burn calories.
5.There is no phone service on Tube: Phone is your best partner when you’re in public transport and countries tries to improve phone services even in underground. But again London is not like other places, there is no service on underground trains. If you’re relying on maps then make sure to download offline maps so you can reroute if anything happens and to cope boredom bring something to entertain yourself because spending 40 min (everything in London is 40 mins away) in tube without anything seems like 40 hours.
6.Don’t ignore the signs: London is 100 % optimized city for tourists, they put signs almost everywhere that helps you a lot at various occasions, if you keep your eyes open. Many tourists miss the signs especially the first time visitors that cause the waste of time. Don’t make this mistake and follow the signs, they will take you to the main attractions without taking any help.
7.Street food is must: The fabulous city is one of the best foodie places in the world, offers thousands of eating options from every cuisine but most of the tourist dine in restaurants which is totally unjust with London food markets. All markets in London have food stalls that sell amazing food and yes at much cheaper price even than the average restaurant. Head to the Borough Market, consider the foodies favorite spot to treat your tastebuds. Greenwich Market, Old Spitalfieelds Market, Brick Lane Market and Maltby St Market are other good options for food.
8.Don’t just stick to the Central London: I totally understand that London’s notorious places are the major reason why tourists flock to the city but the diverse neighborhood of London is worth exploring. There is something unique about every part from the colorful charm of Nothing Hill to the insanely posh South Kensington to hipster vibes at Shoreditch. Make sure to carve out some time for these amazing places as well.
9.Enjoy the free viewpoints: As we already mention that London is enough expensive to blow out your budget if you visit all the paid attraction. You can still enjoy without making hole in your pocket by exploring some mazing free viewpoints. The best one to visit is Sky Garden, Tate Modern and the Primrose Hill. ï·Sky Garden: it is one of the best free places to visit in city. Sky Garden is free but tourists needs to book in advance as tickets go really quickly. ï·Tate Modern: This place offers amazing views over the Thames from the viewing level terrace. A perfect place to hang out, additionally the museum is free and incredible. ï·Primrose Hill: It is bit farther view of the skyline, settled in beautiful park with vibrant neighborhood.
10.Looking the wrong way while crossing streets: Don’t make this mistake in London! Here in London brits drive on the left which becomes a death trap for unknowns when they’re crossing streets like usual. This is some serious problem that leads to the authorities to write ‘Look Left’ and ‘Look Right’ on most crosswalks in touristy areas. It is recommended to look both ways everytime you cross the streets and follow the signs and warnings.