Planning to visit London for the first time? In this video, I’m sharing all my best London travel tips for new visitors, from important must-knows for your London trip to common mistakes that tourists make in London. Don’t miss this video if you’re planning your own trip to London!
➡️ Read the written version of this guide: https://happytowander.com/london-travel-tips/
➡️ Follow me on Instagram for real-time Stories: https://www.instagram.com/happytowander
➡️ Follow me on TikTok for more casual content: https://www.tiktok.com/@happytowander
00:00 INTRODUCTION
00:22 LONDON TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS
3:43 LONDON TRANSPORT TIPS & GETTING AROUND
8:09 LONDON TIPS FOR ATTRACTIONS
12:51 LONDON FOOD & DRINK TIPS
15:08 LONDON TIPS FOR WHEN YOU ARRIVE
OTHER LONDON ARTICLES:
➡️ Best historic & unique pubs in London: https://happytowander.com/historical-unique-pubs-in-london/
➡️ London 3 day itinerary: https://happytowander.com/3-day-london-itinerary/
➡️ Things to do in London at Christmas: https://happytowander.com/christmas-things-to-do-in-london/
➡️ Mistakes to avoid in London: https://happytowander.com/visit-london-like-a-smartie-london-travel-mistakes-to-avoid/
➡️ Harry Potter filming locations in London: https://happytowander.com/harry-potter-filming-locations-in-london-full-list/
➡️ Harry Potter London bucket list: https://happytowander.com/harry-potter-london-guide/
➡️ The most beautiful places to visit in England (besides London): https://happytowander.com/most-beautiful-places-in-england/
MORE EUROPE VIDEOS:
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LtZitVvECw&feature=youtu.be
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIWOJmGwUKA&t=241s
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFyR6tro6iI&t=104s&pp=ygUSb25lIHdlZWsgaW4gZXVyb3Bl
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdXDwoq11Kk
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1EelA5RgW4
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqBjW4WNM4g
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbfegva4uHM&t
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXR1IFsvTc
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH44LZcWbFA&
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA87YO7SqtI&t=93s
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61RUP1uBinU&t=650s
EUROPE TRAVEL TIPS & MUST-KNOWS:
➡️ My best Europe travel tips: https://happytowander.com/europe-travel-tips/
➡️ How to travel Europe by train: https://happytowander.com/how-to-travel-europe-by-train/
➡️ Grab my free Europe trip planning workbook: https://happytowander.com/EuropePlanningWorkbook
➡️ Grab my free accommodation checklist: https://happytowander.com/accommodation-checklist
———-
OTHER TRAVEL RESOURCES
➡️ Wise: {Referral Link} https://wise.com/invite/ih/christinag77
➡️ Honey: {Referral Link} https://www.joinhoney.com/ref/23c69p
➡️ Rakuten USA {Referral Link}: https://www.rakuten.com/r/LECOUR23?eeid=28187
➡️ Rakuten Canada {Referral Link}: https://www.rakuten.ca/referrer?referrerid=T1dMsjxn5c0%3D&src=Link
➡️ Booking.com {Affiliate Link}: https://www.booking.com?aid=1180711
➡️ Skyscanner {Affiliate Link}: http://happytowander.com/skyscanner
➡️ Airfare Watchdog {Affiliate Link}: https://happytowander.com/airfarewatchdog
➡️ Secret Flying: https://www.secretflying.com/
➡️ Google Flights: https://www.google.com/flights
➡️ Omio (for comparing/booking within Europe) {Affiliate Link}: https://happytowander.com/omio
➡️ American Express Platinum Referral (for 60,000 points!): http://amex.ca/share/cHRISGanGb?CPID=999999538
➡️ Airhelp: https://www.airhelp.com/en/
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OTHER HELPFUL EUROPE TRAVEL REVIEWS, TIPS & HACKS:
➡️ My (brutally honest) Flixbus review: https://happytowander.com/honest-flixbus-review/
➡️ My honest RyanAir review: https://happytowander.com/honest-ryanair-review/
➡️ My honest WizzAir review: https://happytowander.com/wizz-air-review/
➡️ Europe summer packing list: https://happytowander.com/packing-summer-europe-ultimate-female-packing-list/
➡️ Europe winter packing list: https://happytowander.com/travelling-europe-in-winter-female-winter-packing-list-for-europe/
➡️ Minimalist packing list: https://happytowander.com/minimalist-travel-packing-list-easy/
➡️ How to avoid pickpockets in Europe: https://happytowander.com/how-to-avoid-pickpockets-europe/
➡️ 7 scenic train routes you can’t miss: https://happytowander.com/most-scenic-train-routes-in-europe/
➡️ Europe car rental hidden costs: https://happytowander.com/travel-europe-by-car-hidden-costs/
➡️ 17 unconventional travel hacks: https://happytowander.com/travel-life-hacks/
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Travelling to London for the first time? In need of London travel advice that caters to a newbie? This London travel guide is packed with must-knows before you visit London as a tourist, with a rundown of common tourist mistakes in London as well as answers to common questions like London culture shocks, London culture and etiquette tips, where to go in London, places to visit in London, and more so you can have the London trip of your dreams. Whether you’re looking for general London tips or tips for London hidden gems, be sure to watch this video!
23 Comments
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this week's video all about London. As usual, feel free to comment if you have more tips to add and check out the written version for more tips: https://happytowander.com/london-travel-tips/
I LOVE your videos! I would love to see a more in-depth video on travel credit cards. I have a wise & a Revolut card for my upcoming euro trip, but am still unsure on the best way to utilise them. Thanks again for the top tier content 🙂
Love this informative video.👌
Love this! I am going to London later this year. I haven't been in a while so this was a great refresher! Would you consider doing a video on a 1 month itinerary for western Europe in November? Like, places to go, places to avoid (maybe cos the weather isn't great or most attractions are closed etc). I'm coming from Australia, so I want to see as much as I can without being super stressed and on the road every other day- would love some inspiration for itineraries that have a good balance of covering lots of ground but also having downtime to take it all in🙂
Even though you call this essentially an episode for 'first time' travelers, there is a lot here for even seasoned visitors to London like myself, to enjoy and learn from. Exceptional video once again. Keep up the fantastic job. I really enjoyed it.
I was supposed to visit London this June but had financial setbacks and London is expensive especially their hotels so maybe next year I've heard Londons public transportation is really good that helps with cost I wanna visit the Costwalds, Bath, York, Cliffs, and other countryside area's so a car will probably be necessary 😊
11:00 – This is a great message overall. One of the big reasons people overplan and overspend is they have the idea that this is their one and only chance to see London (or wherever they’re going) so they need to see everything . It may take a few years, but you can come back.
14:48 If there isn’t a service charge already added, I’d say tipping 10% is nice, 15% if they were really good, but it’s not nearly as necessary or expected as it is in the US. If you’re just getting beers at the bar, meh, maybe leave a pound if they did you a favor.
That’s kind of the general rule for other things too. If there’s a legit service component (cabbies, hairdressers) 10-15%, if not (takeout) don’t worry about it.
Another excellent video! Could you create one on Edinburgh if you’ve visited?
Love this travel guide, very informative and beautiful at the same time 😊✨🤍 just found your channel through this video and definitely gonna go see your other videos!
Greetings from South India, Kerala 🦋✨🤍😊
Great video! I'll be in London for 4 days. Should I get a rail card or an Oyster card?
I will be in Edinburgh and will do either Lake District or Yorkshire on my way to London. And in my 4 days in London, I might visit Cambridge but it is not a 100 percent plan. Can you please also guide what would be the best and most convenient places to visit for someone relying on buses and trains, when coming from Edinburgh to London? Thank you so much!
I really do think 4 days minimum. When I went, I was there for 5.5 and that was perfect. Of course you can always come up with more to do but I wouldn’t have wanted less time.
Great tips, but be VERY careful.woth the London pass as that did not help me at all and total rip off! We went to London Dungeon and Churchill war museum and they refused the London pass at both these places when they were clearly publicized on their website and ALL the people in lines were also furious in including a family of 5 from America who were refused at many places through the "London Pass". So MAJOR WARNING on this as we even contacted them and they refused to refund the whole pass and only offered a super minimal refund – and I do mean minimal somethibg like 10% off.
It was ridiculous!
Great advice 👍🇬🇧
8 days ! End of discussion!
Vou ficar 8 dias em Londres próximo a Cartwright Garden à 5 minutos da King’s Cross. Vamos em Maio 2024 de férias. Falo o básico em inglês e estou nervoso, mas acho que a hospitalidade britânica me ajudará. 🙏🙏🙏
Eu posso usar Wise no trem que vai para Oxford City?
Another awesome informative video, but I always listen at .75 speed on YouTube to be able to fully digest all your great tips!
Love your videos ❤ but hopefully next videos try to speak slowly because your voice is really amazing❤❤
My tip for a first timer – the hop on hop off bus is great for getting in what I call 'the calendar tour'. If you buy a calendar from London, there will be the standard 12 things … and you will see all of them on the HoHo Bus tour and then you can say they're done. Often the two day ticket comes with the river cruise/one way trip to Greenwich, take advantage of that. Mostly though, don't go on someone else's holiday. I found London Eye to be a waste because, like she says, there are tons of free lookout points … but if the Eye is something on your bucket list – then you MUST do it! It's not that it's "not good", there are just others. My best 'secret' for a day-out of London is Hampton Court Palace. From the minute you get out of the train station – it's just BEAUTIFUL looking across and seeing it! Also – while it's very expensive and a bit more crowded, London is so beautiful at Christmas time!!
I'd recommend two less obvious things to see in London, first the Sir John Soane's Museum at 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields – walking distance from The Strand (you will never see anything like it. It's also free, but check which days it's open) and Dennis Severs' House at 18 Folgate Street (open Friday to Sunday)
Hi, Regarding paying for tube/bus etc.
Each person needs there own payment card.
If you make more than 1 journey, there a cap on the amount you will pay, this is link to the payment card you use, so if you have 2 credit card don't change to a different card part way through you day (I'm not sure, there might also be a weekly limit) so I suggest not changing through your visit, Personally I would suggest using the Oyster card, its easier for each person to hold their own card (if in a group).
Buses you tap in as you get on the bus, Tube you tap in at the station and tap out at the end of your journey, Trams are tap in on entry, DLR is tap in and tap out like the tube not you need to tap out from dlr and in to tube at interchanges between them. Overground I believe is like tube, tap in and out.
Tube and DLR are not 24 hour, I think the Tube starts at about 6:00am and finishes around 12:30am, there are night buses, these run throughout the night but not on the normal day bus route (different number will also have an N before the number). Unless you are very comfortable using public transport, I would not recommend using Night Buses.
I've never actually tried one of the HoHo buses. Do you think they are worth it, or are they just a slow moving tourist trap?