From which side of the escalator to stand on to why you should never, ever pay for a single Tube ticket, a genuinely practical starting guide for new visitors.
Every year I get messages from readers about to visit London for the first time, understandably a little overwhelmed by just how much the city has to offer and how quickly the practical details can pile up. So here is the guide I wish someone had handed me, plainly and without any padding, before my own first proper visit to this city.
Start with getting around, because it genuinely shapes everything else about your trip. London’s Underground, universally known as the Tube, covers eleven lines and gets you within easy walking distance of nearly every major attraction. Get yourself a Visitor Oyster card or simply tap a contactless bank card directly at the barriers, since both work out considerably cheaper than buying individual paper tickets, and a single Tube or bus journey with a tapped card currently runs at a small fraction of what a one-off ticket would cost you. Most of the city’s major sights sit within Zones 1 and 2, so you rarely need to worry about the outer zones unless you are heading somewhere specific like Kew Gardens or one of the outer boroughs.
A small but genuinely important piece of local etiquette: stand on the right on Tube escalators, always, and leave the left side clear for people who want to walk up or down. This is not a minor suggestion. Londoners take it seriously, and standing on the wrong side during rush hour is one of the fastest ways to attract a few pointed looks from commuters trying to get past you. Similarly, queuing is something of a genuine cultural institution here, so wherever you find a line, join the back of it properly rather than trying to find a shortcut.
For your first couple of days, I would genuinely recommend prioritising a manageable handful of the true icons rather than trying to cram in everything at once. The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and a ride on the London Eye cover an enormous amount of ground in terms of both history and views, and pairing any of them with a walk through Covent Garden or Soho gives you a proper feel for the city’s more everyday rhythm alongside the postcard landmarks. Many of the city’s best museums, including the British Museum and the National Gallery, offer completely free entry to their permanent collections, so budget your paid attraction money accordingly and treat those free institutions as an easy, high-value addition to any day’s plan.
Pack for genuinely unpredictable weather regardless of the season. It is entirely possible to experience sunshine, cloud, and a proper burst of rain within a single morning here, so a light umbrella and a layer you can easily add or remove will serve you far better than trying to guess the forecast precisely. And do keep your bag zipped and your phone tucked away in genuinely crowded spots like Leicester Square or a packed Tube carriage during rush hour, simple common sense that applies in any major city but is worth repeating regardless.
Above all, do not try to see everything on one trip. This city rewards a slower, more considered visit far more than a frantic tick-box tour of every landmark at once, and I say that as someone who has lived here for years and still has a list of places I have not properly explored yet.
More from this author at Fiona MacLeod, prat.uk.