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10 mistakes tourists ALWAYS make in London

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  • Опубліковано 7 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,8 тис.

  • @MeFreeBee
    @MeFreeBee Рік тому +1117

    I've been saying for decades the only point to Oxford Street is somewhere to keep the tourists away from the good bits. Glad you're with me on that.

    • @katrinabryce
      @katrinabryce Рік тому +32

      Even Basingstoke would give you a better shopping experience than Oxford Street, and I'm not suggesting anyone goes there unless they happen to live nearby.

    • @clairenoon4070
      @clairenoon4070 Рік тому +2

      Agree!

    • @debbielough7754
      @debbielough7754 Рік тому +5

      I've been to London loads of times - Oxford Street twice, and one was cos I had an interview round the corner.

    • @TimWochomurka
      @TimWochomurka Рік тому +15

      This is how people from New York City feel about Times Square.

    • @mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311
      @mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 Рік тому +1

      Quite....

  • @JB-qf5ep
    @JB-qf5ep Рік тому +291

    My tips
    1) I always suggest downloading Citymapper. The tube/buses can be initially overwhelming for tourists, and citymapper takes a lot of the difficulty out of that. I also say on the taxi vs tube thing, people are somewhat avoiding learning how the tube works and dont want to get lost from airport to hotel - but you need to get used to tfl modes of transport as early as possible. Realising how simple the systems are, as early as possible, will make your trip less stressful.
    2) Dont think Londoners are rude if they dont talk or look at you out in public. Londoners are assertive but they arent rude. But if you are here for longer than say a month, there is so much constant stimulation that you have to tune it out for the sake of your own mental health. If londoners behaved like tourists (noticing things, dawdling, looking at people or talking to them) the city would grind to a halt, so Londoners are in a constant state of 'keep it pushing'. In my experience though, Londoners are more likely to help you if you are struggling than in other places that people claim the people are 'nicer'. For example, I have dragged big suitcases up and down stairs all over this country. In London, someone always helps me up the stairs with it, but never anywhere else.
    3) Be aware that certain tube stations are also attached to extremely busy national rail stations. People pile from train to tube constantly in these stations. Unfortunately the underground concourse isnt always the biggest space and people are often in a hurry here. Euston and Waterloo come to mind in particular. In these places, have your contactless card/oyster/phone in your hand as early as possible - maybe even before you get on the escalator down to the tube. Pausing at these ticket barriers is going to piss people off. Other places have more barriers/more space so it isnt as bad, but at the big national rail stations with crammed undergrounds underneath, have your card ready to tap as early as possible.
    4) Have a meandering crazy night out that ends with getting a bagel at 4am on Brick Lane.

    • @camillastacey4674
      @camillastacey4674 Рік тому +8

      Citymapper is great and getting the bus can be a really cheap way to see a load of tourist attractions

    • @wightwitch
      @wightwitch Рік тому +15

      Totally agree with you on the friendly bit, I've been here for 3 years now and people are so kind and friendly. They just don't tend to make random conversations with people, they will however leap to help someone in need.

    • @ChristopherX30
      @ChristopherX30 Рік тому +6

      So.....Londoners are merely the British versions of New Yorkers, huh?? 😂😅

    • @anubisunchained
      @anubisunchained Рік тому

      thenks for the info

    • @markylon
      @markylon Рік тому

      or better still use google maps

  • @aims-pls
    @aims-pls Рік тому +608

    For any family with children that are 11-15 years old reading this, I'd reccomend you not let them use their contactless card (if they have any), but get an Oyster Card for each one of them and ask the staff to apply a "Young Visitor" discount. It will only be valid for the time whilst you're visiting (max 14 days) and give you a 50% discount on your TfL travels. Children under 11 can travel for free!
    Also thanks Evan, it's a great video, should've watched it (especially the pub things) before I visited London last summer.

    • @aims-pls
      @aims-pls Рік тому +3

      @@Rhianalanthula Yup, this is also a way! We didn't get Tourist Oyster Cards because of what I had read from the website, you can't check it's balance in the TfL app. Still ended up not working because the staff set a kind of pin code on the cards. The Youngest ( < 11) didn't really look older so she just went through the gates with one of us

    • @aims-pls
      @aims-pls Рік тому +7

      @@artful1967 mate I know. But tourists with children under 16 can't get a discount on contactless, I even got this confirmed by tfl staff

    • @JackMitchell404
      @JackMitchell404 Рік тому +11

      @@artful1967 For visitors who don't have a contactless card in Sterling Oyster may well be the best option. There is the deposit which is likely to be lost, the faff of topping it up and the potential for credit lost at the end of the trip (though this can be recovered, it's just a pain) but if your bank is charging you a flat per-transaction fee for using your card in the UK, contactless will quickly become very expensive and Oyster fares are not more expensive.

    • @wharpblast264
      @wharpblast264 Рік тому +5

      @@aims-pls Same applies to any railcard discount. Oyster cards are updated so they apply the discount, cannot be done with a contactless card.

    • @iyoni973
      @iyoni973 Рік тому +2

      Yep I have one!

  • @catgladwell5684
    @catgladwell5684 Рік тому +47

    British people do NOT love queuing. We do it because we dislike the unfairness of not waiting your turn even more than we dislike standing in a queue.

    • @agavictoria
      @agavictoria 20 днів тому

      So... You like queuing...? 😅

  • @asaturner4097
    @asaturner4097 Рік тому +723

    When my American friend came over she really wanted to see "London bridge" so I took her there
    "This is London bridge, over there is tower bridge which is probably what you meant" 😂

    • @klimtkahlo
      @klimtkahlo Рік тому +13

      Hahaha 😂😂😂

    • @johnpoole3871
      @johnpoole3871 Рік тому +34

      I thought London Bridge was in Arizona.

    • @asaturner4097
      @asaturner4097 Рік тому +41

      @@johnpoole3871 yeah "we" sold one of the old editions of London bridge but it was replaced with a different one

    • @TalesOfWar
      @TalesOfWar Рік тому +23

      @@asaturner4097 The buyer also apparently meant Tower Bridge but bought it without properly checking lol.

    • @JackMitchell404
      @JackMitchell404 Рік тому +25

      @@TalesOfWar That's apocryphal, he didn't buy the wrong bridge and indeed the wrong bridge wouldn't have come up. My understanding is that Old New London Bridge (the one in Arizona) was deemed too narrow/ weak or something, so they decided to replace it with the current New New London Bridge and at that point the idea of selling it came up. The man in Arizona got exactly what he intended to get and did rather well out of it, we wouldn't be talking about his housing estate if he hadn't salvaged a condemned bridge.

  • @markwardel6751
    @markwardel6751 Рік тому +582

    It's also terribly annoying when groups of tourists (especially with wheel along cases) uncertain of where to go decide to have a family conference about it right at the top (or bottom) of the escalators making it difficult for us 'late for a meeting' types to get by.

    • @theonlysjc
      @theonlysjc Рік тому +44

      Even as a tourist just as confused as they are, I find it infuriating. Get to the side and out of the way for crying out loud!

    • @GuillermoLG552
      @GuillermoLG552 Рік тому +17

      Or in front or behind the ticket barrier.

    • @cyqry
      @cyqry Рік тому +14

      @@theonlysjc I think this is something everyone with a bit of common sense agrees with. I have it all the time at work, people will get to the top of an escalator then look around, I have had to yell on more than a few occasions for them to move because others are coming up and these morons will cause an accident otherwise.

    • @theonlysjc
      @theonlysjc Рік тому +18

      @@cyqry Exactly. If I'm in an unfamiliar place and I need to take a second to get my bearings, pull up an app, look at a map, whatever, I will first and foremost GET OUT OF THE WAY! You're exactly right, its a common sense thing. I'd go as far as saying it just simply a common courtesy!

    • @ugrasergun
      @ugrasergun Рік тому +14

      @@theonlysjc The problem with common sense is that it's not so common.

  • @thedeutschman9905
    @thedeutschman9905 Рік тому +265

    Thank you for actually posting helpful advice and not just putting cliche mistakes like not looking right or forgetting to bring a raincoat which a lot of people already know about, this is one of the best tourist advice videos I have seen.

    • @evan
      @evan  Рік тому +5

      Glad it was helpful!

    • @neville132bbk
      @neville132bbk 11 місяців тому

      Well...yes.... except for the poor young high school exchange student from New Caledonia who was living in Rotorua (NZ)....being from an LHD region she automatically looked left before crossing Fenton St..the main street,,, and made the fatal mistake of stepping out into the path of the car on her right.

    • @stephaniejames6672
      @stephaniejames6672 10 місяців тому

      I agree. It’s time to stop shaming people.

    • @Anon54387
      @Anon54387 15 днів тому

      @@evan How insane that the cabs cost that much there. I do avoid cabs here in the states, but it isn't always possible. For instance, I once flew cross country but the person I was visiting happened to be at work when my flight got in so I had to take a cab from the airport to the apartment. Just a bit over $20 for that, and that from the city center out to the burbs. Wouldn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary, but $75 is beyond lunacy. My little home town has a taxi that is $1.50 within town limits and $5 to neighboring towns, flat rate stuff.

    • @Anon54387
      @Anon54387 15 днів тому

      @@evan That's one thing that puzzles me about UKers. They so often look down us Americans, but I've seldom seen scenes with so much disgusting behavior here in the USA as I do with thoroughly drunken people doing all kinds of things on the city streets normally done in private like upchucking, relieving oneself, etc. you can imagine.

  • @Antworkk
    @Antworkk Рік тому +179

    If you're getting the train to London from somewhere else in the UK, adding a paper travel card to your ticket is usually so much cheaper than using contactless. A lot of stations outside London also don't have eTicket barriers, so getting the train ticket with travel card as an eTicket is also impractical. Paper tickets aren't obsolete yet!

    • @Allotmenting_Plot15
      @Allotmenting_Plot15 Рік тому +11

      Yes. I use that everytime i go to London from Outside of London.

    • @john_smith1471
      @john_smith1471 Рік тому +20

      Agree, from outside London i alway get the National Rail one day combo zone 1-6 travelcard, good value, couldn't quite understand Evan's comment about his beloved travelling from Marlow to East London, unless their stay maybe more than one day? if you travel through zone 6 to arrive in London the fare has to cover it.
      I still like the orange and cream NR paper ticket.

    • @wessexdruid7598
      @wessexdruid7598 Рік тому +3

      Particularly if your employer is paying for your travel.

    • @davidioanhedges
      @davidioanhedges Рік тому +3

      If you are traveling in to the city, and are not planning on traveling around once there then it is cheaper ...
      If you also want to travel around whilst there for a few days then an oyster can be much cheaper

    • @halane4790
      @halane4790 Рік тому +2

      I don't know if it is still on effect, but there also used to be vouchers to get 2for1 tickets for many landmarks if you bought a 1-day pass for the underground from train stations.

  • @brumplum
    @brumplum Рік тому +352

    Just a quick note on the automatic doors on the Tube (Chube) - during the winter and if it's raining very hard when the train stops at a surface station, the driver will not necessarily open all the doors - to help the people inside the train avoid getting wet/cold. That is when you will need to press the button.

    • @nataliec6041
      @nataliec6041 Рік тому +90

      Retired Met Line driver here- this is not quite right- on the sub-surface lines, drivers can’t choose which doors to open. When arriving at a platform, driver will press the doors open buttons and all available doors will open. If the train remains in the platform for more than 45 seconds the doors will close but can be opened by passenger pressing the button. Any doors reopened by passengers pressing the button will again close after 45 seconds, or when the driver presses the door close button, which will close and lock all doors. (There is a facility for the driver to unlock but not open the doors until a passenger pushes the button, but this was too confusing because people were so used to having the doors open automatically that they would just stand there, wondering why the doors weren’t opening…. So we were told not to use this.)

    • @JasonDMurrray
      @JasonDMurrray Рік тому +7

      It’s tube

    • @peterc.1618
      @peterc.1618 Рік тому +9

      @@nataliec6041 If you are catching a train from a terminus station, the doors are likely to be closed so that you need to press the button to get on.

    • @naquewack
      @naquewack Рік тому

      @@peterc.1618 Yes, exactly

    • @peterc.1618
      @peterc.1618 Рік тому +5

      @@naquewack I jumped on the Elizabeth Line for the first time today to travel one stop. The train was fairly full and when we reached my destination, the doors didn't open and I couldn't see a button anywhere. Fortunately a more experienced Elizabeth Line passenger came along and reached behind the skirt of a woman standing by the side of the door where, quite low down, the button was located. So it looks like this new line doesn't have a policy of opening all the doors at every station.

  • @cousinnobody3452
    @cousinnobody3452 Рік тому +95

    There is actually a really good book called “Secret London”. It is full of hidden gems to visit that generally even Londoners don’t know about. And yes agree Oxford Street is just a direct route to trauma....

    • @Anon54387
      @Anon54387 15 днів тому

      An American comedian jokes about that. He took his whole family to London, all this historical stuff to see, and the kids want to go to the M&M store.

  • @euanforbes9510
    @euanforbes9510 Рік тому +415

    Something to add for the tube etiquette is moving away from the centre of the doors and let people off first. The amount of times I've been walked into or have had to try and squeeze past people trying to get on is infuriating!

    • @kr46428
      @kr46428 Рік тому +23

      Speaking from the perspective of someone that commutes via train in the US, this advice applies universally, not just to the tube (experienced this exact problem only hours ago with people trying to push into the train before letting everyone off)

    • @WeatherInOrlando
      @WeatherInOrlando Рік тому +23

      There’s! More! Room! Inside! The! Train! If! You! Let! People! Off! First!

    • @natehill8069
      @natehill8069 Рік тому +7

      That should be true of lifts as well.
      One side: the entire world, other than a little box.
      The other side: a little box. Room for ~10.
      Which side should let the others go first?

    • @arctic_haze
      @arctic_haze Рік тому +3

      This is pretty universal everywhere where people commute on trains / trams etc. So I think it applies only to car-only Americans and maybe visitors from small towns and villages.

    • @abalahalamatandra
      @abalahalamatandra Рік тому +7

      Happens all the time in the subway here in New York. The other day I was getting off a train at my station with grocery bags in each hand. Saw a huge crowd of tourists on the platform waiting to get on as the train slid to a stop. As soon as the doors opened, this one young woman in the crowd pushed to get onboard before I could even step off. So I shouldered her aside HARD! Should have heard the gasps from everyone as her body went literally sailing backwards onto the platform. I said nothing, simply kept walking straight ahead with eyes forward. It was very satisfying, although I do feel bad that it was a woman I did that to. But it serves her right... and I must admit, a part of me felt like yelling: "Welcome to NEW YAWK!!" as a parting remark.

  • @edwalker598
    @edwalker598 Рік тому +22

    Another tip If you are going to one of the famous museums/galleries (especially in the summer and the Natural history museum): Go first thing in the morning and do the famous exhibits as soon as you get in then go to the less popular exhibits when it gets busy. This way you can actually get up close with things like the Rosetta stone or Da Vinci paintings without feeling like you're at the back of a music concert. The less popular exhibits stay pretty quiet all day so they can be left until later.

  • @waziotter
    @waziotter Рік тому +270

    So you say not to mis-name the bridges but then refer to the Millennium Bridge? Every Londoner knows it’s REALLY called the *Wobbly* Bridge!

    • @robtyman4281
      @robtyman4281 Рік тому +16

      Except it hasn't been wobbly since 2001. I'm a Londoner and never refer to it as the 'wobbly bridge'. The last time I called it that was in about 2005!

    • @jacklovejoy5290
      @jacklovejoy5290 Рік тому +11

      Hasn't been Wobbly Bridge since 2001

    • @lolah6448
      @lolah6448 Рік тому +5

      still call it that, even though I was about 2 when it stopped moving.

    • @TalesOfWar
      @TalesOfWar Рік тому +4

      It's the MINELLium bridge! You have to pronounce millennium wrong to get it right!

    • @JackMitchell404
      @JackMitchell404 Рік тому +6

      @@jacklovejoy5290 Yeah, but it will always be the only bridge that did wobble

  • @onestepforward7314
    @onestepforward7314 Рік тому +60

    When we visited London last October, my wife made the mistake of opening one of the phone booths. She won't make that mistake again. It was one of the most disgusting, yet, memorable parts of our trip and I was lucky enough to catch it on video 😅

  • @AthynVixen
    @AthynVixen Рік тому +34

    First London guide video I have ever seen that is actually true , actually realistic and points people to some great areas. I often visit NYC after spending much of my life wanting to visit but aside from accidentally ending up in Times Square once (UGH) I have never been to most of the tourist spots. To me visiting places is getting to see what it's like to live there or just visit and experience as a local - just as local Evan does here :)

  • @nodakjak
    @nodakjak Рік тому +31

    Just got back from 17 days in London. Gorgeous weather, not one single day with rain. Did have a problem with the train strikes, had to not do one of our day trips out of London, but there's always something to do. The food was amazing - Indian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Italian, French, Thai, and even some pub food! I love this video, and agree with you 100%!

    • @queenbean7071
      @queenbean7071 Рік тому +2

      You chose a "good" time for weather for sure lol
      We've been having slot of heatwaves recently
      Sadly these aren't very good for the country as last year these resulted in a drought across slot of our countryside

    • @harrymarshall
      @harrymarshall Рік тому +2

      ,, some really nice pubs in central London can be found in the meandering mews across the road and just south from the Berkeley hotel 😊🍺🎉

    • @deanosaur808
      @deanosaur808 11 місяців тому +3

      Sorry for the malfunctioning of the weather. Normal service's will resume shortly 😅🤣🤣

    • @RWBHere
      @RWBHere 11 місяців тому

      lol @@deanosaur808

  • @AndreaAvila78
    @AndreaAvila78 Рік тому +47

    😂I went to London for only four days, twelve years ago. I didn't have a 📱 smartphone. I got a picture taken with the phone box😅😂! I was broke in London so I walked and walked all day long and most of the night. I wanted to see everything with almost to no money. I was hungry but happy! An unforgettable experience!

    • @clairenoon4070
      @clairenoon4070 Рік тому +7

      Best way to do it! Some of my happiest times in London were when I was broke. And so many things like museums are free.

    • @AndreaAvila78
      @AndreaAvila78 Рік тому +2

      @@clairenoon4070 😄💪Yes!

    • @cooltubeish
      @cooltubeish 8 місяців тому +2

      Great comment. Really struck a chord, thank you 👍

    • @tomboyraider1015
      @tomboyraider1015 3 місяці тому +1

      Free museums! This should be mentioned in the video😁

  • @AniMewAlex
    @AniMewAlex Рік тому +43

    As a British native myself I do strongly recommend everyone who is visiting the UK to keep an open mind about the traditional food as it is a lot nicer than people and the sterio type like to make it out to be. Recomended meals to try include Fish and Chips (seen by most as the national dish and which tastes similar to Japanese fried Tempura), the Sunday Roast, The English breakfast and Sheppards pie, though the first 2 alone will already be good enough.
    For the fish and chips I recommend using either salt or vinegar on the chips or at least one of each for extra taste. They kind of look like takeaway places from the inside as the whole point is to get them from a proper fish and chip shop instead of a pub or restaurant. With The Golden Chippy fish and chip shop being the biggest lore in London for tourists, though poppies is also a popular fish and chip shop in London.
    That being said I still advise trying Fish and Chips on the coast instead as they generally just tend to taste so much nicer but if you won't be on the coast, you'll know where to go. For international food, I recomend either Italian, Indian or Japanese. Seriously though, I would honestly find it a lot more open minded and respectful to give the food a fair chance as that's part of the whole cultural experience, hence emerging yourself in the culture. If you don't like it then fair enough but an open minded try will never hurt and British food is a lot nicer than people make it out to be.

    • @AniMewAlex
      @AniMewAlex Рік тому +2

      @@davidgilbert8614 These are worth while points to take into consideration and to be fair I did also mention my recomended international foods to try as well as the most popular British dishes. At the very least as long as people try some fish and chips or an english roast then they are still trying the food but it's still right to give the local food a fair chance as that's part of the point of visiting the country to begin with, hence cultural emersion.

    • @carolinamaciel4628
      @carolinamaciel4628 Рік тому +6

      I agree !! British food is underrated. I tried Pie and Mash at F Cookes and loved it

    • @charleshayes2528
      @charleshayes2528 Рік тому

      @@AniMewAlex Did you mean "worthwhile" points, rather than "well while"?

    • @charleshayes2528
      @charleshayes2528 Рік тому +1

      @AlexTheUmbreon5 As you say, Fish and Chips can be much nicer, which means that some can be less nice, i.e.; nastier. I love good Fish and Chips, I also love Tempura, but even good F & C tends to be heavier than Tempura, because of more batter overall and more fat/oil in the batter and that is not to mention soggy and undercooked batter, esp. when the fat from the undercooked fish drains onto the chips underneath. The problem for a tourist is that they won't know what counts as good and may wonder why British people rave about a soggy, greasy, heavy lump of fish. Oh, by the way it is "Shepherd's pie" - but only if it is lamb, otherwise it is Cottage Pie for beef - possibly because English doesn't really use the term "Cattleherd" to refer to a person.

    • @AniMewAlex
      @AniMewAlex Рік тому +1

      @@charleshayes2528 Oh yeah lol thanks for pointng it out, it's been corrected now.

  • @chrislyne377
    @chrislyne377 Рік тому +159

    I hate those radioactive phone boxes

    • @Fuxy22
      @Fuxy22 Рік тому

      Yeah... why do they always smell of piss nothing else does in London usually...

    • @davidcook7887
      @davidcook7887 Рік тому +1

      Who actually pisses in them? I blame the tourists !

    • @carollewis3912
      @carollewis3912 Рік тому +1

      @@davidcook7887 The tourists get blamed for everything it seems. I wonder if some Lysol would 😣 help?

    • @Shipnerd194
      @Shipnerd194 8 місяців тому +4

      Living in Cumbria we have a few K6 telephone boxes and (because it's Cumbria) we don't have feral tourists nor feral locals unlike in london. Our telephone boxes are absolutely lovely and NOT piss filled. Come to Cumbria. It's brilliant

    • @MojoModdingYoutube
      @MojoModdingYoutube 5 місяців тому

      @@Shipnerd194 CUM BRIA

  • @russetmantle1
    @russetmantle1 Рік тому +18

    Great vid! I'm a Londoner too and I haven't read through all 865 comments so far, but just thought I'd add a couple of things in case anyone hadn't mentioned them yet. 😅
    1) Indian restaurants in general are some of the best-value eats in central London. Dishoom isn't hugely expensive, but even it is pricier than many others that are also very good. If you're anywhere near Tottenham Court Road, I heartily recommend Palms of Goa on Charlotte Street. Particularly if you're a biryani fan - they do the most beautifully gently spiced biryanis with a really subtle depth of flavour with gorgeous floral notes. The owner Eugene is also very friendly. Tell him the redheaded Scottish lady who comes in for biryanis sent you (I don't think he knows my name, but he'll probably recognise me from that description).
    2) Something that only occurred to me could be a problem after someone who hadn't negotiated London transport on their own pointed it out to me: if you're using a contactless card or an Oyster card, you must both tap in and tap out at each end of the journey to make sure you don't get overcharged (the system needs to know how far you've travelled, or it will charge you the maximum price for the day). BUT that's only for trains. You only tap in on buses; there's no need to - or indeed any way of - tapping out on buses. So don't stress about tapping out on buses. Once you've tapped in, you can put your card away and forget about it.

    • @lonotiki
      @lonotiki 13 днів тому

      Super helpful ❤ thank you !!!

  • @GideonGleeful95
    @GideonGleeful95 Рік тому +51

    As a northerner... yeah £7.50 a pint is really steep. Even in Manchester which is kind of expensive for the North it's still usually less than £5.00.

    • @clairenoon4070
      @clairenoon4070 Рік тому

      Half a bitter shandy is my tip. c.£2.50, delicious, refreshing and gets you access to a historic pub, or just a sit-down in convivial surroundings when tired.

    • @Jgvcfguy
      @Jgvcfguy Рік тому +3

      You pay well over £5 a pint in a lot of places in Manchester these days.

    • @londonspade5896
      @londonspade5896 Рік тому

      Paid £8.55 for a pint yesterday, but that doesn't include the 85p SERVICE CHARGE

    • @thefowlyetti2
      @thefowlyetti2 Рік тому

      I was only paying about £5 at the pubs in Soho during the world cup.

    • @CeiStockport-nx2qi
      @CeiStockport-nx2qi Рік тому +1

      Still about 2 for a pint of Guinness down my local and less than 3 in Durham. He's right about the food in spoons but they do usually do good beers cheap.

  • @SauROnmiKE
    @SauROnmiKE Рік тому +19

    Another thing from a recent visitor: if you are visiting London and any of its museums during the busy periods, get an e-ticket if that specific museum has the option to. It's free, it's quick and you won't wait like an idiot behind thousands of other people in line that didn't have one. Saved me hours!

    • @georgehelyar
      @georgehelyar 9 місяців тому

      The museums (musea?) are free but sometimes say there is no capacity left, but will happily sell you a ticket to whatever exhibition is going on, which gets you entry.
      Not so free but it gets you in, and also not that expensive.
      I went to the natural history museum and couldn't get a ticket on a school half term week, even in advance, so had to buy a ticket to the fantastic beasts exhibition (some Harry Potter thing I think, never seen it, didn't go to the exhibition).
      And yea either way just do it online and show the QR code on your phone as you go on, don't bother queueing.

    • @Dekedence
      @Dekedence 7 місяців тому +2

      that's a good tip generally wherever you go.
      I did this for the Colosseum and Vatican when visiting Rome ... people stood queuing in the baking sun for like 90 mins, we just booked our tickets the night before from the comfort of our hotel bed. Similarly, I got my tickets for both the Sagrada Familia (Madrid) and Real Alcazar (Seville) whilst joining the back of the queue ... once booked - a 5 minute task - I just skipped into the booked ticket queue which had like 4 people in them.

    • @SauROnmiKE
      @SauROnmiKE 7 місяців тому

      @@Dekedence Exactly, such s simple thing that saves countless hours but almost no one does it...

  • @alexcooper6953
    @alexcooper6953 Рік тому +74

    Pro tip: remember to tap out at all stations and undergrounds on your journey. Or you might not be able to pass through the next barrier or it charges you more money.

    • @JackMitchell404
      @JackMitchell404 Рік тому +5

      Lots of National Rail/ Underground interchange stations have yellow readers on the platforms so that someone arriving at the platform by Oyster or contactless can touch out and continue their journey on a National Rail ticket without leaving and re-entering the station. It's really important that if you are staying entirely within the contactless fare area and you see such a reader, that you DO NOT touch out on it when you intend to continue your Oyster or contactless journey

    • @JivanPal
      @JivanPal Рік тому +2

      @@JackMitchell404
      > It's really important that if you are staying entirely within the contactless fare area and you see such a reader, that you DO NOT touch out on it when you intend to continue your Oyster or contactless journey
      It doesn't matter if you do, the system is designed with the awareness that this is something users might do, and will simply treat these as intermediate unnecessary touches along a single journey.

    • @captvimes
      @captvimes Рік тому

      @@JivanPal No it does matter if you tap out it screws with the journey because you arent allowed to tap out on some cheaper journeys and they wont let you back in without paying more.

    • @JivanPal
      @JivanPal Рік тому

      @@captvimes UA-cam doesn't seem to want to let my reply go through for some reason, probably due to length, but I gave an example of how it works, e.g. London Bridge > Woolwich Arsenal > West Ham, if you do/don't make a redundant touch at Woolwich Arsenal.

    • @captvimes
      @captvimes Рік тому

      @@JivanPal The point i am making is if i get a ticket from brighton to newcastle if i tap out on the tube part even if i just want to go get some food it wont let me back on the same ticket i either have to find a friendly attendant or pay to tap back in.

  • @gavinpowell4607
    @gavinpowell4607 Рік тому +39

    You don't make mistakes as a tourist, you have adventures.

  • @michaelmcnally1242
    @michaelmcnally1242 Рік тому +22

    Available by mail order from the London Transport Museum is the fabulous book "Beyond the End of the Line", a bunch of walking tours starting from the terminal stations of most of the Underground lines. Maybe that sounds weird but walking is fun.

  • @BoredOfBills
    @BoredOfBills Рік тому +2

    TIPS FOR TOURISTS::: NEVER use Covent Garden tube station. Yuo will simply queue up for forty minutes to get out. Instead get off at Leicester Sq and walk for three minutes. Don't miss out on Hampton Court Palace. It's the best preserved Mediaeval palace in the World and a 30 minute train ride from Waterloo.

  • @InaMacallan
    @InaMacallan Рік тому +49

    The automatic door buttons were installed on tube lines that mostly travel overground; they are usually only set for commuters to use in the depths of winter at the extreme ends of the lines. So tourists are unlikely to need to use them!

    • @hannahk1306
      @hannahk1306 Рік тому +9

      They're also quite helpful if you want to get on a train which has been at the station a while and the doors have shut again 😆

  • @catT5236
    @catT5236 Рік тому +14

    The only thing I would add is (because some of my family live in other countries, so I know from experience tourist from big countries like the US & Australia try to do this) don't think that you can go from London to Scotland & see all you want to see in Scotland during a day trip. Travelling to & from Scotland will take a whole day in itself. Scotland is a whole country & you might see a fraction of it if you go for a weekend. Edinburgh might be a nice weekend trip but you can't get there, see Edinburgh & do anything there, then get back to London in a day. It's literally not possible, don't even try. Same applies to any of the Northern cities in England & also to Ireland. A day will just about cover your travel, you'll need at least one more day to see anything, but I'd recommend three days to actually enjoy it.

    • @clairewillgress2221
      @clairewillgress2221 Рік тому +1

      Unless you use the sleeper train, arrive early am and leave in the evening. If you plan it instead of two nights in a hotel it's probably not too expensive either.

    • @harrymarshall
      @harrymarshall Рік тому

      ,, I once saw two American visitors setting off from the southcoast of England after lunchtime w golf clubs by train to visit Scartland for a quick look round bc,, I'd already heard her introduce themselves as Mr and Mrs Wallace to the ticket office as they got their CHECK BOOK, out !! 😂 and later call after him saying Bill, Bill there's no porters to carry the luggage across the platform bridge and I'd asked , 😂is that really William Wallace?? and she said oh yes! We're just going to see his heritage for the day 😂😂😂🎉
      I was half tempted to become their instant luggage handler just for the enormous tip that would have ensured 😂🎉 but I thought I'm trying to live my own life and besides it was far funnier to see them announcing to the world every calamity of shifting enough bags for a small African nation 😅😅😅 and I'm sure she added that it'll b no problem for her husband really as he used to be a quarter back 🎉😂 as if I really cared 😂😅🎉

    • @vaughanrichards7438
      @vaughanrichards7438 8 місяців тому

      And Wales.

  • @rocykel
    @rocykel Рік тому +39

    Here's a tip for ya! Don't trust the advertised train travel time from Victoria Station to Gatwick if you have a plane to catch. Got me stranded over night in Crawley as the bloody train took more than twice as long as promised. The airline staff sighed and booked me for the next flight the day after, and I could tell it wasn't uncommon...

    • @AndreiTupolev
      @AndreiTupolev Рік тому +1

      Or in other words "make sure you get on the right train"

    • @rocykel
      @rocykel Рік тому +4

      @@AndreiTupolev I was on the right train. It just took more than twice as long as it was supposed to. About 75 minutes. Advertised as 33 minutes.

    • @DeterminedFC
      @DeterminedFC Рік тому

      @@rocykel sounds like you took the slow train

    • @rocykel
      @rocykel Рік тому +2

      @@DeterminedFC I got on the train I had a ticket for, bought from the guy in the booth who said it would take 33 minutes. This was in 1998, BTW.

    • @kripolik
      @kripolik Рік тому

      @@rocykel That's 25 years ago. Things change.

  • @azog23
    @azog23 Рік тому +13

    Some other tube related tips - there are some stations you should avoid if possible. Like Covent Garden at the weekend (because you'll be waiting 15 minutes for a lift), or Bank. And there's some connections on the tube map that involve a decent walk, like from the piccadilly line to the jubilee line at green park.
    Also, remember the tube map isn't geographical. So sometimes there could be two stations that look a decent distance apart but are virtually next to each other, like Queensway and Bayswater. Even time you have to change lines it adds at least 15 minutes to your journey so it can be significantly quicker to get off at a different station and walk a few minutes than going to the station with the exact name of the place you want.

  • @sarah.93.31
    @sarah.93.31 Рік тому +106

    Would actually love a video on do's and don'ts of London busses. In Ireland there are strict rules that tourists simply don't / couldn't know.

    • @john_smith1471
      @john_smith1471 Рік тому +7

      What shouldn’t bus passengers do in Ireland? When I used buses a lot more, smokers sat upstairs, a sign said spitting prohibited, the conductor preferred small change coins and tickets had to be retained for inspection and an honesty box existed for uncollected fares.

    • @jonathanwessner3456
      @jonathanwessner3456 Рік тому +2

      To be faitr, they are posted in Gaelic Irish.... (joke)

    • @katrinabryce
      @katrinabryce Рік тому +6

      @@john_smith1471 Last time I was in Dublin, I bought a Leap Card and used that on the buses and trains. It seemed to work much the same as buses anywhere else.

    • @tazzat8026
      @tazzat8026 Рік тому +8

      Like make sure you order a pizza for the hostages and dont forget vegetarians

    • @hannahheutte9473
      @hannahheutte9473 Рік тому

      If there's a person with a or pram/shopping trolly its nice to give them the seat next to the wheelchair area so they dont have to block the isle. Also, generally its good to step to the curb and give your bus a wave down because there are generally a few different routes on one stop. Other than that, just standard bus stuff; have your card ready, hold onto railings, blah blah blah.

  • @abalahalamatandra
    @abalahalamatandra Рік тому +20

    As a New Yorker, I feel like almost all of these points apply to NYC as well. We’re well-versed in these dos and don’ts. So, I guess I’d feel right at home in London! 😂

    • @JustAnotherNameYo
      @JustAnotherNameYo Рік тому +2

      This just what I was going to write. I guess that's why Londoners blend so well in NYC. Except for the whole accent thing😅

    • @petelancaster6715
      @petelancaster6715 5 місяців тому

      I was just going to say this.

    • @josephferrara6309
      @josephferrara6309 3 місяці тому +1

      Just came back from London and visit NYC often. London and NYC are very alike. A busy business city that mixes modern with history very well.

  • @davidcronan4072
    @davidcronan4072 Рік тому +20

    You can also use the new Elizabeth Line to get to and from Heathrow, it's quicker than the tube and costs the same.

    • @starseekergem
      @starseekergem Рік тому +1

      It doesn't actually, it's got a surcharge on it because the airport owns the train tunnel.

    • @john_smith1471
      @john_smith1471 Рік тому +1

      It’s less frequent than the Piccadilly line, but after a long flight I’ll pay the extra.

    • @TalesOfWar
      @TalesOfWar Рік тому

      @asmazinabelheddad3916 Is this to mach the express that ran to Paddington and took about the same time?

    • @nicolad8822
      @nicolad8822 Рік тому

      ⁠@asmazinabelheddad3916usiness people totally do take public transport in London.

    • @clairewillgress2221
      @clairewillgress2221 Рік тому +1

      If you are going to be using the tube for the rest of the day the Elizabeth line counts towards the cap, the the price will be the same if you reach the cap after using the piccadilly line.

  • @noahpalmer6653
    @noahpalmer6653 Рік тому +16

    Also don't just go on the underground everywhere. It's actually surprising that a lot of London you can cover on foot faster than the underground.

  • @clarissathompson
    @clarissathompson Рік тому +86

    Just a note with Mistake #8, You can order a Visitor Oyster Card before your trip like my mum and I did. We flew into Gatwick and used it to take the train into London and for transit throughout London. So handy!

    • @Jack-cq9pv
      @Jack-cq9pv Рік тому +10

      The Visitor Oysters are OK but you can just use your contactless card to pay for the Tube

    • @clarissathompson
      @clarissathompson Рік тому +18

      @@Jack-cq9pv I was travelling with a senior that has a meltdown every time her phone auto updates, lol

    • @ethelmini
      @ethelmini Рік тому +10

      @@clarissathompson It's still a good point. Losing a bankcard is inconvenient at the best of times, but it'd be a nightmare in another country. The only downside is having money left on the Oyster card when you're done, though it can be reclaimed.
      The cards can be bought in lots of shops as well as in the choob.

    • @clarissathompson
      @clarissathompson Рік тому +18

      @@ethelmini one of the main reasons I ordered them was so we could get on a train into the city from Gatwick without the hassle of getting tickets. I don’t know if you have ever travelled with someone over the age of 75, but I was managing an entire 7 week train and tour bus trip across the island with her and I had to find every simple option she wouldn’t fight me over. She also needed hearing aids but refused to acknowledge it, so the “look right” thing was essential for me, lol!

    • @hannahk1306
      @hannahk1306 Рік тому +16

      ​@@ethelminiThe visitor Oyster is actually cheaper than a standard Oyster and has a funky design with London symbols on for people who want to take them home as a souvenir (plus it's one less thing to worry about when you arrive). I definitely agree that using your expensive phone or bank card on public transport, especially in an unfamiliar city when you're tired from travelling, probably isn't a great idea.

  • @meursaultscourtroom8886
    @meursaultscourtroom8886 Рік тому +9

    My tip, try to go to restaurants, grocery stores, use the tube, etc at times that are not the busy time for locals. Go to breakfast later, don't be on the tube at rush hour....you'll be less annoying as you try to figure things out, you'll be less stressed and you may actually find someone not in a hurry to help/talk to you. Remember you are on vacation and the people trying to get to work are not! Definitely get outside of London, just like New York and Paris it has a bit of generic busy big city vibe.

    • @lonotiki
      @lonotiki 13 днів тому

      I love your comment ❤ I live in New England and the leaf peeping tourists have finally gone home...they clog our little town and roads, and ...I'm finally seeing London soon. I don't want to be a bad tourist and this is how I like to travel, just like you said 😊 I'm super excited

  • @marsdeat
    @marsdeat Рік тому +37

    Honestly, this was helpful for me. I already knew all of this, having lived in the UK all my life and being pretty familiar with London... But I'm planning a trip to London with an American friend, so it's good to get a reminder of things that might not be second-nature to him as they are to me.

  • @cogliostro1986
    @cogliostro1986 Рік тому +6

    I became a Londoner after less than 24 hours in the city. I was muttering "These damn tourists!", even though I was a tourist myself. I take pride in not having made one single mistake in this video. Cheers, bruv!

  • @MKMonsterr
    @MKMonsterr Рік тому +7

    "Don't eat at the touristy places." is just a good travel trip in general. Even when you're staying within your own country for a trip. A quick google search on best food in the area will usually get you somewhere good. Going into random, sometimes sketchy places may net you a delicious meal too, but that's on your comfort level. I got some bomb empanadas in Seattle that were being sold behind the counter of a specialty grocery store and a great banh mi in the sketchiest tiny storefront in Boston.

  • @londonspade5896
    @londonspade5896 Рік тому +4

    When you're in a tube station, PLEASE don't stand with your family and all your luggage at the bottom of the stairs/escalators deciding which platform to use, especially during rush hour -.-

  • @webbpaje
    @webbpaje Рік тому +23

    I moved to London this year and my parents are currently visiting and I'm happy to know I've already taught them the majority of these 😂

  • @HDEFMAN1
    @HDEFMAN1 Рік тому +2

    A light hearted guide to the city. Thanks for the heads up. I had not heard of Trainpal

  • @mildlydispleased3221
    @mildlydispleased3221 Рік тому +198

    The pain of standing behind a tourist wearing a baseball cap, manoeuvring a massive suitcase while attempting to scan a paper ticket on the oyster reader is immeasurable.

    • @londonspade5896
      @londonspade5896 Рік тому +9

      When you've got 2 trains to catch for work and if you miss one, you miss the other, and will be late. No no dear. Take Your Time.................... Please.

    • @janetpendlebury6808
      @janetpendlebury6808 Рік тому +28

      You could ask if they need any help?

    • @653j521
      @653j521 Рік тому +6

      @@janetpendlebury6808 Not as much passive aggressive fun?

    • @JustSomeBloke1
      @JustSomeBloke1 Рік тому +5

      @@janetpendlebury6808 I take it you missed the bit about never talking to anyone on the underground? 😀

    • @theonlysjc
      @theonlysjc Рік тому +6

      As an American that's been to London, and coming back again soon, I never understood the complete hate for ball caps or those wearing them. Just a cultural difference that I find strange. I will be wearing something to blend in or not wearing one at all this trip.

  • @glitterpuss1
    @glitterpuss1 Рік тому +9

    I was crossing Westminster bridge and after the 79th time of hearing a whiny American kid scream ‘I wanna see Big Ben’ and mom saying ‘yeh I think it’s near the ferris wheel’ I had to basically tap him on the shoulder and say look up. I couldn’t be arsed to tell him it’s the bell…

  • @arghjayem
    @arghjayem Рік тому +11

    00:01 you’re not in the city of London, you’re in Greater London. Specifically Lambeth given you’re south of the river and opposite the Houses of Parliament. The city of London is half a mile up the way! Saying you’re in the city of London when you’re in Lambeth is like saying you’re in New York City when you’re stood in Albany…yes they’re both part of New York but there’s only one New York City same as there is only one city of London, everything else is Greater London each being a specific borough and most being part of different counties.

    • @Lemon10.5
      @Lemon10.5 4 місяці тому

      Yh

    • @Lemon10.5
      @Lemon10.5 4 місяці тому +2

      He was probs simplifying it for people though.

    • @ethancleaver1464
      @ethancleaver1464 2 місяці тому

      Who gives a fuck 🤦‍♂️

    • @ethancleaver1464
      @ethancleaver1464 2 місяці тому

      Shut up

    • @DarkChaosMC
      @DarkChaosMC 2 місяці тому +2

      No itd be like saying welcome to new York city and you're on the new Jersey side of the Hudson

  • @jd-zr3vk
    @jd-zr3vk Рік тому +4

    We were in London in late 1990s. We ate in a pub where a couple of older men were wearing old army uniforms. We found out they received free drinks. I am sure that was a genuine English pub. I also loved the food and beer in England.

  • @cpmahon
    @cpmahon Рік тому +22

    Evan, I feel silly. I thought you were from New Jersey but now I've realised you're from Punnsylvania! Great video by the way.

    • @evan
      @evan  Рік тому +8

      I AM SORRY WHAT I AM NOT FROM PENNSYLVANIA I ACTUALLY CAN DRIVE

    • @cpmahon
      @cpmahon Рік тому +15

      @@evan I said Punnsylvania, not Pennsylvania!!!! My attempt at humour failed.

    • @bobtheskutterbot
      @bobtheskutterbot Рік тому +7

      @@cpmahon I thought it brilliant.

    • @elliesconcerts
      @elliesconcerts Рік тому +2

      Don't worry Justin I thought the joke was funny 😂😂

    • @jasonglasser1621
      @jasonglasser1621 Рік тому

      @@evan if you're from New Jersey, your experience of Pennsylvanians would mostly be Philly people, maybe some of the Amish in the outskirts. As a Pittsburgher, your classification of all of Pennsylvania is a bit questionable (having said that, I don't drive so couldn't really tell you how our drivers are, just that they're not really the same as Philly drivers, or being stuck behind an Amish buggy)

  • @danceninja21
    @danceninja21 Місяць тому

    Thank you so much for this video! Especially the train pal app suggestion. It saved me form a huge line at Southampton Central after getting off the cruise ship, where there was only 1 person at the counter. I couldn't figure out the Southwestern Train app and I couldn't figure out the ticket terminal. The attendant at the turnstile had no idea how to help me purchase tickets on the terminal or the app. I remembered you mentioned this app so I quickly downloaded it and it was super easy to purchase my tickets! Definitely a time saver and I used your code!

  • @irismeeow
    @irismeeow Рік тому +5

    i really appreciate the effort that has gone into this

  • @sylverscale
    @sylverscale Рік тому +5

    I've had my first Indian food in London probably around 25 years ago. It was a small restaurant somewhere in nowhere London, with worn green carpet and the nicest people ever running it. The food was amazing. Creamy, delicious, we had a whole variety of foods recommended to us. We even got some on the house (guess they usually don't have barely English speaking tourists there 😁).
    Very fond memory. 😊

  • @AlexSanchez-ii8de
    @AlexSanchez-ii8de Рік тому +8

    great video. When you quoted Theresa May saying “the country I love”. I was dead laughing 😂. Thanks Evan

  • @nevillemason6791
    @nevillemason6791 Рік тому +4

    I'd add to you list the following. If you're not in a particular hurry try and avoid using The Tube which can be very hot and very noisy on some lines. You don't get to see anything of London travelling through dark tunnels. Take the bus if possible to view London. It'll be slower than The Tube (but might be closer to your destination) and a lot more interesting.

  • @hlt8770
    @hlt8770 Рік тому +5

    LOVE Waxy O'Connor's. They have a fireplace. I've done a bit of a tour of pubs and tearooms with fireplaces in London. It's a wonderful way to spend a winter visit. Highly recommend you do a travel video cataloguing the same. :)

  • @hannahk1306
    @hannahk1306 Рік тому +9

    It can *sometimes* be cheaper to use a paper ticket including zones 1-6, if travelling from outside London. You'll also have a paper ticket if just travelling through London.
    Plus, you need to be *really* careful with ticket splitting - your train must stop at all the split stations on your tickets for them to be valid, otherwise you may end up having to buy another ticket or pay a hefty fine (not exactly worth the £2 saving). Also, if you use a ticket splitting service that gives you paper tickets, you'll have to carry all of them and make sure you're using the right one in the barriers.
    If you don't want to get your phone or card out on the tube, you can get a visitor's Oyster card delivered to an international address.
    Also, some National Rail trains *do* open their doors automatically on certain sections (there'll be an announcement if so). But even if they don't, you still need to wait until the button's illuminated if you don't want to be that muppet.
    Finally, if you want decent pub food, you need to find a nice rural village pub, preferably serving local produce. The best parts of the UK are also outside of London: the National Parks, the seaside towns (although a little dilapidated nowadays), the historical sites, less crowded cities with plenty of their own places to visit (usually less touristy than London too). I'd recommend spending a week or two in the Lake or Peak Districts, Scotland, the West Country or Wales (particularly North Wales) if you want a proper UK holiday. York is supposed to be quite nice too, then you could head out to the Yorkshire Dales. By all means visit London and its tourist attractions, but don't spend all your time there.

    • @harrymarshall
      @harrymarshall Рік тому

      😅😅😅 I love how many comments say this kinda thing ,, sure Britain is diverse and very different to London and especially as some London parts are very metropolitan and cosmopolitan ,, but I wouldn't send visiting American backpackers that definitely don't walk a mile in their own country to the mountainous trekking zones of off-road Britain 😂 at most I'd point out somewhere superb and quaint and 45minutes by train that has plenty of fish n chips and ice-cream, a gorgeous beach and welcoming inns with real gourmet home cooked meals like Rye in Sussex
      or even Arundel slightly further along with its fantastic castle ,, wildfowl waterpark w geese ducks and swans and delightful butterfly garden
      And then there's Windsor! ,, Home to an amazing riverside town with England's largest royal castle open to visitors,, it also boasts Legoland 🎉
      Simply get to Windsor by tube to Heathrow airport and then take an overland train a coupla stops
      If u can drive and like rollercoaster parks,, Thorpe Park is just outside London to the west between Staines and Chertsey it doesn't involve any mountain climbing and there's plenty of cotton candy chicken nuggets huge plushies to win and ice cold beer in safety plastic bottles 🎉😂🎢 cheers 🍺🌭🍟

    • @sihollett
      @sihollett Рік тому

      For the Marlow example given, the off-peak contactless cap is the same as the paper off-peak Marlow to Z1-6 Travelcard: £25.20. Though contactless may split your travels into a Marlow-Hayes & Harlington return, plus a Z1-5 cap, to save a whopping 30p, as that is the cheapest fare option for any return journey from Marlow to London that penetrates the capital deeper than Paddington. But 30p is peanuts and not worth quibbling about, plus you can get railcard discount (33%) on the paper ticket that you can't on the contactless (which may perhaps give you less than 2% discount vs a full price paper travelcard).

  • @GuillermoLG552
    @GuillermoLG552 Рік тому +3

    Tip here, the Tube is priced by zones, but the busses don't have zones, it is one price, and if you change busses within a hour, you don't pay again. A single bus fare is £1.75, and is capped when using a contactless payment system (credit card, Apple pay, Oyster card, etc.) at £5.25 a day. However, if you really want to save money, you can put a weekly bus only pass on an oyster card (or buy a paper pass) for £24.70. I would urge you as a tourist to use the busses, and see London, yes it takes more time, but what is your rush? An Oyster card cost £3 (you can buy one at many Tube stations, like Heathrow) but you can redeem the £3 plus any credit left on the card at stations that sell them.

  • @boylinify
    @boylinify Рік тому +3

    As a Londoner of too many years to mention, I thought this was a pretty good guide. One thing I’d take issue with is, that although Dishoom is good and all that you’ll find plenty of other decent and cheaper curry places (and you won’t have to queue). Also, if you’re a family especially, a treasure trail is a good way to see part of the city and learn some history as you go. Only about £10 a pop.

  • @RCassinello
    @RCassinello Рік тому +4

    Fantastic video by the irrepressible Evan Edinger. Thank you so much for all the time, effort and post production that went into this amazing film about my favourite city. :)

  • @GunterDierickx
    @GunterDierickx 7 місяців тому +3

    I'm from Belgium, saw The Smyths in Half Moon Putney, grabbed a game at Fulham FC, got dinner at Dishoom's in Shoreditch, got drunk in Clapham, got breakfast in Shepherd's Bush at visited Amy Winehouse's tomb in Edgewarebury Cemetary. Didn't had the time to visit Big Ben or Buckingham Palace....

  • @BOABModels
    @BOABModels Рік тому +2

    You're right about Zone 1 - we lived in Ealing for 3 years and now we pretty much stay there whenever we need to visit. Ealing Broadway is a terminus for Central and District lines plus the new Elizabeth line and trains go through there. Paddington is like 10 minutes.

  • @tomchitling
    @tomchitling Рік тому +2

    Best tips I've seen. Tip no 11: On the under ground most platforms have an entrance and an exit. Never stop by the entrance, Move down and wait about a carriage length from the exit You'll get on the tain far more easily, as everyone gets off near the exit, leaving space for you to get on.

  • @john_smith1471
    @john_smith1471 Рік тому +7

    I agree about using the cheapo Piccadilly line fares from Heathrow airport, however for myself if I’m jet lagged, shattered and not slept for 24 hrs after a long haul flight and my accommodation is near Liverpool Street or Canary Wharf, I’d pay a bit more and use the less frequent but faster Elizabeth line ( still called cross rail on TrainPal) full size walk through cars, a/c, some traditional transverse seating, ambient lighting & much quieter than 1972 built tube stock.

    • @TalesOfWar
      @TalesOfWar Рік тому

      Do they still do the express to Paddington? Given the Elizabeth line takes about as long as is much cheaper.

    • @john_smith1471
      @john_smith1471 Рік тому

      @@TalesOfWar Heathrow Express still exists but is expensive and only takes you to Paddington, some Advance tickets might be cheaper, Elizabeth line continues across London and has connections to some of the underground and national rail stations .

    • @richatlarge462
      @richatlarge462 Рік тому

      ​@@john_smith1471Heathrow Express to Paddington always works for me, because I pick a cheap hotel about a 5-minute walk from Paddington station

  • @endlessteatime4733
    @endlessteatime4733 Рік тому +50

    pLEASE make a part two.
    I'm from a small-ish European city but moved to Tokyo this year and while there are worlds between Tokyo and London, I ended up recognising a lot of what you mentioned from tourism in Tokyo. The tube tickets and public transport situation, tube etiquette (I feel you on that, I wanna revise my kanji in peace during my morning commute) and most of all, the touristy spots (especially the shopping street - Takeshita Street here in Tokyo, which used to be a cool street lined with trendy shops but has devolved into tourist trap hell)

    • @LauraAnimalgirl
      @LauraAnimalgirl Рік тому +4

      I wish I'd known about Suica cards before I went to Tokyo! It would've made travel so much easier, especially as I don't speak Japanese!

    • @Gleifel
      @Gleifel Рік тому +2

      To be fair since companies stopped selling IC cards in physical form and I didn’t realise you didn’t need a physical one to have an apple wallet one for the longest time, to my great embarrassment, I was relying on tickets to get around tokyo. Luckily I eventually realised I was able to get a pasmo on my phone and started using that instead.

    • @endlessteatime4733
      @endlessteatime4733 Рік тому +1

      @@Gleifel ah that's true, with the suspension of service, it's a different situation now and the phone apps aren't as accessible as the physical cards. I think the service wasn't suspended yet altogether when I wrote my original comment. Have they suspended the welcome suica cards too? I thought those are still handed out. My friend who came to visit in September got one.

    • @Gleifel
      @Gleifel Рік тому +1

      @@endlessteatime4733 so suica to my knowledge is also suspended but tourists specifically can still buy temporary IC cards (including for pasmo). French friends were visiting recently and they had this thing called Pasmo passport. The reason for either suspension is the same so the result for either card was the same I think (global microchip shortage).

    • @endlessteatime4733
      @endlessteatime4733 Рік тому

      @@Gleifel Welcome Suica is also a temporary card, like the one your friends used. And thanks to you, I now know what a Passport Pasmo is too. I see an ad for it every morning but hadn't realised it's not a normal Pasmo until you explained it. I was so confused why they would let that ad stay during a suspension of service. 😂

  • @dianadeedy1025
    @dianadeedy1025 Рік тому +5

    Love this! Please make more about restaurants, off the wall sites!

  • @Sharad20072008
    @Sharad20072008 5 місяців тому +1

    Only living in Zone 1: Disagree. For convenience sakes, especially if your intent is to visit spots in Central London, nothing beats Zone 1. Sure, you could take the tube from zone 2 upwards but remmber they can be crowded.
    Only doing touristy spots: Disagree. M&M candy store must be a no-go but taking a selfie in Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus is completely acceptable for a first time tourist. But lingering in those areas, well that's silly.
    Booking a cab from the airport: Agree for the most part. But this is 50:50. What if you have massive luggage? (there could be an argument that tourists shouldn't but we won't go there). Also private transfers are preferable to cabs because atleast you get more luggage space.
    Rickshaws: Absolutely agree. Who'd want to be seen in those things?
    Going inside a phone booth: Agree. Never been inside one. But sounds reasonable given what awaits inside.
    Microwaved pub food: Agree.
    Eating only English Food: Agree. To add to that, eating only chicken tikka masala in London should also count as an egregious mistake. Best bet is to go to one of them markets and try different stuff.
    Using paper tickets: Agree. Use contactless cards. If you are traveling with kids use the Oyster cards.
    Not following tube etiquette: Agree. I have heard the 'stand on the right side of the escalator' enough times to make my ears bleed.
    Landmark names: Agree. Don't be a lazy tourist.

  • @jamesl9371
    @jamesl9371 Рік тому +3

    I stayed in Greenwich and it was amazing. Very interesting and easy to get to the popular tourist spots

  • @rozaroz5259
    @rozaroz5259 Рік тому +1

    You're just second to none, mate! as always got me in stitches X

  • @cat_glove
    @cat_glove Рік тому +27

    The first mistake you made was calling London, the City of London. The City of London is the old fortified citadel which is now home to one of the two biggest financial districts. Thats why the airport in London is called London City Airport not The City of London Airport. Keep up the hard work, love your videos.

    • @tadleygreen
      @tadleygreen Рік тому +4

      Yes - in fact, at the start of the video, you were in the London Borough of Lambeth, looking across the river to the City of Westminster. The City of London is a mile or so to the east of there, also on the north side of the river.

  • @abrr2000
    @abrr2000 Рік тому +3

    The reason there's a button to open the door that doesn't open the door, is phychological. It was found many generations of trains past, that adding a fake rubber button calmed passengers down and dramatically reduced their sence of being stuck, reducing the claustraphobic affects of being on the train surrounded on all sides by a solid metal tube with no way out.

  • @MartinJames389
    @MartinJames389 Рік тому +3

    Yes, the tube is quick, but buses are often better. In most places they have reserved lanes, so they don't get snarled in traffic, and they have windows from which you can SEE where you are and what's going on.

  • @WayanadkitchenRobin
    @WayanadkitchenRobin 6 місяців тому +1

    Nice video bro 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

  • @arielaquarius9777
    @arielaquarius9777 Рік тому +12

    My dad made the red phone booth mistake 😂 it was hilarious seeing his reaction!

    • @Albanwinter
      @Albanwinter Рік тому +3

      Just think, back in the day when I first started going over there I had to use the phone booths. There were no cell phones.

  • @lisadelgado8915
    @lisadelgado8915 Рік тому

    Your "ham-it-up" bar was at an all time high in this one....LOVED IT!. You crack me up....thanks for that!

  • @LucasBenderChannel
    @LucasBenderChannel Рік тому +8

    I think this video will have legs, as in: It'll find a pretty consistent audience of travellers. Not one big burst of attention, but gradual growth :) Good job on all the shoots! Even with the grey weather, the city looks lovely!

  • @muzz852
    @muzz852 Рік тому +2

    Using public transport to get to the city from the airport is a money saving tip whatever country you go to

  • @michaelocyoung
    @michaelocyoung Рік тому +3

    "I want to build a pub, but I also want to build a treehouse." Perfect descrip - I love Waxys.

  • @andrewmacdonald1103
    @andrewmacdonald1103 2 місяці тому +1

    Superb content, thank you. This is, more or less, the same advice as I give to my ESOL students.

    • @evan
      @evan  2 місяці тому

      Gracias!

  • @thomaswilson3437
    @thomaswilson3437 Рік тому +4

    I’ve come through London many times and really can’t fault any of your tips, although the one tourist thing I always recommend is a tour of the Tower with a Yeoman Warder. Complete tourist thing but I’ve always enjoyed it. I also ate at the Lamb and Flag, but quite by inebriated accident. BTW, my wife and daughter tell me they met you at Playlist some time back….

    • @queenbean7071
      @queenbean7071 Рік тому

      There's so much to do in London! Even as a brit living outside the city the amount in there is insane!

  • @jaybehkay2438
    @jaybehkay2438 Рік тому +2

    This just came up in my recommendations! Perfect timing, I fly to London in a week 😁

  • @minimim89
    @minimim89 Рік тому +4

    The paper cards still make sense. Especially if you are just travelling through London. Unfortunately, "all trains go to London" in the UK, so chances are, you'll need to change there, often changing the station as well. In that case, the tube ticket is included with your train ticket.
    Also, when you add it to you ticket to London, it is much cheaper.

  • @roberthomma1837
    @roberthomma1837 11 місяців тому +1

    A hidden gem is the Abbey Wood Campingsite. Lovely camp site and only a 10 min walk to the Abbey Wood station where the Elizabeth Line takes you to central London. And staying there is really affordable.

  • @missqueeniestea
    @missqueeniestea Рік тому +5

    You can’t fool me, the real London bridge is in Lake Havasu, Arizona

  • @ecoomber
    @ecoomber Рік тому +6

    As someone who moved to London nearly 8 years ago from Canada and constantly has to teach visiting friends and relatives... I agree with just about everything Evan said -- really all but the Spoons comment... I love Spoons! haha

    • @ung_anthat
      @ung_anthat Рік тому +5

      I find you get what you pay for in spoons. It's nothing special but it's also quite cheap. Good value if you're trying to save a bit of money

    • @alrafter1593
      @alrafter1593 Рік тому +1

      I don't go to London but when in any town I always look for a Spoons if I want a drink , usually using their app. They are much cheaper than anywhere, always clean with friendly staff. The main thing is you don't feel as if you are being watched by the locals because you are a stranger to them, as you do in some pubs in a strange town. Just thought I would look at the prices in Spoons in Central London and using the Wetherspoons app picked a pub near Tower bridge. The price of their guest real ales was £4.75 a pint. The local Spoons that I go to where I live charges £2.34. That's less than half the London price. I dread to think what othe pubs charge in London..

  • @ccityplanner1217
    @ccityplanner1217 Рік тому +3

    The tube once (in the 1990s) tested having passengers push a button to open the door. Ultimately they decided not to but didn't bother to remove the buttons on the Central and Jubilee lines. The trains on the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines have buttons because when the train sits in a station for a long time, the doors close on a timer to save energy.

    • @RTWuk
      @RTWuk Рік тому

      Quite often the buttons work in the 'open' suburbs but not in the centre. Stops rain/heat coming in outside of the centre, speeds things up in the centre.

  • @alexgill2455
    @alexgill2455 Рік тому +1

    Passanda is also a good bet for a mild curry, nutty and rich! Does contain nuts! Peshwari (coconut and sultanas!) naan for the win!

  • @Siddif
    @Siddif Рік тому +1

    Good to see an American calling out the food stereotypes!
    There is a lot of good food here both home grown or assimilated and each part of the UK has some unique dishes solely found in each region.

  • @Chris_GY1
    @Chris_GY1 Рік тому +7

    You are not in the City of London that is a small place, you are in London the capital city of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, dozy yank. They are phone boxes.

  • @GeorgeFoot
    @GeorgeFoot Рік тому +1

    Wonderful 4k50 footage Evan, I love the care you take with production values

  • @Rhianalanthula
    @Rhianalanthula Рік тому +3

    It may also be quicker to walk than take the tube in some instances. You can spend as much time or more travelling down to the platform, and back up at the other end.

  • @felixsoheili1154
    @felixsoheili1154 10 місяців тому +2

    I lived in Preston for 7 months. The moment you said £7 for a pint I almost died. Give me my £2 pint and a questionable kebab.

  • @peeper2070
    @peeper2070 Рік тому +3

    I, not a tourist, have lived here my whole life (19 yrs) but I just felt like saying I’m a 40 minute walk from my nearest underground station 😅

  • @chelled.4622
    @chelled.4622 Рік тому

    Great sound quality for being out and about Evan :) as always the visuals are spot on.

  • @gexu2864
    @gexu2864 Рік тому +6

    Thank you for bringing your good content with the TrainPal code, Evan! 34% is quite a huge discount for railcard users :) !!!!!!

  • @sigmaoctantis1892
    @sigmaoctantis1892 Рік тому +2

    A note on getting to and from Heathrow:
    Heathrow Express: £25.00
    Elizabeth Line: £12.80
    Piccadilly Line: £5:60
    I was on the Piccadillly Line a few days ago to catch a plane home. My advice, at 36 minutes, the Elizabeth line takes 5 mins longer than the Heathrow express getting to Paddington. Piccadilly takes about 12 mins longer than the Elizabeth Line, it just feels a lot longer. Conclusion: Heathrow express is a rip off. Elizabeth line is a better journey and Piccadilly the cheapest (and feels like it).

  • @Rosie-ij3on
    @Rosie-ij3on Рік тому +4

    I'm from Bristol (about a two hour drive from London) and visited London for the first time around 2 years ago and even I experienced culture-shock from learning about the tube etiquette. I think I stood in the centre of the escalator and had someone ask me to move when I finally realised about the "stand to the side" rule. It makes sense, but I felt like an asshole 😅

  • @jeremygreenwood1021
    @jeremygreenwood1021 Рік тому +2

    A lot of good points. I would just say avoid the tube, its much nicer to walk or take a bus. With readily available free bus maps, swipe card payment and the fare cap there is no need to be nervous of buses. And don't forget the river bus, its dead cheap. If you are here for a short time and need a break from the city, just go to one of the semi rural areas within London: Hampstead, Highgate, Greenwich, Richmond, Thames walk west from Putney etc. etc. London is a very safe city. These places are stunning and very easy to reach. For pubs get a CAMRA Good Beer Guide, or use the Nicholson chain. The Globe Theatre on the South Bank (built by an American!) is dead cheap and no need to book if you stand in the cockpit.

  • @joshuaritchie3836
    @joshuaritchie3836 Рік тому +3

    I prefer out of bounds paper travel cards since they are cheaper than contactless and oyster since they combine the rail fare and tube fare into one. For eaxmple Twyford to Zones 1-6 travel card is less than the contactless return from Twyford to Zone 6.

  • @tomclifton1607
    @tomclifton1607 Рік тому +2

    I would advise caution if using non-UK bank cards to tap in and out of the Underground, buses etc. You might be hit with forex and transaction charges.

  • @philwoodward5069
    @philwoodward5069 Рік тому +10

    I've lived in London for 18 years and I use paper day travelcards. This is because:
    - I live in zone 6 in south east London. I work at home three days a week and in zone 1 two days a week.
    - I use contactless for my weekday trips to the office - they're capped at £14.90 per day to travel at peak times but I don't tend to get anywhere near the weekly cap, so any travel at the weekend will be extra.
    - At the weekend I might well travel to Maidenhead to see the love of MY life (Maidenhead United FC) and here's where contactless becomes poor value. The single fare zone 6 to Maidenhead via zone 1 is £10.40. It's more if you break your journey but that doesn't matter because the daily cap is £20.40, so you hit the cap if you make a return trip same day (sadly I'm not in a staying over-type relationship with the football club). A paper zone 1-6 travelcard with a Network Railcard is £10. A day return from Boundary Zone 6 to Maidenhead is £4.60, so £14.60 in total for unlimited travel in zones 1-6 plus one return trip to Maidenhead.
    - Even if you're just out and about in zone 1 and not going anywhere weird like Maidenhead, you can buy the £10 discounted paper Z1-6 day travelcard which is a third cheaper than the zone 1-6 contactless daily cap. It is also cheaper than the daily caps for zones 1-5 and zones 1-4. so unless you live in the inner zones you should probably be buying paper travelcards for weekend travel.
    On weekdays the benefit of the discounted off-peak daily travelcard is less because of Network Railcard restrictions which mean you can only travel after 10am and there's a £13 minimum fare, so it costs £13 instead of £10. If I have a day off and want to go into zone 1 I still buy one if travelling after 10am because the single off-peak contactless fare from my local station to zone 1 is £6.40, making a return journey £12.80 and the off-peak daily cap is £14.90 (the same as the peak cap), so £13 for unlimited travel after 10am is the better option.
    There are a lot of Londoners who don't seem to realise a Network Railcard can get them a third off travel on the tube, DLR, trams and buses, not just train journeys. Anybody can get one. But you have to use paper travelcards. People are pissing money up the wall for the convenience of using a contactless bank card.

    • @PastaSauce.
      @PastaSauce. Рік тому +4

      Train travel in this country really shouldn’t be this complicated lol

    • @CharlotteMulcahy
      @CharlotteMulcahy Рік тому +1

      You can apply your railcard to an oyster. You don’t need a paper ticket :)

    • @philwoodward5069
      @philwoodward5069 Рік тому

      @@CharlotteMulcahy No I can't. It's a Network Railcard.

    • @SunnyMorningPancakes
      @SunnyMorningPancakes Рік тому +2

      I think you can only apply the national rail cards to your oyster card.
      Also I would rather lose my oyster card/paper ticket in transit than my bankcard as I'm faffing about with it in a station.

    • @philwoodward5069
      @philwoodward5069 Рік тому

      @@SunnyMorningPancakes Yeah, I believe TfL's excuse is it would be too hard to program in the 10am rule and the £13 minimum fare.
      And it is only an excuse - they don't appear to believe that making it easy for Londoners to get the discounts they're entitled to on weekend leisure travel will boost passenger numbers enough to make up for the lost income, so they keep it low key, make it difficult and hope people will pay up to 50% more than they need to. I'm sure many simply look at the fares and think "we might as well drive", though.
      Oh, and they're trying to scrap day travelcards, which literally amounts to a 50% fare hike for every Network Railcard holder at weekends.

  • @lufromcalab
    @lufromcalab Рік тому

    Loved all the puns! Great video! Learned a few things, even after two visits to London, and enjoyed the suggestions of a couple of the pubs!

  • @leahbrady167
    @leahbrady167 Рік тому +4

    This video is great and would have been so helpful for me when I visited last week! I honestly need another video just about the tube and underground transport, coming from the U.S where public transport is non-existent outside major cities. I managed, given I’ve been studying abroad in England for the past 5 months and have become more confident in transport in general. But the only advice I’m ever given when I ask for tips on navigating the underground is “just memorize the lines” and “You’ll come to understand it over time” and that just seems unattainable, especially for tourists who are only in London for a short time.

    • @adamkehoe7405
      @adamkehoe7405 Рік тому +1

      A good tip is to look up where you want to visit in London and locate the nearest Tube stop to it. The good thing with Google Maps is if you click on a Tube station, it will show you the tube line and the colour associated with it.

    • @GraemeF-c1u
      @GraemeF-c1u Рік тому

      For navigating the tube, use the tube map in conjunction with a London pocket tourist map. You know where you are and where you want to go; find those places on the map and look for the underground stations near to them. Then, use the tube map to find which line, or combination of lines, will give you the most convenient link between two of those stations.

    • @josephmckeemajury
      @josephmckeemajury Рік тому

      "coming from the U.S where public transport is non-existent outside major cities" Really?