Important things to know before visiting London (updated for 2023)

Where would suggest purchasing a curling iron? I don't want to deal with a converter. Thank you!

Wow I didn't know even native english speakers mispronounce some name places in London

Wish I had stumbled upon your video before booking our flights! At least we're not flying into Southend! 🤣🤦🏽‍♀️

hi Jess! Thank you for your informative video! I was wondering - do you recommend watching the changing of the guards? Is it always at the same time? When should I arrive? TY :)

TIWA SAVAGE IS FROM NIGERIA SO SHE MOVE TO LONDON WHEN SHE TURN 10 YEARS OLD THE RYBKA TWINS HAVE BEEN TO LONDON DUA LIPA WAS BORN IN LONDON AUNTY CHUALA USED TO STAY AT LONDON FOR 4 YEARS AND CLIFFORD OWUSU HAS BEEN TO LONDON.

How do people hate rain it’s magic

We were going to visit london next week, but the ulez car scam has put us off

Thank you very much directly from Brazil. Very helpful!!

Don't know why you're hating on Southend Airport. It's only 2 miles further from London than Stansted and has a rail station on the Liverpool Street line. Services are limited, admittedly, but that doesn't make it a bad place to fly from.

Tysm for your videos. I have an upcoming trip and theyre def helping me fill my itinerary

I think your guides are brilliant! I live in the UK near Manchester, but as someone who doesn't visit London often, they are nonetheless very useful and informative, with the capital in many ways operating differently from the rest of the UK. For instance, your info about how to pay on the Tube and buses is especially helpful! It's also always fun to see the take of people from other countries on our nation, although I see you've been here probably long enough to have by now acquired the status of honorary Brit! Above all though, it's an absolute pleasure to view videos that have been skilfully and artistically produced, and which are also great fun to watch. Have you ever considered doing similar for other places around the UK? I often think there are many places very well worth a visit of which many U.S. (and other) tourists are unaware.

I would like to ask can I buy a ticket attraction directly to Warner Bros studio, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle etc. instead booking a ticket which expensive for me. If I buy the ticket directly to the attraction I might get the ticket of it's regular price.

Thanks for the tips, been great for my current trip in London….

Thank you so much for the tips. I have been watching your channel off and on for the last year. Planning our first time trip this October 🙂 I feel like I won't be completely lost😂

Bark-ley Square, not Berk-ley. 😊

I would disagree that Southend is not a legitimate London airport. It's not much, if any, farther than Luton or Stansted, for instance, and you can get a train straight to Liverpool Street, which is good if you have business or are staying in the City /East End.

Marylebone

Thumbs up just for the no booking in AirBnb! Definitely don't do it when coming to Portugal either!

Just came back from London. Used a lot of your tips and they were advantageous to my trip overall. Great guide!

Would staying in Dartford be a good idea? I'd like a home feel (been to the UK, lived there for 6 months before, just been years) but it will be my child's first time.

Hey as a Londoner of 50 years of age always lived here, I’d disagree with your comment. Stansted and Southend are roughly the same distance from London and it’s a 40 minute train journey and sometimes less stressful than travelling from Luton. Flights are more limited to Southend from some destinations but I’d never rule out flying into Southend as sometimes flights are much cheaper.

Some cities like Vienna even essentially killed AirBnB with regulations BECAUSE of its negative effects on the housing market and it being an avoidance to pay certain taxes. I think London would benefit from slapping AirBnB with the same regulations that regular hotels and hostels have to keep to, you will not believe in the speed it will die. Same with Uber and Lyft tbch, there is really no good reason why a government should let wage dumping happen, it will only deteriorate the service in question, and significantly lower the safety of the citizens and guests alike.

absolutely helpful will be there this weekend from Toronto 👌🥰🇨🇦

As a born londoner i still get confused 😂😂😂 thanks tho

Southend Airport is under an hour by train into Liverpool Street, same as Stansted. Its really not as far as you make it out to be

London is definitely an expensive city overall, but you can still visit pretty affordably. As our host mentioned, hostels are a great way to economize on lodging. They’re nicer than you’re probably imagining, and pretty much all of them offer single rooms or all-female dorms if that helps you feel better about safety.

If you’re planning day trips out of town (and I highly recommend it), plan those ahead and book your train tickets a month in advance; they’re way cheaper than buying the same day or getting a multi-day pass (though you do lose some spontaneity).

As for attractions, in the summer there’s always something going on in one of the city parks for free, or you can just hang out and people-watch.
- The big museums are free, including the British Museum, the National Gallery, both Tates, and the Victoria & Albert.
- For every paid vantage point like the Shard or the London Eye (another $35ish each), there’s another great spot that’s free like the Sky Garden or Greenwich Observatory.
- Same goes for day trips like Windsor Palace; the paid tours are cool, but if you’re watching your spending you can have a good time in the gardens and admiring the buildings. (Bath, a city with both Roman history and a Jane Austen aesthetic, has free tours by experienced local guides.)
- Hop-on, hop-off busses are a nice way to get a quick overview of the major sights, but the regular city busses are cheaper and travel a lot of the same routes.
- For a couple bucks you can download audio tours for popular walks and bus routes to explain the history of what you’re seeing.
(At the risk of undercutting my own message, if you can splurge on one thing I’d suggest experiences. That’s probably why you’re there in the first place.)

Another budget-extending option is to split your time with another city. London’s great, but it’s not indicative of England as a whole. Spending a few days somewhere like York or Liverpool will give you a broader look at England and it can be way cheaper.

Thaks, your guides helped alot in planing a one week trip to London. It was quite a unique experience.

London is literally almost 2000 years old imagine the cool things there to check out

If you're like me, you watch these videos and make mental (or even physical) notes of things you'd like to see.(Ooohh..I wanna go there!~...I wanna do that!)
SPOILER ALERT: YOU WILL FORGET ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU"VE SEEN IN THESE VIDS ONCE YOU GET THERE!
Bookmark the videos that have areas you want to visit, and review them once you get there. Be it before you start your journey for the day, or the night before to make a plan for the following day.
London is SO huge, and there's SO much to see, you'll never remember everything. I did a full 2 weeks over the Christmas holidays just past, and forgot probably 60% of the places that I told myself I REALLY wanted to see..
(But that's really okay, though...It gives you an excuse to go back..😉)
So remember to TAKE JESS WITH YOU!

I love london it the best and I’m londoner

Could you make a video with Dog Friendly activities and restaurants in London? It would be a pleasure for me because i go each year to London with my golden retriever and I don’t know many dog-friendly activities and restaurants.

Can u use a tap AMEX card to purchase tickets at the tube/bus/train entrances? Or do they only accept MC/Visa cards?

totally enjoyed your video. Even though I was in London with US Navy in 1968, so much has changed over the years & this does simplify a lot
things, especially transport.

London is nice, but I still prefer a village like Chillingbourne.

Thank you for youre videos. It help a lott to me when i been in London in May this year. What a nice City. One of my favourite because of youre help with videos. Thanx a lot. Hi from Slovenia🥰

Hey jess I have watched a lot of your videos and I just wanted to say (thank you) you explain things very will and you add the human factor it's like you have a insight to help others. I was hoping to see London for 2 months but my health has delayed my trip. I would like to say thank you for your effort in your work you give me courage to do the same. You have had it rough at times but you are still going keep it up girl you give me strength to do the same. When I get to London I would greatful to you and buy you a beer. Thank you and cheer. You have a great day !

Hello Jessie, I went to London for the very first time in June this year. I loved the city and enjoyed it very much thanks to your videos! ❤❤❤
For the tube section, I'd like to add that the lines are X (meaning they don't come and go to the same place each time they pass) for Google maps user first have a look at the platform number your supposed to go to and then look for the direction of the train, it will help you a lot!
For the dietary part, I was very surprised that the staff were always asking us first if we had any special kind of diet or any allergies, I'm lactose intolerant and was very happy about the inquiry!

Lol why the hate for Leicester Square ? It’s worth walking through at least once like Times Square. Just comes across a bit snobby.

I've lived in London for a year and a half now and absolutely love it! At first I used the tube a lot for getting around but now I use the buses all the time as it's a great way of sightseeing/getting to know the city. Yes it can take longer but the extra time is spent admiring this beautiful city!

I am new to your channel and I am loving it. It is very helpful.

Your Cameraman and Video Editor need a raise 😛... that was a fantastic high-production-values video... fab lighting, really well cut together and fantastic inserts / switches / fades 🤓👍😀

As a born Londoner, that is a great guide to visiting London. One point about using public transport... when using the tube you should tap your card on the yellow reader at the start and again on completion of every journey. If using the bus, tap your card on yellow reader when getting on the bus but do not tap again on exit as you will pay twice.

As a Londoner, I disagree on Southend Airport - its a few minutes more than the train to Stansted and you are in the terminal in 60 secs, security will take 2 mins. Its very convenient if you are going to Stratford or Liverpool St - or the surrounding area. For some history - Southend used to be Londons 3rd Airport

As public transport is quite good, you could quite easily stay outside London, say a south coast resort like Brighton (easy from Gatwick Airport) and use the frequent train service up to London (55 minutes) to do the tourist stuff there . The added advantage is there is plenty of really nice stuff to see outside London too, and local public transport is pretty good. Advice would be NOT to hire a car if you want to visit London (big traffic and parking issues).

You're a bit unfair towards Southend Airport. It's very easy to navigate and it doesn't much longer to get there compared to other airports. It's an ideal departure point for continental Europe.

I'm looking at staying in Sutton - is this area good to stay in? Found pretty cheap and good looking accommodation. I know I'll be spending about 30 to 40 mins getting into the centre

I found it helpful to have some cash, especially small change. Since you have to pay to use the restroom, having 20p, etc. is needed because (unless I just got unlucky with Piccadilly Circus underground) I don't think they accept cashless options in tube stations.

Faultless information Jess, a great video to pack in so much information!

Only slight niggle, Uber isn’t always cheaper than a taxi. Take note if Uber are surge pricing. If it is a particular busy weekend a journey within town is often cheaper in a taxi.

Taxis also take 5 or 6 people and can take pushchairs and wheelchairs without the need to fold down.

I’m slightly biased but the roomy nature of the taxis can really help if you have a lot cases 🙌🏻

Best experience, try a bit of every travel option London has to offer!

Whats wrong with Southend? U just take a train from Liverpool Street or Stratford pretty similar to Stansted. It doesn’t take much longer to get there either (both are 45ish mins from central). I flew a couple of times out of Southend and agree there is not much there but it felt much more relaxing than Stansted, Gatwick or Heathrow. Prices can be much lower too! If you live in or visit East London it’s a much better option than Luton or Heathrow.

For pronunciations; Surrey Quays. I remember screwing that up on my first visit😂