An easy way to travel to Paris or Brussels, the Eurostar arrives and departs from St Pancras Station. If you’re traveling alone or with another person, select either single or duo seating to avoid the four-seaters. We like the club-duo which has two seats facing each other with a table in between. There’s a Pain Quotidien and Marks & Spencer in the station where you can buy food for the trip. First-class travel includes meals (similar to airline cuisine), somewhat more luxurious seating and access to the first-class lounge (passengers with special first-class excursion rates are excluded from the lounge). The first-class lounge is also open to American Express platinum cardholders, but each person is required to have a platinum card. Eurostar rates are generally much cheaper on weekends.

Buses

Within central London, you must have a pass or purchase a ticket ahead of time to ride the bus as the driver will not accept cash. There are vending machines for tickets at the bus stops. You can also buy a one or three-day pass that is valid on the Tube or you can purchase discount books of special tickets called Savers at Tube stops and some newsstands. Outside of central London, you can pay the fare with cash.

Taxi Cabs

You can hail cabs throughout London. The small light at the top of the windshield indicates that a cab is available. When the driver pulls up, he or she will roll down the window so you can give your destination. The driver has the right to accept or refuse a customer. If the driver accepts, you get into the cab. Except for very rainy days, the proper way to pay is to exit the cab and pay the driver while you are standing by his/her window. English cabbies are known for their expertise, and their cabs are very comfortable and very expensive.

The Tube

It pays to buy a one-day or three-day pass if you will be traveling throughout London. Not only will you save money if you are making several trips, but it’s annoying to have to buy a ticket for each leg of trip as there are no transfers from bus to Tube within the London transportation system. If you have a pass, you can move easily between buses and the tube to get to your destination. Don’t throw away your ticket; you’ll need it or your pass to exit the station. Tube maps can be found at:www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx

Christmas and New Year’s

Many restaurants, theatres, cinemas, shops, museums, and most of the London transportation system close on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, as well as Boxing Day (December 26th), New Year, and sometimes for the entire week.  Confirm closing dates with your concierge.

Other

The first and last Mondays in May and the last Monday in August are Bank Holidays.

The country code is 44, and the London area code is 20. When calling from within England, a “0″ must be added to the London code, i.e. 020 within England and 20 when calling from abroad.

As of July, 2007, smoking was banned in all enclosed public spaces in England.

In a cab it is customary to round up to the next pound.
Generally in restaurants, a tip is included. Patrons often round up, adding 3-5%.

Cabs

You can always hail a cab to the airport.  But more reasonably priced cabs are available by phoning Just Airports, 020 8900 1666. While you can also arrange a driver to meet you at the airport, if you arrive during peak rush hours, it’s much faster to take a public taxi as they can travel in a special cab lane. It’s always faster to take the Gatwick Express to and from the Gatwick airport.

Gatwick Express

The fastest way to Gatwick Airport is the Gatwick Express which departs from Victoria Station. There is a specific Gatwick Express entrance for cab drop-offs. It is one-half hour to the airport, and tickets can be purchased on the train with a credit card. For the half-hour trip, it’s not worth the extra expense of a first-class ticket. A cab from Gatwick to Central London can easily take one to one and one half hours.

Heathrow Express

The Heathrow Express departs from Paddington Station every 15 minutes between 5:00am and midnight and takes 12-20 minutes to arrive at Heathrow, depending on the departure terminal. It is the sanest way to travel to or from the airport during rush hour. Unfortunately, when you arrive in London from the airport, there is often a long line for taxis at Paddington Station. You often do as well to walk out to the street and hail a cab.