London is a great place to visit for a solo holiday, a romantic breakaway or a family trip abroad. It’s a city that offers so much; you can explore the museums, see a theatre show, dine in a myriad of award-winning restaurants, enjoy a cocktail (or two) at one of their fancy bars or simply wander the streets and soak up some of the history.
Before arriving in London, there are a few things you should get sorted. To start with, your accommodation is very important. Then there are your transfers to and from London. If you have a late flight, it may be worth using a luggage storage company so that you can explore the city one last time before you leave.
To help you with your trip to the capital of England, we’ve put together our guide on planning for your trip away to London.
Booking your accommodation
London is like many major cities in Europe and the world; it has great places to stay and not-so-great places to stay. Prior to booking any accommodation, make sure you read the reviews. Generally speaking, it’s best to stay as central as you can, saving you on travel time and costs when sightseeing.
Booking your excursions
When in London, there’s so much to see and do. You probably won’t have enough time to do everything you want to do, but to avoid missing out, try to get your excursions booked as soon as possible. You should visit the museums as these are free and quite impressive – the science museum is great for kids! If you can, try to catch a theatre show, as London is known for its great shows. The standard tourist attractions are also worth going to, such as the London Eye, Big Ben, Madame Tussaud’s and London Dungeons.
Booking your transfers
The connections in London are quite good if you want to use the train and buses. If you arrive at Gatwick, you can get a train into central London and then get a bus, or if you arrive at Heathrow, you can get the underground to most places. The other option is to arrange a transfer to pick you up from the airport, which is good, as they’ll take you directly to your hotel. When booking transfers, try to get multiple quotes, to ensure you’re getting a good price and like mentioned above, always read reviews to ensure they’re a reputable company.
Organising your insurance
Never go on holiday without taking out travel insurance; we can’t stress enough how important it is! It covers you for any medical emergency, as well as your luggage and flight delays and cancellations. Travel insurance isn’t expensive, and you can buy year-long ones, if you have further holidays planned. If you’re unlucky and become ill, have an accident or have important or valuable items lost or stolen, it could be a long and costly experience if you don’t have the right cover for your breakaway.
Booking your extras
There are many little extras that you can add to your holiday. You could start your holiday in style and book an airport lounge. When in London, you could book an upgrade for your hotel or a package, such as a birthday package if you’re celebrating one. You may also need to organise extras such as luggage storage if you’re leaving late at the end of your trip – this way you don’t have to carry your luggage around with you all day.
As you can see, there’s plenty to think about before visiting. Our biggest advice would be to organise as much as you can as far in advance as you can. The sooner you have things booked, the less likely you are to forget things, and it could also save you some money, especially booking flights in advance.
You’ll have a great time in London, that’s for sure! Where are you planning on staying when you visit? Are you planning on doing anything that you think our readers should also consider? Is there anything missing in our guide that you think we should add? Let us know in the comment box below, we look forward to hearing from you.