These FAQs set out to answer some common questions about getting around the UK. There is a deliberate slant towards independent travellers, and usually towards travellers arriving by air and travelling within the country by rail. This simply reflects the general level of questions that arise.
Separate sets of questions are provided about:
Some pointers are available towards:Areas which are specifically excluded are:
National Rail Enquiries 0845 7484950 http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
for enquiries about main line trains throughout Britain
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/planmyjourney (part of the National Rail site) for quick timetable enquiries within Britain
http://bahn.hafas.de//bin/query.exe/en for details of rail times throughout Europe, but no fares in Britain. Often regarded as the most comprehensive and easiest to use source of rail travel information - this is the pointer to the English-language version
http://www.thetrainline.com/ gives fare information and also allows you to make bookings over the Internet, but does require you to register.
Transport for London (London Transport) (020) 7222 1234 http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
for enquiries about all transport in Greater London
National Express 0870 5808080 http://www.nationalexpress.com/
for long-distance coaches
Eurostar 0870 5186186 http://www.eurostar.co.uk/
for rail services to continental Europe through the channel tunnel (note this is a pointer to the UK-based site
I can't give you a definitive answer to this - it depends on your own needs. Sticking to an organised tour will imply a very different type of trip from independent travel, so it's a decision that you should have taken in advance of starting your visit. However, if you are an independent traveller, the occasional organised day trip might be a way of seeing places that are otherwise inaccessible.
A car will be useful for seeing remote areas, and much of the countryside. Gardens, stately homes, and so on outside major towns and cities tend to be best reached by car. But you don't need a car to see a lot throughout Britain, and unless there are several people travelling together it's an expensive way of getting around.
Also a car is a positive liability in major cities; traffic in London moves at around 10mph and parking is very expensive. So if you do decide to rent a car, think about having it just for part of your trip where you might need it most. Car rental is available at many major rail stations.
Internal flights do not account for a huge amount of travel within Britain, but they are worth considering. Low-cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair provide short-haul flights, which can be no more expensive than travelling overland. Also, if you're arriving in Britain from a long-haul flight you might find that you can add one internal leg for quite a low cost.
Between Great Britain and Ireland, and to continental Europe, there are numerous cheap air fares and to Ireland in particular flying is often as cheap as travelling overland. If you are renting cars it usually does not make economic sense to take a rented car from Great Britain to Ireland.
Trains are probably the form of transport, outside cities, that independent visitors will use the most but there are also references here to buses and taxis.
Yes, at least in London and other cities which use London-type taxis. These will have a yellow sign above the windscreen illuminated if they're free.
The distinctive London-type taxis are usually known as 'Black cabs' - although many are brightly painted in advertising colours rather than being coloured black.
Yes: there will usually be a queue of taxis waiting for passengers. Taxis at Heathrow Airport are very heavily organised. Do not underestimate the cost of travelling into London by taxi - typically £ 30 from Heathrow to central London.
These provide a cheaper service than the 'black' cabs but the licensing structure is less formal and Minicabs do not charge fixed fares. They are not allowed to pick people up on the street or at stations or airports.
If you want to use a minicab, book it by phone and agree a fare when you book. That way you have some protection if anything goes wrong, and if you're using a company which advertises locally or in the phone book you're as secure as with any other form of transport. The normal advice, if somebody in a station or the street tells you they have a minicab, is to walk on and make other arrangements.
Long-distance buses, or 'coaches' are run principally by National Express. They are typically slower but cheaper than train travel. But you should be aware of some other considerations: coaches do sometimes provide convenient links where there is no simple train service. Conversely on some routes there are now very cheap train fares available, so you need to compare journey times and fares for the particular route that you are following.
It's partly a matter of taste but most people find long-distance buses less comfortable than rail travel.
Smoking is not permitted on buses or on most trains. On the London Underground you must not smoke anywhere on the system, even waiting at stations, and you must not smoke on any National Rail station which is underground. There is a limited amount of smoking accommodation on some InterCity trains.
During the 1990s, British Rail, as it used to be, was divided into a large number of components. One organisation, called Network Rail, owns the rail lines themselves and operates a few major stations. A large number of train operating companies run services in particular areas or on particular routes. There are certain regulatory organisations, that agree levels of service, and ensure that the operating companies run according to them. 'British Rail' is still occasionally referred to as an umbrella term for national rail services but 'National Rail' is now more widely used as a generic term.
Although the system is complicated and - with good reason - unpopular with passengers, it isn't quite as bad for visitors as it looks. There are, for example, the phone numbers and web services already mentioned. If you do use the on-line timetable, it's always worth looking at a range of trains before and after the ones that the system first offer, because there can be significant differences in speed. Also you may find it useful to have a map to hand and to try specifying places in the via and not London fields. Note that if you leave the time and date of travel blank, you will be told about the next available train from the time that you made the query.
There is also a 'Britrail' web site aimed at US visitors but it provides very little information.
Rail stations which have a staffed ticket office should be able to offer rail tickets for any train anywhere in the country. But the complexity of the system is such that it's difficult to get objective advice about which is the cheapest or quickest option in some cases.
The most important rail lines all radiate from London. It doesn't mean that you can't travel between other major cities by rail, just that the fastest and most convenient journeys are usually between places that are on the same line to or from London.
There are some very remote areas reached by the rail network, notably in the North and West of Scotland. But in general you shouldn't rely on the train taking you to every possible location.
As you might expect, there is truth in both of these. The cheapest tickets on this line and many others are APEX (advance purchase excursion) deals, which restrict you to travelling on a particular train. You need to book one or two weeks in advance to qualify for an APEX ticket, very much as with air travel. So you don't need to book well in advance but you can save a lot of money by doing so. If you're travelling on some sort of Britrail pass, as many overseas visitors do, this isn't an issue
Apart from rail passes, buying tickets outside the UK is usually not a good idea - the figures quoted by travel agents abroad are often much higher than the amount that you would pay once you arrive.
The cheapest APEX tickets, such as the £ 19 single fare from London to Edinburgh, are often not advertised outside Britain. But you can always book them by credit card (for the East Coast line to Edinburgh the number is +44 845 7225 225) and arrange to collect them at your departure point.
At busy times it is often a good idea to reserve seats in any case.
First class seats are slightly larger: on InterCity trains there are only three first class seats across the width of the train, compared to four for standard class. First class is less crowded, and on some trains there is a full meal service for first-class ticket holders - either a service at every seat or a restaurant car reserved for first-class ticket holders.
At weekends, some space in first-class is usually made available to standard-class passengers who pay a nominal extra fee. Usually this is not available to anybody travelling on a reduced-fare ticket such as an APEX.
These are tickets that are only sold outside the UK, and only to non-UK, or in the case of Eurail passes, non-European residents. Eurail passes are not valid within the UK. Britrail passes can offer attractive deals if you want to travel around a little within Britain, and especially if you want to travel a lot on a small number of days within a month.
You do need to check the conditions carefully: for example a Eurail pass offers you a reduction, but not free travel, on the Eurostar train. It's also very difficult to know for certain how the costs compare with buying separate tickets because it's hard to find out about all the separate tickets on offer.
These passes are sold in North America by Rail Europe. Note that the name 'Britrail' is never, and has never been, in common use within Britain.
Although the Rail Europe web site can quote single or return fares for you, these fares can be expensive, compared to what you would pay directly to the train operator.
It starts from Waterloo International station, which is a particularly fine building (designed by Nicolas Grimshaw) alongside the main Waterloo station.
If you're arriving from a domestic train, just walk along to one end of the main concourse and go down a short escalator to reach the international station. If you're arriving by Underground, just follow the signs for the international station.
The conventional wisdom is that better deals are available, on Eurostar fares, once you are in the UK rather than from outside. The only snag is that some of the fares do require advance purchase, so you might be limited if you plan to arrive in Britain and leave immediately by Eurostar for the continent.
From the centre of London to the centre of Paris, Eurostar is probably slightly quicker, because you save the time spent getting to an airport, and it's a pleasant way to travel. A lot depends on where in London you are starting from.
If you're flying into London and want to go straight on to Paris, you will probably find it quicker to get a plane on to Paris because, on the same principle, you don't need to go into Central London.
Eurostar also offers a pleasant, if slow, way of getting to the Netherlands via Brussels.
Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are all close together at the centre of the airport. They are all connected by moving walkways, and the rail, underground, and bus stations can be reached from all three terminals.
Terminal 4 is on the edge of the airport, and has its own rail, underground and bus stations. If you approach by road you will need to follow different signs for terminal 4 than for the other terminals.
They are all international. Although there is some domestic traffic from terminal 1, it isn't enough to justify a terminal all its own. If you approach Heathrow by road you will see prominent notices indicating which terminal serves which airline. Approaching by tube or train the same information is posted at major stations, and on the trains themselves.
Heathrow airport is at the end of the Piccadilly Line of the underground. This is the one shown in dark blue on the map, and it runs right through the centre of London. It's the cheapest and often the quickest way into London, but is also a commuter line and can get very crowded at times.
Alternatively the Heathrow Express is the fast rail link from the airport to Paddington Station in London. At £ 11 or more, it's more expensive than taking the underground, and is not covered by the Travelcard scheme. It is possible to buy carnets of twelve tickets, valid for one year from purchase, for a reduced price. Its stated intention is to compete with taxis and cars, not with other forms of public transport to Heathrow. However it is intended primarily for air passengers, with plenty of luggage space. The journey from terminals 1-3 to Paddington is just 15 minutes (hence the Andy Warhol theme in the advertising) so it is quick if your final destination is close to Paddington.
If you're heading for somewhere on the District Line, such as Victoria or Tower Hill, take the Piccadilly Line and change to the District Line at Hammersmith, or failing that, Barons Court, Underground station. It's easier to change here, where you just walk across the platform, than at most later stations where the two lines are at different levels.
If you're carrying a lot of luggage you might think about using the Airbus instead. Route A2 runs to Euston and Kings Cross, via Holland Park, Notting Hill Gate, Bayswater Road, Marble Arch, and Russell Square. The bus is more expensive than the underground, and in most traffic conditions it is slower, but nevertheless it can provide an attractive alternative.
Special Rail-air bus services run from Heathrow Airport to Reading and to Woking. These feed rail services and save the need to go into London. Reading is for trains to Bristol, the South West, and South Wales. Woking is for trains to Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth.
All these buses feed into trains which start from London. Even when there is little obvious saving in time, it's usually worth taking one of these to save the inconvenience of travelling through central London.
There is also a bus from Heathrow to Feltham which connects with trains into Waterloo, which could be a pleasant alternative route into London if you need to get to Waterloo station.
There are three principal services from Gatwick Airport to London by rail. All use the same station at Gatwick. All of these run every 15 minutes or so for much of the day:
South Central Trains also runs other hourly services from Gatwick to London, though no through the night. One goes to Clapham Junction, West Brompton, and Kensington Olympia in London, and then continues to Watford Junction north of London. This will be useful if you are staying in or around Kensington while in London, and offers a way of travelling from Gatwick to (for example) Birmingham without changing trains in central London.
Gatwick is an important rail junction for Southern England, so for many places South of London it will be possible to get a direct train without going through London. There are trains from Gatwick through Guildford to Reading, where you can join trains to the West of England and to South Wales, again without going through London itself. You may need to use the 'via' entries in the online timetables to find details of routes which avoid London.
There is an hourly bus service operated by Speedlink. It takes around an hour but it uses a very congested stretch of motorway so is susceptible to the effect of traffic delays. The recommendation is to leave at least an hour's slack in your timings, so you should ensure that you have at least 4-5 hours between touchdown at one airport and takeoff from the other. If you have a through ticket you may find that your airline will provide transport between the two airports.
If you have a longer gap you can, of course, go into central London and out again if you so wish.
Stansted Airport (North East of London) and Manchester Airport have their own rail stations. Stansted is served by a half-hourly shuttle from Liverpool Street Station in London, also stopping at Tottenham Hale which is an interchange point with the underground. Birmingham Airport is adjacent to Birmingham International rail station. All other airports in the UK have at least regular bus connections. Luton Airport station, a few minutes in a frequent shuttle bus from the airport, is served by Thameslink trains to London. London City Airport is close to Silvertown station, on the North London rail line run by Silverlink. Trains on this run to Stratford where there are connections with the Central Line of the Underground and to the Docklands Light Railway.
Yes. This is available at all terminals at Heathrow, and certainly at Gatwick. Be prepared to have your luggage searched or X-rayed, though.
Eurostar is the through train service from Britain to France and Belgium that runs through the Channel Tunnel. It competes with air services and caters principally for travellers between major cities. Eurostar trains run from London's Waterloo station, and also stop at Ashford in Kent on the British side. More about this in the questions about rail travel above.
Eurotunnel's shuttle service (the name 'Le Shuttle' is no longer used in publicity) is a car carrying train between Folkestone and Calais through the Channel Tunnel. It competes with the ferries. You cannot use it as a foot passenger, though it takes buses, motorcycles, and on a few journeys bicycles as well as cars.
Just drive to the terminal for Eurotunnel in Folkestone or Calais, and wait for the next train that has space. You may occasionally save money by buying a ticket in advance but in principle this service operates on a turn-up-and-go basis.
You sit in the car while you travel through the tunnel. Although you can get out and walk around the train there is no separate passenger accommodation.
There is a web site for the shuttle service at http://www.eurotunnel.com/(for information in English)
There are at least five operators including the tunnel. The two biggest players, P & O European Ferries, and Stena Line, have merged their operations on the Dover-Calais route, but still operate separately on other routes. If you're using a car ferry (and cars are the core business for all these operators) the AA is a useful source of information about the options.
The website at http://www.seaview.co.uk/Ferries.html has a useful guide to all the ferries. The AA has a web site, although with little about ferries, at http://www.theaa.com/.
Usually by bus and ferry. Look in any of the British newspapers at the weekend and you will see a range of cheap deals advertised.
The shortest crossing of the channel is between Dover and Calais. There is a huge number of crossings, taking about 75 minutes by conventional ferry or under an hour by fast ferry. This route is particularly popular with day-trippers taking advantage of cheaper drink and cigarettes in France.
It has to be said, that if you're prone to seasickness, even this shortest of crossings occasionally gets rough enough to be very unpleasant.
Longer ferry crossings such as those to Holland (Hoek van Holland), or to Brittany (St Malo) or Normandy (Cherbourg), mean that you spend more time on the boat but they take you directly to different parts of Europe. Many of these operate overnight. There are even direct ferries to Bilbao and Santander in Spain.
These are various types of catamaran, such as Stena's Lynx. The hovercraft, which was the longest established and probably the least comfortable fast ferry, no longer runs. Generally the catamarans are more comfortable and might be a better option if you are looking for a novel experience.
No, there isn't a mistake. It is expensive to take the ferry to Ireland, especially if you're taking a car across. Typically the crossings are longer than to the continent, and there isn't the same cut-throat competition. The shortest ferries to Ireland are between Scotland and Northern Ireland (for example Stranraer to Larne) and the two principal operators are the same as for the continent. By comparison there is intense competition on air travel between Great Britain and Ireland and for many visitors it is cheaper to fly than to take a car across.
At Heathrow the guideline is that if you're arriving from an international flight, and have checked baggage, you will come through customs about forty minutes after your plane lands.
On departure you are usually advised to check in two hours before for intercontinental flights. Take this advice seriously as Heathrow can become very congested at times.
Only from the Republic of Ireland, where there's an agreement that there's no passport control between the two countries. If you enter the UK from anywhere else, even from another European Union country, you are liable to show your passport.
If you are a European Union, or EEA (European Economic Area) national, yes. Otherwise you will need a work permit issued somewhere within the European Union. To get a UK work permit, you will normally have to secure an offer of employment before you apply, and your employer will need to demonstrate that they have advertised the position locally and that you're the best person to fill it. So it's easier to get a work permit for a job as a brain surgeon or a nuclear physicist - assuming that you have skills in one of these areas - than as a waiter.
However if you're a student looking to work on a short-term visit, do see if you can work within some sort of student exchange scheme. The British Council should be able to help you with these. BUNAC (British Universities North America Council) also has special arrangements for American or Canadian students who might want short-term work in Britain.
There is a pet passport scheme which now provides some arrangements for pets to travel within the European Union. Apart from this scheme, if you bring pets into the British Isles from outside, you must put them in quarantine for six months as is a precaution against rabies.
If you're from outside the European Union you can reclaim VAT on some things that you buy in the UK. Many retailers who cater particularly for visitors will help you with the paperwork if you wish.
In general this is only for things that you actually take out with you, so you probably won't be able to reclaim VAT on hotel bills or car rental. You can only claim it on things that you bought in the UK that you paid VAT on in the first place. Not everything that you buy will have VAT charged on it. If you have paid VAT, you should be able to obtain a receipt which shows the tax paid on it.
Usually you will claim this at your departure point from the EU. You may also be asked to show that you have the goods with you when you leave.
The public water supply is safe to drink everywhere in Britain. Cold taps in kitchens are always connected directly to the water main (the public supply). You should be wary of drinking water from bathroom taps, though, simply because it may have been sitting in tanks or pipes for a long time, and could conceivably not be safe to drink.
Very widely, at virtually all medium-sized or large shops, for buying petrol, for booking tickets to the theatre or the cinema or to sports events, at restaurants, and for buying travel tickets.
As is true throughout Europe, Visa and MasterCard are much more widely used and accepted than American Express and Diners Club. Visa and MasterCard share a 'merchant system', so anywhere which takes one of these two will also take the other.
Until recently Marks and Spencer, and John Lewis, didn't take credit cards but both now do accept credit cards.
Occasionally places which do not accept credit cards will nevertheless accept debit cards branded as Delta or Switch.
Places where you won't be able to use credit cards are:
If you use a credit card (or an ATM card) you take a slight risk with the exchange rate - to the extent that you will not know it until you see your statement when you get home. Nevertheless you will usually get a rate which compares well with the rate offered by banks to change cash or travellers' cheques. And for a credit card the exchange rate may change in the couple of days between you making a purchase and your transaction being processed. But unless you are visiting at times of particularly momentous economic change, this is as likely to work in your favour as against you.
Credit cards from outside the UK are usually more widely accepted than travellers' cheques - whether in sterling or any other currency.
Telecommunication questions are in a separate list.
Electricity in Britain is 230V, 50Hz AC, so appliances from North America or Japan may well need a transformer or voltage converter. The whole of the British Isles (including Ireland) and a few other places such as Hong Kong and Singapore, use massive three-pin electrical plugs which are completely different from those in most other parts of the world. These plugs contain their own fuses, and until the 1980s most electrical goods were sold without plugs fitted. Again, adapters are widely available.
Television in Britain uses the PAL system, as distinct from NTSC (North America and Japan) and SECAM (France and parts of Eastern Europe). Many new video recorders sold in Britain will support NTSC as well as PAL.
Almost certainly, provided that it is in a major international system such as Plus, Cirrus, or Visa. The charges for this service vary, so check with your own bank if you're concerned about them. But this is usually an economical way of getting foreign currency.
Generally ATM machines in the UK expect a 4-digit PIN, and they do not allow you to withdraw from more than one account using a single card. You might want to check with your card issuer how this affects your use of the card. There are cases of six-digit PINs being accepted by UK machines for non-UK cards.
Usually withdrawals from ATMs in the UK will be applied to your current (checking in American English) account, but there are exceptions.
Your card will usually only allow you to withdraw cash, and won't offer more elaborate services such as checking your balance, when you're outside your own country.
In restaurants you may see a 'service charge' added to the bill. If this is not the case, and if you're in a restaurant where the food is brought to you, then you should pay a tip of 10-15%. If you are paying for your meal by credit card you can usually add this to the card bill, by writing your own total on the credit card slip.
Restaurants usually allow you to write your own total on a credit card slip, even where the slip is printed automatically. Occasionally you will need to provide cash if you want to leave a tip.
London taxi drivers expect you to pay around 10% over what appears on the meter, and if you have your hair cut it's polite to add a tip to the price.
Tipping at the bar in pubs is not customary. If you want to reward exceptional service in a pub, then offer to buy the person behind a bar a drink.
England means England as distinct from Scotland or Wales. So London, Manchester and Milton Keynes, are in England. Cardiff, Edinburgh, Llandrindod Wells, and the Orkney islands aren't. The most important thing is never, ever, to carelessly say to somebody from Scotland or Wales that their home town is in England.
Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales, but not Ireland (North or South).
The United Kingdom is Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but not the Republic of Ireland which is a separate country within the European Union. Note that the far north-west of Ireland is part of the Republic of Ireland. 'British' can be used as the adjective for either the UK or Great Britain.
The British Isles is Great Britain, all of Ireland, and a few anomalous places such as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
Scotland and Northern Ireland print their own banknotes, but these can be used throughout the UK. The Republic of Ireland now uses the Euro currency.
Probably not. Apart from very special occasions, the normal way of dressing at the theatre or concerts, or in most restaurants, would be described as 'smart casual', but you will see a vast range of styles at any such occasion. If you see somebody wearing a business suit in the theatre, it's probably because they've come straight from work, in a bank or an office.
Some specialised nightspots, and a few expensive restaurants, have dress codes but they will usually publicise these. For example Simpsons in the Strand, a restaurant in London, insists that men should wear ties, but will always point this out when customers book tables in advanced.
Please don't be preoccupied with trying to look like a local. In London in particular, visitors give themselves away by mannerisms, accents, and unfamiliarity with local public transport. Jeans, T-shirts, and trainers are as common in Britain as anywhere else in the world, and it very unlikely that you'll be marked out as a visitor from abroad purely through your style of dress
It's very hard to imagine any sort of clothing which would always mark the wearer out as a visitor in Britain.
You must be at least 18 to buy drinks in a pub. This tends to be enforced quite strictly because it's the pub which is breaking the law if they serve somebody who is under age.
Historically you needed to be 14 to go into a pub. But the interpretation of this varies widely according to the pub itself, where in the pub, and even the time of day. If you're concerned, do ask behind the bar what the policy is.
All pubs serve a range of cold non-alcoholic drinks from behind the bar. It's quite acceptable (and a good idea if you're driving) to go into a pub and have a soft drink.
Many pubs will also offer coffee, usually as part of the food service. Coffee will almost certainly be available when a pub is serving hot food.
Speakers of American English should notice that in Britain cider is always an alcoholic drink.
Yes. There's a lot else. The Royal Shakespeare Company, in the Barbican, and the National Theatre, on the South Bank, both mount major productions other than Shakespeare. There are lots of smaller theatres, several of which specialise - such as the Almeida in Islington which uses music (not in the same way as the big musicals) and the Royal Court in Sloane Square which specialises in new writing. And there are lots of fringe theatres, often above pubs, in London and elsewhere.
All events in London are described in the weekly magazine 'Time Out', which is a comprehensive listings magazine aimed both at visitors and at residents. You might also look at 'What's on in London', which is aimed more towards visitors.
Remember also that there is cultural life in Britain outside London. If you restrict yourself to the major plays and musicals in London you'll be missing some of the best that Britain has to offer.
The widest ranges and keenest prices are usually in the large supermarkets: Sainsbury and Tesco are the two biggest chains. Supermarkets are usually open until at least 8pm, and later on Friday evenings. Local shops often open for longer hours but will charge more for the same products.
Very few which wouldn't apply in any country to which you're a visitor. Be aware, though, that you're under no legal obligation to carry your passport once you're in the country, and that there's rarely any need to carry vast quantities of cash.
On safety be very careful when you step out to cross the road, especially if you aren't used to traffic which drives on the left. If you're visiting from North America you will also need to adapt to much narrower streets - you will find the traffic running much closer to you when you step off the kerb.
Remember too to be careful when you cross side turnings from a main road, and also to look out for 'look left' or 'look right' markings on one-way streets.
If you're walking in remote parts of the countryside, make sure that you have suitable clothing and any other equipment. This is especially true in the North of Scotland where weather patterns can change very rapidly.
On security violent crime is very low by international standards, but petty theft is a problem and as a visitor you may be more of a target than most people. And losing a credit card or a plane ticket is always a greater hassle away from home than it would be otherwise. Don't be paranoid but a little more vigilance than you might otherwise apply will not go amiss.
The local police forces do offer practical advice if you have any worries about crime; in London at least their services include assessing the security of flats and houses, and offering self-defence classes.
Don't leave anything valuable, or even anything which looks as though it might be valuable, visible in a car. The last time that my car was broken into in London I'd left a large carrier bag on the back seat. It contained nothing of value but was enough to tempt an opportunist.
There are no questions asked on the Internet that really qualify as stupid questions: if you don't know the answer it's a valid question. But if you are asking any of these questions you should do quite a lot more reading before you come to Britain.
By the way, the answer to all of them is 'no'.
It's said that in Prague in the 1970s, a visitor from the West could fund much of their visit by selling pairs of jeans that they'd bought back home. Some major historical events in 1989 ensure that that's no longer the case in Prague, and it has never been the case in Britain. But somehow there are still visitors to Europe who expect to sell goods from home, casually, as though they were visiting Prague in 1978.
Of course some things will be cheaper in your home country than in Britain. But it's unlikely that you'll be able to sell them casually over here, let alone make much money that way (illegal substances possibly excepted). And if you do try just to hawk your wares on the streets, you'll just attract suspicion both from passers-by and the police.
Do, of course, feel free to bring presents if you're visiting people and none of this is intended to deter you if you have a genuine business proposition.
Imagine the response were I to casually present some British currency somewhere in the USA. A few places, especially around airports, will take foreign currency cash. But unless you're just spending twenty minutes at Heathrow and want to buy a coffee, this is likely to be an expensive way of changing money.
The story of the American berating a McDonalds in continental Europe for not taking dollars is probably an urban myth, but even so it illustrates the point.
The fog that Dickens wrote about (the proverbial pea-souper) was a product of nineteenth and early twentieth-century industrialisation. Strict pollution control from the 1950s onward ensured that it's now a thing of the past.
Of course London gets foggy on occasions, especially early on summer mornings. It's no more prone to fog than most other cities, but Dickens and an American clothing manufacturer have ensured that the legend endures.
Last modified 27 August 2003