Only Ireland uses Euro’s . We still use the Pound Stirling in the UK ( England , Wales and Scotland ) . One or two large stores in London will accept the Euro but for elsewhere you will need Sterling for day-to-day transactions. When you get to Ireland you will have to start using the Euro.
A couple of points that haven’t been otherwise answered:
Cabinet war rooms vs secret tunnels: The cabinet war rooms are what they say - they were the bunker in Whitehall that was used to direct the war as they were bomb-proof. So what you have are a series of offices etc, winston’s office and bunk etc. There’s no military hardware like guns etc. It does however have “Winston’s WC” which even the people who could be trusted to be in the bunker weren’t told held the scrambler phone to the white house!
It gives a good feel of what life there must have been like in about 1941- there are maps up on the wall of the convoys etc. It now has the added advantage of the Churchill Museum which was opened yesterday so I really have no idea what that’s like! You can see the lot in an hour or two. (One thing that I was pleased to find out is that after the war the rooms were simply bricked up and abandoned (they’re not nuke-proof), and someone left the light on. When they were reopened in the 80s the light was still burning!
Someone else can tell you about the tunnels. I wouldn’t want to set Mr Beserker’s chalfonts off again.
Money: Get it out of ATMs - don’t use the various Bureaux d’exchange around town - their rates and commissions are rubbish. There are ATMs that take all cards all over London - you will never be more than 100 yards from one. This is true of the rest of the country too. (but watch out for the little ones in shops and pertol stations etc - they charge around £1.50 a withdrawal on top of any normal fees). Also everywhere will accept credit and debit cards.
I tell you whats better and cheaper than the London Eye for the same view - Monument. Be warned though, climbing 311 stairs inside a tight spiral aint for everyone. You get a little certificate for it though.
Right, the Secret Tunnels under Dover Castle. There’s 3 levels to it, the first bit tour guided, and then lower down you can wander about on your own. They date back to Napoleonic times too. Its a recreation inside of the headquarters there from WWII. The 3rd level wasn’t open yet when I was there, but may well be by the time you come across. Health & Safety they said, but I have it on good authority (ie I told me) it’s full of Zombies and skinless dogs that will need…eradicating before the general public is let in.
The Castle itself was pretty cool too - you can get right up on the roof and have a look around.
Normal bank ATMs won’t charge you unless its a Visa withdrawal. Most pubs take cards these days too.
Ta.
And, if enjoyed that, in Edinburgh you can do something similar on the Scott Monument (big gothic edifice in the middle of Princes Street Gardens commemorating the novelist Sir Walter Scott, or the telescope-shaped Nelson’s Monument on the top of Calton Hill… not sure if they both still give certificates, though…
If you have time, you could take a boat trip from South Queensferry (just outside Edinburgh) to Inchcolm, one of the islands in the Firth of Forth (estuary) which has an old abbey and also remains of old wartime defences (mainly WW2, as I recall). On a nice day it’s great for bird-spotting, with occasional seals, etc. You get off the boat and take any later sailing back, so you can spend as long as you like there.
The pubs, etc. at the pierhead at SQ do pretty good food and are child friendly through the day (but not the evening).
Including me :eek: I’m both claustrophobic and height-phobic. I’ll leave this one to the kiddies.
I gotta say, I think the guys would enjoy this a lot, but I also think they’d enjoy Churchill’s toilet.
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Normal bank ATMs won’t charge you unless its a Visa withdrawal. Most pubs take cards these days too.
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Wait - you mean I can do ATM transactions without having to convert? Does that work? I mean, say I wanted to take out 50 pounds - would my bank make the conversion (deducting approx. $97 from my account)?
Yup - you take out whatever you need in squids from the ATM (BTW these are usually called “cashpoints” in the UK) - and the appropriate amount of weekling yankee dollars are deducted from your account in the US - just like at home. The rate is a lot better and there’s no commission (there’s sometimes a small fee - I have to pay £1 a withdrawal on my current account when I withdraw abroad but the convenience and rate makes it a bargain.)
The same happens with your credit card - but there’s no fee for purchases - but there is usually a fee for cash withdrawals.
That is SO COOL! Our ATMs generally have fees anyway (if you use an ATM that’s not specifically attached to your bank - I’ve seen fees as high as $3 per transaction in touristy places here.) I much prefer the idea of using bank cards as opposed to wrangling large quantities of cash.
I know our cellphones are unlikely to work overseas, but what’s the prevailing mood about walkie-talkies? Do people use them there? Does it scream “TOURIST!”?
Yeah, ATMs make it a lot easier than it used to be. Check with your bank or credit card companies about exchange rate fees (see post #14 earlier in this thread), but even with fees, it is a good deal . ATM’s will list which style of cards they handle (Plus, Cirrus). Check the back of your ATM or credit card to see what type it is. Sometimes you may have to find a different machine, but most handle all of the normal ones.
I don’t know about current practice, but walkie-talkies used to be restricted in England. (At least that’s what I heard as a kid.)
Question for Londoners - Is the Zebra Crossign shown on the Beatle’s Abbey Road album cover still there? Where is it? My London map show a bunch of Abbey Roads - NW10, NW6. What is the nearest cross street? My wife likes the Beatles and if convenient she’s like a photo of her crossing at the spot.
We don’t have them. You may see them adverised but they ar children’s toys and have a range of about 50 yards - proper walkie talkies require a licence, which the public won’t get.
Pay as you go phones are about £40 a go - if you shop around you could probably get them for less. American mobiles don’t work over here (and vice versa). You can sell them at second hand shops when you go home and get a few quid back, or you could give them to a charity shop.
Yes it’s still there. It’s the Abbey Rd in St John’s Wood NW8: The studio is still a working studio. You can’t miss it as the walls outside are covered in Beatles graffitti. The council had to stop putting up metal street signs as they kept getting pinched. The street name is now painted on the wall.
You can get a map here : multimap.co.uk
Abbey Roads just off Baker Street, to the left branching off if you go past the Tube station on your right.
Link
The 189 Bus goes up past there, from Oxford St. I get that home sometimes. Although the Beatles can suck my arse.
Never seen anybody but couriers use Walkie Talkies in London.
ooh…I’m jealous!
Go to Dover Castle and the Tunnels. They were dug for the Napoleonic wars and were also used in WW1 and WW2–the OR is really cool. (yep, an operating room in a tunnel!). the castle was very interesting too–there is a small chapel there (St. Mary’s?) which is lovely. and the cliffs, of course.
I strongly suggest going by train. I love the Tube for it’s convenience, but to go out of London–second class rail ticket was great.
Why has noone suggested a Britrail pass? Don’t they still exist? You MUST purchase it in the USA–it is not available in UK. It is a bargain–if you want a compartment all to yourselves(sounds like you would need 2)–get a First Class ticket. Truly–you see alot of countryside and it’s a relaxing way to travel.
We used it to go from London to Durham(in 2000)–easy-peasy and got there refreshed!
No-one has mentioned Durham, so I’m gonna assume that it is still unspoiled and lovely. Gorgeous castle (part of the college now) and cathedral. Lots of footpaths and scenery etc. Wonderful. It’s a college town with tons of restaurants etc. Love it.
My daughter liked the Eye–we went in October a few years ago. It was off season though–and talk about gouging! 6 pounds for a blurry pic of us in the capsule–no, thanks.
London is outrageously expensive–I mean eye poppingly so. The rate of exchange is NOT in our favor–be prepared to bleed money. I found the Tube to be the best bargain. Now that I have been to London twice, next time I may start taking buses–to see more of the streets etc. The Tube is a world apart (we don’t have a subway here in Chicago) so I found it a tourist attraction in and of itself!
I would skip Buckingham Palace–I’ve done the tour and it’s nothing. (well, comparatively speaking, of course). the parks in London are lovely, as is Hampton court. Do not take the boat trip to HC–it takes like 4 hours and believe me, they dont’ play Handel on the way…
Stonehenge was very cool–and Salisbury Cathedral is not that far away. The Cathedral is stunning (but I saw it in the off season–it may well be overrun with tourists).
You may not want to hear this, but I suggest you pick a few places and really get to know them–not race around to “see” everything. I feel like I know a bit of Durham now and can appreciate it-we spent 2 and 1/2 days there. Same with Dover. the first time I went, I ran around like a chicken–exhausted myself and don’t really have firm memories of it all.
Don’t pack an umbrella–they are for sale everywhere. Layers make alot more sense than a heavy coat. White athletic shoes scream tourist–Europeans etc wear black shoes (ever noticed?). Use your B&B room sink to do some laundry.
Don’t bother with hotels–very expensive–use the B&B’s. A toilet in the room will up the price–use the loo down the hall and save some $$ (if you are so inclined).
Can’t think of anything else at present.
I wanna go!
MISINFORMATION ALERT! This was true about 10–15 years ago. Since then things have changed, and walkie talkies are available all over the place quite cheaply. For example here.
Having said that, like paulberserker, I’ve never seen anyone actually using one.
Well I never.
I have never seen anyone using these though.
No idea if they still exist - but there’s cheaper ways to book train tickets nowadays, provided it’s in advance.
It is, and I’ve no idea why I didn’t mention it earlier!
They will if they’re tri-band phones, my mate’s dual band phone didn’t work in the States, but my tri band phone worked fine. I was on international roaming and it cost a fair bit (I had to pay for the privilege of people phoning me for some reason) but I didn’t use it that much since my mate’s phone didn’t work. You’ll have to go to your cell phone company and ask about international roaming.
If your phone is triband and it’s unlocked to any network you could buy a pay as you go sim card for about £15 I think/
If you shop around on the web you can get a Virgin Mobile SIM for £7 and this includes £5 credit. In my opinion Virgin are the best pay-as-you-go network for both value and customer service.
You can sort yourself out with all this before you leave the airport: if you fly into Gatwick, both terminals have mobile phone shops landside (called The Link). They sell the full range of phones & sim cards. Heathrow doesn’t look as good from this point of view - from what I can see, the only shop is Vodafone’s outlet in Terminal 4.
I have just had a look on the web-site for The Link ( see above ) and they are selling the Virgin SIM ( complete with £5 credit ) for £9.99. This is the web price but I imagine that it will be the same cost at their airport shops.