No matter if you are visiting London for business or pleasure, there are some things you need to know before you go. Let us take a look at some of the things that make London the wonderful, terrible, fascinating city that it is!
London Never Sleeps
Even if you are arriving in the middle of the night, it is unlikely to be completely silent. There are twenty-four hour cafés and diners, taxi offices are always in operation, and other establishments experiment from time to time with all-night openings. People love to window shop at night too, when it is less crowded and when the lit-up window displays shine like jewellery.
London is Noisy
The background noise of London can quickly become overwhelming to someone from a smaller, quieter place. There is no one source of the noise, it is the mere hubbub of millions of people going about their day that layers on until it can be hard to hear the person next to you saying, ‘Good morning!’ Invest in some ear plugs for night time, and choose quieter streets when you are walking about the city. The residential areas of London tend to have trees and hedges which work well as sound mufflers and can be beautiful, peaceful places.
London is Expensive
It is a well-known fact that London is expensive, and this spreads across the full gamut of London living, from a bottle of milk to a high-end meal in a restaurant. If you are on a tight budget, but still want to enjoy yourselves, opt to visit the most expensive restaurant on your list at lunch time. Lunch menus tend to be a little more restricted, but you will pay considerably less for your still very good meal.
London is Busy!
London is busy even on a quiet day, and good weather, bank holidays and school holidays can make it impossibly so. If you can travel out of these times, and get a couple of grey, overcast days, then you will find that the worst of the crowds stay home, allowing you a bit more freedom to explore. If you do get nice weather though – enjoy it! It is rare enough that most people don’t mind the crowds as everyone takes advantage of it.
You Need More Time
No matter how carefully you plan your time, you will almost certainly not be able to get everything done that you would like to. One museum alone can take days to explore properly, and there are at least five large must-see museums in Kensington alone! Whenever you can, book in advance as these bookings often allow you to whisk past the people queuing patiently for access, and allow as much time as you can for your family to enjoy the visit rather than simply racing through it. But you will still run out of time! London is simply too big, and offers too much to see and do for any visitor to do it justice in one visit – indeed, many locals struggle to see all they want to over their entire lifetimes!
Try an Aparthotel
Give yourself the best possible chance of getting as much done as you would like by renting an aparthotel as your central London base for your visit. If you are looking for the best serviced apartments central London is likely to come up trumps for you. Living in the heart of the city means that you can get down to exploring the city as soon as you set foot outside the door without needing to travel to get to your starting point.
