Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There are several U.K. networks offering a bewildering array of tariffs. Best for reliable
nationwide voice and 3G reception are probably
O2
(www.o2.co.uk)—whose cell network
is also used by Tesco Mobile—and
Vodafone
(www.vodafone.co.uk).
Orange
(www.
orange.co.uk) tends to offer slightly better-value tariffs, and has performed well for us on
trips to rural Wales.
Three
(www.three.co.uk) usually has the best deals for smartphone
users who want data included in their rate. Unfortunately, per-minute charges for interna-
tional calls can be high whatever network you choose, so if you plan to do a lot of calling
home use a VoIP service like
Skype
(www.skype.com) or
Truphone
(www.truphone.com)
in conjunction with a Web connection. See “Internet & Wi-Fi,” above.
For advice on making
international calls,
see “Telephones,” later in this section. Mobile
coverage is usually very good, although there are still areas where you can't get a signal,
and it's as likely to be in a rural area of Suffolk as a Welsh mountain.
Newspapers & Magazines
England has some of the best newspapers in the world.
Of the quality papers,
The Times
and
Daily Telegraph
generally lean right; the
Guardian
and
Independent
to the left of the political spectrum. All also issue Sunday editions:
The
Sunday Times
,
Sunday Telegraph
,
Observer
, and
Independent on Sunday
, respectively.
London has two daily papers, both of which are free and mostly available from rail sta-
tions:
Metro
appears in the morning (weekdays only), the
Evening Standard
from lunch-
time onward, also weekdays only. For coverage of what's on,
Time Out
is London's major
listings magazine, and also publishes editions elsewhere, such as Manchester.
Packing
British weather is notoriously fickle, so although it rains in London much less
than in the west of the British Isles, or Manchester—and nowhere close to the levels Brit-
ain's almost mythical reputation would have you believe—only the foolhardy visitor heads
to the U.K. without some rainwear, even in high summer. On the plus side, winter temper-
atures rarely stay below freezing for long, and summers can be intermittently muggy but
not as hot and humid as southern Europe or the U.S.
Whether you need to find room in your suitcase for formal eveningwear very much
depends on where you plan to stay and (especially) dine. Traditional, upscale West End
restaurants still largely expect you to arrive in a collared shirt, non-denim trousers, and
“proper” shoes—and the equivalent attire for women—but any eatery with a contempo-
rary edge, and any eatery period in the funkier east of the city, will welcome you as you
are, even if that means jeans and sneakers.
For more helpful information on packing for your trip, download our Travel Tools app
for your mobile device. Go to
www.frommers.com/go/mobile
and click on the Travel
Tools icon.
Passports
To enter the United Kingdom, all U.S. citizens, Canadians, Australians, New
Zealanders, and South Africans must have a passport valid through their length of stay.
No visa is required. A passport will allow you to stay in the country for up to 6 months.
The immigration officer may also want to see proof of your intention to return to your
point of origin (usually a round-trip ticket) and of visible means of support while you're
in Britain. If you're planning to fly from the United States or Canada to the United King-
dom and then on to a country that requires a visa (India, for example), you should secure
that visa before you arrive in Britain.
Passport Offices:
• Australia
Australian Passport Information Service
(
&
131-232,
or visit www.passports.
gov.au).
• Canada
Passport Office,
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa,
ON K1A 0G3 (
&
800/567-6868;
www.ppt.gc.ca).
• Ireland
Passport Office,
Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (
&
01/671-1633;
www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie).
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