Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For such a big and important city, it's amazing how hard it can be to find unbiased sightsee-
ing information and advice in London. You'll see “Tourist Information” offices advertised
everywhere, but most of them are private agencies that make a big profit selling tours and
advance sightseeing and/or theater tickets; others are run by Transport for London (TFL)
and are primarily focused on providing public-transit advice.
The City of London Information Centre
next to St. Paul's Cathedral (to the right
of the church) is the only publicly funded—and therefore impartial—“real” TI (Mon-
Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 10:00-16:00; Tube: St. Paul's, tel. 020/7332-1456,
While officially a service of The City (London's financial district), this office also
provides information about the rest of London. It sells Oyster cards, London Passes (see
here
), and advance “Fast Track” sightseeing tickets (described next), and stocks various
free publications:
London Planner
(a free monthly that lists all the sights, events, and
hours), some walking-tour brochures, the
Official London Theatre Guide
, a free Tube and
bus map, the
Guide to River Thames Boat Services,
and brochures describing self-guided
walks in The City (various themes, including Dickens, modern architecture, and film loc-
ations).
The TI plans to sell tour tickets for the Houses of Parliament—ask about these if
you're interested. They give out a free map of The City, and sell several city-wide maps;
ask if they have yet another, free map with a coupon good for 20 percent off admission
to St. Paul's. I'd skip their room-booking service (charges a commission) and theater box
office (may charge a commission).
Visit London,
which serves the greater London area, doesn't have an office you
can visit in person—but does operate a call center and website (tel. 0870-156-6366,
Fast Track Tickets:
To skip the ticket-buying queues at certain London sights, you
can buy Fast Track tickets in advance—and they can be cheaper than tickets sold right at
the sight. They're particularly smart for the Tower of London, the London Eye, and Ma-
dame Tussauds Waxworks, all of which get very busy in high season. They're available
through various sales outlets around London (including the City of London TI, souvenir
stands, and faux-TIs scattered throughout touristy areas).
