Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tourism For All has lots of useful information on
accessibility for visitors to London ( T 0845 124 9971,
W tourismforall.org.uk). Another valuable service is
provided by Artsline ( T 020 7388 2227, W artsline
.org.uk), who can give up-to-date information and
advice by phone on access to arts venues and
events in London: theatres, cinemas, galleries and
concert halls.
THE LONDON PASS
If you're thinking of visiting a lot of
fee-paying attractions in a short space of
time, it's worth considering buying a
London Pass ( W londonpass.com), which
gives you free entry to some of London's
top attractions including Hampton Court
Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Gardens,
London Zoo, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower
of London, Westminster Abbey and
Windsor Castle. You can choose to buy
the card with an All-Zone Travelcard
thrown in; the extra outlay is relatively
small, but does not include travel out to
Windsor. The pass costs around £47 for
one day (£30 for kids), rising to around
£100 for six days (£70 for kids), or £56 with
a Travelcard (£34 for kids) rising to around
£150 (£100 for kids). The London Pass can
be bought online or in person from
tourist o ces and London's mainline train
or chief underground stations.
Websites
Aside from the aforementioned tourist authority
and local borough websites, there's a vast quantity
of useful London-related information online. Below
are a handful of good general sites:
W culture24.org.uk Useful national website, with up-to-date
information on virtually every single museum, large or small, in
London (and the UK).
W derelictlondon.co.uk Pictorial catalogue of the city's
abandoned cinemas, pubs, theatres and even toilets, plus other
forgotten derelict gems.
W londonist.com London webmag with listings, but also lots of
interesting articles on the many faces of London.
W londonnet.co.uk Web guide to London with useful up-to-date
listings on eating, drinking and nightlife.
W gumtree.com Very useful website for anyone living in London,
looking for a job, a flat, or to buy or sell anything.
W smokealondonpeculiar.co.uk Witty, tongue-in-cheek look at
London's more obscure tics and quirks.
W thisislocallondon.co.uk Forty of the capital's local
newspapers on one local news website.
point and join. Original London Walks ( T 020 7624
3978, W walks.com) are a well-established and
reliably good company, but you'll find many more
detailed at W timeout.com/london/walks. If you
want to plan - or book - walks in advance, contact
W guidelondon.org.uk or W britainsbestguides.org.
Travellers with disabilities
London is an old city, not well equipped for disabled
travellers. That said, all public venues are obliged to
make some effort towards accessibility and even
public transport is slowly improving, with most buses
now wheelchair-accessible. The ancient tube and rail
systems, designed, for the most part, in the
nineteenth century, are still a trial for those with
mobility problems. Around 25 percent of all tube
stations are step-free - the majority on the Docklands
Light Railway - and are indicated by a blue symbol on
the tube map. For a more detailed rundown, get hold
of the free Tube Access Guide or use the TfL website to
plan a step-free journey ( W tfl.gov.uk).
Working in London
All Swiss nationals and EEA citizens can work in
London without a permit, although citizens of
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia or Slovenia
must register under the Worker Registration
Scheme. Other nationals need a work permit in
order to work legally in the UK, with eligibility
worked out on a points-based system. There are
exceptions to the above rules, although these are
constantly changing, so for the latest regulations
visit W ukvisas.gov.uk.
 
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