Source:tripandtravelblog.com

8 Tips for Planning a Perfect Trip to London

If you enjoy traveling and want to see as many places as you can, then the chances are that London is on your list of cities to visit in the future. Even though the coronavirus has made this impossible right now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t start planning your trip.

London is a magnificent city that has so much to offer to everyone who visits it, and you probably already have a list of popular tourist attractions that you want to see. This is great, but still, there are numerous things that you have to learn regarding the trip itself as well as accommodation, transportation, and so on.

Where to rent furnished apartments in London?

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First things first, let’s narrow down the part of the city that you should investigate for accommodation. You are probably thinking about Central London, as most people do. Yes, furnished hotel apartments in London can be quite costly, which is why you are probably thinking about renting at a place that isn’t in the close vicinity of the center of the city.

Still, you have to understand that commuting will not only take a lot of your time, that you could spend exploring the city, but it can turn out to be quite pricey. Obviously, this is something that comes down to your personal preference, but make sure to weigh in all pros and cons.

How to find one?

The first thing that affects whether you will choose a long or short term fully furnished apartment in London is the duration of your visit. If you are only going to stay for a few days or a week, you probably want to go with a cheap furnished apartment so that you could have more money at your disposal. On the other hand, if you plan on staying longer you can rent a comfortable and modern furnished apartment.

When it comes to finding these places, there are numerous websites where you will find all the information regarding the accommodation and the area where it is located. If you have already decided on the type of housing you want to rent, you can visit this link to check out what your options are, and also learn about the prices, so that you could plan the budget.

What do fully furnished apartments include?

Naturally, when it comes to this, it depends on the type of flat you choose. Generally speaking, they include all the necessary amenities, fully furnished kitchen, and the best part is that these are serviced, which means that you will have a cleaning crew at your disposal, so you will be able to completely relax and enjoy your holiday.

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How to move around?

Surely you know that cabs in London can be costly, but you should also know that the transportation system in London is very effective. The most popularly used is the London tube. It will allow you to travel between distant areas of the city fairly quickly.

Yes, we know, this won’t allow you to see the city, so you should combine it with buses. You can’t visit London without taking a ride on the famous red double-decker, right? Finally, you can opt for cabs, which are by far the best option if you have a lot of luggage.

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When it comes to paying the ticket, you should purchase the Oyster card. It is a simple electronic card that you can use for all the rides, and it is much affordable than paying for a single ticket every time you enter a bus or metro. In addition, it is quite convenient because it can be refilled at numerous locations all around the city.

Use your credit card

Clearly, you will need to have some cash with you at all times, but keep in mind that credit cards can prove to be quite convenient simply because you can use them anywhere.

However, there are some things that you should know. Firstly, Visa and MasterCard are the most frequently accepted. Moreover, you will need a card with a 4-digit PIN number and a chip. Also, every time you want to make a payment or use the ATM, you will be required to pick the currency. Naturally, your options are either the local one (UK pound sterling) or your country’s currency. Our advice is to always go with the UK pound, because the currency exchange rates can be very high, meaning that you will spend more money than you have to.

What to see?

When it comes to the places you want to visit and activities to experience, you should be smart about it and make a list of everything that you can fit into your schedule. If this is your first time in London, you probably want to see everything, but you should be realistic about it. It simply isn’t possible to visit all the places in just a few days.

Naturally, you should start by listing attractions that are in close vicinity of your housing. If there are some places that you have to visit, but that aren’t close to your furnished apartment in London, you should plan an entire day for them, because you will probably need it, considering the transportation and traffic.

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Plan everything in advance

Not planning everything beforehand is the most common mistake people make. You have to understand that popular attractions are always crowded and that you probably won’t be able to enter a museum if you don’t have the ticket, and you will be forced to wait in line for hours to purchase it.

Due to this reason, you should try to book as many activities as you can in advance. This can easily be done online before you even arrive in London. This way you will know the exact day and even the hour when your tour begins. Naturally, you should be careful about this since you have to think about the approximate time you need to get there because the last thing that you want is to book too many things and end up being late for the tour.

Get the London Pass

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There is one thing that you need to know, visiting all the popular places in London can turn out to be very expensive if you were to buy individual tickets for each one of them. Because of this, our recommendation is to purchase the London Pass. It is quite similar to the Oyster card, but this one is going to enable you to visit places such as Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, London Bridge, The View from The Shard, and so on.

Obviously, there is no point in buying this pass if you are interested in seeing only one of these places, because it will cost you more. On the other hand, if a number of these attractions are on your list, then buying this pass is the best option.

Peter is a freelance writer with more than eight years of experience covering topics in politics. He was one of the guys that were here when the foreignspolicyi.org started.