Some great tips for your trip

Banks
are usually open from 0930hrs to 1630hrs, Monday to Friday although some branches maybe open on Saturdays.

Bureaux de Change
are open for longer hours than banks and are usually to be found near railway stations and shopping centres. Always check their rates and commission.

Chemists/Pharmacies
These are to be found throughout London. For those with late opening hours you need to refer to the local newspaper, although here are a few: Bliss Chemists at 5 Marble Arch, London W1 tel: 020 7723 6116, nearest tube Marble Arch and at 33 Sloane Square, London SW1 tel: 020 7730 1023, nearest tube Sloane Square – both open daily 9am to midnight. Boots The Chemist at 439 Oxford Street, London W1 tel: 020 7409 2857, nearest tube Bond Street or Marble Arch open weekdays 9 am to 10 p.m., Saturday 9 am to 9 p.m.

Children
For the latest things to do for children ring London Tourist Board’s ‘What’s on for children’ on 0839 123404 (calls charged at 49 pence per minute)
A lot of London’s attractions sell good-value family tickets (normally for two adults and two to four children).

Cockney English
This is a light hearted look at some English sayings including rhyming slang spoken by Londoners (Cockneys) which evolved in the 19th Century criminal underworld when they developed their own secret language.

Expression	Meaning	Examples
Adam and Eve	Believe	as in "would you Adam and Eve it mate"
Andy Cain	rain	as in "not more Andy Cain"
Barnet Fair	hair	from Barnet Fair
Bees and honey	money	as in "give us some bees and honey"
Boat race	face	as in "look at the boat race on that"
Brahms	pissed (drunk) from Brahms and Liszt = pissed	As in "I’m going out to get Brahms"
Dog and bone	phone	as in "answer the old dog and bone"
Jimmy	urinate from Jimmy Riddle = piddle	As in "I’m going for a Jimmy Riddle"
Mutt and Jeff	deaf	as in "are you Mutt and Jeff or what"
Pen and ink	stink	as in "blimey! what a pen and ink"
Plates	feet  from plates of meat = feet	As in "you’ve got big plates"
Porky	lie  from pork pie = lie	as in "he’s telling a porky"
Rosie Lea	tea	as in "I’d love a cup of Rosie"
Tea leaf	thief	as in "come back you tea leaf"
Trouble	wife  from trouble and strife = wife	as in "going home to the trouble"
Whistle	suit from whistle and flute = suit	As in "do you like the whistle?"

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Doctors
England has a National Health Service and visitors can use it. So you will not be charged by a Doctor for a brief consultation and any resulting prescription is charged at £5.90 per item. The Health Information Service telephone number which is free is 0800 665544.

Emergencies
The general emergency number for Ambulance, Fire and Police is 999 and this is a free call.

English Meanings and what to watch out for
The underground railway is called the tube and not a subway which is a pedestrian passage under a street.
You walk on a pavement not a sidewalk.
Zip Codes are called Postal Codes.
Finally when nature calls don’t ask for the bathroom as in England a bathroom is a small room containing a bath. Ask for the toilet, the WC (water closet) or the more commonly used term "The Loo".

General
Take care when crossing the road as (i) traffic drives on the left and (ii) as there are two types of Pedestrian crossings: striped ones which are called Zebra Crossings when traffic should come to a halt and push-button crossings when cars will not stop unless the green light is lit for the pedestrian to cross.
Streets are not numbered but have names instead.
Watch out when posting letters, as British letterboxes are red. The boxes that for example resemble North American post boxes are rubbish bins!
Be aware that smoking is not allowed in public buildings or any public transport.

Mail/Post
When sending mail home you should ideally check on the pricing with Post Offices/Sub Post Offices (found in Newsagents etc) where you can also purchase your stamps, although some Hotels also offer this facility. Currently rates to the USA are 41 pence for an international airmail letter and 35 pence for an international postcard. Prices within the European Union are the same as UK, first-class postal rates, which are 26 pence. Just to be safe make sure you get the free Air Mail stickers when you buy your stamps because air mail takes 7-10 days but surface mail can take up to 9 weeks.

Shopping
Please find a few pointers as follows but for more info and details please go to London Shopping/London Markets.
Opening hours are normally 0900-1730, Monday to Saturday. There is late night shopping in the West End, including Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, on Thursdays until 1900 or 2000 and in Knightsbridge on Wednesdays until 1900.
Sunday shopping is also available in many shops including department stores and chain store branches. Opening hours are 1100 or 1200 to 1700 or 1800.

Telephone Calls
Local calls start at 10 pence. Modern payphones will display how fast your money is running out, older ones will beep when your money is about to run out. Payphones will give back any unused coins, but they don’t give change so make sure where appropriate you have smaller denomination change rather than £1 coins.
For International Calls first dial 00 then the country code, area code and phone number.

Tipping
As a rule of thumb please use the following guidelines:
Taxi/Cab drivers: 10%
Hotel Staff: discretionary
Restaurants: 10% unless it is already included in the bill under service charge.

Travel Tips
Please go to Travel Information.

VAT/Tax
The British sales tax is 17.5% and is usually included in most item prices. Most shops will do you the paperwork for a VAT refund but only if you ask them.

Visitor Information
The main London Tourist Information Centre at Victoria Station Forecourt SW1 (not contactable on the phone) provides details and brochures on most things. It’s open Easter to October daily 0800 to 1900, Nov to Easter, Mon to Sat 0800 to 1800, Sun 0830 to 1600.

What To Pack
London’s weather can be cool and wet even in summer so you will need a heavy coat for winter and lightweight one for summer. Also ensure you have a raincoat and umbrella. Wear what you normally would for a city: smart dress for expensive restaurants and nightspots and casual clothes elsewhere.

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