Practical Information for visiting London

Use contactless. Tap a bank card or phone on the reader — no ticket needed — and the system caps your daily and weekly spend automatically at the best available rate. Do not buy a travelcard unless you have worked out it is cheaper.

The Underground covers the centre and the north well, runs roughly from five in the morning to midnight, with some lines all night on Friday and Saturday. The Elizabeth line crosses the city fast and is air-conditioned.

Buses are cheaper than the Tube, capped separately, and far better for short hops and for actually seeing the city.

Walking is underrated: adjacent Tube stations are often five minutes apart on foot.

Cycling works, with hire bikes and a growing network of segregated lanes.

Driving is a bad idea — congestion charge, emissions charge and no parking.

Stand on the right on escalators.

Coverage for mobile networks is good across the city with widespread 5G, and all Underground platforms and most tunnels now have signal.

UK SIM cards and eSIMs are cheap and easy; visitors from outside the EU should check roaming charges, which returned after Brexit for many providers.

Wi-Fi is free in most cafes, pubs, museums and on the Underground network, and Transport for London offers free Wi-Fi at stations.

Contactless payment is near-universal, and a growing number of places take no cash at all — a card or phone is more useful than notes.

Power is 230 volts on three-pin sockets; bring an adapter.

London is a safe city by international standards for a place of its size, and violent crime against visitors is rare. The problems are opportunistic.

• Phone snatching is the defining London crime: thieves on e-bikes take phones from hands on pavements, particularly in the West End, Soho and around stations. Do not walk along looking at your phone at the kerbside.
• 
  
• Pickpocketing on the Underground, on buses and in crowded markets and pubs; keep bags closed and in front of you.
• 
  
• Traffic: look right first, and watch for cyclists in bus lanes travelling the other way.
• 
  
• Unlicensed minicabs: never accept a lift from someone touting outside a club. Use a black cab or a booked app.
• 
  
• Drink spiking is reported; watch your glass.
• 
  
• Crowds at Carnival and New Year.

Emergency care at NHS accident and emergency departments is free to everyone, but further treatment is charged to overseas visitors unless a reciprocal arrangement applies, so travel insurance is important.

No vaccinations are required beyond routine cover.

Pharmacies are widespread and pharmacists can advise on and treat minor conditions directly; several open late.

Air quality is the main environmental health issue: nitrogen dioxide and particulates exceed guidelines on busy roads, and anyone with asthma may notice it. The ultra-low-emission zone has improved it substantially but not solved it.

Tap water is safe and good; refill points are marked on an app.

Heat in a heatwave is genuinely difficult on the Underground — carry water.

Pollen is high in early summer.

Emergency numbers: 999 or 112 for police, fire and ambulance. 111 is the free NHS line for urgent but non-emergency medical advice, and will direct you to the right service.

Accident and emergency departments operate at the major hospitals; urgent treatment centres handle lesser injuries faster.

Reporting theft: use the police online reporting service for a crime number, which is what insurers need. Phone theft is unlikely to be investigated but should still be reported.

Transport disruption: strikes and engineering works are announced in advance and published by Transport for London; check before travelling at weekends.

Lost property from transport is centralised and has a good recovery rate.

Almost every country maintains an embassy or high commission in London.