VISIT LONDON CITY
Your official London travel guide

Dont Get Charged For Changing Currency
When You are in London, use your cash card from home to withdrawal money rather than exchange places. In Picadilly Square I went to a place that said 'no commission' and I changed $20 thinking that the rate may be bad but for $20 no big deal. The transaction actually had GBP3.25 commission (no commission was for 'buys only') and the guy wouldn't give me the $20 back. I only got GBP7.50! My only excuse is that I was jetlagged.

Traditional Pubs
Anything that says TRADITIONAL PUB on the outside is anything but traditional... if you walk into a pub with low ceilings smokey atmosphere and an old man with a dog in the corner drink a pint of brown, then you know you're in the right place... in fact if you walk in and the music and all the punters stop... then you know you've hit the jackpot.

order a pint of bitter (IPA, spitfire, anyting with a pull tap at the bar)... especially if you're american... you will have new found respect
there's always walkabout or a whetherspoons pub

Prepare to pay
The top tourist attractions are severly overpriced, and I dont mean just expensive, I mean they realy are having a laugh. The pricing structure works on the principle that most of the people in London are tourists who are only here for a short time. So they might not be coming back and will pay virtually anything.

Look out for various deals like 'passes' where one price allows you to enter many of the major attractions. Also PLAN AHEAD there are several ways of avoiding the great british tradition of the que. Several offer FAST TRACK systems that realy do save you a huge amount of time. The London eye is a good example, prebooked tickets (recommend internet booking) can be obtained from a deserted ticket machine (located inside the ticket office, which is the old county hall building) and the misery of the 30 minute wait can be avoided.

PLAN AHEAD ORGANISE TIME

The tube
There's rarely a problem on the Tube. But nevertheless be aware of the pickpockets and beggars. Keep your money / mobile phone very close to you especially during busy periods on the tube. Avoid the tube during rush hours ( 8 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 7 pm). It can be very crowded and hot - and pickpockets are on way. So try to avoid - if you can - this busy time !

Changing of the Guard
Yes, this is both the thing to do, and the thing not to do. I happened to be walking by at the right moment and caught the boys in action. There is so much to do in London without standing for an hour watching men in big hats.

Pass by around 11AM and get a peek, then continue on through St. James Park to Trafalgar Square.

Expensive souvenirs
Don't buy Souvenirs from the hotels or fancy areas-you'll find some unique London Souvenir's in Markets (Camden, Shepperds Bush, etc), or in tiny shops all over the city- take your time looking around, you'll find many creative and cheap things at every turn.

Buy Souvenirs from the gift shops of your fav. tourist place (Mdm Taussouds, London Dungeons, Musuem, etc), or the airport.

London Pass
It's not really a trap, but I know several people that have not been impressed with the London Card which gives you access to the different tourist places around town. The problem is, with the one day card, that you can't physically go to enough of the places that constitute the price of the card. As my friend said, after spending several hours in the Globe Theatre, she really didn't feel like going on the Eye, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower.

Days without transport prices 1 £23 2 £36 3 £44 6 £61 Some attractions that you can visit: Chislehurst Caves Cutty Sark HMS Belfast Kew Gardens London Aquarium London Wetland Centre London Zoo Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Tour and Exhibition Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Vinopolis Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum Eton College French Brothers River Cruise Hampton Court Palace Jewel Tower Kensington Palace and The Orangery Kenwood House Royal Mews Southwark Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral The Banqueting House The Monument The Tower Bridge Exhibition The Tower of London The Wernher Collection at Ranger’s House Wellington Arch Windsor Castle

It would be worth it more if you were to buy the 3 day card or the 6 day card. There's only so much you can do in 24 hours. www.londonpass.com

If you don't want to waste time waiting in line
Check out the photo of the line of tourist waiting to go into the Tower of London! The line stretches right back to the ticket office & ends at the Tower Gates. It takes a lot of time to explore the Tower of London, so make the most of your time & don't waste it standing in line.

Avoid School holidays & be an early bird - go just before opening

Trapped on a Bus in Traffic
Do people really enjoy these sightseeing buses? I did one years ago.... I hated it.... I kept wanting to get off and go and have a proper look at the sights. I suppose if you are not up to long treks through the city then they are ok - but otherwise - walk! You will see so much more! If you have to do the bus sightseeing thing - at least have some idea prior to the tour of what you are looking at. I get the impression the guide says "take a photo..........NOW!" and everyone does - without really knowing much about the sight they are seeing.
There is a tour bus company who allow passengers to hop on and off at lots of different stops - this seems like a good idea. The Original Tour