Places in England
Bath | Bournemouth | Cambridge | London | Oxford
The Tower Bridge of London. One of the most famous monuments of the English capital!
Average costs
The British pound is currently very favorable compared to the euro or dollar. The impending Brexit drop the pound only further so that you should really plan some time in England (or the UK) right now!
Stay – England is obviously not a small country and depending on where you stay prices will vary greatly. The Capital (London) will be most expensive, but other major cities are generally very similar in price. The price of a hostel starts at $25 to $30 (between 20 and 30 pounds). A budget lodge you will find for $45 and a luxurious hotel outside the city center can already begin at $70, in the center you should expect to pay around $120 per night.
Smaller towns and villages are often slightly cheaper.
If you want to see exacte prices, availability and all kinds of deals you should check out Booking.com and Trivago.
Budget accommodations and hostels can be found on HostelsClub.
Eat – Actually it is quite easy to eat cheap in England, as long as you don’t go eat at fancier restaurants all the time. Fish & Chips can be found everywhere, and this local delicacy often costs no more than $8 to $12 (£6 to £9).
McDonalds, Burger King and other fast food chain are in the same price range.
In many places you will also find Indian, Pakistani and Asian food that is not too expensive. On average you will pay between £6 and £10 for this tasty cuisine.
Eating out will cost you a lot more. In general prices at restaurants start at $22 per person for food and drinks.
Transport – England is a modern country and all the towns and places of interest are generally well served by public transport.
Public transport is not cheap. In the city you can easily pay £5 for a single ride! In large cities, it is often better to buy a rechargeable card (eg. Oyster card in London), because it will cost you up to three times less.
Would you like to visit several places in England? Then you can rely on the extensive rail network or Megabus.
Book your ticket some time in advance, otherwise the amounts could rise ridiculously high. Megabus is always cheap, but if you book in advance you can travel for only £1 per person.
If you’d like to see more of Europe, you can easily travel to Belgium or the Netherlands from England with the Eurostar trains. Again, try to book these in advance since they can rise in price quite greatly if not booked in advance.
Stonehenge is one of the oldest monuments of England and even the world!
Saving money
Book transportation in advance – Are you planning to do a few trips in England? Book your train or bus tickets already in advance. The same goes for your transportation to and from the airports. Go online and arrange your minicab or shared shuttle service.
Free museums – Throughout the country there are many free museums to visit. Many well-known museums are, so you definitely should have something to do on a rainy day! Tate Modern and the National Gallery are two of these free museums, for example.
Cheap food – There are plenty of options to get cheap food in England! Take some Fish & Chips on-the-go or go to the Indian restaurants for lunch. Other places that are not very expensive, for example, are prêt à manger or Eat.
In big cities you can nowadays also find foodtrucks which serve great food at very low prices.
Tastecard – In the United Kingdom you can dine in many places using the Tastecard. By showing this card you will get 50% discount at restaurants, or 2 for 1 meals. You can use the card for 90 days for only £1, or with other words; perfect for tourists!
The popular beach city, Bournemouth, has much more to offer besides only sunbathing!
Do’s
London – London is a huge city and there is always something going on! Get amazed by the historical or ultramodern architecture, party in SoHo, get intrigued by the Tower Bridge, visit the loco Camden Town or go and enjoy one of the many parks. London has countless of things to do for anyone seeking a packed city trip.
Stonehenge – Stonehenge is one of the most famous and at the same time least known parts of the world. Each year, many visitors go and see the monument, but in fact there is actually very little known about this structure. The stone formations would have been built around 3000 and 2000 BC and still no-one really has an idea on how people could carry these heavy blocks of stone this far.
Roman Baths in Bath – A wonderful day trip which you should take if you have the chance is Bath. This old Roman town has many beautiful, historic buildings, but the Roman baths are the most impressive. Do a tour or completely unwind in one of the pools.
Cambridge and Oxford universities – The most famous university towns of England are undoubtedly Cambridge and Oxford. The historic campuses where many world famous people have graduated are open for visiting to a great extent. Besides the beautiful schools and city center, you should also enjoy the gorgeous landscapes around.
Festivals – In England there are many festivals to visit! These range from traditional festivals to huge music festivals. Let yourself be charmed by the Brits and enjoy being part of their party culture.
Chinatown London – The Chinatown of London is not very big but incredibly fun to walk around in. Especially when it gets dark and the cheerful lights begin to flash everywhere.
Lake District National Park – The largest and deepest lakes in England can be found in this national park. The beautiful, expansive nature of this park is phenomenal and you will definitely leave amazed. Don’t forget to bring some sturdy footwear, because the mountains are sometimes very steep to climb.
Stratford-upon-Avon – Anyone slightly familiar with Shakespeare -or anyone interested in this famous writer- knows that Stratford-upon-Avon is the birth place of William Shakespeare. Annually, the small town processes about two million visitors who come to explore the cozy town. Many beautiful historic buildings have been preserved and the village seems to take you into a time machine.
Warwick Castle – The original castle was already built in 1068, but meanwhile the fortress underwent a lot of changes. Currently, it is considered one of the best preserved buildings of the military architecture of the fourteenth century, when the building was rebuilt in stone one more time.
Cotswolds – This hilly landscape in the West of England stretches over several hundred kilometers and is lovely to drive through or walk. The undulating landscapes are interspersed with picturesque villages and agricultural land with many sheep grazing on it.
One of the most famous university cities of England; Oxford.
Don’ts
Touch the guards – The Queen’s guards are quite the sight when visiting Buckingham Palace and you can test their statue skills by completely going crazy in front of them, but never touch them! Because they absolutely can’t appreciate that… And in the end you might also not like it very much!
Forget that they drive on the left in England – Are you planning to rent a car? Then remember that in England people drive on the left side of the road! As a pedestrian, not used to this, I advice you to always look out. Always look left and right to make sure that you are not mowed down by a car.
Forget an outlet converter – In England they use a different type of power outlet. So don’t forget your converter or you might pay a lot for a poor quality converter.
Forgetting different types of clothes – In England you can have all seasons in just one day. What at first looks like a sunny day, may soon be the darkest day in the history of England. Be prepared and dress yourself in layers.
Keeping left on the escalator – If you don’t want to get the wrath of the English over you, it is a good idea to stand on the right side of the escalator if you don’t plan on walking up the stairs. It doesn’t seem like much, but the English can get very angry about this.
The beautiful bath! An old Roman city.
