Helpful Hints '

With Laurence as our guide we learned so much. He has an excellent sense of humour and ability to bring history alive. He also had the ability to steer us to great places for lunch. A top class act and nothing short of amazing. Do not pass up the opportunity to use this guide.'
David and Rocky Baum, LA

Public Transport – There are two ways to go with this one: the Oyster Card or the Travelcard. The Oyster Card worth purchasing if you are going to be using public transport for three days or more; it works in the same way as a top-up cell-phone, so you just put as much money on it as you think you will need. If , however, you only need to use London Transport for a day or two , then it may be worth buying the daily Travelcard for Zones 1& 2, which you can purchase after 9 30 in the morning – before 9 30 it will cost more.  

Taxis -  Black taxis are sometimes  now green, red and multi-coloured(!) but the shape is distinctive and the drivers are the most efficient and knowledgeable in London. Prices vary according to the time of day/night.

There are also minicabs and these are perfectly fine, though the drivers are not always as knowledgeable and experienced but they are cheaper than the black cab.    
 
Black cabs can be picked up on the street whereas minicabs are booked in advance.    Be careful not to get into a cab if someone comes and asks you if you need one as these are not licensed (and if they are they are breaking the law) and the prices will vary enormously depending on what they think they can get away with! 

 'We appreciated your sense of humour and were impressed by your breadth of knowledge'
Grahame Williams, Essex
 

Airport - I'm at the airport, how do I get to central London?   Heathrow - One way is the underground (our subway system). Heathrow is on the Piccadilly line and it will take about 45 minutes to get into central London. If you are thinking of using the Oyster Card or Travelcard then it may be worth while purchasing it at Heathrow Station– remember Heathrow is zone 6 but you will be mostly using zones 1 & 2.       
There is also the Heathrow Express which takes about 15-20 minutes to get to Paddington, which is practically central London.      Taxi – There is a taxi rank at the airport and it will take about 30 minutes to get to central London depending on traffic – it will probably cost in excess of £45- 50.
Gatwick – Trains from Gatwick take about 45 minutes or there is a coach which takes about 90 minutes and arrives at Victoria. 

Food – London is a great city for food with delicacies from all over the world. If you are eating in a pub please bear in mind that there is no waiter service so you have to order from the bar and then someone will bring the food to you.(If you have children its  worth checking with the pub first as some will accept under 21’s). 

'Theatre  - As great a city as it is for food it is also fabulous for theatre . If you order direct from the box office there is no handling fee. Leicester Square has a half-price ticket booth, though there is a small handling charge and you may not get to see the particular show you are after but there is generally a good selection. There are other agencies in Leicester Square if you don’t get satisfaction from the half-price booth.  If a show is sold out and you simply must see it, it is worth turning up a half – hour or more before the show to see if you can get returns - you can sometimes get very good tickets at reasonable prices this way.