So I went on a 3 week trip to Europe (London + Italy) with my boyfriend in May 2018 which I guess was a Spring - Summer transition period?
Weather
It was my first time in London so I can't really compare the weather with other seasons but I'd say I enjoyed the weather a lot and it really couldn't have been better.
Most days it was about 18 - 20 degrees Celsius in the day with a nice bit of sun and breeze. On a typical day, I'd wear a t-shirt with an outerwear with jeans out in the morning (can be quite chilly) and by noon, I'd be taking off my outerwear coz man, the sun sure is strong during that time of the day. And when it's evening, the jacket comes back on. So remember to bring a bag around to store your jacket and whatnots.
<- Pretty much what I wore all the time
PS. Don't overpack!! I brought thick jackets and thermal wear because I'm TERRIFIED of the cold but honestly I didn't use it at all. What a waste of my luggage space T^T
Accomodation
My boyfriend and I were obviously on a budget (we were 20 and broke, still am). So we tried to look for a cheap yet comfortable place to stay. Hotels were a definite no-no. I wish i could ball but they're so expensive, so the next best alternative was Airbnb. I stayed in 2 different Airbnbs, one near Stockwell Tube station where we spent S$70 a night and the other near Elephant and castle Tube station where we spent S$82 a night.
Both places were very easy to find and get to thanks to the Tube system which I am quite a fan of!
So before booking, I was so worried about staying too far out from the central areas but the central areas were way out of our budget :( Lucky for you, I've been there (haha) so I can tell you for sure that YOU DON'T NEED TO STAY IN CENTRAL AREAS YAY. As long as you stay near a tube station within zones 1 and 2, you're good to go which brings me to the next topic....
Local Transport
So firstly, here's the tube map, basically all you need to bring you places (and your oyster pass). You can purchase an oyster pass from the airport after arrival, tube stations, overground stations, almost everywhere. Passes purchased within London will be a standard oyster pass while those bought outside London eg. Airport, is called a Visitor Oyster Card. The only difference is that £5 deposit is not refundable for a Visitor Oyster card but is refundable for a standard Oyster card.
You can also use contactless bank cards but do note the exchange rate would cause it to be more expensive so I'd suggest still purchasing an oyster pass.
The zones are subtly marked on the background. But I don't think a tourist would typically travel pass zone 2. But you still can though if you want to.
The good thing about pay-as-you-go oyster passes is that your transport fare is capped for the day once it hits £7 when travelling within zones 1 and 2.
For example, from 8am to 7.59am the next day, the max that you would spend on transport would be £7 no matter how much you travel. For caps within other zones, you can check it out here .
There are also options for a weekly Travelcard (7 Days) that costs £35.10 for travelling withing zones 1 and 2. This would be a more cost effective option if you will be staying for a week.
Your oyster pass can be used on London buses, overground trains and the national rail as well.
Visiting Attractions
So one thing I always tell my friends who are about to visit London for the first time is to buy THE LONDON PASS!! It basically gives you access to numerous attractions at a single cost. I got the 3-days pass for around SGD$200+ and it might seem so expensive but attractions in London are far from cheap . Individual attractions costs range from I'd say £20 - £40? I got so much value off the London Pass honestly. Visiting 3-6 places already makes up for the cost. I'm sure you can cover way more than that.
If you're not looking to go to too many attractions and have only a few certain ones in mind, you can also purchase a London Explorer Pass which gives you access to 3, 5 or 7 attractions.
You can purchase the passes online and if I'm not wrong, you can choose to either have a e-pass on your phone or collect the physical pass when you're in London which was what I did. The nearest tube stations to the pick up location would be Charing Cross Station or Leicester Square Station.
You can also actually purchase your oyster card along with the London pass from the London Pass website at a bundle price but I didn't do so :')
(I'm a London pass affiliate so purchasing through my link would help me alot. Opinions on the London Pass are still genuinely mine!!)
Groceries and Amenities
So being Asian af, I was so afraid of not bringing enough this or that but honestly, there was nothing to worry about. There are Tescos, Lidls and Sainsburys (local grocers) EVERYWHERE. Though things were slightly more expensive than in Singapore, I would've just bought things there than lugging it from home all the way across the world.
Exceptions would include Maggie mee which, I'm sorry Brits, but as an Asian I think I have the rights to say that your instant noodles are HORRENDOUS.
Asians, please remember to bring some packet/cup noodles along
Mobile Data
This section would be more relevant to Singaporeans because I bought my SIM card from Singapore before travelling to London. I purchased mine from Qoo10 from a shop called ICC There are a variety of data and days you can choose from depending on your stay and usage. But it is way cheaper than renting wifi from changi recommends or any other option. I have used their services for multiple countries and it has worked perfectly all the time. The card can be used in majority of European countries. Do scroll down on the listing itself to look at the information provided for you to understand which cards to purchase.
Food
In my experience, the average prices of food would be around £7 - £10 a decent meal? Slightly more (like twice the price) for restaurants obviously but some places are worth a try.
One place I'd recommend again and again for food would be Camden Market. I kinda fell in love with that place heh. And also Borough Market for an authentic London experience.
There are Asian restaurants here and there (Japanese, Chinese) all over the place but unfortunately I did not manage to find a place that tastes like home so my instant noodles did it for me when I missed Asian food.
Also, note that shops typically close around 5,6 pm unlike Asian countries closing around 9, 10 pm so get your dinner before that or you'll have to get microwaved meals from the grocers.
For more details on what I did and where I went, check out my 5 day itinerary.
If you have anymore questions or doubts, feel free to HMU in the chatbox or e-mail me!
I reply Instagram messages too!
Live free, live Flightmoded,
Judith
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