SOON Online Magazine

Visiting Britain

Would you like to visit Britain one day?
Our country would like to welcome you!

Overseas travel can be expensive. But there are ways of visiting Britain cheaply! We hope that these pages will give you some good ideas, plus addresses and web- sites to find more information.

General tips

When to come?
     If you can avoid the busy summer period ­ July and August ­ your visit may be cheaper. Certainly there will be smaller numbers of visitors. British weather can be pleasant from April onwards until the end of September. Of course, you can visit in the winter, but it is often dark by early evening (4 pm) and many places, such as large houses and castles, are closed over winter. However, if your interest is museums, art galleries, theatre or culture, winter may be a good time to visit.
Be prepared.
     * If you need a visa to visit Britain, then you must apply a long time before your visit. Visa problems have spoiled many holidays!
     * Obtain as much information as possible before you arrive: maps, guides, and travel information.
     * Sorry - but British weather can change very quickly.

Bring enough clothes for warm, cold, and wet weather!

Animals
     Only animals who have been vacinated and issued with a specific health passport may come into the UK. No other animals of any sort may be brought into Britain.
Contact your local vet or the local British Commission for the latest situation.

There are no exceptions, and heavy punishments.
Inoculations
     No inoculations are required to enter Britain ­ however an inoculation may be a condition for re-entering your own country.
Get medical insurance
     You are only covered for free emergency treatment by the British National Health Service, unless you come from a member country of the European Union, or a country which has a reciprocal health-care agreement with Britain.
Electric voltage is 240v AC, 50 HZ
You may need an adapter or converter for anything electrical you bring with you. Also be careful if you buy electrical items in the UK to take back home, they may not work in your country. Ask before you buy!!!!
We have tried to give accurate information in these pages. Sorry ­ we can take no responsibility for any mistakes. Remember ­ information may change. Please check details for yourself as much as you can.
Telephones
Some pay-telephones take coins from 10p and larger. However many phones only use "phone cards" which you can buy at many shops.
All telephone codes include an "area code" which starts with "0". When dialling a number in the same area, you do not need to use the area code. But it does not matter if you do.

Note that British telephone books are often divided into two sections "Residential" (private numbers) and "Business".
When dialling to Britain from other countries, you use the country code for Britain - "44" - and then miss out the first "0" of the area code. On these pages, where we show phone and fax numbers, we have already done this for you, and included the +44 country code.

The emergency telephone number is 999 or 112.

The "Directory Enquiry" service is privatised, a number of different companies provide the service, each makes a different charge for the facility.

More information on visiting Britain

Where to go
Students and young people under 26
How to find more information
Where to stay
Car travel, car hire, and British roads
Rail and bus travel
Air travel and arriving by air
Visiting London ­ where to go and how to travel
Money exchange and currency
Visa requirements
Maps
Theatre, music and ballet
Cheap ways to visit historic houses, castles etc.

A selection of pages in our online magazine

(Use your browser "back button" to return to this page)
The Student Page
Writing CV resumes, studying for exams, and facing life.
Message from the stars
See what well-known stars have to say.
Problem Page
Real answers to real problems.
A news story you did not hear
Liberian refugee has miracle escape.

Book
Learning English page Lots of advice on learning the English language.
SOON Online Magazine contents page True stories, interviews, science, religion, 'your language and country' pages, and much more.

Links to other British tourist web-sites
Tourist sites are being added to the Web all the time. Below are some that you may like. You may find better and cheaper information in other sources like the printed booklets from the British Tourist Authority and other tourist offices. Sorry, it's impossible to list everything!

Email Us  if any of these links are not working or have changed. Tell us too if you like the site and you find these page helpful.

Using Search Engines

Use a search engine to help you find information, if you cannot find it in any of the web-sites we have listed. As well as doing a word search, try searching by following the "travel" section under "recreation", and choosing available options each time. Look at the entries under "Britain". Many towns and areas of Britain have web-sites, as well as museums, art galleries, airports, and other tourist attractions.

Thought for the day
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16

Other tourist web-sites

British Tourist Authority Advice for visiting Britain and many links.
Scottish Tourist Board Useful list of tourist information and addresses.
Enjoy England The official site for English tourism.
Wales Tourist Board Useful list of tourist information and addresses. 
Scottish Information Resources More travel information addresses in Scotland.
Scotland Holidays Travel Scotland Holidays is a holistic portal providing in-depth insights on accommodation options, city guides, popular tourist attractions and activities.
Tourist Boards Links to other tourist boards in different regions which have web sites.
Tourist Information Centres Links to information centres.
Essex Tourist Guide is the essential and premier Guide providing information and resources for all types of Tourist needs in the county of Essex
Travellers World A resource linking you to many different tourist sites in Britain.
Visitor UK is a network of town websites across the UK which provide in-depth information to visitors and communities.
SomewhereToGo is a new map based tourism website that gives information on hotels, tourist attractions and theatres in the UK. SomewhereToGo is being developed in Nottingham by identical twins Brian and David Smallwood
EveningsOutis your guide places to eat and hotel accommodation in the UK. Reserve your seat or room with the best restaurants, hotels, bars, health spas and nightclubs online with EveningsOut.co.uk.
Where Can We Go? Britain's event guide - free to search for events across the country by date, postcode, interest. 25,000 events listed in our first year!
Real Days OutWith details of over 10,000 attractions all over the British Isles you're bound to find something great to do. Find FREE places, family friendly attractions, suggestions, ratings and much more. It's all totally free and there are no annoying adverts or complicated logins!
Attraction Bank home of tourist attractions and visitor attractions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
The British Council The British Council have offices in many countries, and promote Britain, culture, and international relationships.
Student and Budget Travel Guide Site by American students, giving general tips on travelling cheaply in different parts of the world.
The World Travel Guide Information on every country around the world. 
Cheapflights Information on travel and holidays around the world. 

Transport

Car Rentals UK UK car rental company.
Avis Car Rental UK car rental company.
Enterprise Car Hire Car rental company in USA, Canada, UK, Ireland and Germany
Hampsons Vehicle Hire Hampsons Self Drive Hire provide a full range of car, van and truck hire throughout the East Midlands and East Anglia with locations serving, Newark, Lincoln, Grantham, Spalding, Kings Lynn, Mansfield and Cambridge. From these locations, you can hire anything from a small car up to 7.5 ton refrigerated vehicles with complete confidence in Hampsons, your local vehicle rental company. 
UK Traveline Helpful information on timetables, tickets, and more. 
UK Rail Information Some information on rail transport.
Online Rail Timetables The Trainline official country-wide listing
Airlines of the Web Links to web sites of many airlines
Airport Hotels Heathrow A portal providing extensive information and hotel bookings regarding Heathrow and surrounding Airports
Interairport Transfers is the control page with links that cover in excruciating detail all the options of transferring between London's airports.
National Express Dot2dot a new, convenient, door to door, airport transfer service operating between central London and Heathrow and Gatwick airports; prices start from £17.50.
Eurostar The Eurostar Channel Tunnel service in different languages
Southern Ferries Ferry tour operator to France
Ferry boat information Routes, fleets, times, how to book, etc.
Mapquest  City maps not just for Britain, but worldwide.
Travelsite Search engine for UK travel.

Places to visit

Mary Rose Museum King Henry VIII's wooden warship sank in 1545. Now raised, and in a museum in Portsmouth 
Encounters with Canals  Guide to waterways holidays and more. 
Portsmouth Historic Ships Covers 'Mary Rose', 'HMS Victory', and other old ships. 
The National Trust  They keep many old 'stately homes' and historic buildings, which are open to the public.
English Heritage  English Heritage care for castles and other sites. 
Castles of Wales Online guide to some of the best of Wales' famous castles 
Windsor Castle  The main home of the Royal Family when they are not at Buckingham Palace. Open to the public. 
Brooklands Home Page  The first motor race track in the world. Now a museum. You can still visit part of the high concrete race track. 
The English Riviera A guide to the south Devon towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. 
English Gardens Provides information on Kent, the Garden of England, with details of many English gardens and castles to visit.
English Lakes A comprehensive guide to the English Lake District
Cornwall Tour Join us on a tour of the county of Cornwall.
Visit Chester Chester is one of England's beautiful historic cities, located in the north west of England in the county of Cheshire.
Snowdonia Guide Visit the Snowdonia National Park.
Gower Penninsula was the first area in Britain designated an area of outstanding natural beauty and has many of the best beaches.

Accommodation

Great British Bed and Breakfasts  Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Britain. 
Places2stay features bed and breakfasts, self catering and hotel accommodation.
BB your Way 100's of special B & B's all across the UK 
Hotels your Way 100's of Hotels & Inns all across the UK 
London Hotels And Accommodation In London A tourist guide to London. Book your London hotels and accommodation online using our secure server. Browse through the London tourist information and let us help make your trip to London a memorable one.
Farm holiday  Different farms in Britain where you can stay. 
UK Guest.com  The UK's premier site for finding somewhere to stay in England with 1500 carefully selected Hotels, Bed and Breakfasts and Self-Catering Guest Accommodations to suit all budgets with more being added all the time.
LateRooms.com UK  Discount Hotel Service
Late Rooms - London Hotels offer over 620 hotels,have guest reviews and the latest discounted room rates which are updated by the hotels directly - so the most update price is guaranteed.
Self catering holiday Ramsgate, Kent  Holiday accommodation in Ramsgate, only minutes from the harbour. Spacious maisonette on 3 floors, sleeps 6.
Cottages to rent A guide to some of the most picturesque locations in the richly varied countryside of the United Kingdom that are ideal for holiday cottage rental.
Independent Holiday Cottagespromotes self-catering holiday accommodation and has a very large selection throughout the UK
Holiday Cottages in DevonBeaconside has a range of holiday cottages sleeping up to 38 in the beautiful North Devon countryside with easy access to some of England's finest beaches and tourist attractions.
IOW AccommodationAffordable self catering accommodation Isle of Wight
UK Cottage Rental Free Holiday Letting Advertising
Self Catering Scotland  Self catering venues in Scotland
Self catering cottages in Scotland Nestling in private grounds with stunning, picturesque views over the Aberdeenshire countryside, Nettle Self Catering Cottages provide an extremely high standard of self-catering holiday cottage accommodation.
Let in Edinburgh Self catering Edinburgh apartments
Embrace Scotland - Self catering accommodation and holidays cottages throughout Scotland.   offers a wide range of Scottish holiday cottages and self catering accommodation. With over 2,500 assured properties and cottages to choose from you'll be sure to find the one that suits your preferences, budget and desired location.
Coast and Country Holidays Pembrokeshire Wales UK  An excellent selection of over 250 Welsh cottages in West Wales, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire providing a wide range of coast and country holiday self catering accommodation, in wonderful locations. You can check the availability or book your favourite cottage on-line or by calling our offices.
Latest news about holidays and short breaks in Wales  Last minute Wales is providing to be great way of helping holiday makers understand what is best about Wales, our on-line resource for holidays, weekend breaks and last minute offers on our self catering accommodation makes it easy for you to find exactly what you need and want. Get away to Wales for a break, book on-line now.

London web-sites

Transport and maps

London Transport Official site for all public transport services in London.
London Tube Rambles Wonderful countryside, whacky architecture within a mile of the outer London tube stations.

Tourist Sites

LondonInformationCentre Located in the centre of London's Leicester Square, the London Information Centre is open every day from 8am until midnight. Providing tourist information, accommodation advice, sightseeing tours and free maps. The centre can also be contacted by telephone on +44 (0) 20 729 22 333
LondonTown.com London's original tourism site, very popular for events, sightseeing and accommodation reviews. Also provides free telephone booking services seven days a week on +44 (0) 207 437 4370 plus has a Best Price Guarantee on its online hotel booking service that refunds you four times the difference if you find it cheaper elsewhere.
London Travel London Tourism - a Quick Overview
London Tourist Information London Tourist Information - a useful site on the city of London.

Museums and places to visit

Buckingham Palace The Queen's residence in London.
Tower of London One of the most visited tourist spots in London. 
Arrive early to avoid queuing. 
London Museums and Galleries Links to museums and art gallery web sites.
British Museum One of the world's best collections of antiquities. 
Kew Gardens World famous gardens and research centre.
London Transport Museum Old buses, trams, and more.
The Science Museum A world-famous museum - well worth visiting.
Natural History Museum All about the living world of plants and animals. 
Military museums of London  Links to military museums of London 
Victoria and Albert Museum  A good site for one of London's most popular museums. 
Madame Tussaud's  The famous waxworks. Try to avoid busy times - there is often a long wait to get in. 
Sherlock Holmes Museum Britain's most famous fiction detective? 
Steam Trains for Tourists Steam Trains operating in the UK.
Tower Bridge The famous Victorian lifting bridge.
Royal Albert Hall Guided Tours of the Royal Albert Hall
Westminster Abbey British Kings and Queens crowned and buried here. 

Music and Ballet

London Symphony Orchestra One of Britain's most famous orchestras.
English National Opera One of London's main opera companies
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden: London's best-known opera house
English National Ballet News and links to other ballet sites

Theatre Guide

London Theatre Guide Shows, reviews, tickets and more. 
Theatre Tokens is the only UK national theatre voucher. It is accepted at over 230 theatres throughout the UK, including all of London's West End. With no expiry date, they're convenient and give the recipient the magic of theatre and the gift of choice.
Official London Theatre. Detailed show information,The latest news, interviews with leading actors and directors, full coverage of opening nights and exclusive videos, Online ticket booking and special discount offers, Facts and figures about London’s Theatreland and its history
Discount Theatre The essential London Theatre Ticket Shop
London Theatre Tickets for West End Theatres Theatre tickets and information for London's West End Theatres.
UK Tickets Definitive guide to the West End.
Compare Theatre Tickets We compare prices from the top UK-based London theatre ticket retailers to make sure you get the right ticket at the right price.
Outside London Theatre Guide. Links to resources throughout UK. Shows, reviews, tickets and more.

Other London Links

Visit London Probably the best of several sites which link to London tourist information of all sorts.
Londinium.com covers London with London business, shopping, services and nightlife.

History and Culture Links

Old English Pages Want to know about Old English art and literature, poems and more?
Secrets of the Norman Invasion England was invaded by the Normans in 1066, and at the famous Battle of Hastings, King Harold was killed.
Kings and Queens of England Family trees of the Kings and Queens of England. 
Monarchs of England Details of the Kings and Queens of England.

More information on visiting Britain

Where to go
Students and young people under 26
How to find more information
Where to stay
Car travel, car hire, and British roads
Rail and bus travel
Air travel and arriving by air
Visiting London ­ where to go and how to travel
Money exchange and currency
Visa requirements
Maps
Theatre, music and ballet
Cheap ways to visit historic houses, castles etc.

"VISITING BRITAIN"

is just one section of the SOON Online Magazine learning English, problem page, 'life and how to survive it', true stories, interviews, and much more.

"VISITING BRITAIN"

is just one section of the
SOON ONLINE MAGAZINE,
covering
learning English, problem page, 'life and how to survive it',
true stories, interviews, and much more.

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