Whether it’s your first time visiting London, or if you’ve been there before, learn how to do London like a local with the How to do London video series from Visit London.
Visit London have put together these handy little videos about travel in London that feature some useful basics. The first one covers transport, the oyster card, some etiquette and pronunciations.
The only thing I don’t necessarily agree with is talking to people on the Tube – Londoners hate this – especially from tourists.
More great London travel info at Visit London.
Speaking as a lifelong Londoner we don’t ‘hate’ all speaking on the Tube, just that which is inappropriate, or not respectful of the people around the talkers. It’s quite simple. It’s a confined space you are sharing with many others and over which you have very little control, so a code of ‘silence unless the situation demands talk’ has evolved between strangers. For sure, friends can sit and have a chat en route, but they would be expected to keep the volume appropriate to their proximity. This means that everyone can have a less stressful journey, rather than travelling in a tin can deafened by the inane chatter of others. Try riding the train when a party of schoolkids gets on and see how annoying the noise becomes VERY quickly.
Whilst the rule above generally precludes speaking to strangers there are some exceptions. Sharing a smile and a passing comment about something funny, or odd that happens on the trip is de rigeur. Asking if anyone could decipher the last announcement is also a safe bet, especially if you’re sat on a stationary train between stations!
Having a tourist ask for directions is no problem at all. Most Londoners would be happy to help, but a surprising number of the people you meet on the Tube will be as clueless as you. This ranges from the other ‘new in towns’ to the ‘head down’ London commuter who knows their route from home to work like the back of their hand, but never takes the train anywhere else. In either situation you might as well be asking for directions to Mars for all they know about where you want to go!