UK (England) in about 1 week - Mid April

TravellingChris wrote: ↑ Food can be extremely expensive, especially given the pound vs. Canadian $ differential. What worked for us was having one meal a day in a restaurant that interested us (usually supper). For breakfast and lunch, there are very good deals at grocery stores like Tesco and Sainsburys. You can get a cheap lunch of a sandwich, snack and drink for four pounds. There are refrigerated cases right by the checkouts with "Meal Deal" displays: It's great for a value-priced meal on the go. Boots drugstores and Marks & Spencer Food departments also have similar deals.

vernonco wrote: ↑ I lived in London a long time back. I visited London in Feb 2022, went to a soccer game. I also visited Ireland in Mar 2022 for a week. Ireland needs a week in itself, little less if you do a hectic trip.
UK and Ireland are relatively smaller compared to Canada. Ex Driving from Dublin(SE) to Belfast(North) is approx 2hrs.
You need min 2 days in London, preferably 3 days. Assuming you arrive on a red eye, you will be tired the first day and may just get a half day in. Stay in Central London if you can afford too. Most tourist sites are walking distance in Central London or a quick public transit ride away. You can get a Travelcard or Oyster for Zone 1/2 which is where most tourist site are. Sometimes its easier to walk then to go down the tube and change lines. There is no need for a car in London, specially with the traffic, parking and congestion charge. Try and stay in London on weekdays as there will be less local tourists around. Changing of the guard is very popular at Buckingham Palace and you need to get there a little early to snag a good spot. You can see changing of guards, walk up the mall to Horse Guards and Downing St, Big Ben, Embankment, London Eye. Take a Thames river tour if you want a different perspective. Sometimes on weekend there can be closures for events/protests/roadworks so check before you book one of those hop on hop off tours. If you like Indian food, Dishoom has several locations and is very popular. If you do not purchase a transit pass, you can still use it by tapping your CC while getting on and when getting off. Windsor Caste is a quick day trip from London and is more impressive than Buckingham.
I would visit Scotland, a quick train ride and maybe 2-3 days there. Not sure if AC resume services to Edinburgh by April, if so, fly into London and fly back from there so you dont waste time commuting. LHR has high departure taxes so may be better and cheaper to fly back from another city. Train connections around the UK are good so if possible avoid a car, take a train or a tour to where you want to go and rent a car in the city you arrive in. That will leave you more rested to actually enjoy the area.
Paddington Stn has trains going to the West, Euston Station has trains heading to Manchester/Scotland, Kings Cross to the East and Waterloo for the South.
Oh and finding fish and chips or high tea in London is very difficult :-)
Other cities and areas posted on the link are good - Oxford/Cambridge, Bath are all great places.

techcyberman wrote: ↑ Disagree on this - at least compared to Toronto (which is more expensive than Edmonton to eat out). Despite exchange rate (now only about GBP 1.64 to CAD 1), menu prices are far lower and after conversion, costs less than eating out in Toronto. And keep in mind, prices there already include taxes and you aren't expected to tip.

And you aren't limited to just pricey sit-down restaurants - London has a ton of great quick service, takeaway, and street food places, and being a global capital and one of the most multicultural city in the world (even moreso than Toronto), you can get anything there in popular neighbourhoods such as Camden.

Beer at a pub is especially cheaper in the UK compared to Toronto (after tax & tip).

BananaHunter wrote: ↑ England is famous for their cuisine, but perhaps for the wrong reasons lol. I mean....fish and chips...really?!? I'm a home cook myself. It would be cool to visit one of the Gordon Ramsay restaurants.

Mulder and Scully wrote: ↑ What's the payment systems at stores and restaurants like? Can we use our Canadian credit card to (NFC) tap and pay (with no need to insert card or enter PIN) like here?

spazzamatic wrote: ↑ If you have a student card, bring that along. Lots of student discounts everywhere anddddd tipping is not a thing. When you get the bill, make sure you read it because they usually have tip as optional. Tipping is not a culture here, waiters and waitresses get paid a living wage.
Hope this helps!

IEpicDestroyer wrote: ↑ They provide discounts for students with foreign student cards? Also, how would I be able to tell when I should be tipping and when I shouldn't?

spazzamatic wrote: ↑ My friend that came to visit never had an issue with their U of T student card. Also, we just don't tip. Tipping isn't a thing here. You don't have to give a tip to the bartender, you don't have to tip on your dinner or anything. You're gonna realize that there isn't much "customer service" here. Most places you either order through your phone with the QR code at the table (bars and cafes), some you would walk up to the counter and order and they would deliver it to your seat, and finally, you'll have the usual restaurants where you walk in, they seat you and bring you dinner and stuff. Before you all start with the whole Tipping debate, I actually know natives in London and nearby areas that tell us NOT TO TIP. Tipping is not the culture and if tourists tip, then eventually the natives here will have to start tipping.

HOWEVER, if you're eating in like the SOHO/touristy districts of London, there's an automatic gratuity added on. Just be careful when they ask whether you want still or sparking water and whether you want any bread. A lot of places charge for these things. Usually it's free in Canada, but not in the UK.