OZU /UNITED KINGDOM /LONDON /GUIDE
London: practical tips
1 h route5 stopsBest: May-September. And it rains less than you think, honestlyUpdated July 2026
Everything works in English and the city is easy and safe, so the problems it gives are of another kind: two pieces of advice that circulate everywhere and are now wrong, and one Brexit thing almost nobody explains properly.
Here they are, without figures: prices move and any number I put here will lie to you.
The route, stop by stop
5 STOPS- 01
The Oyster is hardly ever worth it now
The most repeated advice about London (“first thing, get an Oyster”) is now wrong for most people. The reason: paying by tapping your own bank card or phone gives you exactly the same fare per journey and exactly the same daily and weekly caps as an Oyster. There’s no price advantage, and the Oyster charges a card fee of around ten pounds that isn’t refunded.
Now, the nuance English guides omit because they write for people with British cards: if your bank charges a fee on every foreign currency transaction, each tap at the gate can be a fee. There, Oyster wins, because you top up once and that’s it. Check what your card charges before deciding.
And another case: travelling with children aged 11 to 15, Oyster has a discount and contactless doesn’t. Otherwise, contactless.
- 02
The UK is no longer in the EU
This point causes more confusion than any other, and it needs stating precisely, because it’s neither one thing nor the other. Since 1 January 2021, the UK has been outside the European roaming regulation: the rule forcing your plan to work the same in Italy as at home no longer applies here.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work: it means there’s no legal guarantee and it depends entirely on your operator. Some still include the UK in their European zone at no cost, others have removed it and charge separately, or apply usage limits. It’s the only destination in Western Europe where you can’t take it for granted, and it’s exactly where most people do take it for granted because “it’s Europe”.
Check your tariff before you fly: two minutes now saves the surprise later.
- 03
Tipping, and the pub
If you arrive with American logic, relax: here the tip is 10 to 12.5% in a waiter-service restaurant, and very often it’s already on the bill as a “service charge”. If it’s included, you add nothing more. And if the service was bad, you can ask for it to be removed: that’s legal and acceptable.
And the rule that surprises most: in a pub you do NOT tip. You order at the bar, pay, and that’s it. There’s nothing to leave and leaving it is odd.
At most, in a busy pub you can offer the bartender a drink, “and one for yourself”, which is the traditional form. In taxis, round up and little more.
- 04
It rains less than you think
The most mistaken cliché of all: London gets less rain per year than Rome, and less than New York or Sydney too. By volume it isn’t a particularly rainy city, not remotely.
What it does is spread it out: it rains a little at a time but on many days, as a grey drizzle that never quite soaks you. That’s why it feels like it always rains.
The practical consequence: you don’t need an umbrella, you need a jacket with a hood, because the rain comes with wind and the umbrella turns inside out. And bring it in July too: summer here guarantees nothing.
- 05
Data on your phone
The above, made concrete. The UK left the EU and your roaming guarantee left with it: your operator may include it and may not, and the only way to know is to check. It’s the quietest trap in Europe because nothing on arrival tells you you’ve left.
And here your phone does rather more than the map: if you’re paying for transport contactless with your phone, which is what we recommend, the phone is literally your Tube ticket.
Add that London has no single centre and you navigate with a map constantly, that train tickets for Oxford or Bath are bought and shown on your phone, and that the pub you want is on a street with no logic to it.
A local eSIM activates on landing and removes the doubt.
Frequently asked
Do you need an Oyster card in London?
For most people, no: paying with your own contactless card or phone gives exactly the same fare and the same daily and weekly caps, without the roughly ten-pound card fee. Oyster only wins if your bank charges a fee on every foreign currency transaction, or if you’re travelling with children aged 11 to 15.
Does European roaming work in the UK?
There’s no guarantee: since 1 January 2021 the UK has been outside the European roaming regulation, so it depends entirely on your operator. Some still include it at no cost, others charge separately or apply limits. It’s the only destination in Western Europe where you can’t take it for granted.
Does it rain a lot in London?
Less than the cliché says: London gets less rain per year than Rome, New York or Sydney. What it does is spread it across many days of drizzle, which is why it feels that way. Bring a hooded jacket rather than an umbrella: it comes with wind and umbrellas turn inside out.