United Kingdom Travel Guide

Social Conventions

The monarchy, though now only symbolic politically, is a powerful and often subconscious unifying force. Members of the Royal Family are the subject of unceasing fascination, with their every move avidly followed and reported by the popular press, both in the UK and abroad.

Handshaking is customary when introduced to someone for the first time. One kiss on the cheek is gaining popularity for close friends. Normal social courtesies should be observed when visiting someone's home and a small present such as flowers or chocolates is appreciated. It is polite to wait until everyone has been served before eating.

Clothing: Some nightclubs and restaurants do not allow jeans and trainers, otherwise casual wear is widely acceptable. For business, a suit and tie should be worn, although in some workplaces an open neck is acceptable.

Use of public places: Topless sunbathing is allowed on certain beaches and tolerated in some parks. Smoking is banned in all enclosed public places, including stations, pubs and restaurants, throughout the UK.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

The UK's main airline is British Airways (BA) (www.britishairways.com).

Departure Tax

None.

Main Airports

See Getting There in the country sub-sections.

Getting There By Water

Main ports: Dover (www.doverport.co.uk), Harwich (www.harwich.co.uk), Holyhead (www.holyheadport.com) and Portsmouth (www.portsmouth-port.co.uk).

There are many ports offering ferry connections between the UK and mainland Europe, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles and the Isle of Man.

UK ferry operators include: Brittany Ferries (tel: 0871 244 0744; www.brittany-ferries.co.uk); DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk); P&O Ferries (tel: 0871 664 6464; www.poferries.com); Stena Line (tel: 08447 707070; www.stenaline.com).

VisitBritain provide a map of ferry routes online (www.visitbritain.com).

Getting There By Rail

Trains meet connecting ferries at Dover, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Weymouth, sailing for Belgium, France, Germany and Spain; and at Harwich, sailing for Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

Eurotunnel (tel: 08443 35 35 35, in the UK only; www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for vehicles between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Services run every day of the year. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car.

Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) operates direct high-speed trains from London to Paris and to Brussels. It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. The Eurostar terminal moved to St Pancras in late 2007.

Rail Passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Getting There By Road

Eurolines (tel: 08717 818181, in the UK only; www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services between the UK and numerous European cities. Travelers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.

Few formalities are encountered when driving between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Duty Free

Overview

The UK is within the European Union. If you are traveling from the UK, you are entitled to buy fragance, skincare, cosmetics, Champagne, wine, selected spirits, fashion accessories, gifts and souvenirs - all at tax-free equivalent prices. There are no longer any allowance restrictions on these tax-free items.

The Channel Islands and Gibraltar are treated as being outside of the EU for the Duty Free section.

If you are arriving from a non-EU country, the following goods may be imported into the UK by persons over 17 years of age without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco. These can be combined provided travelers do not exceed their total tobacco allowance.
• 4L of still wine.
• 1L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22% or 2L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs. These can be combined provided travelers do not exceed their total alcohol allowance.
• 16L of beer.
• Other goods including souvenirs up to the value of £300.

Note: Goods obtained duty and tax paid in the EU are unlimited, as long as tax was paid in the country and they are for yoru own use. If you bring in more than the following, customs officals are more likely to ask the reason for holding the goods.

• 3200 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 3kg of tobacco.
• 90L of still wine.
• 10L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22% or 20L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs.
• 110L of beer.

Exceptions: Estonia - 200 cigarettes or 250g of tabacco. From Bulgaria, Hungary, Lativa, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - 200 cigarettes.

Traveling with pets
To bring animals and birds into the UK, an import license must be obtained at least six months in advance. Some animals may now qualify for the PET Travel Scheme (PETS) and can be brought into the UK without being put into quarantine. At present, this is limited to certain travel carriers and animals. Severe penalties are imposed on persons attempting to smuggle domestic animals into the country. An illegally imported animal is liable to be destroyed. For further information about importing animals, contact the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/index.htm; 0870 241 1710); or the nearest British mission abroad.

Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules apply to all new member states, except for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania.

For all other EU member states, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another.

Prohibited Imports

Prohibited items include unlicensed drugs, offensive weapons, indecent and obscene material featuring children, counterfeit and pirated goods, meat, dairy and other animal products, and pornography.

Restricted items include firearms, explosives and ammunition, live animals, endangered species, certain plants and their produce and radio transmitters.

Prohibited Exports

It's illegal to take any meat, meat products, milk, and milk and dairy products abroad from animals that are susceptible to foot and mouth disease. This ban includes sandwiches, packed lunches, and food for self-catering holidays, and includes fresh, chilled, frozen, tinned, preserved and processed products.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

British Airways (BA) (www.britishairways.com) operates a shuttle service from London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle amongst other cities. Other internal operators include bmi (BD) (www.flybmi.com), flybe (BE) (www.flybe.com), easyJet (EZY) (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (FR) (www.ryanair.com).

Getting Around By Water

Information on travel to the Channel Islands, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Scottish islands are given in the relevant Getting Around/There sections for those countries.

Getting Around By Rail

The UK is served by an excellent network of railways. Intercity lines provide fast services between London and major cities, and there are services to the southeast and to major cities in the Midlands, the north and south Wales and between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Some rural areas are less well served (eg the north coast of the west country, parts of East Anglia, Northern Ireland, Northumberland and North Yorkshire, parts of inland Wales, and southern and northern Scotland), although local rail services are generally fairly comprehensive.

For information about UK train services and fares, contact National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950, in the UK only; www.nationalrail.co.uk). It can be much cheaper to purchase rail tickets in advance.

Rail Passes

BritRail: offers a range of passes giving unlimited travel. This is available to visitors from overseas and is not available in the UK; tickets must be purchased in the visitor's home country, although tickets can be collected in the UK. Further details can be obtained from BritRail (www.britrail.com).

InterRail's One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within the UK. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Railcards: discount cards available to young people (aged 16 to 25), senior travelers (aged 60 and over), families (up to four adults and four children) and disabled travelers, offering a third off rail fares. Valid for one year (www.railcard.co.uk).

Getting Around By Road

Traffic drives on the left. Distances are measured in miles. There are trunk roads (‘A’ roads) linking all major towns and cities in the UK. Roads in rural areas (‘B’ roads) can be slow and winding, and in upland areas may become impassable in winter. Motorways radiate from London and there is also a good east–west and north–south network in the north and the Midlands. The M25 motorway circles London and connects at various junctions with the M1, M3, M4, M10, M11 and M40. The only motorway that leaves England is the M4 from London to South Wales. Access to Scotland is by the A1/A1(M) or the A68 to Edinburgh, or the M6 to Carlisle followed by the A74 to Glasgow. Within Scotland, motorways link Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth. In Northern Ireland, motorways run from Belfast to Dungannon and from Belfast to Antrim. For further information on roads within each country, see the respective sections.

Coach: Every major city has a coach terminus: in London, it is Victoria coach station, about 1km (0.7 miles) from the train station. National Express (tel: 0871 781 8181, in the UK only; www.nationalexpress.com) is the main operator, running services to all parts of the country. Private coaches may be hired by groups. Megabus operates cheap services across the country (www.megabus.com/uk).

Regulations: Speed limits are 48kph (30mph) in urban areas, 113kph (70mph) on motorways and dual carriageways, elsewhere 80kph (50mph) or 97kph (60mph) as marked. Seat belts must be worn by the driver and front seat passenger. Where rear seat belts have been fitted, they must also be worn. It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. The minimum driving age is 17.

Emergency breakdown services: The AA (www.theaa.com) and RAC (www.rac.co.uk) are able to provide a full range of services to UK members touring the UK. These organizations can also assist people who are traveling from abroad with maps, tourist information and specially marked routes to major events or places of interest.

Documentation: National driving licenses are valid for one year. Drivers must have Third Party insurance and vehicle registration documents.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

All cities and towns have bus services of varying efficiency and cost. Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Newcastle have underground railways. The urban areas of Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester are also well served by local railway trains. Manchester has a tram service.

Taxis: Licensed taxi operators are generally metered; small supplements may be charged for weekends, bank holidays, excess baggage and late-night travel. In the larger cities, unlicensed operators offer a cheaper (but less efficient and knowledgeable) unmetered service with fares based loosely on elapsed clock mileage; these taxis are called mini-cabs and can be booked by telephone.