Travellers Information

England is an international gateway for air and sea traffic and  getting into and out poses few problems.

By air, travellers have a very large choice of carriers serving North America, Australasia and Europe, and with a modest internal flight network.

By sea, there is an extensive ferry network to Europe, via ports such as Dover, Felixstowe and Hull, and to the rest of the world on ocean going liners from Southampton and Liverpool.

By road, England has an extensive road infrastructure with access to every part of the country served by roads and or motorways and with links to Europe either by traditional ferry routes and more recently the Channel Tunel is now providing the services of “Le Shuttle” to move cars, coaches and lorries from Ashford in Kent to Calais in France giving onward journeys to the rest of Europe by extensive motorway links. There are many internal coach and bus services and car hire is available in almost all venues.

By train, there is a comprehensive train network serving most of the principal towns and areas of England and again links to Europe by train have been extended by the Channel Tunnel with the services of the Eurostar train giving a three hours journey from Paris to London.

Getting around England

Distances between any two points within mainland England are relatively small (at least by American or Australian standards) so air travel usually makes sense only between the extremes, such as London to Edinburgh. For shorter journeys, the time spent getting to and from airports often outweighs any savings in actual travelling time. Rail services are the best alternative if you want to visit Britain's major cities, though fares, especially at peak times, can be quite expensive. If you plan to do much travelling within England, a rail pass can be very good value. You can buy a pass before you arrive in England as several schemes cater for overseas visitors

Coach (bus) networks cover a wide number of English destinations, and are cheaper than trains, but take longer and may be less comfortable  Taxis are available at all main coach or rail stations to take you to your hotel; without a car you will avoid the stress of driving in city centres. If you plan a more flexible touring holiday, hiring a car is more feasible than relying on public transport. Car rental can be arranged at major airports, large railway stations and city centre outlets. To get the best deals, book from abroad. Small local firms often undercut the large operators in price, but may not be as reliable or convenient. For detailed exploration of smaller areas such as England's National Parks or popular regions like the Lake District you may prefer more leisurely transportation offered by bike, horse or narrowboat. There are also larger car ferries which travel to Britain's islands.

Travelling within Cities

Public transport  in cities and large towns is efficient  Fares are good value, bearing in mind that you avoid the expense and difficulty of parking a car. Most of the larger cities have good bus services. London, Newcastle and Glasgow also have an underground system, while Manchester and Blackpool have trams and London is developing a tram system (currently in the South West from Wimbledon to Croydon). Taxis are available at every railway station and at ranks near hotels and city centres. The best way to see many cities is on foot, but whatever transport you choose, try to avoid the rush hours from 8am to 9:30am, and 4:30pm to 6:30pm.

Local Buses

Bus services tend to be complex systems with many buses often duplicating services on the busiest routes. On most buses you pay the driver as "you enter”. They will not always accept notes so keep a selection of coins handy. Credit cardsand cheques are not accepted. The fare depends on the distance you travel. If you are exploring a city by bus, a daily pass is a good idea. Many of the larger cities have daily or weekly passes that can be used on all public transport in that city; these can often be bought from newsagents. All-night services are normally only available in major cities You cannot use a day pass on these.  In London night buses are prefixed with the letter N and all of them pass through Trafalgar Square.

The old "big red bus" with a conductor has now been phased out in London. There are now more modern vehicles of all shapes, colours and sizes, with automatic doors and comfortable interiors. Many are small singledeckers, able to weave in and out of traffic more easily. Many cities have bus lanes, intended to bypass car traffic jams during the rush hours. These can be effective but your journey could still take a long time. Schedules are hard to keep to, so regard timetables as advisory. At some stops, called request stops, thedriver will not halt unless you signal that you want to get on or off. If you want to board, raise your arm as the bus approaches the stop; if you want to get off, ring the bell once before your stop.Destinations are shown on  the front of buses. If you are not sure which stop you need,  ask the driver and stay on the lower deck. Always keep your ticket until the end of the journey in case an inspector boards, who can impose an on-the-spot fine if you are without a valid  ticket. Stops can often be I quite a long distance apart.

City driving

Parking in  city centres is more often that not strictly controlled, and even minor infringements can result in heavy fines or your vehicle being clamped or towed away. You will have to pay a hefty fine to have it released. Many cities now have special bus and taxi lanes, intended to bypass car traffic jams during the rush hours. Many of these are now camera controlled so if you use these lanes when not allowed, there is a good chance of your car being caught on camera and subsequently fined. These fines valid throughout Europe, for collection. Always be sure to check the parking regulations carefully on the meters and signs before leaving your vehicle. If you are not sure how long you are likely to stay, try to find a carpark where you will be charged as you leave. Many visitors traditionally  prefer not to drive in parking meter  British cities but there is nothing daunting about it if you obey the rules. 

There is now a general move in big cities to introduce a congestion charge. This has now been introduced into London as is expected to be used in most other large cities in Britain. It requires motorists to pay for taking their cars into city centres and technology is such that if you do not, then a fine will be levied on the owner of the vehicle. For rental cars, rental companies will normally recoup from the renter of their vehicles even if they are from abroad. So please check before travelling to determine if a congestion charge applies to your route (click for more information).


Taxis

In almost all large towns and most smaller towns there are plenty of taxis to be found at taxi ranks and train stations. In London and other cities there is the famous “black cab”. Black cabs are legally the only taxis you can hail from the kerbside so all others (normally called “mini-cabs” have to be contacted by phone before a ride. Prices are controlled and in black cabs the fares are displayed in the taxi, but for all others  competition is fierce fares vary considerably and many firms undercut licensed taxis. Always ask the price before you start your journey if there is no taxi meter. All cabs now have to be licensed and should be in a road worthy state.

The famous London black cabs are almost as much of an institution as the big red bus. These are the safest cabs to use in London as all the drivers are licensed and they are forbidden to drive their cab with damaged bodywork. They also know where they are going. Even these are changing, however, and you will see cabs of many colours, many covered with advertising. Thenewer cab designsare equipped to carry wheel chairs. If a cab stops for you in London, it must by law take you any where within a radius of 6 miles 00 km) so long as it is within the Metropolitan Police District. This includes most of London and Heathrow Airport.  If you have a complaint, note the serial number found in the back of the cab.

Underground

Known as the tube in London,  it is one of the largest systems of its kind in the world. It has over 270 stations, including the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) , each of which are marked with the London Underground logo. The only other cities with an underground system are Glasgow and Newcastle, but both are relatively small. London tube trains run every day, except Christmas Day, from about 5:30am until just after midnight. Fewer trains run on Sundays.The 11 tube lines are colour coded and maps called journey Planners are posted at every station, while maps of the central section are displayed in each train. Most tube journeys between central destinationsin London can becompleted with only one or twochanges of train. Smoking is not permitted on the Underground. (for a tube map click.) Newcastle's tube system is limited to the city centre but Glasgow's skirts around the centre. Both are clean and efficient, running the same hours as London's.