ukvisas.gov.uk) for up-to-date information about visa applications, extensions and all aspects of residency.London is one of the world’s busiest transport hubs, and there are good deals from around the world on flights into the UK’s capital. However, if you’re planning to tour the southwest or north of England, North Wales or Scotland, consider flying directly to more convenient international airports such as Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow.
London’s biggest and best-known airports – Heathrow and Gatwick – take the bulk of transatlantic and long-haul flights into the UK, though there are also several smaller London airports (notably Stansted, Luton and City) and a host of useful regional British airports, many of which are served by low-cost airlines from mainland Europe and Ireland. Principally, in England these are Manchester and Liverpool in the northwest; Birmingham in the West Midlands; Bristol, Newquay and Exeter in the West Country; Leeds-Bradford and Doncaster-Sheffield in Yorkshire; Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley in the northeast; East Midlands; and Bournemouth and Southampton in the south; plus Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen in Scotland, and Cardiff and Swansea in Wales. The cheapest deals need to be booked well in advance and tend to have little or no flexibility.
Overland routes from mainland Europe include high-speed trains into London (with onward connections) via the Channel Tunnel – either passenger-only Eurostar services or the drive-on drive-off Eurotunnel train. There’s also a range of useful ferry routes.
At the time of writing citizens of all European countries – except Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and all the former Soviet republics (other than the Baltic states) – can enter the UK with just a passport, for up to three months (and indefinitely if you’re from the EU, European Economic Area or Switzerland). Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders can stay for up to six months, providing they have a return ticket and funds to cover their stay. Citizens of most other countries require a visa, obtainable from their British consulate or mission office. Check with the UK Border Agency (ukvisas.gov.uk) for up-to-date information about visa applications, extensions and all aspects of residency.
The 2016 referendum, when the UK voted to leave the European Union, has, in theory, put many visa and entry requirements to the UK in flux. The UK is set to leave the EU by March 2019, at which point new arrangements will need to be in place. In reality, the status quo will most likely continue for short-term visits, when visas are unlikely to be required, but check in advance. Work, study and longer-term visa requirements may change. Until 2019, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work in the UK without a permit (other nationals need a permit in order to work legally in the UK).
Even without potential Brexit complications, visa regulations are subject to frequent changes, so it’s always wise to contact your nearest British embassy or High Commission or check www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
Many airlines fly nonstop to London, Manchester and other British airports – flight time is around seven hours from the east coast, ten hours from the west. Flights on European airlines might be cheaper but tend to route through their respective European hubs, adding to the journey time.
From the US, low-season round-trip fares from New York are most competitive, starting at US$500–700; from Chicago they start at around US$1000 direct (cheaper non-direct). There are good deals from New York with Iceland’s WOW air (wowair.us), changing at Reykjavik, and direct with Norwegian Air Shuttle (norwegian.com). Fares from the west coast can start from between US$700 (with Norwegian offering cheap deals from LA) and US$1000.
From Canada, the best deals involve flying to London out of Toronto or Montreal: flights from Toronto are around Can$750, while from Vancouver they start around Can$1000.
There are nonstop flights from North America to Glasgow and Edinburgh, though cheaper fares often route through London or Manchester. Return fares start from around US$800/Can$800. There are no direct flights to Wales from outside Europe.
Flight time from Australia and New Zealand to Britain is at least 22 hours. Flights via Southeast Asia or the Middle East to London are generally the cheapest. Return fares start at Aus$1200 from Sydney. From Auckland to London return fares start at around NZ$1800.
There are direct flights from Johannesburg (11hr) in South Africa to London Heathrow with South African Airways (flysaa.com), British Airways (ba.com) and Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com); single flights cost around ZAR8000. BA also run more expensive flights from Cape Town (12hr; around ZAR11,500). Savings are available with indirect flights via a Western European or Middle Eastern hub, when a single fare can start at around ZAR4500.
You can get a one-way flight between Ireland and England for around €40–70. There are routes out of Dublin, Cork, Knock, Kerry and Shannon to many English, Scottish and Welsh airports; airlines include Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com), British Airways (ba.com), Flybe (flybe.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com). The cheapest options from Belfast and Derry are usually easyJet (easyjet.com), Flybe and Ryanair.
There are several ferry routes from mainland Europe and Ireland to Britain. The quickest, cheapest services to England are on the traditional cross-Channel routes from the French ports of Calais and Dunkirk to Dover in Kent and Dieppe to Newhaven in East Sussex, plus routes to Portsmouth from Le Havre, Cherbourg and St Malo and from Spain (Santander and Bilbao). From Zeebrugge (Belgium) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) ferries go to Hull; from the Hook of Holland they go to Harwich, while from Amsterdam they arrive in Newcastle.
Ferry services from Ireland (Dublin, Rosslare and Belfast) run to England’s northwest (Liverpool and the Isle of Man) and Wales (Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke). There are also services from Belfast to Cairnryan in Scotland.
Fares vary considerably, according to time of year, and time and type of crossing – some high-speed ferry services can cut journey times on the same route by up to half – while accommodation is often obligatory (and welcome) on night crossings from the continent.
For information on routes and operators, see aferry.co.uk or directferries.com.
Direct Eurostar trains (eurostar.com) run roughly hourly to London St Pancras International from Calais (1hr 10min), Lille (1hr 20min), Brussels (2hr) and Paris (2hr 20min), with connections into those cities from across Europe and direct seasonal services from southern France (Lyon, Avignon and Marseille in summer and over Christmas; Bourg St Maurice, Aime La Plagne and Moutiers in winter), as well as Disneyland Paris, and a direct Amsterdam–London service as of 2018. Fares start from around €50 one-way, though you’ll have to book well in advance. There are discounts on standard fares for travellers under 26 and over 60.
For drivers, the fastest and most convenient cross-Channel option is the Eurotunnel (eurotunnel.com) drive-on-drive-off shuttle train from Calais to Folkestone (around 75 miles southeast of London), which runs 24 hours and takes 35–45 minutes. Booking is advised, especially at weekends or if you want the best prices. The standard fare for a car and all its passengers is from €85 one way (with cheap deals available for short trips); more if booked at short notice. Irish Ferries (irishferries.com) offer SailRail return fares of around €100 to London (via Holyhead) from anywhere in the Republic; journey time is around eight hours from Dublin. For the best train information online, check the Man in Seat 61 at seat61.com and loco2.com for journey planning.
Eurolines (eurolines.co.uk) coordinates international bus services to London (with connections onwards) from dozens of European cities. This is the cheapest way of travelling, but you really do have to ask yourself how long you want to spend cooped up in a bus. Only routes from northern European cities are anything like bearable: the journey from Paris, for example, which takes around six hours to London Victoria Coach Station and costs from €18 one-way.
Package tours of Britain, where all flights, accommodation and ground transport are arranged for you, can be worthwhile if you want to cover several destinations in a limited time, and are a good option for travellers with a particular interest. Some operators specialize in activity holidays.
STA Travel UK 
0333 321 0099, US 1800 781 4040, Australia 134 782, New Zealand 0800 474 400, South Africa 0861 781 781; statravel.co.uk. Worldwide specialists in independent travel; also student IDs, travel insurance, car rental, rail passes and more. Good discounts for students and under-26s.
Trailfinders UK 020 7368 1200, Ireland 01 677 7888; trailfinders.com. One of the best-informed and most efficient agents for independent travellers.
Travel CUTS Canada 1800 667 2887, travelcuts.com. Canadian youth and student travel firm.
Abercrombie & Kent US 1800 554 7016, abercrombiekent.com. Classy travel specialist, with no-expense-spared escorted and independent holidays, from London highlight trips to ten days visiting the historic abbeys and country homes of Cornwall, the Welsh borders and the Cotswolds.
Contiki Holidays UK 0808 281 1120, contiki.com. Lively, reasonably priced, budget-accommodation adventure tours for 18–35s, including London trips and a nine-day England and Scotland tour.
Martin Randall Travel UK 020 8742 3355, martinrandall.com. Wide-ranging all-inclusive historical and cultural tours led by experts – for example, seven days walking Hadrian’s Wall, nine days exploring England’s cathedrals or four days soaking up the Arts and Crafts heritage of the Cotswolds, plus one-day lecture tours in London.