United Kingdom: In the Country

Eating Out

Rules For Eating Out: Booking is recommended for top restaurants or if the party is larger than 4. In pubs, orders are taken at the bar, then brought to your table.
In restaurants, a service charge of 10 to 15 per cent is usual, which may be added to the bill, so a further tip is not required. There is no legal requirement to pay service charges added to bills and if the service has been unsatisfactory, the customer may deduct it.

Food Specialties: Examples of traditional (family) English dishes include: Full English breakfast, Bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potato), Fish and chips (battered fish and chipped potatoes), Shepherd's pie or Cottage pie (minced meat and mashed potato gratin), Cornish pasty (potato, meat and vegetables in pastry), Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, Bread and butter pudding, Apple pie, Treacle tart etc.
Drinks: England is famous for its beer (dark ale, served draught in pubs) and cider, and Scotland for its whisky. The south of England produces a very small quantity of wine. There is a wide range of water, fruit juices and non-alcoholic drinks available.
Table Manners: UK table manners are similar to European table manners.

Urban transport services: Transport for London (Underground)
Transport for London (buses)
Find an Itinerary: Subway Navigator
Taxi services: Transport for London (taxis and minicabs)

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Heathrow Airport	25 km / 15 miles	£ 35-60 / 45-70 min	£6.90/ 40-80 min	£16.50 / 22 min	Available
Gatwick Airport	45 km / 28 miles	£ 23-60 / 60-90 min	£8/ 60-90 min	£17.80 / 30 min	Available
London City Airport	City	-	-	-	Available
Standsted Airport	65 km / 40 miles	£ 60-100 / 75-120 min	£12/ 120 min	£8 / 47 min	Available
Luton Airport	55 km / 35 miles	£ 35-60 / 45-70 min	£5-10 / 45-60 min	£15.50 / 47 min	Available

Car rental agencies: Hertz
Avis
Europcar
Real-time traffic conditions: The Automobile Association's live traffic reports.

National Roads Organizations: The Highway Code: the rules of the road for drivers and pedestrians.

Time zone

Type of Climate: As an island, the UK has very variable weather. Extremes of temperature are rare but snow, hail, heavy rain and heat waves can occur. Average temperatures: January 2°C, June 22°C . Waterproof, warm clothing is advisable at all times, and is essential for any visits to upland areas. The best time to visit the UK is in the summer (June, July, August), but good weather cannot be guaranteed.
Hotel reservation websites: The Meteorological Office British Broadcasting Corporation - Weather Section Weather.com

Climate

System of Measurement Used: Metric, except for roads where distances, speeds and size restrictions are still signed in Imperial units. Some consumer goods are labeled in both units.
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Degrees Celsius, with degrees Fahrenheit often quoted in brackets.

Electricity
Voltage: 230V (+10% / -6%)
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of Electric Socket: Type G (British 3-pin): BS 1363 (British 13 A/230-240 V 50 Hz earthed and fused).
Type of Telephone Socket: BT431A, see picture.
DVD Zoning: Zone 2

Domestic Currency: British Pound
ISO Code: GBP
To Obtain Domestic Currency: The Pound Sterling (£) is divided into 100 pence.
Banknotes: 5, 10, 20 and 50 GBP; Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 pence, 1 and 2 GBP.
Additional bank notes issued by Scottish banks (including 1 GBP notes) are legal tender in all parts of the UK, but may not be accepted for exchange outside the UK.
Possible Means of Payment: Credit, debit cards and traveller checques (preferably in GBP) are widely accepted. Cash can be obtained from the many ATMs available across the country.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

Official Language: English. Welsh in Wales.
Other Languages Spoken: Scots and Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, Irish Gaelic in Northern Ireland
Business Language: English

Official UK emergency phone number	999
Official EU (and worldwide, via GSM) emergency phone number	112
Non-emergency health advice with NHS Direct	08 45 46 47
Gas leaks	0800 111 999
Non-emergency Police and Local authorities	101

Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From the United Kingdom, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in the United Kingdom, Dial +44
Mobile Telephone Standards: International telephone standards GSM 900 and GSM1800. See Mobile-phones-uk.
National Mobile Phone Operators: O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone

Internet Suffix: .uk
National Internet Access Providers: The largest ones by subscriber size are: BT Retail, Virgin Media, Carphone Warehouse, Tiscali, Sky Broadband, Orange etc. See Ispreview.

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