What a visitor's money does in United Kingdom: every guide rated from very cheap to very expensive, cheapest first, then the things that cost travellers money without buying anything — the ATM, the taxi, the SIM.
British Pound (GBP) · 1 GBP = 1.17 EUR · 1 GBP = 1.34 USD
The UK is outside the Eurozone — euros are not accepted. Do not exchange at Heathrow or the Oxford Street bureaus. London is effectively cashless: a contactless card covers transport, shops and most pubs.
Avoid: Travelex, YourCash, Cashzone, NoteMachine fee-charging machines, ATMs in corner shops and clubs
Use: LINK network machines at Barclays, HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds and Santander
Free-to-use machines say so on screen before you withdraw. Anything charging £1.99 has a bank alternative within a few minutes' walk.
A short ride in London: £8–14 across town — pricey
From the airport: Heathrow to central London £45–70 by app, against £3.50 on the Piccadilly line
A black cab is metered and costs more; the apps are cheaper everywhere except short central hops.
A Cornish pasty has a crimp on the side, not the top, and the ones from a bakery in a back street beat the ones on the harbour. Fish landed at Newlyn, crab sandwiches anywhere, and a cream tea — jam first, then cream, and saying otherwise starts an argument with Devon.
Langoustines and scallops landed that morning, venison, and Cullen skink — a smoked haddock soup that is a meal. Whisky is regional and the distilleries will tell you why: Speyside sweet, Islay peaty, Highland in between. Haggis is better than its description.
Try haggis properly cooked before dismissing it, ideally with neeps and tatties. Scotland does seafood exceptionally well — and a whisky flight is worth doing with guidance.
The Sally Lunn bun is a sweet brioche served since the 1680s and is more historical than delicious. The better answer is the Saturday farmers market in Green Park Station, and Somerset cheddar and cider from anywhere that names the farm.
The great museums are free — budget the savings toward food instead. Borough Market for lunch, Brick Lane for curry, and a Sunday roast in a proper pub.
The cost rating is this site's own, for a visitor, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in. The general rules — the conversion prompt, shoulder season, the airport taxi — are in budget travel tips.
LondonUnited KingdomEvery neighbourhood is a different city
EdinburghUnited KingdomA volcanic castle over a medieval old town
BathUnited KingdomA Roman bathhouse still full of hot water, and a Georgian city built in one colour of stone
CornwallUnited KingdomBritain’s warmest corner, with Atlantic surf on one coast and sheltered coves on the other
Scottish HighlandsUnited KingdomEmpty glens, single-track roads, and weather that changes four times before lunch