London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [224]
Most long-distance trains have refreshment carriages, called buffet cars. Most trains these days also have “quiet cars” where use of cell phones and music devices is banned, but these rules are not enforced with any enthusiasm. Smoking is forbidden in all rail carriages.
Generally speaking, rail travel in the United Kingdom is expensive: for instance, a round-trip ticket to Bath from London can cost around £143 per person at peak times. The fee drops to around £27 at other times, so it’s best to travel before or after the frantic business commuter rush (after 9:30 am and before 4:30 pm). Credit cards are accepted for train fares paid both in person and by phone.
Delays are not uncommon, but they’re rarely long. You almost always have to go to the station to find out if there’s going to be one (because delays tend to happen at the last minute). Luckily, most stations have coffee shops, restaurants, and pubs where you can cool your heels while you wait for the train to get rolling. National Rail Enquiries provides an up-to-date state-of-the-railways schedule.
Most of the time, first-class train travel in England isn’t particularly first-class. Some train companies don’t offer at-seat service, so you still have to get up and go to the buffet car for food or drinks. First class is generally booked by business travelers on expense accounts because crying babies and noisy families are quite rare in first class, and quite common in standard class.
Short of flying, taking the Eurostar train through the channel tunnel is the fastest way to reach the continent: 2 hours and 15 minutes from London’s St. Pancras International Station to Paris’s Gare du Nord. The high-speed Eurostar trains use the same tunnels to connect St. Pancras International directly with Midi Station in Brussels in around two hours. If purchased in advance, round-trip tickets from London to Belgium or France cost from around £125, cheaper in the very early or very late hours of the day. If you want to bring your car over to France, you can use the Eurotunnel Shuttle, which takes 35 minutes from Folkestone to Calais, plus at least 30 minutes to check in. The Belgian border is just a short drive northeast of Calais.
Information BritRail Travel (866/938–7245 in U.S. | www.britrail.com). Eurostar (08432/186–186 in U.K., 44–123–367–7575 outside U.K. | www.eurostar.com). National Rail Enquiries (0845/748–4950, 207/278–5240 outside U.K. | www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Channel Tunnel Car Transport Eurotunnel (0844/35–3535 in U.K., 070/22–32–10 in Belgium, 0810–63–03–04 in France, 33–321–002–061 from outside Europe | www.eurotunnel.com).
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Business Services and Facilities | Communications | Customs and Duties | Electricity | Emergencies | Holidays | Mail | Money | Packing | Passports and Visas | Safety | Taxes | Time | Tipping | Tours | Visitor Information
BUSINESS SERVICES AND FACILITIES
There are several FedEx Kinko’s and Mail Boxes Etc. locations in London to handle your photocopying, next-day mail, and packaging needs. Check their Web sites for more locations.
Contacts FedEx Kinko’s (1 Curzon St., Mayfair, | London | W1J 5HD | 0207/717–4900 | www.kinkos.co.uk). Mail Boxes Etc.
(19–21 Crawford St., Marylebone, | London | W1U 5AP | 0207/224–2666 | www.mailboxes-etc.co.uk).
COMMUNICATIONS
INTERNET
If you’re traveling with a laptop, carry a spare battery and adapter: new batteries and replacement adapters are expensive; if you do need to replace them, head to Tottenham Court Road (W1), which is lined with computer specialists. For Macintosh computers, Micro Anvika is a good chain for parts and batteries, and the Apple Stores on Regent Street off Oxford Street and in the Covent