First time in the UK: six questions to settle before you land

The UK is an easy first trip on paper: one language, contactless everywhere, trains to most places worth seeing. The friction is in the small print. Since February 2026 the border has been enforced before you even reach the airport, train fares make no sense until someone explains them, and the tipping rules sit somewhere between European and American. Here are the six questions first-time visitors ask most, answered with the source behind each answer. Our UK country page has the live pound rate, bank holidays and plug data in one screen.

Do I need an ETA, a visa, or nothing?

Most visitors who don’t need a visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). That covers Americans, Canadians, Australians and Europeans, among others. The UK government began enforcing it strictly on 25 February 2026: no ETA, no boarding (Home Office).

The essentials, from GOV.UK and the Immigration Rules:

• It costs £20 on the official site or app. Third-party sites charge more for the same thing.
• It lasts two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and covers multiple visits of up to six months each (Home Office ETA factsheet).
• Every traveller needs their own, including babies.
• Most decisions come back within minutes, but the Home Office says to allow three working days.
• British and Irish citizens don’t need one. Passengers transiting airside at Heathrow or Manchester, without passing UK passport control, currently don’t either. If you go through border control, even for one night, you need one.

One trap: there are no checks on the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, but the ETA still applies to visitors crossing it (Discover Northern Ireland). Non-Irish nationals legally resident in Ireland, from countries that don’t need a UK visa, are exempt if they can show proof of residence (Home Office).

Nationals of countries that need a full UK visa still apply for one. GOV.UK’s “check if you need a visa” tool is the definitive answer.

How do I pay for the Tube and buses?

Tap the same contactless bank card or phone you’d use in a shop. In London, Transport for London (TfL) treats contactless and Oyster cards as pay as you go and caps what you pay per day, and per Monday-to-Sunday week (TfL caps). For most visitors that makes a paper Travelcard or a separate Oyster card unnecessary.

Two details matter:

• Always tap the same card or device. TfL’s own wording: “If you don’t, we can’t cap your fares.” Phone today and physical card tomorrow counts as two separate customers. So does switching between a watch and a phone.
• Tap out on Tube and rail, or you’ll be charged a maximum fare. On buses you only tap in.

If your bank charges a foreign transaction fee on every tap, a multi-currency card such as Wise Partner can make the daily caps cheaper in practice. Our travel money card comparison covers the alternatives.

Why do train fares vary so much, and what’s a Railcard?

National Rail fares split three ways: Advance (cheapest, fixed train, book early), Off-Peak (flexible outside busy times) and Anytime (flexible, expensive). The same London–Edinburgh trip can cost very different amounts depending on which one you buy and when. Book long-distance trips once your dates are firm, and check whether two singles are cheaper than a return.

Then there’s the Railcard. Most give a third off most fares for a year, and the main ones cost £35 (Railcard prices):

Railcard	Who	Note
16-25	Ages 16–25	Also a 3-year option
26-30	Ages 26–30	Digital only
Two Together	Two named adults travelling together	After 09:30 on weekdays
Family & Friends	Up to 4 adults with children aged 5–15	60% off children’s fares
Senior	60 and over	Also a 3-year option

These are based on age or travelling as a pair, not on where you live. On a single long return trip for two, Two Together often covers its own cost. Do the sum before you buy.

Who do I tip, and how much?

Less than in North America, more than in much of Europe. Visit London’s tipping guidance is a fair summary:

• Restaurants: many add a service charge, usually 12.5%, especially for groups. It is the tip, and it’s discretionary, so you can ask for it to be removed if service was poor. If there’s no charge, 10–15% is normal.
• Pubs and bars: no tip for ordering at the bar.
• Taxis: round up to the nearest pound, or add around 10%.
• Hotels: a pound or two per bag for porters is a kind gesture, not an obligation.

Since October 2024, employers have been legally required to pass all tips, including card tips and service charges, to staff without deductions, under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023. Leaving the tip on a card is fine.

What plug do I pack?

The UK uses Type G: three rectangular pins, 230 V, with a fuse in the plug (IEC World Plugs). Nothing from continental Europe, North America or most of Asia fits without an adapter. Laptop and phone chargers rated 100–240 V only need the adapter. North American hair dryers and straighteners need a converter or a replacement. Our full UK plug adapter guide covers what works and what doesn’t, including the reason you won’t find a socket in a British bathroom.

Where should I go after London?

London deserves three or four days, but most of what makes the UK distinct is elsewhere, and the rail network gets you there:

• Edinburgh, about four and a half hours north by fast train. Note that since 24 July 2026, Edinburgh charges a 5% visitor levy on overnight accommodation, capped at five consecutive nights (City of Edinburgh Council). It’s Scotland’s first visitor levy, so build it into your hotel budget.
• York and the north of England: a walled medieval city, plus easy reach of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District beyond.
• Bath and the Cotswolds: Georgian architecture and stone villages, close to London. The villages are much easier to reach by car or on a tour than by bus.
• Wales and Cornwall: coast, castles and walking. Allow time, because rural trains and buses are infrequent.
• Belfast and the Causeway Coast: the ETA covers Northern Ireland too.

Mobile data is the last practical piece. UK networks are good in cities and patchy in the Highlands and national parks. If you’d rather not pay roaming, an eSIM such as Airalo Partner is easy to set up before you fly, and our Europe eSIM roundup explains which plans include the UK. Flying in from West Africa? Our Lagos to London guide covers that journey in detail.