Practical Information
Opening Hours
Normal business hours are Mon–Fri
9 or 9.30am to 5.30 or 6pm. Shops
open on Saturdays too and some
have late-night shopping until 8 or
9pm on Thursdays. Supermarkets stay
open later, and some are open 24
hours. Sunday trading hours, limited
by law, are generally 11am or 12pm
to 4 or 5pm; in smaller places shops
do not open on Sundays.
Banks are open Mon–Fri 9.30am–
4.30pm. Larger branches have longer
Below far left Old-fashioned telephone boxes
Below left Shopping street reflected in a shop
window selling tourist souvenirs Below centre
A traditional wall-mounted postbox Below right
One of York’s narrow shopping streetsAbove left Logo of the Scottish Tourist Board Above centre An ATM or Cashpoint showing the different cards accepted Above right Old clock face, Cambridge
DIRECTORYTELEPHONE SYSTEM
International Access Codes
Australia: 0011; New Zealand 0170;
Ireland: 00; US and Canada: 011
Country Codes
Australia: 61; New Zealand 64; Ireland
353; US and Canada: 1
Directory Enquiries
118 500 (BT ), http://www.bt.com; for business
numbers, http://www.yell.com
International Directory Assistance
118 505 (BT )
INTERNET AND MAIL SERVICES
Royal Mail
http://www.royalmail.com
BANKS AND MONEY
Thomas Cook
http://www.thomascook.com
Travelex
http://www.travelex.co.ukTOURIST INFORMATION
Visit Britain
http://www.visitbritain.com
Enjoy England
020 8846 9000;
http://www.enjoyengland.com
Visit Scotland
0845 22 55 121;
http://www.visitscotland.com
Visit Wales
08708 300 306; http://www.visitwales.com
Britain and London Visitor Centre
1 Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus,
London SW1; no phone
English Heritage
0870 333 1181;
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk
The National Trust
0844 800 1895;
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk
The National Trust for Scotland
0844 493 2100; http://www.nts.org.uk
DISABLED FACILITIES
Holiday Care Service
0845 124 9971; http://www.holidaycare.org.ukTourist Information
Visit Britain is the national tourism
authority and its website has a wealth
of information including destination
guides, maps, and an accommodation
booking service. The websites Enjoy
England, Visit Scotland and Visit
Wales offer similar visitor information.
There are also local tourist information
centres (TIC) in most towns and
tourist areas that serve drop-in
visitors; hours vary and some are only
open seasonally. You’ll find links and
contact details on the main websites.
At the Britain & London Visitor Centre
you can find information about most
regions of the country. For castles,
stately homes and gardens, contact
English Heritage, The National Trust
and the National Trust for Scotland.
Disabled Facilities
Many visitor attractions are accessible
to wheelchair users, and a growing
number of hotels and restaurants also
provide facilities for guests with
disabilities. The Holiday Care Service
helps disabled and older travellers
and can offer advice and information.Time and Electricty
Great Britain is on Greenwich Mean
Time (GMT ). The clocks are put
forward one hour during Summer
(Daylight Saving) Time, from mid-
March to the end of October.
Britain’s electric current is 220-
volts AC (50 cycles). Plugs have 3 pins.
Many visitors will need a transformer
and a plug adaptor to operate
appliances from abroad. You can buy
them at airports and electrical shops.15
hours and may open on Saturdays.
Post offices are open weekdays from
9am to 5.30pm and Saturdays from
9am to 12.30pm or later. Small sub-
post offices may close for lunch or
on Wednesday afternoons.