Thirty-two answers, in five groups.

Seven nights is the comfortable minimum for a first trip: four in London and three somewhere else. Ten lets you add a third base without rushing. Under five nights, stay in London and take day trips out — moving hotels eats a disproportionate share of a short trip.

September, closely followed by late April. Both give you long days and reasonable weather without school-holiday crowds or pricing. January is the cheapest month by a wide margin and the museums are genuinely empty, but it is dark by 16:15.

The three English half-term weeks — late February, late May and late October — plus late July through August. Queues at family attractions roughly triple and accommodation prices follow. Bank holiday weekends are also busy on the railway.

Yes, and it is the itinerary we recommend most. Four nights in London, three in York or Bath, one train journey between them. Adding a third city to seven nights turns the trip into logistics.

Trains yes, twelve weeks out. Accommodation three to six weeks out. Timed-entry attractions two weeks out. Free national museums, restaurants outside cities and day trips can all be left until you arrive.

Easily. Edinburgh is 4h 20m from King's Cross and Cardiff is 1h 50m from Paddington. Both work as an add-on to a ten or fourteen-night trip rather than a squeeze into a week.

Twelve weeks before departure, which is when Advance fares are released. London to York is £27 booked then and £128 bought on the day, for the same seat on the same train. This is the highest-value habit on the entire site.

No. Tapping your own contactless bank card or phone gets the identical fare and the same daily and weekly caps, with no £7 deposit. Only buy an Oyster if your card does not do contactless.

Buying two or more tickets for one journey, which is legal provided the train calls at the station where they split. You stay in the same seat. It commonly saves 10–40% and splitting tools do the maths for you.

If you are 16–30 or over 60 and taking three or more long-distance journeys, yes — it takes a third off. For one or two journeys, Advance fares save more than the railcard would.

Almost certainly not. Trains reach every city and most towns worth visiting, and driving in city centres means congestion charges, cameras and expensive parking. A car only helps in deep Cornwall, the North York Moors and remote Northumberland.

Strikes are announced weeks ahead. Tickets are refunded in full or moved to another day free of charge, and coaches usually still run. Build one flexible day into each leg and it stops being a crisis.

Elizabeth line to Paddington: 32 minutes, £13.60. Piccadilly line: 50 minutes, £5.60. A taxi is £75–100 and often slower. The same logic applies at all four London airports.

Type G: three rectangular pins, 230V at 50Hz. Bring one adapter and a multi-port USB charger. Bathroom sockets are shaver-only and will not run a hairdryer or a phone charger.

999 or 112 for genuine emergencies, both free from any phone including a locked one. 111 for free NHS medical advice at any hour. 101 for non-urgent police matters such as reporting a theft.

Emergency and A&E treatment is free to everyone in England. Follow-up care, prescriptions and non-urgent treatment are chargeable for visitors, which is what travel insurance is for. Start at a pharmacy for anything minor.

Yes, everywhere, and licensed premises must provide it free on request. Ask for "tap water" specifically or you may be brought a £4 bottle.

Very, in terms of violent crime. Opportunistic phone theft in crowded parts of central London is a real and organised nuisance — keep your phone out of your hand near the kerb, and bags zipped and in front on the Tube.

It will rain some of most days and all of a few. London gets less annual rainfall than Rome; England simply spreads it across many more days. Waterproof shoes matter more than a waterproof coat.

It depends on your nationality, and the rules have changed repeatedly — most visitors now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation even for short stays. Always confirm the current position on the official GOV.UK website.