Guidebook Updates for England

• Visitors to the UK are no longer able to get a VAT (value-added tax) refund on purchases made in UK shops, and tax-free sales at airports, Eurostar train stations, and in ports have been discontinued. In Great Britain, overseas visitors can still buy items tax-free at stores that offer this service, provided that the items are sent directly to an overseas address outside the UK. (Visitors to Northern Ireland may shop tax-free if the items are sent directly to an address outside the UK and the EU.) The UK's rules around tax-free shopping may evolve further as the UK continues to adjust to the fallout from Brexit.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The town no longer has a brick-and-mortar tourist information office open to the public (but its website remains helpful).
• Mad Max Tours are no longer running their Wells, Glastonbury, and Cheddar Gorge tour. They do still offering their other three itineraries, though prices have gone up: Cotswold villages tour: £60; Stonehenge, Avebury and Villages tour: £60; Stonehenge Inner Circle tour: £110 (includes visits to Castle Combe and and Lacock).
• The Bath Box Office is now located next to the Southgate shopping center (in the 1A Forum Buildings).
• The City Sightseeing hop-on, hop-off buses are now run by TootBus.
• No. 1 Royal Crescent and the Victoria Art Gallery are now closed on Mondays.
• The Fashion Museum in the Assembly Rooms building has closed, with no definite plans to reopen elsewhere later. That means the combo-ticket covering the Fashion Museum, Roman Baths, and Victoria Art Gallery is no more.
• The river cruise to Bathhampton is now an out-and-back trip without a stop in Bathhampton.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The town's tourist information office has closed.
• Bristol Packet boats no longer stop at various places on the Floating Harbour — instead they do narrated out-and-back trips from the SS Great Britain. However, Bristol Ferry Boats offer waterbus transportation to various points along the Floating Harbour.
• The SS Great Britain now closed on Mondays.

For books printed before September 2022, the following may apply:

• The town no longer has a brick-and-mortar tourist information office open to the public (but its website remains helpful). The Cambridge Gift Shop, at 18 Rose Crescent, acts as an unofficial in-person information source and can help you booking tours.
• The Regent Hotel has closed.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Canterbury Tales attraction has closed.
• Canterbury Cathedral offers several new tour options, both guided and self-guided, via a multimedia guide or phone app. 

For books printed before March 2020, the following may also apply:

• Saturday tour times at Canterbury Cathedral now run at 10:30, 12:00, and 13:00; tours are also offered Mon–Fri at 10:30, 12:00, and 14:30 (14:00 in winter); no tours Sun.
• The White House has closed.
• The Tudor House has closed.
• St. John's Court Guest House has closed.
• The Canterbury Heritage Museum has closed.
• Beaney House of Art and Knowledge is now closed on Mondays.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Camilla House in Penzance is now renting rooms only to previous, regular guests.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Secret Cottage Cotswold Tours are no longer running.
• The Model Railway Exhibition in Bourton-on-the-Water has closed.
• Book online in advance for any visit to Blenheim Palace.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Trains now run between Exeter and Okehampton (£4, daily at least every 2 hours, 40 minutes). From Okehampton station, you can access several hiking trails and rent bikes.
• Chagford's 22 Mill Spice restaurant has closed.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Bus #AD122, which connects the Roman sights of the Hadrian's Wall area (and several of our recommended accommodations), now also runs in in the off-season (Oct–Easter), albeit only on weekends.
• Ashcroft Hotel in Durham has closed.

• Glastonbury Abbey is open until 17:00 in March and October. Also, the free tours given by costumed guides aren't always offered on an hourly basis (check posted schedule in person).
• Glastonbury's tourist information office has a new phone number: +44 1458 333 144.
• The Glastonbury Tor shuttle bus only takes cash.
• The Old Farmhouse in Wells has closed.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Museum of the Gorge is closed for renovation, likely throughout 2023.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's home, has reopened following renovations as "Wordsworth Grasmere."
• Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm now lets you book your visit in advance — which is all but required, as the number of visitors is strictly limited, and time slots can, and do, sell out at all times of day. (Afternoons tend to be the best time to try for a first-come, first-served spot.) Reservations open every Thursday for the ensuing two weeks; you can book same-day tickets online only before 8:00.
• The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Path has reopened following restoration work.
• Keswick's Howe Keld hotel and Ellergill Guest House have closed.

• The National Portrait Gallery is set to reopen on June 22, 2023 (after that open daily 10:30–18:00, Fri–Sat until 21:00).
• The Museum of London location near the Barbican has closed. (The Museum of London Docklands remains open.) Its exhibits will be back on display as "The London Museum" in West Smithfield in 2026.
• Sights at Buckingham Palace have new hours:
  • The State Rooms are open July–Aug Thu–Mon 9:30–19:30, Sept until 18:30, closed Tue–Wed and Oct–June.
  • The Queen's Gallery is open May–Feb Thu–Mon 10:00–17:30, closed Tue–Wed and March–April.
  • The Royal Mews are open March–Oct Thu–Mon 10:00–17:00, closed Tue–Wed, usually closed off-season (but check online before your visit).
• The Whispering Gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral remains closed for the time being.

For books printed before September 2022, the following may also apply:

• Most of London's major sights, including many that don't charge admission, now primarily offer admission via online bookings, which generate a QR code that's scanned upon entry. This means that the "Fast Track" tickets are being phased out (as they're now redundant given each sight's on online-booking system).
• Many sights have been slow to resume weekly evening openings following the pandemic; check ahead before assuming a sight is (or isn't) open late at least once a week.
• Many museums — especially smaller ones — have done away with audio-/multimedia guides, as well as printed brochures, and now free apps in their stead. The free Bloomberg Connects app is worth downloading, as it provides in-depth audio commentary for several good museums, including the Churchill War Rooms, Sir John Soane's Museum, and Courtauld Gallery.
• Most payment in London is now credit-card based. In many situations (such as transit), cash is often not accepted.
• The very cool heritage "Routemaster" double-decker buses are no longer running. :(
• Uber is once again cleared to operate within London.
• We strongly recommend booking ahead for the London Eye and Greenwich's Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory Greenwich (which has reopened following a renovation).
• The Courtauld Gallery has reopened following a long renovation.
• Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben, should once again be tourable later in 2023.
• The Victoria and Albert Museum's Cast Courts — galleries displaying plaster-cast replicas of famous statues, such as Trajan's Column and Michelangelo's David — have reopened after a lengthy renovation.  
• To avoid the long security line at the main entrance to British Museum, try using the north Montague Place entrance.
• Borough Market is now open on Sundays (10:00–15:00), though it is much less lively then than during the rest of the week.
• TKTS now sells same-day theater tickets online (as well as from its booth).
• The former Queens Theatre is now the Sondheim Theatre.
• Congestion charges for driving in the city center are now levied daily 7:00–22:00; the minimum charge is £15.
• Recommended driver guide Janine Barton has retired. Mike Dickson no longer offers driving tours, but still leads walks.
• Quite a few recommended restaurants have closed: Eat, Princi, Nordic Bakery, XU Teahouse, Y Ming Chinese Restaurant, Beirut Express, Geales, Andina Picanteria & Pisco Bar, Terroirs Wine Bar, and La Bottega.
• Afternoon tea is no longer served at the Restaurant at Sotheby's or in the National Dining Rooms within the National Gallery.
• The 22 York Street B&B has permanently closed, as have the Princes Square Guest Accommodation and St. Paul's Youth Hostel.

For books printed before June 2020, the following may also apply:

• The City of London Information Centre phone number is +44 (0)20 7606 3030.
• The Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory Greenwich have implemented tiered pricing, with higher prices on weekends and bank holidays. Tickets bought online are still cheaper than walk-up tickets on any day.
• At the Tate Modern, free 45-minute guided tours are offered at 12:00 and 13:00 (Natalie Bell Building) and 14:00 (Blavatnik Building).
• Shakespeare's Globe's off-season last tours are Mon–Sat at 12:30, Sun at 16:00. The box office is open Mon–Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun until 17:00.
• At the British Library, two one-hour tours are offered daily — a Treasures tour (generally at 11:00) and a Building tour (generally at 14:00). You can book online or call +44 (0)19 3754 6546.
• Bus route #23 no longer runs the route described in the book, and buses #6 and #12 no longer run. Visit the Transport For London website for current bus routes.
• The £5 Oyster transit card price is no longer refundable on return of the card, but the price is now added to the card balance one year after purchase (so travelers should just keep the card). Cards purchased before February 23, 2019, can still be returned in exchange for the £5 deposit.
• Direct Eurostar trains between London and Amsterdam are now running — on these routes, travelers don't need to connect in Brussels in either direction.
• La Bottega in Belgravia has closed.
• The Nadler Kensington is now The Resident Kensington (kensington.reception@residenthotels.com).
• LondonConnection.com is no longer in business.

For books printed before March 2020, the following may also apply:

• The Victorian afternoon tea is served Fri 13:00–19:00 (no longer on Sun).
• Bus route #RV1 has been canceled.
• Savini at the Criterion has closed.
• The National Gallery's free one-hour overview tours are now offered just Mon–Fri at 14:00.

For books printed before October 2019, the following may also apply:

• The British Library is now open Mon–Thu 9:30–20:00, Fri until 18:00, Sat until 17:00, Sun 11:00–17:00.
• The Painted Hall at Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College has reopened. Its admission includes a 45-minute tour of Old Royal Navy College grounds (daily 10:00–17:00). The nearby Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul is still free to visit.
• The Greenwich city walk that's operated by the tourist information office now runs only at 12:15 (no 14:15 tour).
• The Heathrow Express does not accept Oyster Cards.
• Sir John Soane's Museum's one-hour highlights tours now run Thu–Sun at 12:00, and on Sat–Sun at 11:00 as well.
• Recommended guide Tom Hooper's new email address is tomh1@btinternet.com.
• London Bicycle Tour Company's office has moved to 74 Kennington Road (next to the Imperial War Museum).
• Stanfords Travel Bookshop has moved around the corner to 7 Mercer Walk.
• The Cartoon Museum has moved to 63 Wells Street.
• K+K Hotel George has a new email address: hotel.george@kkhotels.com.
• Seven Dials Hotel has a new email address: sevendialshotel@gmail.com.
• Generator Hostel has a new email address: ask.london@generatorhostels.com.
• The EasyHotel at Earl's Court has closed, as has the Hotel Ibis at Euston/St. Pancras.
• Bao and Mildred's Vegetarian Restaurant are now both open daily.
• Salumeria Dino is now open on Saturdays.

For books printed before December 2019, the following may also apply:

• Fernandez & Wells restaurant in Soho has closed, as have Potato Project, Melt Room, and the Gay Hussar.

For books printed before September 2018, the following may also apply:

• The Heathrow Connect train is no longer running.
• Sir John Soane's Museum is open Wednesday–Sunday (not Tuesday–Saturday).
• Inigo Jones' masterpiece of Neoclassical architecture, the Queen's House in Greenwich, has reopened.

These older updates may also apply to our London audio tours:

• The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, a new museum in an area of Westminster Abbey that has been closed for the past 700 years, displays rare objects from royal coronations, funerals, and much more from the Abbey's 1,000-year history. Space is limited and a timed-entry ticket is required, available in 15-minute intervals; purchase on the Abbey's website.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Magical Beatles Museum is now called the Liverpool Beatles Museum.
• The tourist information office has moved to the Liverpool ONE mall, at 5 Wall Street.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Oxford no longer has a brick-and-mortar tourist information office open to the public (but its website remains helpful, and questions are answered over email via info@experienceoxfordshire.org).
• Book online in advance for any visit to Blenheim Palace.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Historic Dockyard combo-ticket now covers all sights at the dockyard, including the Mary Rose Museum.

For books printed before March 2020, the following may apply:

• The D-Day Museum is now called The D-Day Story and has a new phone number: +44 23 9288 255.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• Stonehenge is now open 9:30–17:00 for most of the year (early Sept–late May), and until 19:00 (not 20:00) throughout the summer (late May–early Sept).

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Ambleside Guest House and Emsley B&B have closed.
• The Bard's Walks tour company has closed.
• It's now free to climb the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's tower (and hence there's no longer a combo-ticket covering the tower, a theater tour, and Play's the Thing exhibit).

For books printed before February 2023, the following may apply:

• The Coventry tourist information office is now located outside the train station, on Station Square.

For books printed before September 2022, the following may apply:

• Windsor Castle has introduced timed-entry tickets that must be booked in advance; only a small number of same-day tickets are available on-site.
• Windsor's tourist information office has moved to the Guildhall on High Street and is now open Wed–Sun 10:00–16:00 (closed Mon–Tue).
• Legoland Windsor has a new "Reserve & Ride" app (which replaces its "Q-Bot" gadget).

For books printed before January 2021, the following may also apply:

• Windsor Castle's telephone number is now +44 303 123 7304. The castle has opened its Undercroft Café on the ground floor below St. George's Hall, serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, tea, sweets, and ice cream under medieval arches.

• The Abbey Guest House has reopened.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may also apply:

• The tourist information office has moved to 21 Parliament Street.
• The York Minster Undercroft Museum is now open Mon–Sat 10:00–16:30, Sun 13:00–15:15.
• Yorktour troups now meet up in Library Square (on Museum Street).
• Clifford's Tower has been renovated, adding a suspended walkway between two sections of the tower that had been inaccessible since the 17th century (King Henry III's 13th-century latrine and chapel). Stairs lead to a platform with an impressive view.
• The Richard III Museum has closed, with no definite plans to reopen.