Guidebook Updates for ‘Rick Steves Great Britain’

• 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.
• If your passport is due to expire within six months of your ticketed date of return from Europe, you need to renew it. Allow plenty of time to renew or get a passport, especially while a backlog of applications is causing significant slowdowns — see the US Department of State's travel site for current estimated processing times.

• The Canadian consulate in Edinburgh has a new phone number: +44 3305 001 224.

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

• Scotland's popularity as a travel destination hasn't slowed, making it especially important to book your rooms and must-do sightseeing well ahead for a summer visit. Many B&Bs and hotels report that by February they're already mostly booked up from May through September. In certain areas, most notably on the Isle of Skye, good restaurants can book up weeks in advance, and across Scotland, many distilleries say they've had to turn away droves of would-be visitors.
• A new Citylink bus, #913, runs once a day from Edinburgh to the Highlands, stopping at Glencoe (4 hours from Edinburgh) and Fort William (4.5 hours); with a transfer, you can continue on to Oban (4.5 hours, change in Tyndrum) and Portree on Skye (8 hours from Edinburgh, change in Fort William).

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.
• Buy tickets for the Bath Abbey tower climb at the welcome desk (not the abbey gift shop).
• The visitors center/spa museum at the Thermae Bath Spa has closed.
• The river cruise to Bathhampton is now an out-and-back trip without a stop in Bathhampton.

• Trinity Lane has re-opened, allowing visitors the chance to enjoy a view into Great Court (daily 9:00–17:00).

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

• Caerphilly Castle is undergoing some major renovations, likely to last through 2024 (check its site before visiting).
• Expect disruption at Tintern Abbey while it undergoes restoration (check its site before visiting).
• Bill O'Keefe (and Planet Wales) are no longer offering tours in Cardiff.
• Chai Street restaurant has moved to 15 High Street.
• Bus #6 now runs on a more limited route to Cardiff Bay. Bus #X8 has been replaced by bus #C8, which is operated by a private company (and uses different tickets from bus #6).
• Anchorage Guest House has reopened as WiseStay.
• Several recommended accommodations have closed: Cathedral 73, Church Guest House, and Riverside B&B.

• Stanway House accepts only cash.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may also 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.

• Tours of the Scottish Parliament Building generally run Mon–Sat throughout the day, and are best booked ahead.
• The Fringe Festival's Half-Price Hut building "retired" in 2019; half-price offers are now available at the Fringe box office.
• The Museum of Childhood has reopened.

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

• The "Radical Road" — the most scenic part of the hike along the Salisbury Crags is closed following some rock falls. If it's still closed during your visit, head to the left from the Palace of Holyroodhouse (with the big playing field on your left) and find that find the trail that cuts through the meadow across the saddle of land between the peaks (or follow the more demanding, and more scenic, path to the top of the crags).
• The shuttle bus between the Scottish National Gallery and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is no longer running.
• Several recommended restaurants have closed: Hewats on the Mile, Hendersons, Hendersons Vegetarian, Hendersons Vegan, and Damm 27. The Tower restaurant at the National Museum of Scotland has also closed.
• Several recommended shops have closed: the venerable Jenners department store, 21st Century Kilts, Scottish Regimental Store, and Cranachan & Crowdie.
• St. Valery Guest House and Gil Dun Guest House have closed.

These older updates may also apply to our Royal Mile audio tour:

• Gladstone's Land can only be visited by booking a one-hour tour. Travelers can book ahead to ensure a spot in person or by phone (+44 131 226 5856).
• The tourist information office has moved to the Royal Mile across from St. Giles' Cathedral.
• The road next to the Scottish parliament building has permanently closed; it no longer connects to the Royal Mile.

• Bus #AD122, which connects the Roman sights of the Hadrian's Wall area (and several of our recommended accommodations), now runs daily year-round.

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

• Ashcroft Hotel in Durham has closed.

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

• The Burrell Collection has reopened.

• 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.

• The Rose Street Foundry has closed.
• The correct email address for Heathmount Hotel is info@heathmounthotel.com (some editions of our guidebooks are missing the M).
• The correct URL for the website of Gellions Bar is www.gellions.com (not .co.uk).

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

• John O'Groats Ferries no longer offers all-day tours to the Orkneys from Inverness.
• Inverness Castle remains closed for extensive renovations through at least 2025.
• It's worth planning your Culloden visit around the free 40-minute tours of the battlefield; you can see the exhibit on your own before or after the tour. (Audioguides may have been phased out by the time you visit.)
• We recommend booking ahead for a visit to (and parking at) Urquart Castle in July and August.

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

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

• Dove Cottage at Wordsworth Grasmere is open Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00; Oct–March until 16:00, closed Sun–Mon year-round.
• The Beatrix Potter Gallery is closed throughout 2023 to accommodate structural repairs.
• The former Darkroom Café in Keswick is now called Elm, with a new menu; it's closed Tue–Wed.

For books printed before February 2023, the following may also 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.

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.

• The Elizabeth transit/railway line is now fully operational, connecting central London (Paddington, Bond, Tottenham Court Road, Farrington and Liverpool Street Tube stations) with outlying neighborhoods to the east and with Heathrow Airport and Reading to the west. Within the city center it's part of the Tube network, and uses the same tickets. It's a faster (and more expensive) option from Heathrow into the city than the Tube (£12.80–14.30 depending on payment method and destination; contactless credit card and Oyster card accepted).
• 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 Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery is closed for renovation until spring 2025, and artwork may be moved around while it's underway. Long entry lines, however, remain a problem. To avoid the longest ones, book your visit ahead and enter through the less-crowded Getty entrance. Also, the museum's free one-hour overview tours now leave from the central hall, and are no longer offered every day (usually Tue–Thu at 15:00).
• The British Museum's 1.5-hour tours need to be booked at least two weeks in advance.
• At the Tate Modern floors 5–10 of the Blavatnik Building are currently closed, meaning the 10th-floor viewpoint is off limits. The museum now stays open until 22:00 on the last Friday of every month. Pre-booked visits are now only possible for special exhibits and events; this is also the case at the Tate Britain (which no longer maintains an app — but its website has a well-maintained guide to what's currently on display).
• The Victoria and Albert Museum is once again open late (until 22:00) on Fridays.
• The Tower of London's last entry time is now two hours before closing time (which has been pushed back to 17:30).
• The London Eye has resumed selling tickets on-site, but tickets are cheaper online (and even cheaper the farther in advance you book), and its new family ticket that is only available online.
• 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 are now pricier than ever (£45 for the State Rooms; £58.50 for the "Royal Day Out" combo-ticket), and opening hours have changed:
  • The State Rooms are open mid-July–Sept Thu–Mon 9:45–14:45, closed Tue–Wed and Oct–mid-July. (Some winter and spring tours may be available; check online.)
  • 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 mid-May–Sept Thu–Mon 10:00–16:00, closed Tue–Wed, usually closed off-season (but check online before your visit).
• St. Paul's Cathedral is now open Mon–Sat 8:30–16:30 (dome opens at 9:30), except that on Wednesdays the church and dome don't open until 10:00. Its Whispering Gallery remains closed for the time being.
• Shakespeare's Globe now offers a two-hour tour instead of its previous 50-minute tour. Half of the tour spots are bookable in advance; the other spots are reserved for same-day sales. Tours generally run daily 10:00–16:00, but may stop earlier on performance days. The theater's box office is now open
  Mon–Fri 11:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–17:00.
• The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields has changed its opening hours, with much shorter hours on Wednesdays (12:00–19:30), and somewhat later opening times and earlier closing times the rest of the week (9:00–17:00). Free tours are now offered daily at 14:30, and afternoon concerts are now performed only on Fridays at 13:00.
• In the off-season (Sept–April), evensong at Westminster Abbey is now on Sat at 15:00.
• Hampton Court Palace is now open daily 10:00–17:30, Feb–March until 16:00.
• Pollock's Toy Museum is currently closed while it moves locations.
• Greenwich's Clocktower Market, recently renamed as the "Greenwich Vintage Market," has moved to a spot just opposite the St. Alfege Church and is now held on weekends (Fri–Sun) and bank holidays, 8:00–17:00.
• The vintage market housed in the former Truman Brewery on Brick Lane is now open daily 11:00–18:30 (until 18:00 Sat–Sun).
• The City of London Information Centre is now closed Sun–Mon.
• Congestion charges for driving in the city center are now levied weekdays 7:00–18:00 and weekends 12:00–18:00; the minimum charge remains £15.
• Recommended driver guide Mike Dickson has retired.
• A portion of The Strand (between the Courtauld Gallery at Waterloo Bridge and King's College at Surrey Street) has been pedestrianized. This change has affected some bus routes, including:
  • Bus #11, which no longer runs between Westminster Abbey and Liverpool Street via Trafalgar Square and St. Paul's; it now goes across the Westminster Bridge and ends at Waterloo.
  • Bus #23, which no longer runs from Marble Arch to Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, High Street Kensington, and on to Hammersmith; it now goes to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and Aldwych.
• There is no longer an EasyBus running between Gatwick and the Earl's Court Tube stop.
• 7-day Travelcards are no longer sold as paper passes; they must now be loaded on to Oyster cards.
• Oyster transit cards purchased before February 23, 2020 (a year later than what's printed in some Rick Steves guidebooks) can still be returned in exchange for the £5 deposit (cards bought after that date now simply add the price of the card to the card's balance a year after purchase).
• The Emirates Air Line gondola has been rebranded as the IFS Cloud Cable Car.
• Bus #242 no longer runs to Shoreditch or Liverpool Street Station (but bus #26 does).
• St Katharine Pier, a stop near Tower Bridge used by many Thames cruises, is now known as Tower Bridge Quay.
• Fernandez & Wells restaurant has closed.
• Jen Café has closed.
• The NH London Kensington hotel has closed.

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 (or mobile-device) 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 it is 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.
• Recommended driver guide Janine Barton has retired.
• 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 Rick Steves guidebooks, and buses #6 and #12 no longer run. Visit the Transport For London website for current bus routes.
• 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.

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:

• Several recommended eateries have closed: 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 March 2023, the following may apply:

• Donna Goodman is no longer leading guided tours in Conwy.
• Emrys Llewelyn is no longer leading guided tours in Caernarfon.
• Surf Snowdonia is now Adventure Parc Snowdonia.
• a free Portmeirion app offers a guided tour of the faux-Italian village; there are no more guided tours and no shuttle bus service.
• Portmeirion no longer has a shuttle-bus service or guided tours. But a free app provides a self-guided tour of the faux-Italian village.
• Tours of the Trefriw Woolen Mills are now only infrequently possible, and may cease entirely later in 2023, as the weaver is nearing retirement.

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

• We now recommend booking ahead for the Oban Whisky Distillery tour.
• There's no longer a "Tour Shop Oban" by the ferry terminal — instead, book tours at the West Coast Tours office along the harbor, a block from the train station.

• The Doll's House restaurant is now The Bothy and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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

• The Himalayas golf course must now be booked online one or two days in advance.
• After an extensive renovation, the British Golf Museum has reopened as the R&A World Golf Museum.
• The Museum of the University of St. Andrews has reopened as the "Wardlaw Museum" with new hours, bigger gallery spaces, and a rearranged collection.
• Glenderran Guest House and the St. Andrews Tourist Hostel have closed.
• The Burns Sweet Shop has closed.

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

• The town no longer has a hop-on, hop-off bus. (The Wallace Monument and Battle of Bannockburn visitors center are still easily reached by bus #52 or taxi). 
• We now recommend buying tickets online in advance for visits to Stirling Castle in peak season (and at any other particularly busy times).
• Argyll's Lodging remains closed for renovation.

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).

• Tickets to Shakespeare's Birthplace are now for timed entry slots; during peak times book ahead to guarantee your desired entry time.
• The "Full Story" combo ticket for Shakespeare sights has been discontinued. In its place, the Shakespeare's Story combo ticket covers entry to Shakespeare's Birthplace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, and Shakespeare's New Place.
• Mary Arden's Farm and Hall's Croft are both currently closed to visitors, with no reopening dates yet set.
• Visits to Shakespeare's Schoolroom and Guildhall may soon require a combo-ticket with Shakespeare's Birthplace (joint tickets are available at both sights).

For books printed before February 2023, the following may also 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).

• Long lines often await visitors inside Windsor Castle at the State Apartments and Queen Mary's Dolls' House. To avoid lines and crowds, we visiting these areas while most everyone else is off watching the castle's Changing of the Guard: at 11:00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (confirm schedule online). Also, the castle no longer offers 30-minute guided walks around the grounds.
• Bel & The Dragon restaurant has closed.

For books printed before September 2022, the following may also 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.
• The correct phone number for the Bishop & the Bison hotel is +44 7415 005 150.