Ready. Set. London!

We'd love to hear from you! Dreaming of Christmas in London but wondering when to go, where to stay, what to book, and how to make the most of the festive season? This episode helps you plan Christmas in London 2026, from the famous Christmas lights, markets and ice skating to Winter Wonderland, Christmas at Kew, Hogwarts in the Snow, pantomime, The Nutcracker, carol concerts, festive food and Christmas afternoon tea. Discover the best time to visit, where to stay in London at Christmas, what to book in advance, what to wear, and how to put it all together with 3-night and 7-night London Christmas itineraries. Plus, if you’re traveling over the holidays, find out what really happens in London on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Twixmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, including public transport changes, closures and practical tips that could make or break your Christmas trip.

We'd love to hear from you! Looking for historic London pubs, fascinating London history, a walk along the River Thames, or something different to add to your London itinerary? This episode of the Ready. Set. London! Love Letter to London Pubs series takes you to The Duke’s Head in Putney , a beautifully preserved Victorian riverside pub overlooking the Thames and the starting point of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race . But Putney’s story goes far beyond rowing and riverside pints. Just moments away is St Mary’s Church , site of the Putney Debates of 1647 , where soldiers and political leaders debated voting rights, representative government, and the idea that people should be governed by consent. Discover why this remarkable moment in British history continues to attract the attention of historians studying the development of democratic ideas. You’ll also uncover Putney’s connection to Thomas Cromwell , explore the remarkable Victorian interior of The Duke’s Head, and discover some of the famous historical figures who once called this corner of southwest London home. From Tudor history and the Putney Debates to Victorian pub heritage and the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race , Putney packs centuries of London history into one fascinating stretch of the Thames. If you’re searching for things to do in Putney, historic pubs in London, River Thames walks, London history, the history of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, or authentic London experiences beyond the famous landmarks , this episode will show you why Putney deserves a place on your London itinerary.

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a Windsor day trip from London? In this episode, discover exactly how to spend a day in Windsor, from catching the best train from London to exploring Windsor Castle, the world's oldest occupied castle and home to King Charles III. We'll take you inside the magnificent State Apartments and St. George's Chapel, reveal the best spots to watch the Changing of the Guard, and uncover hidden gems most visitors miss—from the Crooked House and the Long Walk to riverside pubs, Eton College, and breathtaking views across Windsor Great Park. Packed with practical travel tips, local history, royal stories, and recommendations for the best pubs, cafés, and photo stops, this is your complete guide to one of the best day trips from London - and the perfect companion for planning your UK vacation. readysetlondon.com

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a London trip just got easier. Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit has evolved into Ready. Set. London! Trip Planning Made Easy , a redesigned London travel planning website, podcast and content hub built to help you make sense of one of the world’s biggest cities. Discover a smarter approach to London trip planning , from choosing where to stay and understanding London neighborhoods, Tube stations and fare zones to grouping attractions geographically, exploring beyond famous landmarks, finding historic pubs and walking routes, and adding the stories that bring London to life. Plus, get a first look at the new London Landmark Trip Planner , designed to turn your must-see London attractions into sightseeing days that actually make sense on the map.

We'd love to hear from you! Where should you stay in London—and what’s the best area for a first-time visitor? In this episode of Publicity — Your London Travel Toolkit , Expat Andy explains why there isn’t one universally “best” area to stay in London and offers a more useful way to choose your London home base. Learn how to match your hotel location to your itinerary, preferred neighborhood atmosphere, budget and London transport connections; why staying “central” isn’t always the answer; and when Central London makes sense for a first visit. Andy also walks through a practical six-step method for narrowing the city down to two or three areas that fit the London trip you actually want to take. 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We'd love to hear from you! Planning a London vacation, Kew Gardens needs to be on your itinerary. Don't miss the remarkable history waiting just across the road. In this episode, discover how an unassuming historic London pub - the Coach & Horses on Kew Green - connects to Thomas Gainsborough, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Joseph Banks, Captain Cook, and the extraordinary events that led to Mutiny on the Bounty. Stroll through one of London's most beautiful neighborhoods, uncover hidden gems, royal history, Georgian coaching inns, famous graves at St Anne's Church, and the surprising stories most visitors walk right past. Whether you're building a London itinerary, searching for hidden things to do in London, or looking for the best historic pubs near Kew Gardens, this episode will change the way you experience one of London's most iconic destinations.

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a London itinerary? Discover why Canterbury is one of the best and easiest day trips from London. Just 55 minutes by high-speed train from St Pancras, this UNESCO World Heritage city packs 2,000 years of history into a walkable afternoon. Explore the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral, follow the footsteps of Chaucer's pilgrims, see Roman ruins, visit England's oldest parish church, wander medieval streets, enjoy a traditional English afternoon tea, and have lunch in one of the country's oldest pubs. From hidden gardens and riverside walks to Shakespeare-era history and fascinating WWII stories, this episode gives you the perfect self-guided Canterbury itinerary - helping you make the most of a memorable day beyond London before you're back in the city for dinner.

We'd love to hear from you! Where did The Kinks play their first gig? The Clissold Arms in Muswell Hill, North London — the same pub where the full band gathered for the last time, 36 years later. Ray and Dave Davies grew up at 6 Denmark Terrace, directly across Fortis Green from the pub their father drank in. In this Love Letter to Pubs short, Expat Andy walks the North London streets where one of Britain's most influential bands was made. You'll hear how a slashed speaker cone from a Muswell Hill radio shop produced the guitar sound behind "You Really Got Me"; why the pub carries two plaques giving two different dates for the same first gig; how Alexandra Palace turned a village built around a medieval well into an Edwardian suburb; and why Muswell Hill still has no Tube station. Also on the walk: the Grade II* listed Everyman cinema, the site of the first ever Wetherspoons, and the railway line that became London's longest nature reserve. Planning a London trip and want to get past the guidebook into the real neighbourhoods? This is your London travel toolkit — historic London pubs, hidden London, and the things most visitors walk straight past. Nearest Tube: East Finchley (Northern line). Allow half a day.

We'd love to hear from you! London is incredible — and after three or four days, exhausting. Here's the move smart travelers make - take a day off in the middle of your trip and get out of town. This episode is your blueprint for Portsmouth and Southsea — 90 minutes by train from Waterloo, and a world away from the city. Actual sea. Actual horizon. Eight hundred years of British naval history and a grand Victorian seaside resort packed into one walkable day. Expat Andy, a Brit who spent his twenties living nearby, walks you through it the way a local would. Start in the Historic Dockyard with Nelson's HMS Victory, the ironclad Warrior, and the raised Tudor warship Mary Rose. Break for lunch at a harborside pub from 1700, where warships pass close enough to make you duck. Then spend the afternoon in Southsea. Victorian piers, the D-Day Story museum, a seafront common lined with naval memorials, and the spot where Henry VIII watched the Mary Rose sink. You'll learn which station to get off at (and which to ignore), why locals call the place "Pompey," where Charles Dickens was born, and how to read a city that's half rough naval town, half genteel seaside resort. No guidebook filler. Just the day-trip that makes your London week better. I'm Expat Andy. This is Publicity — Your London Travel Toolkit .

We'd love to hear from you! A 25-minute ride from Baker Street takes you to a 1901 pub, an ancient hilltop, and the school that shaped Churchill, Byron, and Nehru. You've got your days in London mapped out — the towers, the museums, the markets. But what about the morning you want something quieter, older, and a little off the usual route? Expat Andy takes us to Harrow-on-the-Hill. A green hilltop in the city's northwest that people have treated as sacred for more than twelve hundred years, sitting just 25 minutes from Baker Street on the Metropolitan line. There's a pagan shrine older than England, a hilltop church consecrated in 1094, and the famous school where Byron carved his name into the paneling, Churchill came back to sing during the Blitz, and a future first Prime Minister of India read his way toward revolution. At the foot of the hill sits The Castle — a Fuller's pub built the year Queen Victoria died, with its original curving bar, glazed partition, and three working fireplaces still in place. CAMRA rates its interior of outstanding national importance. It's barely changed since opening day in 1901. Expat Andy gives you the story and the logistics in one go: why this hill matters, what to look for inside the pub, and exactly how to get there (Harrow-on-the-Hill tube, Zone 5, then a ten-minute walk up the hill). If you want one easy, atmospheric escape from central London that most visitors never find, this is your blueprint. Real history, real ale, no clichés — a signal in the travel information static.

We'd love to hear from you! Thinking of taking a day trip from London to Brighton? In this episode, I cover whether Brighton is worth visiting for a day, how to get there by train, what to see and do, and how to make the most of one day in Brighton. An hour from Victoria sits "London by the Sea." Here's the one-walk, half-day Brighton plan—palace, pier, oldest pub in town—for your London trip. You've done the museums. You've queued. Your feet hurt and everyone around you is staring at their phone. So here's the move smart London visitors have made for two hundred years: get on a train at Victoria and an hour later you're standing on the beach in Brighton — "London by the Sea." This is your half-day escape, planned door to door. One downhill walk to the water, one historic pub in the middle, and a town that exists, to misbehave beautifully by the sea. You'll get the lay of the land before you arrive. The bohemian North Laine, the bonkers Royal Pavilion that looks like a Mughal palace dropped by a twister, the Palace Pier, the burnt-out skeleton of the West Pier, and the oldest working electric railway on Earth. Lunch is sorted at The Cricketers, the oldest pub in Brighton, where Graham Greene wrote part of Brighton Rock . Then the why. How a Saxon fishing village became a royal party town, how the 1841 railway turned an aristocrats' resort into everybody's, and why Brighton has always been the place where the rules loosen — right up to its standing as the unofficial LGBTQ+ capital of Britain. If you're planning a London trip and want one perfect day out of the city — no car, no kids to wrangle, no guidebook autopilot — this is the one to save. I'm Expat Andy. This is Publicity — Your London Travel Toolkit, Summer Shorts Series.

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a day trip to Bath from London? This episode shows you how to spend one day in Bath, England, exploring 2,000 years of history, iconic architecture, literary landmarks, local food, and a traditional pub—all on foot. Just 90 minutes west of London by train, Bath is one of England’s most rewarding day trips. The only city in the UK that's a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety. Discover the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent, the Circus, Pulteney Bridge, the Pump Room, and the city’s connections to Jane Austen, William Herschel, Ralph Allen, and Georgian society. Along the way, explore Bath’s Roman origins, medieval wool trade, honey-colored Bath stone architecture, hidden historic streets, and famous landmarks. You’ll also discover where to stop for a Sally Lunn bun, afternoon tea, and a traditional pint before catching the train back to London. For travelers looking for the best things to do in Bath in one day, this episode provides a practical walking route through the city and the fascinating stories behind the places you’ll see.

We'd love to hear from you! As London swelters through record-breaking June temperatures in 2026, we look back to another scorching June that changed the city forever. In 1858, soaring temperatures turned the Thames into a foul-smelling open sewer, creating the Great Stink and forcing Parliament to approve one of the greatest engineering projects in British history. Walk along the Thames Embankment with me as we visit two historic Westminster pubs that bookend the story of a Victorian public health crisis and discover how Joseph Bazalgette's engineering masterpiece transformed London's riverfront—and why every visitor to London still benefits from it today.

We'd love to hear from you! The Fox & Grapes - A London Country Pub by Wimbledon Common. “One of the few pubs in London that's best reached by horse,” and, “About as rural as you can get in Zone 3.” [Londonist] London pubs are more than a place for a pint — they're the key to a whole neighborhood. In this Love Letter to Pubs short from Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit, Expat Andy raises a glass to The Fox & Grapes, a Georgian country pub on the edge of Wimbledon Common that feels more English village than big city. Built in 1787 and one of the few London pubs best reached on horseback, it's the thread that ties together everything first- and second-time visitors miss when they come to Wimbledon only for the tennis: ancient woodland and heathland, a 200-year-old windmill, the football folklore of Wimbledon FC and AFC Wimbledon (the supporters' club born in this very pub), the Wombles, and the affluent, leafy charm of Wimbledon Village. If you love historic London pubs and want London travel tips, neighborhood guides, and London pub history that help you plan a smarter trip and see the real London, this is your London travel podcast. Perfect for travelers planning a first or second trip to London who'd rather find a great country pub and a quiet common than queue with the crowds. Subscribe for more historic London pubs, London neighborhood guides, and London travel tips.

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a trip to London and looking for an easy day trip from London by train? Skip another packed day in the UK capital, and head two hours west to Cardiff, the grand coal-built capital of Wales. A whole other country, with its own language, anthem, and parliament. Yet no passport check needed! In this Day Break episode of Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit, host Expat Andy walks you through the best of Cardiff in a day. The Victorian fantasy of Cardiff Castle, the City of historic Victorian shopping arcades, Cardiff Market, Captain Scott's Antarctic connection, and the beautiful tiled Golden Cross pub. Plenty of Welsh led food options for lunch - a proper pub lunch at a Brains Brewery tied house, The Hayes, Cardiff's Cafe Quarter, and "Chippy Lane." Cardiff Bay - the old Tiger Bay docklands where Shirley Bassey, "Our Shirl," was born. Part travel guide, part love letter to a proud rugby city, it's the London day trip your guidebook probably forgot to mention. Whether you're building a London travel itinerary, searching for London travel tips, or just want a reliable London travel podcast for Americans planning a UK trip, this is your signal in the travel information static. For more London travel guides and day trips from London, visit publicitythepodcast.com. Special gift this episode! Since Wales is, "The Land of Song", we've got some lovely music queued up with the episode. Croeso i Gymru, fy mamwlad. Cymru. Gwlad y Gân. This is Cardiff, there’s a lot to cover. Welcome to Wales, my homeland. Wales. The Land of Song.

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a trip to London and looking to go beyond the usual tourist checklist? In this Summer Shorts episode of Love Letter to London Pubs , Expat Andy takes you to Stockwell, a South London neighborhood that offers a fascinating glimpse into the city's Victorian past. The Marquis of Lorne is just ten minutes from the crowds of Leicester Square by tube. One of London's most striking surviving Victorian pubs, wrapped in spectacular ceramic tilework and surrounded by stories of royal scandal, railway expansion, David Bowie, and London's largest Portuguese community. If you're researching authentic London neighborhoods, historic London pubs, South London attractions, Victorian London history, or where locals go in London, this episode will add a new dimension to your trip planning. It's a perfect introduction to the Summer Shorts series—and an invitation to explore more of Publicity: Your London Travel Toolkit , the podcast that helps travelers experience London with greater depth, context, and confidence.

We'd love to hear from you! Tired of London crowds? Build a day off into your trip. London Travel Expert, Expat Andy shares the perfect escape from the tourist treadmill. A slow, self-guided day in Bow in the East End of London. Just a few Tube stops from central London but a world away from Westminster's queues and tour groups. Wander without deadline through one of London's best under-the-radar neighborhoods. Tree-lined Victorian streets, canal-side parks, and historic pubs, with a relaxed pub lunch as the anchor of your day. Along the way you'll find the Green Bridge and Mile End Park, Victoria Park, the site of London's first WWII "doodlebug," Sylvia Pankhurst and the Bow suffragettes, the 1888 Matchgirls' Strike, Chaucer's medieval nuns, and the spot where Gandhi stayed in 1931. Finish with a pint at The Morgan Arms or The Lord Tredegar beside one of London's finest Georgian squares. An easy, walkable day built for first- and second-time visitors who want real local history, hidden gems, and a break from the crowds — proof that London rewards you for slowing down. Publicity — Your London Travel Toolkit is the London travel podcast for American visitors planning a first or second trip to London, hosted by British expat "Expat Andy" from Miami. To be a guest contributor — London pub owners, tour guides, and travel experts welcome — email expatandy@publicitythepodcast.com . Learn more at publicitythepodcast.com.

We'd love to hear from you! Planning a trip to London? Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit helps travelers build a London itinerary that hits the highlights without burning out. All summer, two short series alternate weekly. Love Letter to London Pubs takes you inside one historic London pub and decodes the neighborhood around it. Day Break solves the mid-trip slump — when jet lag and sightseeing catch up — with a planned day trip anchored by a great lunch. In the fall, Season Two of the main show returns with 30-minute episodes, new segments, and special guests. Subscribe, catch up on past episodes, and pass it to a friend planning a London trip. Email: expatandy@publicitythepodcast.com Web: publicitythepodcast.com

We'd love to hear from you! Discover Old Isleworth, London's hidden Thames village, home to the 500-year-old London Apprentice pub, Lady Jane Grey, Syon House, Henry VIII, riverside walks, and one of London's most peaceful day trips. Planning a London trip and looking for hidden London pubs beyond the usual tourist crowds? Our podcast shorts series is perfect for quick travel research tasks and a great way of supporting London pubs. In this episode of Publicity – Your London Travel Toolkit, Love Letter to London Pubs shorts, we explore The London Apprentice in Old Isleworth. Getting ready to reopen after a major refurbishment by Greene King aimed at preserving the building’s Tudor and Georgian character while modernizing the pub for future generations. A historic Thames riverside pub connected to Lady Jane Grey, Henry VIII, smugglers, ghost stories, and over 500 years of London history. Discover hidden London history, riverside walks, authentic local neighborhoods, Tudor intrigue, Thames beer gardens, and one of west London’s most atmospheric historic pubs near Richmond, Twickenham, Kew Gardens, and Syon House. Perfect for travelers searching for: hidden London gems historic London pubs Thames walks unusual things to do in London authentic London experiences London pub culture

We'd love to hear from you! King's Cross sounds like it should have an ancient, heroic origin story, but the name comes from a mocked 1830 monument demolished fifteen years after it was built. This episode traces the incredible arc of one of London's great train station neighborhoods. From open countryside to Victorian industrial powerhouse, decades of post-industrial abandonment, street prostitution, and a fatal Underground fire that killed thirty-one people. Finally reinvigorated as a global benchmark for urban regeneration. Along the way, our story takes in, a lot! Boudica's alleged burial ground at Platform 9¾. The graveyard where Mary Shelley fell in love and modern science fiction was born. A Welsh drifter found near the station in 1943 who became a World War Two spy after his death. The poet laureate who saved St Pancras from demolition with days to spare. Shane MacGowan founding the Pogues in a local pub, and fifteen regulars who bought their own pub to stop it becoming a coffee shop. Oh — and Elvis is barred from one of them. The reasons are not recorded. We manage to stop at several historic pubs along the way, because as always it's the pubs that survive to tell the tales of evolving neighborhoods.