The London Traveler

The title says it all. If you are coming to London and plan to hire (rent) a car, just don’t. London is a notoriously difficult city to get around it, with junctions and roundabouts that will send you far from your intended destination. I’ve known people to hire a car just because that’s what you do when you’ve got an expense account, just to turn it in a day later because it was far more hassle than they had ever intended.

So the first rule of hiring a car in London is… do NOT hire a car in London.
The second rule of hiring a car in London is… do NOT hire a car in London.

The only exception to these rules are if you are leaving London and either:

a- want to stop and explore the countryside (ie, not see it from a train)
b- your destination is just not close enough to a train station.

Why? The public transportation system in London is fantastic. Between the Tube, buses, trains, and taxi cabs you can get absolutely everywhere you want to go in London with a minimum of fuss. If you want to leave London, trains are still the best way to do so if you’re going to anything resembling a nice town, village or city. I lived in London without a car for my first three years here, and never regretted it.

So to repeat, if you’re thinking about hiring a car in London… DON’T.

Comments Off