Book cheap flights to England

The best time to visit England is between March and May, and then in September and October. During the summer time (June to August), there are plenty of festivals and fun activities for the whole family, but England is an extremely popular destination and you will find overcrowded attractions, and many families with young children. Summer is also peak season, so you’ll find the prices of flights and accommodation higher than the rest of the year. Regarding the weather, England has a bad reputation for its rain and cold days, but compared to many U.S cities and even other European cities, the weather is rather moderate. It gets warm, but not overly hot in the summer seasons, and cold, but not overly icy in the winter months (November to February).

South Africans who wish to visit England will need a UK visa to do so. You will need to complete your application, supply two passport photographs, proof of accommodation and various other documents. The process takes about two weeks to complete. You will also need to make an appointment with the UK Embassy and appear in person.

For more information, please contact the British Embassy.

Cape Town

Address: Norton Rose House, 8 Riebeeck Street, Foreshore, Cape Town, 8000

Phone: ( 27) 021 405 2400

Johannesburg

Address: 255 Hill Street, Arcadia 0002, Pretoria

Phone: ( 27) 012 421 7500

In general, England is a safe country. However, like most countries with big cities, petty crime can be a problem so you would be wise to keep your expensive possessions out of sight, especially in cities like London, Leeds and Birmingham. In London, be wary of people standing too close to you on public transport – pick-pocketing thieves tend to look like regular commuters and have made a lifestyle out of this trade.

Rough, impolite youngsters, known as hooligans, can be found in most cities, and when encountered, it is best to ignore them until they lose some steam.

There are no vaccinations needed for your trip to England, but a trip to your doctor for your routine vaccinations is always recommended. Some travellers may consider getting the following immunizations: hepatitis A and B, and rabies.

England offers an accommodation landscape of extraordinary depth and variety, from five-star London landmarks and grand country house hotels to some of the most characterful, regionally distinctive places to stay in Europe. The country house hotel — a privately owned manor, hall, or estate converted into a hotel, often set in acres of gardens and serving locally sourced seasonal menus — is arguably England’s most celebrated accommodation format, found in greatest concentration across the Cotswolds, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the counties of the West Country. Equally distinctive are England’s historic coaching inns: centuries-old roadside hostelries, many dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, now thoughtfully restored as boutique hotels while retaining flagstone floors, inglenook fireplaces, and oak-beamed bars.

Across the country, a thriving culture of bed and breakfasts — typically family-run, with a full cooked English breakfast included — provides warm, personal alternatives to hotel chains, particularly in coastal towns, market towns, and national park villages. Self-catering holiday cottages are enormously popular throughout England, from thatched Cotswold stone cottages and converted Norfolk barns to Lake District farmhouses and Cornish cliff-top retreats — bookable through platforms such as Sykes Cottages, Helpful Holidays, and the National Trust’s own holiday let portfolio. For budget travellers, national chains Premier Inn and Travelodge offer reliable, affordable rooms across virtually every town and city, while boutique budget brands including citizenM and Hoxton bring design-led stays to major urban centres. Major international hotel groups — Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Accor — operate across London and England’s larger cities.

In London, the most popular bases for first-time visitors are Covent Garden, Soho, and Westminster in the West End — central, walkable, and well-served by the Underground — while South Bank and Southwark offer a riverside alternative with excellent connections and proximity to Tate Modern, Borough Market, and Shakespeare’s Globe. Kensington and Chelsea suit those wanting a quieter, upscale base near the major museum quarter. Beyond London, Bath, York, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, and Brighton each offer a strong independent hotel and B&B scene well suited to short breaks.

Book well in advance for the English summer school holidays (mid-July to early September), Easter weekend, and May bank holidays — all of which drive up demand and pricing substantially, particularly in popular rural and coastal destinations such as Cornwall, the Lake District, and the Cotswolds. London accommodation should be booked early for major annual events including Wimbledon (late June to early July), the Chelsea Flower Show (May), the Notting Hill Carnival (August bank holiday weekend), and the London Marathon (April).

Whether you’re looking for a grand London hotel, a countryside manor, a cosy B&B, or a self-catering cottage, you can find and book a huge variety of accommodation across England at Travelstart Accommodation.

England has one of the most comprehensive road networks in the world, and a hire car is one of the best ways to explore the country beyond its cities — particularly for reaching the Cotswolds, the Lake District, Cornwall and Devon, the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District, and the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, all of which are far more rewarding by car than by public transport. You can compare and book affordable rental cars across England with Travelstart Car Hire. Car hire is available at all major airports and city centres, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, and Newcastle, from companies including Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Budget, and Arnold Clark.

England drives on the left-hand side of the road in right-hand drive vehicles. Visitors from most countries can drive on their valid home country licence for up to 12 months from the date of entry — no International Driving Permit is required for most nationalities, though carrying one alongside a non-English licence is advisable. Speed limits are signed exclusively in miles per hour (mph): 20–30 mph in built-up areas (many urban roads now have 20 mph limits), 60 mph on single carriageway roads, and 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways. The minimum hire age is typically 21, with a young driver surcharge often applied to drivers under 25.

If driving into central London, note that the city operates both a Congestion Charge (£15 per day, Monday to Friday 7am–6pm and weekends 12pm–6pm) and an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) covering all 32 London boroughs — a daily charge of £12.50 applies to vehicles not meeting minimum emissions standards, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day. Both charges apply to all vehicles including foreign-registered cars and hire cars. In most cases, public transport via the London Underground, Overground, and Elizabeth line is faster, cheaper, and far more practical than driving within the capital. England’s motorway network — including the M1, M4, M5, M6, and M25 — connects major cities efficiently, though the M25 orbital around London is one of the busiest roads in Europe and should be avoided during morning and evening peak hours.