When you first get to the UK, you may want to stop over for a night or two near the airport or in London before going on to your destination. Your option will include hotels, guesthouses and simpler bed and breakfast establishments.

If you need hotel accommodation overnight in London or the regions you are strongly advised to make a reservation before you leave your home country.  The British Council uses an agency for hotel accommodation, and they can be contacted by e-mail, fax or telephone from your home country.  

If you arrive and have not arranged overnight accommodation, you may contact the agency at one of their desks at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and all main London railway stations (look for the British Hotel Reservation Centre signs). Or you can book accommodation when you arrive using a free telephone number, which is valid throughout the UK: 0800 783 6695.  

The agency desk at Heathrow airport is located within the Terminals 1-2-3 underground station to the right of the ticket office and at the Terminal 4 underground station opposite the ticket office.  At Gatwick airport, the desk is located on the Arrivals level on the main concourse opposite the customs doors.  

Useful organisations

The British Council Hotel Reservation Service
13 Grosvenor Gardens
London SW 1 0BD, UK

Telephone 0800 783 6695 (free of charge within the UK; available 24 hours)
or +44 (0)20 7825 1506 (from overseas)
Fax +44 (0)20 7828 2881
E-mail hotels@britishcouncil.org

British Tourist Authority
Thames Tower
Blacks Road
London W6 9EL, UK

Telephone +44 (0)20 8846 9000
Fax +44 (0)20 8503 0302

Scottish Tourist Board
23 Ravelston Terrace
Edinburgh EH4 3TP, UK

Telephone +44 (0)131 332 2433
Fax +44 (0)131 315 4545

Wales Tourist Board
Brunel House
2 Fitzalan Road
Cardiff CF24 0UY, UK

Telephone +44 (0)29 2049 9909
Fax +44 (0)29 2048 5031

As a rough guide, you can expect to pay about £60 per night (including breakfast) in a medium-price London hotel and £40 per night in a guesthouse. But these are very rough estimates; rates vary widely according to the season, the area and the degree of luxury. Ask about specific rates when you make your booking.

If you arrive at a major train or coach station in London, people offering cheap accommodation may approach you. It is safer NOT to accept any such offer. Go instead to an official reservation desk or to the general information desk.

If you are looking for budget accommodation, a hostel or a B&B will probably be the best option. Hostels will be cheapest, but can vary in quality. It is often hard to choose where to stay, but it is probably best to decide which area you want to be in and then look for accommodation. Alternatively, if you have family or friends who have visited the UK recently, recommendations (or not!) are often a good way to choose where to stay.