A cultural travel guide to the world

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

United Kingdom

2 rules found

Essential restrictionsPublic transportPlace-specific guidance · 英国

London Underground: tap in and tap out

Do

  • Tap your Oyster card or bank card on the yellow reader both on entry and exit, even if the gates are open
  • At interchange stations with mid-route readers, tap as instructed

Don’t

  • Tapping in but not out, or not tapping before boarding

If you miss a tap you are charged the maximum fare; if an inspector finds you travelling without tapping, you may be fined or prosecuted.

Not yet verifiedSource: Wikipedia: Oyster card

Local customsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · 英国

London Underground escalators: stand on the right

Do

  • Stand on the right on Underground escalators and leave the left for people in a hurry

Don’t

  • Standing still side by side on the left of the escalator

There is no penalty, but you block people behind you. The habit dates back to 1921, when Underground announcements first told passengers to 'stand on the right'.

Not yet verifiedSource: Wikipedia: London Underground

Site-specific notes 18

Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.

Tower Bridge

  • Never jump the queue — the greatest social taboo in Britain
  • stand on the right on Tube escalators
  • don't be loud in front of memorials and churches.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

  • Taking photos or filming during performances
  • talking loudly during shows
  • blocking the way inside street-performance circles

Giant's Causeway

  • Do not climb steep cliffs
  • do not chip off or take away stones
  • do not wedge coins into the cracks in the stones
  • do not go near the water's edge at high tide or in heavy seas

York

  • Do not linger or fool around at unrailed edges of the walls
  • do not block the old town's narrow lanes

Cotswolds

  • Do not make noise in residential areas
  • do not enter private gardens to take photos

Lake District

  • Do not cross private pastures or farmland
  • do not attempt routes beyond your ability alone
  • do not disturb grazing sheep

Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands

  • Do not leave paths to enter private pasture
  • do not litter at the lochside or in the glen
  • do not climb closed walls at ruins such as Urquhart Castle

Bath

  • Do not enter the water at the Roman Baths (it contains pathogens)
  • do not enter private homes in the Georgian residential areas

Oxford and Cambridge

  • Entering teaching and examination areas without permission
  • making noise in quiet areas

Royal Mile

  • Entering private courtyards or stairwells
  • blocking the way for long at performance spots
  • imitating the old custom of spitting on the heart

Westminster Abbey

  • Wandering about or making noise during services
  • playing around in the burial and memorial areas
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Buckingham Palace

  • Climbing over fences or entering restricted areas
  • blocking passageways

Edinburgh Castle

  • Do not photograph inside the Crown and Stone of Destiny gallery — the display area has clear no-photography signs
  • do not climb the rampart parapets or cross the battery railings for photographs — the drop at the rock's edge is extreme
  • do not laugh, chatter or take selfies inside the War Memorial — it is a memorial space for the fallen

Stonehenge

  • Do not climb, lean on or carve any stone — including the fallen ones on the outskirts that look ordinary
  • do not enter the fields to approach the circle outside open hours — the surroundings are private farmland protected by law
  • do not fly drones — the airspace over the site is expressly closed to them

The British Museum

  • Do not touch any openly displayed stone carvings or sculptures — oils and friction accelerate the weathering of artefacts
  • do not use flash, tripods or selfie sticks
  • do not eat, drink or talk loudly in the galleries — security staff will intervene

Fish and chips

  • Don't jump the queue
  • don't feed seagulls at the seaside (banned in many seaside towns)

Tower of London

  • Don't take photos in the Jewel House
  • don't feed or approach the Tower's ravens
  • don't climb the walls or cannons