London Travel Expert Shares Top Tips | English for Travel

This is a sample lesson from my brand new online  course, 30 Days to Better English, where I teach  

you how to speak real English in real situations.  This lesson is all about getting tips and  

recommendations for a new city, and I'm joined  by my very good friend Jess from Love and London.

Whenever you go to a new city, how do you find out  what's cool to do? I used to buy the Lonely Planet  

guide, but these days I just hop on YouTube or  Instagram and I search for tips there. Another  

thing I do is ask people I know that have been  there before. I love getting recommendations from  

people whose opinion I trust. In London, there  is no one I trust more than Jess from the YouTube  

channel, Love and London. She knows this city  better than anyone so I'm going to ask her for  

some suggestions in the city. And let's see what  she comes back with. Keep your eye out for some  

useful phrases to make suggestions. Tom: 

Hey, Jess. Jess: 

Hey, Tom. Tom: 

Where's the best place to go  for a night out in London? 

Jess: Okay,  

so I'll give you two great areas to go out in  London and then you can find bars that fit your  

budget and what you're into. The two most popular  areas to go for a night out in London are Soho,  

which is right in the middle of  Central London, and Shoreditch,  

which is in East London. There are bars and clubs  of all different kinds in both of those areas. 

Tom: Are there any good hotels you  

can recommend in Central London? Jess: 

Yes. I mean, of course there's so many options. A  couple personal favorites are the Henrietta Hotel,  

which is in Covent Garden. It is  a French inspired boutique hotel,  

great location. And if you've got some money to  spend, there's the Shangri-La at the Shard, The  

Shard is the tallest building in Western Europe so  the hotel is quite high up. So every single room  

has amazing views over the city. Probably some of  the best views you'll get in any hotel in London. 

Tom: I'm thinking of going on a day trip this  

weekend. Have you got any suggestions? Jess: 

Sure, we've got some great cities that you  can go visit for just the day that are pretty  

easy to get to by train from London. A personal  favorite of mine is Cambridge. It's a university  

town that is very walkable, but there's lots of  great restaurants, bars, areas to walk around,  

some markets. You can go punting on the  river as well, which is kind of like boating,  

but you can hire someone to punt you down  the river and it's a very cool experience. 

Tom: I'm hoping to have a Sunday roast while  

I'm in London. Can you recommend somewhere? Jess: 

Ah, we have so many good pubs that you can have a  great Sunday roast in. Hard to pick just one. One  

that I love and they do a great vegetarian roast  is called The Mall Tavern. It's located in Notting  

Hill, not too far from Notting Hill Gate station.  And they do fantastic Sunday roast, but also  

really good food all the other days of the week. Tom: 

Okay, so we've got a few structures here  to play with. Where's the best place to,  

and then the thing. So where's the best place to  get sushi around here? Round here just means like  

near here. Where's the coolest place to go out?  Are there any, and then the adjective and noun,  

and then the thing. So for example, "Are  there any interesting museums near here?  

Are there any cool bars in Soho?" Another phrase  could be, "I'm thinking of," then the plan,  

and then you ask for the recommendation. So for  example, "I'm thinking of going to a football  

match. Do you know how I can get tickets? I'm  thinking of spending the weekend in Edinburgh.  

Have you got any tips? I'm hoping to," the  plan, and then asking for a recommendation.  

"I'm hoping to see a play while I'm in London. Any  suggestions? I'm hoping to try afternoon tea. Do  

you have any favorite places you recommend?" Tom: 

Of course these phrases can be used  in many other contexts. For example,  

if you want to buy a new phone, you could use  one to get a recommendation, or perhaps you  

want to start doing yoga. Any of these phrases  would be perfect to get a good recommendation. 

Tom: What I'd love you to do right  

now is to go into the comments below and leave a  question about a city that you want to go to. So  

for example, I'd like you to write the city you're  going to, Berlin, and then the question. So,  

"I'm thinking of going to Berlin next year.  Do you have any recommendations for me?" Then  

I'd like you to have a look and see if anyone  is asking for recommendations for your city,  

where you are from. And if they are,  then give them some recommendations. 

Tom: If you'd like  

to enroll on 30 Days to Better English, you can  join the wait list by clicking the link below  

in the description and you'll be informed as to  when the next course starts. And of course guys,  

I'd love you to go over to Jesse's channel,  Love and London. Go give her some love. Let her  

know that you've come from [inaudible 00:04:58]  English. And of course hit that subscribe buttons  

so you get all of her fantastic content. Jess: 

Thanks for having me, Tom. I hope  you guys have a great time in London.