Travelling to the United Kingdom From Bangladesh!

What images do you conjure when someone mentions the United Kingdom? The most common answers are the London Eye, the London Bridge (well, the Tower Bridge which everyone thinks is the London bridge), the hustle and bustle of London city, and some stunning countryside landscapes, typically with castles. Also, of course, the monarchy, soccer, and David Beckham! Whilst all of that is absolutely true, the UK is a destination which comprises of four nations: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Each country has its own charm, and I’m going to discuss the highlights of the UK in this post. Please note that I’m going to focus mostly on England and mention some of the points of interest of the other countries—each country (and many cities) warrant dedicated posts, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll limit the suggestions to just a few in each!

First of all, the visa process! The visas are handled by VFS, and they have recently upgraded their process so it’s now largely online. You have to apply for the visa through www.gov.uk, specifically https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/apply-standard-visitor-visa . After completing the form, you need to pay the fee—at the time of writing, it is £100 for a standard 6-month visitor visa. Then, you’ll be directed to the VFS Global website to book your biometrics and passport submission appointment. You can upload your supportive documents for free, and if you choose this option, you don’t need to take all your documents to the appointment—just a couple printouts of the completed form and your passport suffice! It took approximately a month for me and my Mom to get our passports back at the beginning of 2022. I was pleasantly surprised that the visa process no longer requires a flight booking—in fact, they recommend against purchasing tickets until receiving the visa. This is definitely a blessing, since round trip tickets from Dhaka to the main airports in the UK range from BDT 80,000-120,000 for economy seats!

Next up, things to do and see in England! London is a must-visit, for many reasons. As mentioned in the first paragraph, it is home to many attractions we recognize the nation for: the London Eye, Big Ben, Hyde Park, Canary Wharf, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and many more. One thing I particularly adore about London is that you can easily choose to visit a number of “must-see” destinations no matter which part of London you find yourself in. The subway system, known as the “tube” or “underground” connects most of London and you just need the subway pass to get around quickly. You can also use your contactless credit card instead of getting a pass now, which makes it even more convenient! Just make sure to tap out appropriately, as you can get fined otherwise! Most of the tourist destinations are located in Zones 1, 2, and 3, also known as Central London. For example, if you want to visit the London Eye, you can also visit the Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and also take a cruise on the River Thames in the same day. In fact, if you purchase the requisite tickets early on, you can skip the lines and even visit the National Gallery, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Madame Tussauds! Visitacity is an excellent resource to help you plan your itinerary in London, based on the number of days, how packed you want your day to be, and also if you’re travelling with family/kids : https://www.visitacity.com/en/london. I should also mention that East London has a number of places that are of interest for Bangladeshi tourists, such as Whitechapel Station having signage in Bengali, loads of Bangladeshi shops and restaurants, and so on. I’ve lived in the UK for a year and a half, and I’ve never wanted anything Bangladeshi that I couldn’t find in the UK!

There are a number of cities/towns which are easy day-trips from London, such as Windsor, Stonehenge, Oxford, the Cotswolds, and Bath. The Windsor Castle was Queen Elizabeth’s primary residence, and is one of the most beautiful castles in the UK! All of these destinations are less than 2 hours away from London, and there are plenty of day trip options available! If you’d like to venture further out, the other main cities in England include Manchester and Birmingham, and both have major airports which you can fly into. The Lake District and the Peak District are GORGEOUS, and are definitely worth spending some time in. Liverpool, Nottingham, Leeds, Brighton, and Bristol also have a lot to offer! I will always be a bit biased towards Nottingham as I lived there, and as it is such a student city, there is always something going on! Wollaton Park is where Batman’s house was filmed, and it is a deer park so you can see lots of animals hanging around. The south of England, such as Exeter and Devon, are also lovely regions to visit!

London is also home to 69 Michelin-star restaurants, and literally thousands more restaurants that will leave your mind and stomach satiated. There are hundreds of restaurants with excellent views of the city, such as those at the Shard, Heron Tower, Fenchurch Tower, and many more. London is also renowned for its excellent Indian food (I wonder why?), and many will appreciate the plethora of halal, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan food. It’s amongst the most diverse, multicultural cities in the world, and the food definitely lives up to it! Duck & Waffle is worth a visit (make sure to reserve a window-side table), Hutong is excellent, Sexy Fish is a very fun restaurant, Nobu and Sushiisamba for boujee Japanese, Eat Tokyo for Japanese which is not too boujee, Seoul Bakery for great Korean, Dalloway Terrace for fine dining and changing décor based on the season, Bibi, Amaya, Dishoom for Indian, I could go on and on but I’ll stop here!

Scotland has two key cities: Edinburgh and Glasgow. Edinburgh is the one with more post-card views, and boasts one of the best castles in the UK. The Old Town has a lot of cute stores, and the National Museum of Scotland is an interesting way to spend your afternoon. Arthur’s Seat is a short hike which has great views if you are blessed with good weather (which is unfortunately not very common in Scotland). Google maps can be slightly misleading in Edinburgh because the city has three levels and it can be a bit confusing to navigate if you’re depending on maps alone—the locals are quite friendly, so it might be easier to just ask someone for help if you’re lost! Glasgow has the Botanic Gardens, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Glasgow Cathedral, and the nearby Necropolis. Try haggis in Scotland-- haggis is made from chopped or minced 'pluck' of a sheep (heart, liver and lungs) and mixed with coarse oatmeal, suet, spices (nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander are common), salt, pepper and stock. The Scottish Highlands are another region well worth exploring, with locations like Inverness and Loch Ness (with the famed “monster” Nessie).

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, which I feel is a very fun city! It’s quite small, with yet another stunning castle, so spending two days in Cardiff will enable you to explore everything quite well. Home By James Sommerin is a lovely Michelin star restaurant overlooking the pier in Penarth, just outside of Cardiff. The north of Wales has Snowdonia National Park, which is a reasonable hike for one to spend a day on. Please note that it is always very cold at the summit, so dress accordingly! Conwy Castle is a beautiful castle in the north of Wales. It is estimated that there are three sheep for every human in Wales!

Finally, Northern Ireland requires a flight from other countries in the UK, as it is separated by Irish Sea or the North Atlantic Ocean. Belfast is the capital, and it houses the Giant’s Causeway, which is a unique landscape comprising of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns which are mostly hexagonal. This occurred due to an ancient volcanic fissure eruption, and in 1986, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Titanic Belfast is a museum worth visiting, and the Carrick-a-Rede is a rope bridge which links the mainland to the small island of Carrickarede. The views are otherworldly! Of course, there are several castles like the Belfast Castle, Dunluce Castle, and the Carrickfergus Castle to visit.

Most of the UK is well-connected with trains, coaches, and flights readily available. The coach is often the cheapest way to travel but is also the slowest method of getting from one place to the other. The National Express offers the most widespread network of coaches, but smaller services like Megabus also have many routes. Renting a car may be a good idea if you plan to visit several places outside of London—it is not a good idea to drive in London because of the traffic and various congestion charges that exists in the capital. Taking the subway is much more efficient in London. You can also find a variety of accommodation options, ranging from some of the best hotels in the world to cozy Airbnbs. As usual, the more central your location, the more expensive the hotel will be!

The UK is notorious for bad weather, so travelling in the summer is a better idea than the winter, if you want to avoid the chilly winds and rain. The weather is also unpredictable, and sometimes in a good way—I was blessed with 20°C sunny weather in February in Nottingham, and similar temperatures in Wales in March! It unfortunately rained throughout my trip to Edinburgh in November, though. Similar to those in Europe, the UK has beautiful Christmas markets from the end of November to New Years, and it’s lovely to grab some hot chocolate and explore the markets. Winter Wonderland in London is particularly incredible!

*I offer consultation services for creating an itinerary in United Kingdom, so feel free to reach out if you need help!