- Flight
- about 9 hours eastbound
- Departs
- Vancouver International
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 8 hours ahead
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Vancouver is the hardest North American city to fly to London from, not because the flight is long but because eight hours of difference is genuinely difficult to absorb.
Do not plan the first evening
This is firmer advice here than on any other route. Eight hours means that nine o’clock on your first London evening is one in the afternoon to your body, after a night you mostly did not sleep. People arrive from the west coast convinced they will be fine and are reliably asleep before ten.
Give the first night to sleep. Plan from the second evening, when you are somewhere near the city’s clock rather than fighting it.
The gap is useful before you go
Eight hours is awkward on arrival and genuinely convenient beforehand. Nine in the morning in Vancouver is five in the afternoon in London, which is prime time for diaries. You can arrange everything over a couple of unhurried days without ever being up at a strange hour.
Direct or via
There are direct services from Vancouver, and there are also routes that go via Toronto or Calgary and add several hours. On a route that is already hard on the body, the direct option is worth paying for.
Worth reading first
The visitor guide covers the differences from home, which are larger than Canadians usually expect, including the legal position. The booking guide covers making contact.
When to get in touch
London runs 8 hours ahead of you. Messages sent between about 3am and 3pm your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Common questions
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
What time should I message from the United States?
London is five to eight hours ahead of most of North America. Aim for mid morning on the east coast or mid morning on the west coast, which lands in London in the afternoon or early evening, when people are answering.
Will my hotel mind?
Central London hotels see guests receive visitors constantly. Pass your room number by message and the evening is unremarkable.
What currency do I need?
Cash in pounds sterling, agreed beforehand. Draw it before you need it rather than looking for a cash machine late at night.
Is prostitution legal in England for tourists?
The law applies to everyone in the country equally, visitors included. Selling or buying sex between consenting adults is legal in England and Wales, but soliciting in public and using brothels are not.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.