London for visitors from Ireland: entry rules, money, SIMs, where your community is, and getting from the airport (2026)

Written for Irish visitors by a London private-hire company that collects you from arrivals every day. Prices and rules checked October 2026; entry rules change, so confirm on GOV.UK before you fly.

Entry: ETA or visa?

Irish citizens travel under the Common Travel Area: no visa and no ETA, and you can enter on a passport or an Irish passport card. Non-Irish residents of Ireland follow the rules for their own passport (ETA for EU and US citizens, a visa for most others).

Money, cards and cash

Britain is almost cashless: contactless cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay work in every shop, pub, bus and Tube gate (no ticket needed – just tap the same card in and out). Our cars take cards too, so you need no pounds in hand on arrival. If you want cash, use a bank cash machine (free), not the airport bureau de change. £1 ≈ $1.32 / €1.18 (October 2026).

SIM cards, plugs and the basics

Your driver will show you the SIM kiosks in arrivals, but supermarket SIMs (Tesco, giffgaff, Lebara, Lyca – £10–£15 for 20–50 GB) are cheaper; eSIMs can be bought before you fly. Plugs are the 3-pin UK Type G at 230 V – bring one adapter per device. We drive on the left; the emergency number is 999 (or 112); tap water is safe; tipping is 10–12.5% in restaurants (often already added), not expected in taxis, pubs or shops.

Arriving at the airport: what we do for Irish visitors

Your driver waits in the arrivals hall with a name board the moment you clear passport control and customs; we track the flight and the first 60 minutes after landing are free. Fixed fares to central London: Heathrow from £85, Gatwick from £85, Stansted from £85, Luton from £85 – one price for the whole car, no surge, child seats on request. Tell us when you book if you need a SIM, cash, a pharmacy or a halal/kosher/vegetarian meal on the way and the driver will stop. Heathrow · Gatwick · Stansted · Luton.

Where the Irish community is

Kilburn and Cricklewood (NW6/NW2) are the historic Irish heart of London; the London Irish Centre is in Camden (NW1) and the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith (W6). GAA county finals are at Ruislip; the St Patrick’s Day parade and the Trafalgar Square festival are in mid-March.

Food from home

A proper pint and a full Irish at The Auld Shillelagh (Stoke Newington), The Faltering Fullback (Finsbury Park) and The Sheephaven Bay (Camden); breakfast rolls and Tayto at the London Irish Centre café; Irish cheeses, soda bread and bacon at Borough Market. Sunday roast and pie prices are on our food guide.

Places of worship

St Patrick’s, Soho Square (the Irish chaplaincy); the Sacred Heart, Quex Road, Kilburn; Catholic churches in every borough; Church of Ireland visitors worship with the Anglican parish churches.

Embassy and consular help

Embassy of Ireland: 17 Grosvenor Place SW1X 7HR, with the passport office at the same address. Lost passport: report to the police (101) and your embassy; we can take you there.

Good to know

Flights land at Heathrow (Aer Lingus, British Airways), Stansted and Luton (Ryanair), Gatwick (Aer Lingus, easyJet) and London City (Aer Lingus, BA CityFlyer). Irish bank cards and Revolut work everywhere; euros are not accepted in shops; most Irish mobile plans roam in the UK at no extra cost. Driving is on the left as at home, but London has the congestion charge and ULEZ if you bring the car over on the ferry. Fixed prices from every airport to every postcode are on Airports to London.

Next steps

Airport transfers · London food & shopping guide with prices · All visitor guides · Rushxo for Business. Get a fixed-price quote →