Staying Connected

To call England from North America, dial 011 (international code), 44 (Britain's country code), the local area codes (usually three or four digits and found in every phone number we've given in this book), and the local phone number. The local area codes found throughout this book all begin with "0"; you drop the "0" if you're calling from outside Britain, but you need to dial it along with the area code if you're calling from another city or town within Britain. For calls within the same city or town, the local number is all you need.

For directory assistance in London, dial tel. 142; for the rest of Britain, tel. 192.

There are three types of public pay phones: those taking only coins, those accepting only phone cards (called Cardphones), and those taking both phone cards and credit cards. At coin-operated phones, insert your coins before dialing. The minimum charge is 10p (20¢).

Phone cards are available in four values -- £2 ($4), £4 ($8), £10 ($20), and £20 ($40) -- and are reusable until the total value has expired. Cards can be purchased from newsstands and post offices. Finally, the credit card pay phone -- Access (MasterCard), Visa, American Express, and Diners Club -- is most common at airports and large railway stations.

To make an international call from Britain, dial the international access code (00), then the country code, then the area code, and finally the local number. Or call through one of the following long-distance access codes: AT&T USA Direct (tel. 1800/CALL-ATT), Canada Direct (tel. 0800/890016), Australia (tel. 0800/890061), and New Zealand (tel. 0800/890064). Common country codes are: USA and Canada, 1; Australia, 61; New Zealand, 64; and South Africa, 27.

For calling collect or if you need an international operator, dial tel. 155.

Caller beware: Some hotels routinely add outrageous surcharges onto phone calls made from your room. Inquire before you call! It may be a lot cheaper to use your own calling-card number or to find a pay phone.