Survival guide to the UK

1. Getting around

Travel around the UK is relatively simple.

Yes, they drive on the left, but don't be daunted. Most roads are so narrow that it doesn't make any difference which side you're on.

Be prepared when driving distances of more than 20 miles.

These can be epic undertakings on Britain's congested highways, but the misery of gridlocked traffic will be more than compensated for by road signs pointing to places with names like Ramsbottom, Throcking and Goole.

Britain has an extensive and efficient rail network, which only ever grinds to a halt when the weather turns hot, cold, wet or dry, Kazinform quotes CNN.

Tickets are expensive but you can find cheap fares by booking eight or nine years in advance of travel.

Try: The Night Riviera sleeper train from London to Penzance then a drive or hike around the spectacular Cornish Coast.

2. Climate

There are warm days in the UK, but you know you're in a damp country when the merest hint of sunshine is front page news.

Britain has four seasons, and while the transitions between them can be pleasant, each is typically as wet, gray and cold as the last.

All are considered by Brits to be "ice cream weather."

Whatever the climate throws at you, be prepared for endless conversations about it.

These needn't be dull since, like Eskimos with snow, Brits have a impressive lexicon for rain.

If you hear the word "mizzle," it probably means a light shower. Or maybe a low quality Snoop Dogg track.

Try: The Royal Botanic Gardens. Dazzling spring and fall displays, but enough hot houses to ward off the worst of the weather (Kew, Richmond, London; +44 20 8332 5655).

3. Royalty

Don't be duped by Downton Abbey. Britain has come a long way since the days when ordinary folk were awestruck by aristocracy.

This is a modern country where all are born equal and social rewards are based on merit.

This is why few British people bothered turning up when a blue-blooded chap married his sweetheart in 2011.

It's why barely anyone noticed when she gave birth a couple of years later.

And it's also why no one batted an eyelid when his flame-haired brother got naked in Vegas.

OK, none of that is true. British people are as in thrall to their royal family as you are.

And they're willing to sell you a Wills 'n' Kate souvenir tea towel with matching oven mitts to prove it.

Try: Windsor Castle. Sprawling royal residence west of London where Queen Elizabeth II can occasionally be spotted in her natural habitat (Windsor, +44 20 7766 7304).

Read more