Is London in Europe? Understanding the EU, Brexit, & Europe

Are you planning a trip to Europe? From the cities of Paris, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, and beyond, there are a lot of options to choose from. Just a hop across from mainland Europe, you’ll be in the UK and the bustling metropolis of London. But is London in Europe?

After Brexit and the UK leaving the European Union, there have been a lot of changes to the rules between the UK and Europe, so what’s the situation and how does it affect your trip plans? Let’s dive in and understand the link between the EU, Brexit, Europe, and London!

Is London in Europe?

So, first things first, let’s answer the big question. Yes, London is in Europe. As Europe is the continent where you’d find the UK and London is the capital of the UK, London is in Europe.

Brexit has an impact on a lot of things but it didn’t quite change the geographical position of the UK and London by extension!

Which Country is London In?

Okay, well this is a little complicated, but realistically it’s easy to follow once you know how the UK works. The UK is made up of four main nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

There are also the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands that are within the UK’s territories, but we won’t dive that deep right now.

So, London is the capital of England. It’s also the capital of the UK which is the UN-recognized country, and it’s also the capital of Great Britain, which is made up of England, Scotland, and Wales. Great Britain or just Britain is the name of the island that Wales, England, and Scotland are on, which is why it doesn’t include Northern Ireland.

This might be why you might see England participating in certain sporting events, but sometimes – like at the Olympics, it’s Great Britain, and other times it’s the UK.

So, London is the capital of England, Great Britain, and the UK. On the other hand, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales, and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.

Is London in the European Union?

Unfortunately, due to Brexit, London is no longer in the European Union (EU). As the entire United Kingdom left the EU back in 2016, London went with it.

What is the EU?

So, the European Union, otherwise known as the EU, is a collective of European nations that have freedom of movement, special trade deals, and a wide range of deals, perks, and laws that keep them as a semi-aligned block of nations.

Countries have to apply to be a part of the EU and it takes around two years at the minimum to be granted access. The freedom of movement is a big deal as it means citizens can live, work, and study in other EU nations without having to get a separate visa or anything like that.

Also, the trade deals are a big thing from an economic standpoint, and while many countries in the EU use the Euro it’s not a requirement. There’s normally a big crossover between the EU nations and the countries in the Schengen area for tourism, but there are some distinctions, so double-check before you travel!

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Where Can I Find London?

If you’re looking for London, it’s pretty easy to find. It’s located in the Southwest of England along the River Thames. You can easily get there by road or train from mainland Europe from Paris or Brussels in a few hours.

Already in the UK? Most roads and train lines lead to London. You’re around an hour and a half away from Birmingham, Bristol, Bath, and around two and a half hours from Liverpool and Manchester.

Where is London the Capital Of?

London is the capital of the UK, Great Britain, and England. It’s not the capital of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, or any other territory, and you’ll upset a lot of people if you say it is!

Is England a Country?

So, this is a tricky question. The answer is both yes and no. England is a country, but it’s not a sovereign state that’s recognized by the UN. England is one part of the UK, which is a sovereign state.

In the same way that Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are countries, so is England. That being said, England and the UK aren’t the same thing and they’re not interchangeable.

You can’t say you’re in England when you’re in Scotland, but you can say you’re in the UK if you’re in Scotland. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

What Timezone is London In?

Depending on the time of year, London is either in the GMT or BST timezone. GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time which is the standard time zone for the UK. In fact, this whole time zone is named after the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London where the Prime Meridian is located.

That’s the official name for the line that separates the Western and Eastern hemispheres! If you’ve seen Thor 2: The Dark World, you’ll know all about this part of London!

BST stands for British Summer Time so from March to October, this is the timezone that London uses. This is where the clocks go forward an hour so it’s also known as GMT+1.

Is the UK Still Part of Europe After Brexit?

Yes, the UK is still part of Europe after Brexit. Europe is the geographical location and the continent that the UK is located in so Brexit would not have affected this at all.

It doesn’t matter what happens politically in the UK, it’s still going to be in Europe! Loads of people don’t think about the UK being a part of Europe as it’s not on the mainland, but there are plenty of islands that are part of Europe as well like Ireland, Cyprus, Iceland, Malta, etc.

When did the UK Leave the EU?

So, technically the UK referendum that led to the country leaving the European Union happened in June of 2016. However, as there were so many rules, laws, and allowances that had to be ironed out the UK didn’t officially leave the EU until the end of January 2020.

After this point, UK citizens lost their freedom of movement rights, and many citizens had to apply for formal visas, return to the UK, or try and apply for dual citizenship passports with countries still in the EU.

What’s the Difference Between Europe and the EU?

The difference between Europe and the EU is actually pretty similar to the difference between Great Britain and the UK. Europe is the geographical area and the EU is a political union of 27 nations that are within Europe.

Much like how Great Britain is the geographical name for the island and the UK is the political union of the four countries that are either on or around Great Britain.

Your country has to be on the continent of Europe to be in the European Union, but you don’t have to be in the EU if you live in Europe. For example, Switzerland is in Europe but is not in the European Union.

Can You Visit London on a Schengen Visa?

No, you cannot visit London on a Schengen visa. The Schengen visa or allowance is where people from certain countries, like the US, can visit certain European nations without having to apply for a visa.

You can visit for a grand total of 90 days out of a 180-day period without having to get a single piece of paperwork, and you can cross borders between these designated countries without any issue.

London and the UK aren’t part of the Schengen area, but you can visit London visa-free if you’re from the US for six months without having to apply for paperwork. This also assumes that you’re not going to work while you’re in the UK, as it’s a tourist-only situation.

The countries in the Schengen block have a ton of overlap with the countries in the EU because of the whole freedom of movement thing, but there are some exceptions. While there are 27 countries in the EU and 27 countries in the Schengen Zone, they aren’t entirely the same.

The countries in the Schengen zone are:

Austria,
Belgium,
Czechia,
Croatia,
Denmark,
Estonia,
Finland,
France,
Germany,
Greece,
Hungary,
Iceland,
Italy,
Latvia,
Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg,
Malta,
Netherlands,
Norway,
Poland,
Portugal,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Spain,
Sweden,
Switzerland.

How can I Get to London?

As London is located on an island, there are many different ways to get to this beautiful city. So, let’s find out the different ways to get to London from both North America and mainland Europe.

By Train

Obviously, you can’t get a train from North America to the UK, but you can get a train from Europe directly into central London. The Eurostar train goes directly from Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Lille, Marseille, Avignon, Lyon, and Calais into St. Pancras Station in London.

You can also get off the Eurostar in Ashford in Kent which is south of London and closer to the English south coast.

You can get trains from all around Europe to one of those major Eurostar stations, so it’s easy to plan your route around Europe before heading out to the UK. All without having to step foot on an airplane!

By Car

If you’re hiring a car or live on the continent, you can drive across to the UK on the Channel Tunnel. This is a very bizarre thing that connects northern France to Folkestone in Kent. It’s also called the Shuttle and you essentially drive onto a train that goes back and forth underneath the English Channel.

It sounds super odd because it is, but it’s a decent way to get across to the UK, especially if you’re traveling as a family or have a full car of friends.

By Air

Obviously, the easiest way to get to and from London is by air. It’s often the cheapest way as well with so many low-cost airlines operating in the UK capital. There are a few airlines in and around London:

London Heathrow (LHR)
London Gatwick (GTW)
London City (LCY)
London Stansted (STN)
London Luton (LTN)

Now it’s worth mentioning that both Stansted and Luton are very loosely London airports. They’re further out and can be tricky to get to from London city center, so factor this in if you’re going to fly to or from London.

By Boat

You can always get the ferry to or from the UK from the European mainland. There are a few different routes that you can choose from.

Some of the routes from Europe going into Southern England include:

Calais
Dieppe
Bilbao
Caen
Cherbourg
Le Havre
Santander
Roscoff
St Malo
Dunkirk

You can also get ferries from Ireland to the Northwest of England and Wales, or you can get from the Netherlands to the Northeast of England pretty easily too.

If you like slow travel, you can also jump on a cruise ship across the Atlantic that’ll likely dock in either Liverpool in the north or Southampton, which is only an hour away from London by train.