Some Interesting Facts About Wales

Public Holidays

Date 2004                    Occasion
January 1                            New Year's Day
April 9                                Good Friday
April 11                              Easter
April 12                              Easter Monday
May 3                                  May Day Bank Holiday
May 31                                Bank Holiday
August 30                           Summer Bank Holiday
December 25                     Christmas Day 
December 26                     Boxing Day

Weekend: Saturday, Sunday

Customs & Duties

VAT or Value Added Tax is charged on most goods and services sold in shops around Britain. Retrieving this tax requires a procedure and filling out a form, but is worth the saving. You can avail of the Retail Export scheme for this purpose. 
VAT is also charged on services in hotels and restaurants, but this cannot be reclaimed.
If you are bringing goods into England from within the EU, there are no limits on the quantity, except in the case of alcohol, cigarettes etc..

Electricity

Wales is a 240-v AC country (50-60HZ). Bring along an adapter, if coming from a different system, although they are widely available in big cities.

Post & Communications

You can send snaps and postcards weighing under 2 kg to your buddies back home through airmail which is fast but costly.    Surface Mail is cheaper but slower, and you also cannot send postcards or photographs within Europe through this mode.

The standard airmail postage for Europe and the world is 30p.
For sending packages outside the Union, you might need to fill out a Custom’s Declaration Form.

Weights and measures

The metric system is used in Wales.
Weight is measured in kilograms, and distance in kilometres.

Tipping

Give your cabbie about 10-15% of the metre fare, your hotel bellhop something between 50p and a pound for every suitcase he carries, and add on about 10-15% onto a restaurant bill.  Theatre attendants do not expect tips, nor do gas station employees.