London travel help for tourists

vics2003

We (a family of 4) are about the visit London and we're just wondering what is the cheapest way to travel on bus and tube?
Many thanks,

flea72

It would depend on what zones you want to travel in. How many journeys you plan to make and whether you want to visit any attractions that might be included in the 2for1 days out offers

Alot of places in central london are walkable, depending on kids ages/your fitness levels

So, ages of kids. Where you are staying. How many days you are staying. Where you want to visit and how you plan to get into london will help

Off_PeakReturn

https://www.tfl.gov.uk an excellent website for all travel info on how to get about London. If you have the time, travelling by bus is a lot more pleasant than the Tube, in my opinion, as you can see the sights.

I think Route 74 is quite a scenic route. Check Tripadvisor for details of other bus routes which people recommend as an inexpensive alternative to the sightseeing buses.

Have a great visit.

OPR

dzug1

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london gives the 2 for 1 offers which you will not find mentioned on the TfL site

As your first reply says, ages of kids matters. Child fares in London are worthy of a PhD thesis.

Doofer911

A lot of the main "Touristy" areas in central London are very close together and there are pillars along pavements with clear maps to help you get to and from them. If you're planning on going to any of the areas below it's probably better to walk...

Westminster (Big Ben)
London Eye
Waterloo Station
Embankment
Charing Cross Station
Trafalgar Square
The Strand
The Mall (road between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace)
Covent Garden Market
Leicester Square
Piccadilly Circus
Chinatown
Regent St (Hamleys Toy Store!:D )
Oxford St

Charing Cross/Trafalgar Square is the centre point of all those locations and you can easily walk to any other destination within 15 mins. Just to reinforce what the others have said, consider your children's age. Also note that around these areas, the Tube is incredibly busy during rush hour. Mon-Fri between 8:00-9:30 and 16:30-18:00 so if you need to use it, try to avoid those times

liz545

One tip - if you get travel cards or Oyster cards, you can save a fortune on the cost of a sightseeing bus trip. The heritage bus routes 9 and 15 run from The Royal Albert Hall past lots of the main sites to the Tower of London on old Routemaster buses, plus your travel card is valid on them. So much cheaper than a tour and much more of a 'real London' experience!

surfsister

vics you need to buy oyster cards £5 each not sure about children then travel on tube/bus is halved. if any of you have rail cards link them to the oyster cards and travel is reduced a bit more.

you can buy them in newsagents in London, probably on-line look at the oyster website. i travel for £1.40 a journey in one 1 off peak by tube. buses are OK when it's not busy but not that quick when it's busy traffic, although cheaper than tube. Also can be a nightmare to find the bus stop for the bus number you require!!

also look at travel-cards but don't use them myself.

buy/download a good easy to read tube map and London map/guide.

i try to only use zone 1 as often looking on the map shows a zone 1 tube quite near to a zone 2, which saves money. Of course this depends where you stay in London.

planning is they key - walking is quite fun in London if you plan things along the route to look at especially if you have children.

have fun!