London trip- 1st timer

zagubov

Another vote for using buses as much as possible. The view from the top deck is always interesting whereas the tube would be dull and annoying for tourists.
Use websites including this portal page and this streetmap site of shops to find other things going on.

You can download the Citymapper app which is useful for getting around

sitesafe

Watch out for pick pockets and moped drivers who mount the pavements to steal mobile phones!
One of the train tickets to London allows you to use the bus and underground inclusive once you arrive.
If you don't have that and just want to use a general bus you have to pay but I was surprised to find I could only pay by Oyster or by contactless debit card. No cash! The driver laughed at me when I asked how much it was for a single to....! I believe I had to pay £3 just to get a couple of stops away.

sitesafe

Waterloo Bridge for one of the best views - as recommended by many a taxi driver!

NineDeuce

Bus tours are quite expensive but each to their own. Underground is generally fine on a lot of routes if you avoid rush hour.

Bank holidays are just like anywhere else, but then again London is always busy

Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and London Eye are all within walking distance. The London Eye is also outside the London Aquarium.

Also, the Science Museum is just round the corner from the Natural History Museum and the V&A Museum. If you go to South Kensington tube station, you can access the V&A before you come out of the station, then walk round the corner to the other 2. Then you also arent far from Harrods and Hyde Park. Then if you are at Hyde Park, you are just across from Oxford Street, then Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square.

lisyloo

Underground is generally fine

But not so much in a heatwave !!
It's been up to 40 degrees and on most (non air-conditioned) lines it's still pretty hot.
You also don't get to see a lot from the tube if you're sightseeing.

dacouch

sitesafe wrote: »

Watch out for pick pockets and moped drivers who mount the pavements to steal mobile phones!
One of the train tickets to London allows you to use the bus and underground inclusive once you arrive.
If you don't have that and just want to use a general bus you have to pay but I was surprised to find I could only pay by Oyster or by contactless debit card. No cash! The driver laughed at me when I asked how much it was for a single to....! I believe I had to pay £3 just to get a couple of stops away.

A bus trip is a set price in London, about £1.40, they have changed it recently allowing you to use two buses for this price if you board them within 1 hour

zagubov

dacouch wrote: »

A bus trip is a set price in London, about £1.40, they have changed it recently allowing you to use two buses for this price if you board them within 1 hour

These are some of the ones that show you the touristy bits .

You can use a contactless card as if it was a London Oystercard on the buses. Your 10-year old might not need one if s/he looks their age. Your 14-year old may need to buy one in a shop (I think there's a cheaper version for teenagers).

You can top them up in convenience stores /corner shops with an oyster symbol. For small cash purchases in these shops you can get the change put on the oyster card if you like.

If you do want to use the tube, you can find most attractions near tube stations using this tube map.

For cheap dining in the evening try 5pm.co.uk

NineDeuce

lisyloo wrote: »

But not so much in a heatwave !!
It's been up to 40 degrees and on most (non air-conditioned) lines it's still pretty hot.
You also don't get to see a lot from the tube if you're sightseeing.

You also dont get to see a lot if you spend 10 times the time of journey on a bus....

Cornucopia

zagubov wrote: »

These are some of the ones that show you the touristy bits .

Good selection, though the D3 might be something of a bold choice, and the 205 might not actually be that interesting.

macman

If you are only staying one night, then you don't want to waste time stuck on a bus in traffic. Use the tube with your contactless cards (you need one per fare-payer), it's quicker and easy. By all means try the 23 route for sightseeing, or other buses for short hops, but not for all your travel.
The tourist buses are expensive and a waste of time. There is still one LT heritage bus route running, using Routemasters: the 15 from Tower Hill to Trafalgar Square, which passes many of the popular sites.