London Underground

[Iwasjustasking]

i am going to London for the first time ever next week, please can someone explain to me the capping system on the underground, how much is the daily maximum fare? How do I pay for my six year old? And has anyone got a good city planner app that will tell me the exact tubes i need to go on to get too various touristy locations please?

Quite honestly, @Iwasjustasking, I’d get the bus for a chunk of your sightseeing. Yes, I know it can take a while, but that’s part of the fun - and you see so much along the way.

For example, you want to go to Hamleys, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. They're all along the No. 12 bus route. You could start from Oxford Circus after a bit of shopping - or start from the other direction and work into the middle of town (route map attached). If you use a contactless card you can just jump on and off the bus (you just tap in as you get on). As pp said, your 6yo is free. The buses operate a 'Hopper' system so two journeys within an hour cost one fare. At the end of a day you won’t pay more than the daily capped rate.

If you’re staying near the Shard you’re very close to Borough Market already. And you’re not far from Tower Bridge either.

Covent Garden is not far from Trafalgar Square but you could go back and do that separately, combine it with a nice walk round St James's Park and see Buckingham Palace too. Then pick up another bus to Knightsbridge and Harrods - or the tube if you prefer.

Thankyou so much, that’s perfect, I would prefer to do buses so we can see more and I don’t mind them taking a while, at least dd2 will be sitting down and not moaning about her legs! Thankyou for attaching the route.

Staying by the Shard is great as you will be very well placed for walking along the Thames and looking at Tower Bridge, and then coming back along the South Bank. It might be a long walk for the little one but if you are reasonably good walkers it's a great walk all the way to Westminster Bridge and then you can wander about Westminster area. I love St James's Park and all the birds, especially the pelicans. Then off to Buckingham Palace. But with a very young child buses are really good, as others have said. Have fun!

I wouldn't bother with Harrods. It's not very exciting.

I second this.

No problem @Iwasjustasking, I love buses and I’m afraid I’d always get them in preference to the tube, unless I’m in a rush. If you have the Citymapper app handy, it’s very useful to see where you are on your journey.

(I’d agree about Harrods, it’s not what it was, but if you’ve never been there, why not!)

you'll be better getting buses, I was in central London yesterday and it was mobbed everywhere. There was a long queue waiting to get into Hamleys. you're 5 mins walk from borough market, it opens at 10,get there earlier and have a walk around, lovely cobbled streets , The Golden Hinde https://www.goldenhinde.co.uk then 10 mins walk up to and over tower bridge.
Get the no 15 bushttps://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tower+of+London,+London+EC3N+4AB/Big+Ben,+London+SW1A+0AA/@51.5073708,-0.1183119,14z/am=t/data=!4m17!4m16!1m5!1m1!1s0x48760349331f38dd:0xa8bf49dde1d56467!2m2!1d-0.0759493!2d51.5081124!1m5!1m1!1s0x487604c38c8cd1d9:0xb78f2474b9a45aa9!2m2!1d-0.1246254!2d51.5007292!2m1!5e0!3e3!5i3goes through the city of London, get off at Big Ben and you're near Trafalgar sq etc, you can then all up to Covent Garden, china town then regent street for hamleys.

an adult is capped at £8.10 a day in central London, that's in a 24 hour period.

I came on to agree about the number 12 bus route! Every time I take it I think how brilliant it is for sight seeing.

There is a lot more walking when you use the underground than you might imagine. Some of the station platforms take some walking to, even though you are already underground.

Don't underestimate just how big London actually is.

The Thames Clipper boats are fun. They're TFL-run so cost a lot less than the tourist boats but it's the same journey just minus the commentary. Also if you.end up going East e.g. Greenwich, the Docklands light railway trains are driverless (kids love to sit at the front and "drive" and have some good views. All TFL transport is best paid by tapping your debit card, and cost caps will be applied automatically. Just make sure you use the same card each time. No change for 6 year old, they just walk through the wide gate with you. You should get the hang of the tube map quickly enough, everywhere is well signposted and there are always helpful staff around.

Big Ben is right by Westmimster pier or station. From there you can walk through St James Park (lots of wildlife including the famous pelicans, and a good playground) to Buckingham Palace.
If you time it right, the Changing of the Guards is a spectacle worth seeing. Dates and times here. https://changing-guard.com/dates-buckingham-palace.html. Then from the palace it's a short walk to Trafalgar Square.

All of the above is manageable in a morning (I used to do it alone with 2 young children). You're not far then from Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Soho etc (bit of a walk, or a short hop on a bus or tube if little legs are tired). I'd personally highly recommend Covent Garden for fun shops, decent cafes.and lots of street performers. The transport museum there is great too but a little pricey.

Then for the other day if you want to take it fairly easy perhaps stay around the South Bank area, always plenty going on. Borough Market is an excellent food market close to your accommodation or go a bit further West for the London Eye, Sea Life, plenty of food and drink places and street performers.

Other good options would be Kensigton (Science Museum - free but well worth paying extra for Wonderlab and Natural History Museum); or Greenwich (lovely park, Maritime museum - free, Royal Observatory- free but you pay a few £ for the planetarium shows, Cutty Sark - costs - and the Greenwich foot tunnel & Meridian line). I'd allow a full day each for either area.

Have fun!

To clarify, Natural History Museum is also free.

Are you getting to London by train, @Iwasjustasking? Because if you are, you can get reduced-price tickets for various London attractions - it might be worth browsing the 2-for-1 London site. Might give you a few ideas, anyway.

@Halsall thankyou so much, we are so I will have a look!

88 bus goes down regent street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar square, Downing Street, Houses of Parliament. Then get off outside Westminster abbey (great smith street) - walk across the road towards the scaffolding already up for the coronation and down the road next to the qe11 centre onto Horseguards and you are at the start of the mall and Buckingham palace is there.

Tower bridge and borough market are relatively close. You can walk down the river from Trafalgar Square (over the bridge and walk on south side) . Stop off at borough market and onto tower bridge- if you have time

I didnt say but hamleys is on the 88 bus route-on Regent street

That leaves Harrods- tube is probably best

Sorry- just saw you are staying near the shard- thought it was 1 day. Borough market is there. the uber boat (thames clipper) is great- you can see all of the landmarks- I get a day rover and do Westminster to greenwich but if not battersea to tower bridge is good.

12 bus is another great route- from the city to Fulham and does rafalgar square, Downing Street, Houses of Parliament.