Getting around London - complete novice

[Explainitlikeimfive]

Travelling into London on Tuesday and the more I look at public transport, the more confused I get. Can anyone please help me?

What is the cheapest way to get around and are there day passes for transport? Like a 3 day pass that would cover transport for the days?

We're flying into Gatwick Tuesday morning and want to get to Waterloo from there. Looks like we need to take the train for this?

Then within London, it looks cheaper to use the tubes to get around rather than trains?

Living in a place at the minute where public transport is nearly non-existent and don't want to mess this up for the kids so would be really grateful for some advice.

For the tube and busses, a debit card or phone to tap in and out is the best option- price is capped for the day however many times you use it but you need a card each. For the kids, you can buy child rate travel cards for each day but it has to be done on the day at a station and you’ll need a physical card for some stations.

Gatwick to Waterloo is a train.
enjoy!

(How old are the kids btw? Under 12 - I think - are free on tubes)

The National Rail app is good for journey planning and will give you times, platforms and which tube line you need. It also tells you if the train is delayed or cancelled.

Train to Waterloo from Gatwick you need to change at Clapham Junction or the Gatwick Express goes direct to Victoria.

Bus or tube is the best . If you use Google maps it will tell you the fastest way and which buses and even which bus stop. ( they tend to be labelled alphabetically at each location) Also use the tfl journey planner. All transport is tap and go, just use your debit card . But also don’t forget walking , London is very very walkable and you can see the sights as you walk, for example you can amble up from the Embankment, through Trafalgar Sq , Covent Garden/Seven Dials and up Tottenham Court Road into Bloomsbury and British Museum , etc up to Coalpits Yard and in under an hour . You could do it quicker by Tube but you will have missed seeing stuff .

The TFL.gov.uk website or app does a brilliant very detailed journey planner within London - live times and alternative routes including walks between bus and tube or tube stations that you don’t necessarily know about (sometimes quicker to walk between different stations than to change line)

Gatwick to Waterloo you can do southern to Clapham junction and change for Waterloo. Or go to London bridge and jubilee line.

Citymapper is the best app for navigation. Gives you all the options - often quicker to walk or go to a nearby but less obviously named station.

Kids under 11 are free on buses and tubes, older they pay reduced prices but you would need an oyster for this.

As people say just use your contactless debit card. You can tap in on the yellow roundels at the station gates and at the front of the bus.

Once you are in central London buses and tubes are the best way to get around London but always check as central London is also very walkable and sometimes it is easier to walk.

Some suburban areas of London, particularly the South are not on the tube so if you want to go there you will have to use mainline trains. You can still use your contactless card as long as your desitination is in the London travel zones.

It might be worth you downloading the CityMapper app, I'm sure there's other similar ones too. The app works out the different transport options based on your entering the start location and end location, with an option to use your phone location as the start (handy if you've got a bit lost!). It includes details like which tube station exit (when it's a big station with options) and the timing estimates for journeys are usually pretty accurate for me

If you have a iPhone, you can use maps. Change from drive to the bus / train symbol and it will give you the bus and tube options to get where ever you need to be from your current location. Really handy for for the tube and bus service while there.
For central london, cheapest option is to tap your card on and off as you enter and leave the tube. For buses you just tap on.

Download the 'citymapper' app, it is brilliant for determining the quickest route from where you are standing to where you want to go.

Google maps is great if you select public transport. Plus it shows you how to walk from the station to your destination! it's great for tourists.
You can get a young visitor oyster card for 11 to 15 yr olds.

At Gatwick, be careful when buying tickets- if you type in Waterloo it might not offer the best/cheapest option first. V annoying.

Once in London, tap in and out with a regular card. Best way to do it and caps at a travel card cost for whatever zones you have been in. Across tube, train, bus and tram.

Children under 12 travel on tube and bus free. They just have to go through the barriers with you - use the family barriers which are bigger. You would mostly only need overland trains if heading out of London and then you can buy paper children's tickets that are cheaper. Assuming you are staying within London zoned, adults can continue to.use their debit card to tap in and out.

A PP mentioned this above but just to clarify you can’t tap your child through the tube gates on your bank card and then tap again to go through yourself.

Every person a single tap if that makes sense (you tap the card at the other end to complete the journey).

So either get an oyster card for the kids or the kids travelcard as mentioned above.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks all, this is really reassuring. (Our last city break was a huge struggle trying to figure out the public transport). I have the suggested apps downloading now.

DC are 10 and 5, so me and DH would both scan our own cards to get onto tubes, buses etc but DC - do they just get on without scanning?

Thankfully, the boys are great to walk and walk so that should help us to keep down the amount of public transport we need to use.

Is it best to book train from Gatwick ahead?

How many of you and what ages?

You can use contactless payment on public transport within London itself (I don't know if you can use it to/from Gatwick). But you need one card/device per person. Otherwise you'll need to get an Oyster card (are they still £5?) and load up with prepayment.

There's a daily (and weekly) price cap when you pay by contactless or Oyster, so although you're paying for individual journeys, when it reaches the amount of a day travel card for the zones you're travelling in, it stops charging you. But you still need to tap in/out for all journeys.

Options from Gatwick: don't bother with Gatwick Express. Either Southern train towards Victoria and change at Clapham Junction (awful station to interchange) for train to Waterloo, or Thameslink to London Bridge and change trains to Waterloo East (which exits into Waterloo station). But check if ticket prices are different for each route. National Rail website best for trains.

TfL.gov.uk for public transport in London itself.

I’d also recommend Citymapper - I’m a Ali diner and find it clearer and easier to use than TfL or Google maps.

For the kids, they may be free on tubes and buses, depending on ages, but you will need to pay on the train. I suggest asking at Gatwick station for child tickets to Waterloo.

Before you go, get a visitor Oyster card (order from link below) for each child and at Waterloo get the young visitor discount added to it at the ticket office.

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card#on-this-page-7

On the tube Go through the big wide gate for pushchairs etc, tap with your card and walk the kids through with you.
They just get in the bus without paying.

There are loads of "normal" trains that go from Gatwick in to central London. They may take a bit longer than the Gatwick Express but will be cheaper. As people have said there is no direct train from Gatwick to Waterloo so either get one that goes via Clapham Junction and change there and get a train to Waterloo or one that stops at London Bridge and either get an overland train one more stop to Waterloo East (a different station to Waterloo but very near) or take the Jubilee line to Waterloo.

The thing about London public transport is there are always a lot of different options!

Thank you both. This is exactly the kind of thing I would have got wrong.

Actually I would go to London Bridge, Clapham Junction is a bit of a head fuck for someone not used to London public transport, particualry if you are just off a flight and tired!

Yes! As @BoudiccaOfSuburbia said - sorry my advice applies if your kids are older and have to pay. Otherwise go through the big gates. Under 11s free on the tube, bus etc.

Also do feel free to ask someone if you get lost/not sure which tube. I know London has a reputation for being unfriendly, but honestly it’s not and most people are very happy to help.

Black taxi. The London cabbies are the best! x

Not for three days, unleas the OP fancies taking out a second mortgage!

This is true, they are immensely helpful - but only use if money is no object; the meter will continue to add up even when you are stuck in traffic moving at snail’s pace - it is not a fixed fare.