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.

Quite often you'll find it's quicker to walk

That said the tube is quick and easy to navigate

And it's safe

Buses are good so long as you know which ones to get

To be honest I’d just get the train to Victoria and then a bus to Waterloo. It’s not far at all - Citymapper will tell you which buses and from where but I’d imagine a few run that route.

London Bridge is fairly easy to navigate once you've found the escalators/lift off the platform. Go down to the concourse and find the platforms for trains to Charing Cross - I can't remember the numbers but it's either 5/6 or 7/8. They're dedicated platforms for the Charing Cross services, which only stops at Waterloo East and Charing Cross. Exits at both stations are at the front of the trains, so use the escalators on the side of the concourse where the ticket barriers are, which will take you towards the front end of the platform. Journey time from London Bridge to Waterloo East is about 7 minutes.

I know you said you could all walk and walk but some TFL buses take in the sights.
https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/experience-london/bus-leisure-routes

Thames Clipper is a way to see the City from a different perspective. https://www.thamesclippers.com/

I prefer the Clipper for a lot of things. You can even get coffees/snacks on board.

Check the A to Z as some places are quicker to walk to than taking a tube - especially on the circle and district lines

Take it one journey at a time. Plan your first route of the day, the night before if there's going to be any rush to get to a place.

@OchonAgusOchonOh, tricky as I'm not sure what you're into, bar Harry Potter! But if you're staying in Earls Court, would you and the 21 yr old like Notting Hill and Westbourne Grove for the shops and bars? Or go all the way across London for Shoreditch and Brick Lane? (Just trying to think about that age group...)

I'm a Londoner born and bred and still find utterly brilliant places by doing London walks from books. So strongly recommend looking for a guide or walk if either of those take you. They do take you to places you wouldn't stumble across.

Thank you. Yes, I realise I did set an impossible task by giving no information 😁

The walks sound like a great idea. We started doing walking tours on holidays a few years back and they are great. He would enjoy any spooky ones. He doesn't drink much so I'm not sure going out of our way to bars would be a great plan.

I always love going to the britsh museum so we will probably do that. He's not in to art so we won't bother with galleries.

We aren't bringing luggage so shopping isn't really an option although we will do some markets. I'm going to check out some shoes too.

Just popping back to say thanks everyone for your help. We managed the trains and tubes all week following your instructions which made it stress free.

London is a great city to visit and will definitely be returning to see more of it.

Wonderful - glad you had a good time and the transport worked.

That's great @Explainitlikeimfive . Any particular highlights you'd recommend?

Each person needs to pay with a separate debit/ credit card and the amount you spend per day is capped