Easiest cheapest way to travel around London

[lul1]

2 nights in august.
2 adults a teen and tween.
We are staying near the excel for an event.

I'm autistic it didn't cross my mind how far we would be from the centre.

I won't be going to the event as I hate crowds but I will have to go to the other places.

Daughter wants afternoon tea and to see the sites.

Is a tour bus with afternoon tea best or separate.

I've seen offers or Wowcher but they are only up to July.

Is the underground the easiest way? How much is it?

Talk to me like I'm 12 please.

Thank you.

Oyster card - use on buses, underground, overground and trams.

Riverboat . Where do you want to visit in central London, Excel is only about 20 minutes away?

You can use your contactless card on all Transport for London transport routes.
Use the same card all day and it will automatically stop charging you when you reach the daily ‘travelcard’ cap for the zones you have travelled through.
Have each person use a different card and use that card all day.
ExCel is well served by the Jubillee line and the DLR. tap in and out as you go through the barriers.

How old is your tween?

Familiarise yourself with the CityMapper app, or use Google maps.

Within central London walking is often better than taking a bus or tube.

Just use your cash card as an oyster.

The Elizabeth line from Custom house takes you in about 15 mins to Tottenham Court Road or Bond Street for theatre land or shopping.

DLR to Tower Gateway for the Tower of London or Tower Bridge. Or you could take the cable car from near Excel to North Greenwich for the Millennium dome, or whatever they call it these days. There are plenty of restaurants, a cinema , bowling and outlet shopping as well as the 02 concert venue.

For all of these you can just swipe your contactless bank card to pay as you go so you need to make sure that you have a card each to pay with if you don't want to have to get an Oyster card or tickets.

We have had "young visitor" passes put on our oyster cards for our DDs when visiting London so they can travel for half fare on the tube. But we already had Oyster cards. They now cost £7 which is non refundable, so you'd need to think about what your saving would be, to decide if it's worth it. If they use a contactless card they will be charged full fare. Under tens travel free (just shove them through the barrier ahead of you!).

I am sure if you Google it there is a site with the best bus routes in London to see the sites. No need to pay for an expensive tour bus.

Loads of places do afternoon tea, can be very pricey.

Don’t do afternoon tea on the bus, you miss all the sights as busy with the food and sights aren’t pointed out. Loads of hotels or Harrods do lovely afternoon teas.

If you haven't got separate contactless cards, you could buy the DC travel cards for the day and then the adults can tap in and tap out. It will probably wait out cheaper than paying out for an oyster.

If you don't like crowds, I would look at walking and river boat options.

Walk! A lot of the sites in London are quite close together so you can walk between them.

If you look online, you find find walking routes that take in the main sites.

Your youngest should be free to travel on London Transport

Walking and uber

The tween can travel free but you'll need a zip card, order online from TfL. You can use contactless for you, fares are capped.
How old is the teen?

Download city mapper app, it's brilliant for all public transport but buses (normal not tour) will be cheapest. Capped price per day. Sit upstairs and see all the sights. Have fun!

Thanks all. I can't believe afternoon tea is about £80 pp.

I told dd11 that it would be better getting it on the outskirts of London.

A couple of months back her teacher gave the kids a list of places to go to for it and the Ritz was in it!!!

When we go Dd11 will be 12 and dd13 will be 14.

Oh I'm so nervous. Worst place in the UK I could go!!!

3 hour walk from the hotel to the centre. Do people really walk?

Whereabouts are you staying? We can suggest routes if we know roughly where you will be.

As PP say - contactless cards/apple pay will automatically stop charging once you reach the daily travel card limit. If you start traveling after 9.30 tube fares are cheaper by a few quid. There is info on fares here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares#on-this-page-1

Bus and tram fares are cheaper and are here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/bus-and-tram-fares

Keep citymapper or similar app on your phone as well as the TFL app. This will ensure you have up to date maps and routing info. Sometimes its quicker and nice to walk between stations which may be very close together.

ExCel is on the Elizabeth line - so straight over to Paddington (past bond st, Tottenham Court Road etc) so really quick and easy to get into central London.

Oyster cards are fine, or you can use a dd/ credit card (just make sure you tap in and out with the same card) and you can get a card for under 15s and under 18s - I forget the details but check there site.

From Excel to the centre, probably not, but getting the Elizabeth line in from Custom House is a great suggestion.

Bus route 11 is good for sightseeing. If you catch a bus you only need to tap your card when you get on, not off.

If you go on the tube, make sure you all stand on the right on the escalators so people can walk past on the left.

I've checked the city mapper app and it's 3 buses to the centre? I should have booked somewhere closer but it didn't occur to me that we would actually be going into London. I was just focused on this event. God I hardly leave the house.

Buses can be slow. Get the tube - really it’s the best and fastest way. I’ve been zipping from Liverpool st/paddington a lot recently for events and it’s easy peasy.

As PP have said, use the underground - it’s really easy to get around, and there’s a cap on the daily spend. Contactless for the adults (needs to be one card each) and a ZIP card for each child - apply online (just google ZIP TFL). They will then get discounted travel.

EL&N for afternoon tea - £44.99 for 2 people - several locations around London, highly recommended, and colourful! I went to the Carnaby Street one. https://elnlondon.com/

Excel is close enough to the centre now the Lizzie line goes from Custom House (next to Excel), and you’ll be on oxford street in 15 mins.

There’s lots of free stuff to do like the museums, plus recommend seeing if you can get a (free) ticket for the Sky Garden and also the Barbican conservatory.

Afternoon tea can be expensive but there are lots of cheaper places. https://afternoontea.co.uk/uk/london/ you can filter this by price.

You are really not that far out and the Elizabeth line is the best one, being newest. I was on it just yesterday with my autistic DD and it's the one she can deal with best. No promises on the crowds but it's much quieter noise-wise.

Much better to stay a little further out where you can 'go home' to the slightly quieter bit as it's quite intense being in central London the whole time.

To can find afternoon tea deals on sites like groupon.

Most museum and gallery cafes and chains like Patisserie Valerie and Cafe Concerto do afternoon tea which can be cheaper. Buses are a good way to see the city without being among the bustle of crowds, just avoid rush hour. If you are around on a Sunday the City itself (St Pauls, Bank, Monument etc) is normally very quiet.