Going to London. Really scared. No clue.

[london101asap]

Hi so we are staying near London Excel.

I'm so scared of getting the tube.

I see there is a cable car we can walk (25 min)

Once off the other end though the nearest bus stop to a 48 hop on bus (London Bridge) is a 3 hour walk.

How do we get to from the cable car to the bus?

Dh is used to travelling all over the world and the uk but not around London only the outskirts.

Tween daughters want you to see the sights. Do you get off at every sight then wait for another bus?

I'm so scared as we are relying on dh who has adhd and I have severe anxiety but our 12 and 13 year olds really want to go.

Any advice please?

I am really comfortable with the London Underground, but recently went to New York for the first time. I felt about their subway like you do about the tube. I watched YouTube videos to learn it, and it really helped. Try that. Honestly, it's not as scary as it seems once you're there.

But avoid rush hour on the tube in London. Weirdly, the New York subway is nowhere near as busy at peak times as the tube in London.

Do you get a kick from being an arse to people?

I'm all for using buses whenever possible myself, just takes longer.

Hope you conquer your fear OP especially so that your children can enjoy their first experience of the best city in the world!

Scared of what though?! You'll ruin your own experience by being scared. It's a wonderful city! How do people manage to live there and not be scared ? I did for years , it's far more scarier where I live now, v rural, surrounded by travellers sites with a reputation for violence .

Because it’s good to force yourself out of your comfort zone. The tube is hardly going over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

OP, if your DH is a less nervous person and a more experienced traveller, why not let him and your children decide on routes and modes of transport?

You can't forget. There will be gates to go through and they won't open if you don't tap. On the big wide gates hold it down and leave it until it beeps and opens - they end to be slower than the single gates. Even if the gates are fixed open you just tap your card on the big yellow reader as you walk through.

Most central London stations still have staff on duty near the gates so if you get confused look for one in uniform. Usually easy to find as surrounded by other confused tourists. Remember to stand on the right when on escalators.

Worst case scenario of you rush through a gate and don't tap put, then you get charged the maximum fare cap for the whole journey/day. Which if you are travelling around on tube and buses for a day you will probably hit anyway. To t understand the fares, see the TfL website. Basically there is a cap on how much you pay per day regardless of how many trips you take. Pay as you go caps - Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk)

Download the City Mapper app or the TFL journey planner app, these will help you see next bus/tube departures and planning how to get from A to B.

Tourist 'hop on/hop off' buses go round the major sights on a schedule. No use to you unless you want to sightsee very slowly in traffic. Pointless if mainly going to one location that isn't on their route.

Please stop panicking, you need to get this anxiety under control somehow or you will spoil the trip for your family. And hopefully you are already having counselling as it sounds really debilitating.

Despite what some say, Londoners aren't all unfriendly. There are often staff at the barriers to help and you can ask people for help.
The lines themselves are really well signposted and colour coded. The kids will enjoy working out a route. Once you are in the west end, it is often quicker to walk between sights than get a bus or tube. You used to be able to download walking maps from the Mayor of London website, so might be worth looking there.
From Excel, I'd get DLR (docklands light railway) to Tower Hill, which is right by Tower of London and Tower Bridge and then walk. You could walk all along the South Bank from them to Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge. As you walk over the Bridge, you get an incredible view of St. Pauls.

Another nice walk is from Trafalgar Square, towards Big Ben. Will take you past Horseguards and the guards horses, towards Parliament Square, which is near Westminster Abbey etc., then River Bus back to Excel.

Why are you scared of getting the tube?

Are you picturing london as some kind of third world ghetto zone?

London is lovely. I visited it last week and I had a great time

We stayed at the travelodge near the Excel a few years ago, got the DLR into the centre, we didn’t use the tube just walked around.

The NYC subway is WAAAAAY more complicated than London. Numbered lines, lettered lines, lettered trains, express, not-express.... we got lost so often. But again, people were lovely and helpful.

All the stops are both announced on the tube and the bus but also come up on an information screen located in the middle of each set of seats. Another tip is to count the stops on the map before you board. The tube is very easy and if you download the Citymapper App you put in your destination and it will come up with all the options, including bus.

You can use your bank card but the children will need their own, addressed above I believe.

The tube isn’t as busy as it used to be these days as a lot of people are working from home on some days. You can always wait for the next one if you feel it is too crowded. Weekends can be busier but just give yourself time.

You can’t forget to beep out on the tube as you have to go through the barriers and they won’t let you through if you don’t. There will be someone from TFL at the entrance/exits. You don’t need to beep out on the bus. If you sit after the central door on the bus you will see a LED screen that comes up with each stop, there is also an announcement. All major tourists spots are generally announced.

Finally, in spite of everything you might hear, Londoners are friendly and helpful so just ask if you don’t understand. I’ve helped quite a few tourists on the bus when they have been confused by the system.

We just did London on buses. Tap on and tap off . Used Google maps which told us which bus stop to use etc. you just pay a daily rate

Same as @flyingfar I've often helped, or seen others helping, even when not English speaking, you can normally point to signs etc.

I feel your pain OP, I can't use the tube and no need to explain why, I hear you. Whenever I go to London (which I try and avoid if I can) I always use the buses. It is so simple, there will of course be buses outside of the station and you can just hop on and off them really easily to get to where you need to go.
I hope you enjoy your trip.

Have a good look at the tube map before you go op. It's honestly not as scary as it seems. Just tap in with your bank cards if that's easier...your DC will end up paying adult fares but it might be easier for you if you're anxious and don't want another issue to think about!

Buses are simple too. Remember wherever you are you can go on google maps and type in your destination and it will tell you what public transport you need to get, from where and how long it will take.

If you are that nervous then take taxis. If there are four of you it won't work out much more expensive. I hate the tube too and the last time we went to London with the kids we just hailed a cab each time we wanted to go anywhere. You don't have to book them. Just stand by the edge of the road and look for one that isn't occupied and wave them down. It is great that you are taking your children to London when it is something you feel really anxious about. Make things as easy as possible for yourself.

The tube is fine honestly. And staff are surprisingly helpful (as are Londoners actually. I know we have a reputation but if a tourist asks a question there's always plenty of people who answer.) Give it a go.

Yes, the tube is a dream compared to the subway.

I thought you beeped when getting on and off the tube. Not the barrier.

I don't know why people think it's so crazy to ask.

Stop it. OP clearly has anxiety issues. You are making yourself sound like an arse.

The DLR is in green with a white stripe on the tube map. The Overground, which is orange with a white stripe, is largely overground too.

Buses are great for travel if you're a tourist IMO - sit upstairs and watch the view.

The cable car is definitely worth a ride if you like a view. You could get a return ticket on the cable car - which lots of people do - or carry on via the DLR from Royal Docks. (The buses from there are pretty useless IIRC unless you want to head east out of London).

Eu would recommend you plan your trip quite carefully and focus on certain areas that are walkable once you are there so you just have to get there and back on transport eg:

trafalgar sq/Covent garden/china town/Leicester Square
south bank
greenwich
museums at kensington
oxford st

I would do the hop on hop off bus tours, they take you to all the sightseeing locations and there's someone on the bus you can ask if you're not sure of anything