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?

As a non London person the tube is genius. You tap in and out with your switch card. The map is easy to understand. You just stay close when getting on and off.
I once got separated from DH and he got off at the next stop and I got the next train and met him there.

Don't bother with the cable car, it goes from nowheresville to the far side of nowhere.

Use the tube, bus, train etc

I’m so sorry you feel like this OP. Are you scared of getting lost on the tube or something happening ?
if it’s getting lost then try to understand how the map works before you go, look at YouTube videos - get your tweens to learn it too - my 11 yo went on tube to school every day - they’re fearless at that age! It really is straightforward once you look into it
ask lots of people, everyone usually very helpful… try not to appear to nervous infront of your girls . You can prob get a boat from the excel down the Thames towards London Bridge / and then on to Westminster and then you really can walk to lots of places from these spots if you’re good walkers and have google maps on. Boats are various speeds - some with commentary some quite fast.
good luck! It’s an adventure and you’re all together x

As a pp said, there are lots of staff and they are really helpful. I'm a stranger on the internet, but I promise you, it's nothing scary at all.

There really are some arseholes in this world!! I'm sorry some of them have nothing better to do today than spew their nonsense on here.

Just thank our lucky stars we're not them. What miseries they are!

I hope you have a lovely trip.

@london101asap you will be alright OP! And enjoy.
i would suggest to make a list of what would you like to see. Not sure how long are you staying for. Then go on google (or google map) and check location of each attraction so you can plan accordingly where to go first from your initial location.
you can make a note how to get from one location to another. This https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/ might be helpful. You just put a start and destination and can play around with options and filter how do you want to travel.

personally i would really recommend using a tube and trying to get over your fear. It will take twice longer by bus. Buses are usually packed and you might not always get the first bus which arrives. Tube is much more convenient, faster, and actually easier than buses.

good plan and you will love it!

If you're desperately worried about the tube use the DLR from Custom House- it's overground and fun as it's driverless so you can sit up front and watch the stations approaching. Go to Tower Gateway - it's the end of the line so you can't miss the stop as long as you're on the right train.

You can visit the Tower of London (almost outside the station) and/or walk across Tower Bridge which brings you to London Bridge station. It's about 20 - 25 minutes walk. Near London Bridge station is The Shard so that's a good place to visit.

You can get an overground train from London Bridge station to Waterloo East (1 stop and most trains stop there). Ten minutes walk or so from there will take you to the London Eye and the South Bank. You can walk across Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament and then up to Trafalgar Square (about 15 minutes from Houses of Parliament). That would take you to Buckingham Palace. Or across Hungerford Bridge from the South Bank to Trafalgar Square (you can't get lost - it's straight on from the bridge). Again about 15 minutes walk from the start of the bridge on the South Bank.

Or you'll find the hop on/hop off buses around the South Bank.

Or stay on the overground train from London Bridge (2 stops) and you'll get to Charing Cross station - 5 minutes walk from Trafalgar Square.

If you open Google Maps and type in all these places you'll see how close to each other they are. You just have to get from Excel to central London and DLR is a safe bet if the tube makes you edgy.

My 17 year old did the trip for the first time a few months ago and he's barely been on a bus (live in the country - what's a bus???)

OP it’s the same as barriers at a train station. You tap to get through and tap to get out.

Always stand on the right of an escalator. Do not block it as people walk down on the left.

The city mapper app is excellent make sure you get that.

If you don't want to get the tube you'll need to uber. Or an app called Gett is like uber for black cans.

On the bus you tap in at the front. Exit at middle doors, don't tap out. It's the same price for all bus journeys regardless of distance and you are only charged once within an hour

If you do end up getting the tube, you tap in at the barriers, you can change tubes and when you are at your desired final stop, you tap out of the barriers.

It will automatically stop charging you when you reach the daily limit.

Good luck for your trip hope you can enjoy it and not feel stressed.

It’s possible. But much harder than navigating the tube and if the OP can’t do that she’s not going to cope with buses

@london101asap this is what the barriers at Tube stations look like.
You beep in to get into the station.
When you have finished your journey you beep out at that station.
If you are changing lines you don't need to beep for that. It is literally beginning and end of your journey.

@Needmorelego that helps thanks

Lots of good advice thanks all

This is what the DLR ones look like. They don't have a physical barrier so you do have to remember to beep in and out. But you won't forget - everyone kind of shuffles together in a line towards the machines.

I’ve been to London recently and the tube is easy to navigate.

Look at the colour of the line you want - and follow the signs - there’s lots of them - check if you are at C and going to Z check the next station along so you are sure you are going in the right direction.

Once on the right platform the train only goes one way - you need to go back up the steps and down again to get the the train going the opposite direction.

Standard daytime is less busy than the rush hour.

We had lots of half empty tubes.

Like PP said, stand back away from the yellow line - once the train stops you are safe to move forward.

There are signs telling you how quick the next one arrives, usually every few minuets.

My 7 year old love the underground in Liverpool and he was soon a wiz at the right stations.

It's intimidating when you are first one, but it's actually really easy and there are people at the gates helping out, for directions you can always ask people on the platform "is this the right way to xyz"- you are bound to get someone who can help, I was helping out the other day figuring out if they were in the right place.

Forget bomb threat, you ar emore likely to be run over by a car wherever you live.

Watch some videos on YouTube of people using the tube so you know what to do. Its very straight forward but it’ll help your nerves if you can see how easy it is first. The tubes all have maps on the inside so you can see how many stops until yours while you’re sat in your seat. Have a look at the maps and get familiar with it. Download the tfl app. We’ve been to London lots of times now but the first time I was so nervous laid in bed at night overthinking scenarios. Its honestly so easy and it feels like being at home for us now.

Too busy

Avoid rush hour and it can often be fine. If a tube pulls in and it's packed just wait for the next one and it will likely be quieter.

Might lose my husband or kids

You really won't. But discuss a plan and a meeting point if that were to happen. But it won't.

Bomb threats (low but still)

It's minuscule. I've never experienced it.

Might miss my stop

You might. I've gone that. It's no big deal. You just get off at the next one and then double back.

I'm scared of being pushed near the track

Make sure you stand back from the edge.

I don't know how to pay

You just tap your card on the turnstile on the way out and the way back. Just watch what other people do.

Don't forget to tap out!

If the gate has been left open then it's easy to forget, but it's important to remember to tap, or the system has no idea where you got off, and will charge you the most expensive fare!

City mapper is brilliant. It will show which buses connect to your destination. Or how to walk to your destination. Uber is also good ..you can use the app to check prices.London transport also have lots of info. Enjoy your stay. London is mostly very friendly.

@london101asap

When will you be here, OP?

Btw I took DD for the first time last year and she loved route planning on the tube. It’s such a great skill to teach them.

Where do you live..is it rural?

My sense of direction is dreadful and even I can navigate the tube with ease. The map design is genius.

I would think about getting some help for your anxiety, so that you don't pass it on to your children. Using the tube is a pretty mundane activity, and I say that as someone who doesn't live in London.