London Transportation Tips by Digi

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: London has a huge bus system that runs pretty quickly, although I find the tube preferable (as I do in any city). Fares are generally 1.20 pounds, although you can get a one-day pass for a little more than three pounds. Both can be bought from some bus stands that have ticketing machines. The good thing about London buses are a good number of the stations have tickers indicating when the next bus will come, and you can of course find maps at bus stands as well.

You can use a travel pass on these buses, just show it to the driver when you board. Not all buses are double-deckers, but they are all red.

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Website: www.tfl.gov.uk/buses

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: The DLR is a branch of London transport, and is connected to the tube at a few stations such as bank. The DLR is a bit different though, as the trains are smaller and automated. It is still expanding, and is the only form of rail transport for eastern London - although all passes, oyster cards, etc. work on the DLR just as they would work on the tube - and the DLR is included on tube maps. If you're visiting areas like Greenwich or Canary Wharf, the DLR is probably the best public transport option.

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Website: www.tfl.gov.uk/dlr

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Driving in London can be daunting or it can be calm, depending on where you are from. In my opinion, driving in London is much more leisurley than driving in say New York City or Boston, as drivers here tend to be more patient, and you see much less traffic violations, in part due to the presence of so many cameras everywhere you go. it should be remembered that driving here is on the wrong side of the road, and thus a right turn is the tricky one, not a left turn.

The main headache with driving in London, especially central London, is the fact that the streets are not on a grid, and that there are some narrow streets, dead ends, and streets that you cannot enter. Couple that with high parking prices, and you get the feeling that it is not practical to drive in central London, especially if you are a visitor.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The London Tube is a very efficient, clean, and quick transit system. The Tube stations are well marked above ground, and they all have tickers inside telling you when the next train will arrive. In my opinion, its the best way to get around London. The fare varies, as London has a zone system, and thus you must keep your ticket after getting into the station, as you will need it when you exit, so that the system can verify that you travelled in the zones that you paid for.

All stations have a chart telling which zones you will cross when going to a specific destination, and you can buy your tickets from tellers in windows, or from machines. I've never heard of this happening - but don't buy tickets from anyone else.

The last thing to note is that the tube maps in the trains and in stations are not geographically accurate, so do not use them to plan walking after arriving at your destination - although most stations do have actual maps, so you can use those.

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Website: www.tfl.gov.uk/tube

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: There is an extensive rail network in and around London. It can be used to get around greather London itself, and to get around the UK. The trains in the UK, in my opinion, are pretty quick, and the system is much better than that in the United States. It is also a bit more expensive, a train journey to the coast in East Sussex (about 1.5 hours) will cost about 15 pounds for return. Tickets can be bought from machines, windows, or on the train itself, although there is a penalty for that. There are a number of train stations in London, the one to use depends on where you want to go, if you want to go to Manchester or Liverpool for example, then you would go to London Euston.

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Website: www.nationalrail.co.uk

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Despite London being a huge city, once you get into Central London, you should be able to walk to most areas of interest. For example, from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament should be a 20 minute walk at most, and its the best way to explore the city. Who wants to spend all their time riding around underground? A good idea would be to determine which sites you want to visit on a given day, and then find a tube station station near to all of them, and plan a walking route around. This way you get to see London, get exercise, and save some money too by not relying on the tube.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: There are a variety of travelcards on offer for the entire london transport network. Most tourists would probably be interested in a one-day travel card, this can cover various zone combinations, but the most useful for the visitor is the 1-2 zone travelcard. These are offered in peak and non-peak versions, the non-peak one is sufficient, as peak allows one to travel before 9:30, and the rest of the day is considered non-peak. For longer travelcards, you must get an oyster card, which can have money and "passes" added to it by machine or through a teller at a tube or train station, or at a newsagent.

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Website: www.oystercard.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: When using taxis in London, make sure that they are official taxis. These used to be all black, but nowadays vary in color, although they are all of the same make. The main way to be sure that a taxi is official is to look on the backside of the card, it should have a plate indicating that it is an official taxi, and the license number, etc.

You can easily take one from Heathrow, as there are taxi stands that are lined with official taxis, do not take a taxi offered to you by some random person.

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Website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/pco/