Tube, bus, Ho-Ho advice

[hsaroya]

Hi, our family of 4 will be in London (I'm the only one who's been before - 24 yrs ago) at the end of Aug, post cruise, for 5 nights. If we are comfortable using the tube and public busses, should we bother using the HoHo bus? I'm assuming we should buy an Oyster card? Is it good from Heathrow to central London? Can the card also be used on busses?

 

My 14 yo DD desperately warns to ride on a double decker. Will this be possible in the public busses? Are any of them open topped like the HoHo busses?

 

Thank you!

[Twickenham]

While the HOHO is good to give an overview of the main tourist spots, to be honest, there are so many regular buses that travel thru Central London - the vast majority of which are double-deckers - you can do fine with your Oyster cards and a good Central London bus map. Your Oyster card can be used on all tube and buses, and I believe some train service, although this you'd have to check as I'm not sure the status of this.

 

The regular double-deckers don't have open tops, however this is usually a good thing, especially when travelling tree-lined streets... :D

[hsaroya]

While the HOHO is good to give an overview of the main tourist spots, to be honest, there are so many regular buses that travel thru Central London - the vast majority of which are double-deckers - you can do fine with your Oyster cards and a good Central London bus map. Your Oyster card can be used on all tube and buses, and I believe some train service, although this you'd have to check as I'm not sure the status of this.

 

The regular double-deckers don't have open tops, however this is usually a good thing, especially when travelling tree-lined streets... :D

 

Thanks, Twickenham. You've been a great help on my London threads.

[LondonTowner]

There is no end of information about the transport system in London on tripadvisor. You can also look on Transport for London website.

[buzzybuzzbuzz]

I wouldn't use HoHo in London as it takes too long to go anywhere due to congestion. We buy a day ticket and use the Tube much quicker if less scenic.

 

 

 

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[SteveH2508]

Bus route 11 passes by many of the main tourist sights of London.

 

It has the new routemaster double-deckers so you can get a good view.

 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/tfl-bus-map/text/routeinfo.aspx?q=11&r=11&rn=1

[kevinyork]

I agree the HoHo isnt the best option given you have 5 nights there. Use the TFL Transport For London Website to plot your journeys from sight to sight. Oyster is the way to go. Valid on the Tube and Buses. Way cheaper and much more convenient.

 

I would recommend planning your days there to avoid criss crossing your routes as you could group them easily.

 

 

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[Giantfan13]

I disagree. Of course most of the Brits will tell you to use the public system, we felt the HoHo gave us a great idea how the city is laid out, where we want to spend more time, what is around many of the areas and just a great perspective of the city before we 'attacked' it. :D

Plus, if you use the Original Bus company, you can buy a very reasonable lunch at he Sherlock Holmes Pub, plus a nice FREE cruise down the Thames which we enjoyed very much.

 

The tubes and regular buses are great also, but I would recommend the HoHo as a first view of the city.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[hsaroya]

I disagree. Of course most of the Brits will tell you to use the public system, we felt the HoHo gave us a great idea how the city is laid out, where we want to spend more time, what is around many of the areas and just a great perspective of the city before we 'attacked' it. :D

Plus, if you use the Original Bus company, you can buy a very reasonable lunch at he Sherlock Holmes Pub, plus a nice FREE cruise down the Thames which we enjoyed very much.

 

The tubes and regular buses are great also, but I would recommend the HoHo as a first view of the city.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Thanks, Len. That's what I love about CC - different experiences and different perspectives!

[hsaroya]

I agree the HoHo isnt the best option given you have 5 nights there. Use the TFL Transport For London Website to plot your journeys from sight to sight. Oyster is the way to go. Valid on the Tube and Buses. Way cheaper and much more convenient.

 

I would recommend planning your days there to avoid criss crossing your routes as you could group them easily.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Thank you! Any thoughts about a day trip to York? Once we have our London itinerary planned, I'm hoping Londoners on the board will help me group the sites according to transportation.

 

Any thoughts about a day trip to York? (I have another thread asking about a day trip to possibly Bath, York, Chester or Stratford).

[Globaliser]

My 14 yo DD desperately warns to ride on a double decker. Will this be possible in the public busses?

As Twickenham says, most of the public buses are double deckers. And most of them are pretty soulless metal boxes. But there are two special ones.

 

The old (and truly iconic) Routemaster buses are still found on two routes: 9 and 15. They operate relatively short stretches of these routes. For example, the heritage 15 operates between Trafalgar Square (in reality, Charing Cross) and Tower Hill. If you really want one of these, you have to wait for the next one to come along. But they are instantly recognisable as the classic London double decker bus, including the open platform at the rear which allows you jump on and off whenever the bus is stationary (or, for the very skilled, even when it's moving - but these skills have been lost by most Londoners).

 

There is also a new bus design which is being progressively introduced, sometimes known as the new Routemaster or the Boris Bus (after the current mayor of London). At present, these can be found on routes 9, 11, 24, 148 and 390; and some also operate on route 38. These also have an open platform at the rear but also have conventional doors at the front and middle of the bus. (Incidentally, IIRC this bus was designed by the same studio that designed the cauldron for the London Olympics and Paralympics.)

 

If your daughter is keen on double deckers, she may be interested in trying out both of these buses as well as (or instead of) the boring day-to-day boxes.

[dsrdsrdsr]

If you're there for 5 days, you've got time to do a h-o-h-o bus ride. It takes about 3 hours if you don't get off.