LONDON WEEKEND BREAKS - Travelling in London
The two best ways to move around London are by the Tube for speed and convenience and by foot for the same reasons. Travelling by foot also has the advantage of allowing you to see where you are going and possibly to spot somewhere that you might otherwise have missed.
London city buses are also very good and, since they are not subterranean, you also get the chance to look around the city as you travel. The problem with buses is knowing which bus to catch, at which stop and at what time. Ultimately the Tube’s underground system is far easier to figure out for most people who do not know the network.
Why you should try to get around London on foot whenever possible
This has nothing to do with political correctness, or minimizing your carbon footprint. Rather, it is about saving time, tube fares, and seeing London properly.
The main parts of London are actually surprisingly compact. In fact it is easy when you do not know the city, to catch a tube train from one station and switch lines at another, only to travel a distance that you could have walked on foot in half the time.
There are 12 tube lines and many of the stations that are on different lines are very close to one-another. This means that a short walk is often the quickest and easiest way to get around.
Also, remember that your tube maps are really nothing more than schematics, i.e. they are not to any kind of scale, so use them to negotiate the Underground and nothing more. Tube stations that appear close may not be and stations that appear to be some distance away may be less than 200 metres apart.
London tourist maps
Travelling around London requires a good tourist map. A good tourist map will not only indicate tube stations, but it will also show you the routes and distances between points of interest.
It should tell you the nearest bus stops along with the bus numbers and it may even give you walking times between tourist visitor attractions.
If necessary, invest in buying a good tourist map, it will help you make the most of this and any future London weekend breaks that you may take.
Lots of weekend break visitors to London waste time needlessly by catching the tube when they are literally only one street away from their desired destination. A reasonably sized, clearly set out tourist map will help you avoid falling into this trap.
Try to buy a map that shows the things that you are interested in, namely, sightseeing attractions, museums and interesting buildings and monuments. Do not worry about street maps, these are a waste of money. Instead look for simple information that will allow you to quickly get from A to B. Does the map have tube bus and railway stations, does it indicate visible landmarks and can you read it easily.
Plan your travel in London
The best way to minimize your travelling time and maximize your sightseeing time is to find a collection of things that you want to see in a single area. You can then select a Tube station that is convenient to them all and walk from one sightseeing attraction to the next.
This is where getting hold of a tourist map prior to your arrival is a big help – it lets you pre-plan rather than trying to figure things out once you arrive.
Even so, always try to have an alternative tube or bus only travel plan in reserve. You never know if it may rain and walking may become less of a pleasure.