Buses

London is well known for its double-decker buses. In almost every movie or documentary filmed in London you can see them, probably because there are so many of them. :+)

The London bus system covers almost all of London and a bus stop is always in the immediate surroundings of where you are. In and around the centre of London several bus routes are servicing the same area. There is nothing wrong with that, however it can be very confusing in the beginning if you are not used to the system.

I strongly recommend you to get a bus map of London Transport, which is available at every tourist office, train- or underground station and newsagent all over London. You can also try to get in contact with my partner's 9 year old who knows the London public transport system by heart. He can tell you exactly which buses you need to go from one place to another and where you have to change buses. Way to go Cookie! :+)

Because of the heavy traffic in London travelling by bus is very slow, most certainly in parts of the centre of London, where traffic can be blocked up all day long, but also because of the many stops en route. I would not advice you to travel by bus if you have to be somewhere in time or you should leave well in advance.

However, if you are visiting London and you have time on your hands, I think you should really go by bus. You can see more of the city, passing streets with loads of little shops, beautiful Victorian and Georgian buildings and views over parks, bridges and so on.

Another advantage of travelling by bus is that it is cheap, to Londons standards, but probably more expensive than bus services in your own city. At least it is much cheaper then travelling by London Underground.

If you are spending one or more days in London and want to visit several places within the same day, it might be an idea to buy a ‘one day travel card’, ‘weekend travel card’ or ‘Family travel card’. These travel cards are valid in all London Transport buses, London Underground and some trains (Up to zone 6. Zone 1 being the most expensive, which unfortunately happens to be the most popular tourist area of London).

Visit the website of the London Buses for more information.