London is one of the best places to visit in the UK, so if you’re here already and are wanting to learn how to get in and around London, you’re in the right place! We’re going to help you decide how to travel into London and also the best ways to get around once you arrive, so you can take the stress out of the trip and simply enjoy it.
There is so much to do and see, so doing a bit of planning before you head into the city will help you to make sure that you can really maximise your time, money and efforts whilst you are there! A combination of different modes of transport is usually the best way forward for different parts of your trip, from travelling into London to travelling around the city when you are there and then also sightseeing. So, read on to find out the best ways to prepare for your trip to London so you can really make the most of your time in this fantastic city!
You might also be interested in knowing about the famous Thames river cruise.
Best For Travelling Into London – Train or Car
First up, the best ways to travel to London are by train or car. The train systems are good around the UK, with routes to get you from anywhere to anywhere pretty much! However, in recent years they have become increasingly unreliable and quite expensive. So, if you can hire a car or you have driven over to the UK, we would put that up there with the best method to get into London itself. You can park somewhere central by choosing London Victoria station parking, and then have the perfect base to explore the city and continue your journey afterwards. However, if you can’t drive or don’t have a car with you, then opting for the train will be the most efficient.
Best For Travelling Around London – Tube
If you’re looking for ways to travel around London once you have arrived, then we would always recommend the tube. London’s Underground system, also known as the tube, is known for being one of the most efficient in the world, helping to make your journey as affordable, reliable and quick as possible. Plus, travelling by the tube gives you so much flexibility, as they run constantly all over the city, so you don’t need to worry about sticking to transport times or whether there are going to be options available when you need them.
The only tip we would give you is to try avoiding the tube between peak hours, like 7:30am-9am and then again at 5pm-6:30pm, just to make sure you beat the rush hour traffic where things can get quite busy. Luckily, as a tourist, this gives you enough time for a nice lie-in and breakfast in the morning and then a nice coffee or drink in the evening whilst you wait for the business to pass.
Best For Sightseeing – Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus
When you’re wanting to sightsee, the best way to do it is to get yourself a ticket for a hop-on-hop-off-bus. If you have less time in the city or can’t walk very far, then hop-on-hop-off buses are a great choice, as they run really often, there are stops all over the city and they stop off at all of the major tourist spots, so you can get a good overview of the city and stop of wherever you want to see a bit more!
The tickets work out at good value for money, especially if you buy a pass for a few days, and because there are so many stops all over the city it gives you real freedom to have a good look around. Of course, you could get off somewhere, even spend the whole morning there and then hop back on the bus for the whole afternoon to get a good view of London! This is what makes this mode of transport so great, because you can so closely tailor it to exactly what you want to do, whether you’re in London for a day or a week!
Best Overall – Walking
As long as you pack a pair of comfy shoes, walking around London is one of the best things you can do, as every building has something unique about it and there is something fun to see on every street, plus it’s a way to get a few extra steps in. You can enjoy so much more of the city this way, so it is definitely worth considering. When walking we would definitely recommend exploring all of the cute little side streets, pubs and shops, as this is where you will really get a feel for authentic London.
Whilst going to see all of the big sightseeing spots is great and will be super memorable, you will have such a wonderful experience walking around the city and exploring everything it has to offer that you can’t always access with the other modes of transport. We can’t reinforce enough though that you need some good, comfy and supportive shoes to make sure that you can keep going for the whole trip!
