London City Bus with scenic route
 

Would you please recommend a city bus that has a "scenic" route in London. I'm not referring to the Hop on, Hop off bus, rather using my travel card to see the city during non peak hours. I figure that my first day in town I may be too tired to see a show, or go on an evening London walk.

Two of myfavourite routes both leaving from Oxford St. near Selfridges

1. #15 Oxford Street to Oxford Circus up Regent St. to Picadilly Circus down Haymarket into Trafalger Square and up the Strand past the Aldwych goes by Fleet Street, the City of London and St. Paul's not too far from monument and to the Tower of London. Almost as good as the hop on hop off bus but of course with no commentary (or you could ask one of the locals on the bus).

My other favourite route in the #12 follows same route as #15 to Trafalger Square but turns the other way up Whitehall past the government ministries and the monument to the unknowns past Downing Street to Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey left turn past Parliament and Big Ben across Westminster Bridge and the London Eye not too far from Waterloo station and eventually to Elephant & Castle near one of my favourite museums, the Imperial War Museum.

Again both routes are almost as good as the on off buses but you don't have to pay an arm and a leg. Also at least the #12 still has the old buses with an open platform and a conductor. You find your seat and the conductor comes to your seat and asks for your fare. You show him or her your travelcard and that's that.

The newer buses I think run now on the #15 line. You enter via the front door and show your travel card to the driver.

As I understand it, the old buses which really do seem to be dangerous are being phased out and will probably be gone by the end of the year.

Betty, I often just hop on a bus that seems to be going the way I want to go and just see where we end up, but hop off if we seem to be going way off course. You can't get lost because you could just wait till you see a tube station, they all pass them, and hop off and catch the tube. It's fun, try it :-)

Anyone know if there is an online site which shows London bus routes?

Mischka-

Here's a website from London transport where you can download the bus routes (click central London)
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/buses_map.shtml

Gives me a headache to look at it. The way I do it in London is that all buses on the front has its route #, destination, and the places that it passes en route. By looking at those, I have a general idea of which route the bus is taking and decide to get on or not.

YK-Thanks for the info. I had a look at the site and it gave me a headache too :-(
I normally do as you do, and after looking at that map I think I'll just stick to that system. Thanks anyway :-)

I think the #11 is good (if I'm recalling correctly).

Thanks for the recommendations. I too had to reach for an aspirin after vewing the route maps on line. I like the idea of a conductor on a city bus, something I've never experienced.

Bus #9: Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square

Bus #10: Knightsbridge, Park Lane, Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Gower Street, Euston Station, King?s Cross

Bus #11: St Paul?s, Fleet Street, Strand, Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Sloan Square, King?s Road

Bus #14: South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Tottenham Court Road

The current standard information flyer from London Transport has both the tube map and a diagram map of bus routes through central London in relation to main attractions - and the basic rules for using the system. Just keep an eye out for it at any tube station.

The 77 goes along the south of the thames. over westminster bridge past Parliament and westminster Abbey and onto Trafalgar Sq.

About a week ago, I saw a quick feature on the CBS national news regarding the upcoming demise of the old London buses with the open platforms in the back and conductors.

I myself have always felt these buses were dangerous as I watched people jump off while the bus was still moving (albeit slowly) or people jumping on between stops just as the bus started up etc.

I wonder how London locals feel about this as I know there are many on the board.

Will you guys miss these old buses or feel the way I do that they really are very dangerous for 21st century conditionsl

Here's a FABULOUS London Bus Routes map.

http://www.transportforlondon.gov.uk...cs/tourist.pdf

Here's another recommendation for #15.

Be sure to head to the upper deck. More often than not, we found the front seats available. Or, sometimes, we'd wait for the next one (you can see as the bus pulls up whether those seats are empty).