R

We purchased a 3 day Tube pass, which I've been told by the wonderful experts here, is good on buses also. Is it also good on the Hop-on Hop-off buses, or are they the same as regular city buses? If they are different, which I assume they are, is there a web site for them? We are going in 11 days! Hoorah! Thanks.

Ellen

Your transit pass is indeed also good for the city buses, but the varoius hop-on-hop-off tourist buses are private and you must purchase a ticket. <BR><BR>http://www.bigbus.co.uk/<BR><BR>http://www.londonpride.co.uk/<BR><BR>

wes fowler

I’d recommend that you consider traveling about London by bus rather than underground. The London Transport bus network is far more extensive than the underground and extremely “user friendly”. It also offers covered double deck buses, a godsend in inclement weather coupled with the advantage of being able to see London rather than underground tunnel walls. The underground on the other hand has stairs to cope with and lengthy walks from one underground line to another at many of the stations. The underground maps are misleading with regard to distance, as well. Two stations that on the map appear to be a city block apart may well be a quarter mile or more from each other. You can pick up a Central London bus route map at any tube station or tourist information office. The map will identify all the major tourist sites and the bus routes passing them. Rather than attempting to orient yourself to London by taking a commercial tour bus with a bunch of other tourists from Idaho, Hong Kong and Sydney, first pick up a copy of the A-Z Visitors’ London Atlas and Guide. It’s about the size of a postcard and less than half an inch thick, but it lists every major attraction in London, opening and closing hours and nearest underground station. It also has a superbly detailed set of maps that identify every street, attraction on it, underground stations and bus routes identified by street. It’s available at bookstores, tourist information offices and most newstands. Now, purchase a London transport ticket for Zone 1 and 2 (where almost all of the attractions are located). Costs will range from 4 pounds for a daily pass to 6 pounds for a week end pass. The passes allow you to hop on or off city buses as you see fit. With A-Z Guide in hand, you have a couple of inexpensive sightseeing options. At Victoria Station, board one of the red enclosed double decker London Transport buses marked “11 Liverpool Street Station”. Sit up top up front. You’ll drive past Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, up Whitehall past 10 Downing Street, Horse Guards and Banqueting Hall to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, then onto the Strand past the Courtauld Institute, to Fleet Street and the Royal Courts of Justice, and on to St. Paul’s Cathedral. As an alternate, at Paddington Station or Marble Arch, board the city bus marked “15 Canningtown” and ride down Oxford Street past Selfridge’s department store to Oxford Circus then down Regent Street past Liberty’s and Josiah Wedgewood to Piccadilly Circus and on to Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s and the Tower of London. Get on and off as frequently as you please, your ticket (which may cost less than 10% of the one for the commercial tour bus) is good all day. By combining both bus rides you will end up seeing every one of London’s major attractions except Buckingham Palace and Harrod’s. The advantages? You set the pace. You save considerable money. You can get on and off wherever you choose (for lunch, to explore, to shop) rather than just where the tour bus stops. You may have the opportunity to interact with a native Londoner (“Excuse me, ma’am, is that the British Museum to our left?) rather than a fellow tourist or tour guide. Disadvantages? You don’t have the benefit of a guide’s narrative, a small price to pay.<BR>

Phyllis Pearsall

The tube pass is NOT good for the hop-on hop-off buses - I assume you mean the open top, tourist ones - those are 14 pounds for 24 hours.<BR><BR>you can, however, hop on and hop off any old city of London bus you desire. The Routemasters are the best (are they truly phasing them out? PITY!)<BR><BR>I recommend it highly! the tube is faster, the bus more scenic. Take a bus as often as you can, and, once you've checked out the routes - just pick one which looks interesting and jump on. <BR><BR>P. P.

Jeff

I agree 100% with NBFowler and everything that was said. Just a little bit of homework with the bus map will save you a lot of money and make you feel more a Londoner.<BR><BR>Some bus etiquette:<BR><BR>There are two kinds of double decker buses. The newer type is a 1 person operation. There are 2 doors towards the front. You get in the front door and show the bus operator your pass and you're all set. You use the other door to exit.<BR><BR>The older type bus, being phased out unfortunately, has an open platform at the back. You hop on and find a seat. The conductor will come to your seat saying, "Fares please." You show him or her the pass...You can get off (although it is not necessarily the smartest thing to do) any time the bus is stopped even if it is not an official bus stop. The problem with that is you might not know when the bus is about to leave and you could easily get hurt but this does not seem to disuade locals from doing this.

Leslie

Dear R - Here's my two cents. If you are a first-timer to London, only have three days, and are arriving (jeglagged) from overseas, these are all reasons to take one of the hop-on-hop off buses such as the 'Round London or the Big Bus tours. I found these to be an outstanding way to get oriented to the city upon arrival.<BR><BR>Even though I love maps, and always want to orient my location to the map, if you try to do this on your own on the public busses, I think you'll miss the sights and the great tour guide commentary. Besides, these tickets often come with an additional ticket for a Thames River boat ride.<BR><BR>I wouldn't even bother to hop on/off much as they aren't practical for transportation, but rather for orientation to the city. Your tube/bus pass will be useful to actually going back to some of the sights that attracted you during the orientation tour. I also differ re: the underground. For newcomers, I find it very efficient and certainly would use it combined with some public busses...AND, do take at least one ride in one of those wonderful London taxis!

R

Thanks for all of the great advice. You guys are wonderful. R.

Nigel Doran

I live in London, and have daily experience of the transport system. <BR><BR>I M H O, I would not look at using the buses to travel great distances. Use the Tube for that, as crossing the city by bus, especially at rush hour, can be very slow. Use the buses for getting to places that are far but not that far. <BR><BR>When using the Tube, don't expect air-conditioning. Even on a mild day in spring, it can get very warm. Don't load yourself with bags (it gets very crowded) as you will be very uncomfortable. Move down the carriage to let others on and wait till others have got off before you board.

Nigel Doran

I live in London, and have daily experience of the transport system. <BR><BR>I M H O, I would not look at using the buses to travel great distances. Use the Tube for that, as crossing the city by bus, especially at rush hour, can be very slow. Use the buses for getting to places that are far but not that far. <BR><BR>When using the Tube, don't expect air-conditioning. Even on a mild day in spring, it can get very warm. Don't load yourself with bags (it gets very crowded) as you will be very uncomfortable. Move down the carriage to let others on and wait till others have got off before you board.

Jim

I'm glad a London resident spoke up about the bus versus the tube question. Nigel is absolutely correct. We rode both the tube and the bus during a summer holiday two years ago and found the tube to be incredible. Convenient and fast, and there are stops and transfers everywhere. The bus is slow and gets mighty old after a while making several stops in one block and the traffic can be terrible. Took us nearly 30 minutes to travel from South Ken tube station to Harrods, probably could have walked faster. At that time the Knightsbridge tube station was closed for remodeling.