How to Get Around London Like an Expert

London. It may be nearly 2,000 years old, but it's an extremely modern and very busy city. There's a lot to see and do here, and that means there's a lot of ground to cover. 

So, let's talk about how to get around London when you're here as a traveler. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE-aBlhe5UU

Cabs

One of the most famous ways to get around London is by cab, or taxi as us Americans might say. The city is heavily associated with its iconic black cabs and its cabbies, so much so that many visitors to London make it a point to take a cab ride while on vacation here. 

I know I did. I actually learned quite a lot about London cabs and cabbies and I can tell you, everything you've heard is true. Every London cabbie is an expert on the city, a tour guide and an extremely helpful source of information. 

It takes several years of study to become a cab driver in London. They have to not only know the streets extremely well and how you get around, they know about the various attractions and lots of history about the city. If you need to know where to eat, where to shop or where to party, London cabbies will get you there.

However, riding cabs is also the most expensive way to get around London. And since we do budget travel here, I do not recommend this as a regular way to travel through the city. Definitely take a short cab ride and talk to your cabbie. But the rest of the time, take a different mode of transport.

Busses

Just as iconic as London's black cans are the red, double decker busses. You will see them all over the city and if you're like me, you will want to ride one. No matter how cold it is outside.

When you're planning your trip to London, you'll find lots of deals on tour busses that will take you past important sites. However, you can just as easily take a regular bus.

London's standard city buses are made in those double decker designs and there are a couple of standard routes that will take you past many famous locations, all for the price of regular bus fare. 

You can catch a bus and get pretty much anywhere you want to go for less than five pounds, which is super cheap. 

But there is a bit of an issue with taking London busses, and that is the London traffic. There's a lot of it and you don't want to get stuck in it when you're trying to stick to a travel schedule. The busses can be slow and it's pretty much a universal law that there's never a bus when you need one, which is exactly what happened to me.

Tube

There is a better option, and that is the London Tube, which is what I would call a subway. 

Also known in London as the Underground, the Tube is definitely the best way to get around London if you're trying to get from one place to the other and you're not super worried about actually seeing anything on the way there. 

It's very affordable to ride. You'll spend less than five pounds per ride and usually less than two pounds per ride if you're staying within the main city center, where most of the attractions are.

The Tube is typically much faster than taking a bus but because it is underground, there's nothing to look at. Stations are also pretty busy and crowded, so pay attention to where you're going. There are lots of signs, so keep checking to make sure you're in the right place.

If you do get confused, there are transit police in the tube stations and attendants who work there who will be happy to point you in the right direction. 

Trains

Another way to get around London, especially if you’re traveling outside of London or you want to go from one part of the city to another, is to use the trains. 

These are not trains like Agatha Christie, steam powered locomotive trains. They're actually just like the subway trains, or the tube trains, but they make fewer stops and they are above the ground.

These are high speed rail trains and they're a good way to get to some of the attractions on the outskirts of the city and just outside the city. I rode a train to get out to Hampton Court Palace. Tickets are affordable and the prices are always changing, so I recommend getting an app to scout the best prices.

I personally use TrainPal, and this is not a paid endorsement. Just make sure when you're buying tickets to pay attention to your arrival and departure stations.

London has a ton of train stations and some of them are also Tube stations as well as train stations but not always, so make sure you know how to get to your train station and know where the train will drop you off.

A train ride taking you just outside of London will run about 20 pounds or more, depending on where you're going and if your ticket is one way or round trip.

Heathrow Express

I have talked about the Heathrow Express in previous blogs, so I won't spend too much time on that here. But for those who aren't familiar with it, this is an express train that takes you from Heathrow Airport to the center of the city, specifically Paddington Station.

It is very fast. The ride takes only about 30 minutes, which is half the time of the tube, but it costs more than three times as much. So, you have to weigh the cost against the time you're saving and make your decisions accordingly. 

Walk

The cheapest possible way to get around London is, of course, walking. So, the best investment you can make is your footwear.

Get some nice, comfortable walking shoes, pack plenty of socks and pack more socks than you think you need. I had to buy extra socks while in London, because I didn't bring enough  and I packed a lot of socks, so bring more than you think you'll wear

I'd suggest enough socks to have two pairs per day. 

Test your shoes before you take them to London. Walk around in them a few times, not just once, so you can identify anything strange that may be happening. 

You can easily walk your feet off in London, so pace yourself and be realistic about how much walking you can physically do. Take the tube and take busses also because you will get tired, your feet and legs will hurt, so be sure to consider your own human limitations when you're planning out how you will get around London. 

There are tons of ways to get around London and you have affordable options. Stick to the cheapest methods to keep your trip budget friendly. The less you spend on getting around the city, the more you can spend on actually enjoying the city.

Thank you for taking the journey with me. 

Now, Voyager, sail forth to seek and find.