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Post by stevo on Mar 10, 2013 8:59:32 GMT
I have a friend coming from NYC and she wishes to spend an entire Saturday on London's public transport - stopping only briefly for food.
She will be based in Cranley Gardens SW7, nearest stations Gloucester Road or South Kensington, nearest known bus route 49.
We will each have a Zones 1-9 OPTC and a trip out into the country on the Met is a mandatory part of the plan as is a brief stop at Westminster so eh can once more see her beloved Big Ben.
Although I have lived in London for decades, it will be my own very first trip on the DLR.
Secondly, is there any company that offers tourists extended rides in a London black cab for a fixed rate - maybe 2-3 hours
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Post by norbitonflyer on Mar 10, 2013 9:16:28 GMT
Difficult to suggest a detailed iteinerary as it will depend on what lines are closed for engineering work on that particular Saturday, but if variety is desired, a boat from Embankment (near Big Ben) to North Greenwich, then the cable car, and the DLR back to central London might fit the bill - Oyster users pay a discounted rate of the boat and cable car)
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Post by stevo on Mar 10, 2013 9:29:26 GMT
Thanks norbitonflyer. I have never thought about engineering work. Something to bear in mind when I get an exact date.
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Post by metrailway on Mar 10, 2013 12:30:44 GMT
You could try the Routemasters on 'heritage' bus routes 9 and 15. Baker Street (Circle) for the original 1863 Metropolitan Railway. Covent Garden for the London Transport Museum might be of interest to your friend. If there are no engineering works, another problem with a Saturday trip to Metro-land is that the Met services are now all stations  |
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Post by snoggle on Mar 10, 2013 12:56:15 GMT
I have a friend coming from NYC and she wishes to spend an entire Saturday on London's public transport - stopping only briefly for food. She will be based in Cranley Gardens SW7, nearest stations Gloucester Road or South Kensington, nearest known bus route 49. We will each have a Zones 1-9 OPTC and a trip out into the country on the Met is a mandatory part of the plan as is a brief stop at Westminster so eh can once more see her beloved Big Ben. Although I have lived in London for decades, it will be my own very first trip on the DLR. Secondly, is there any company that offers tourists extended rides in a London black cab for a fixed rate - maybe 2-3 hours Others have warned about engineering works but also check on the Met Police website for marches or events which will disrupt the roads (and bus services). TfL do a buses real time info feed and you can look ahead for weekend bus service changes caused by planned events or road works. A rough and ready itinerary might be Circle Line to Baker St Walk to Marylebone and take Chiltern to Amersham Met Line back to Wembley Park Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf DLR to Lewisham Bus 108 to North Greenwich Cable Car to Royal Victoria DLR to Stratford Central Line to Loughton (out to the country by tube stock plus interesting mix of station architecture styles) Bus 20 to Walthamstow Central (touches the edge of Epping Forest) Victoria Line to Blackhorse Road Overground Blackhorse Rd to Gospel Oak Overground Gospel Oak to Clapham Junction South West Trains to Richmond Bus 65 to Kingston South West Trains to Clapham Junction Overground to Whitechapel (view over South London roof tops) District Line to Westminster for Big Ben etc. Walk up Whitehall (for Downing St) etc to T Square. Heritage number 9 from Trafalgar Square to Kensington High Street for a Routemaster ride plus glimpses of two magnificent London parks. She could always resume with a ride on some night buses! The above gives you rural, urban, bus, train, tube, DLR, the Thames Tunnel, Docklands architecture, glimpses of posh and poorer bits of London, the Thames or near to it, JLE stn architecture one of the better main line terminal stations, a chance to see the Olympic Park at Stratford. All the bus links are from stops immediately outside the respective stations with only a short walk at NOG to the Cable Car. The bus services are also frequent with only the 20 being as long as a 15 min wait during daytimes. A quick Google of "London taxi tours" brings up several companies. Have fun  |
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Post by norbitonflyer on Mar 10, 2013 13:15:20 GMT
To be honest, there isn't much to see of the Thames tunnel from the train. It would be a pity to leave out the heritage bus routes given teAir proximity to the Gloucester Road area. They run every 20 minutes - I'm not sure where the western terminus is - it iused to be the Albert hall, but the timetable says Addison Road, whiuch is near Olympia.
How about Circle or 49 bus to High St Ken (or District to Olympia), then heritage buses 9 and 15 via most of the "sights" to the Tower, DLR to Royal Vic, cable car, boat from NOG to Embankment, short walk to Westminster for Big ben, Jubilee to Finchley Road, Met to Amersham, Chiltern to Marylebone. that covers most things, but you could add Baker Street - Farringdon (oldest Underground) - Mitcham Junction -(tram) - Wimbledon - Gloucester Road
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Post by melikepie on Mar 10, 2013 13:35:21 GMT
London tube challenge
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Post by snoggle on Mar 10, 2013 13:44:23 GMT
To be honest, there isn't much to see of the Thames tunnel from the train. It would be a pity to leave out the heritage bus routes given teAir proximity to the Gloucester Road area. They run every 20 minutes - I'm not sure where the western terminus is - it iused to be the Albert hall, but the timetable says Addison Road, whiuch is near Olympia. How about Circle or 49 bus to High St Ken (or District to Olympia), then heritage buses 9 and 15 via most of the "sights" to the Tower, DLR to Royal Vic, cable car, boat from NOG to Embankment, short walk to Westminster for Big ben, Jubilee to Finchley Road, Met to Amersham, Chiltern to Marylebone. that covers most things, but you could add Baker Street - Farringdon (oldest Underground) - Mitcham Junction -(tram) - Wimbledon - Gloucester Road Fair comment about the Thames Tunnel. I didn't leave out the Heritage routes as I included the Heritage 9 as a last leg. Your suggestion with the 15 does throw in St Pauls and the Tower which is fair enough. The 9 is every 20 minutes while the 15 is every 15 minutes. What we don't know is whether the lady in question wants to use lots of modes just for that reason or wants to see a wide stretch of London including bits of transport interest or if the "typical Tourist sights" are the objective. I stretched things out to the suburbs to give a wider view of the City and the different districts plus the chance of seeing more types of train and operators. If I visit somewhere I do like to get to "the sticks" to see where people live rather just trudging round the sights (although I do those too). Riding on a few buses in the suburbs is probably something the average tourist does not do (I'm generalising, of course). I doubt even my schedule covers an entire day though! |
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Post by stevo on Mar 10, 2013 14:16:43 GMT
Thank you snoggle. That's a fantastic itinerary.
My only worry about night buses is our safety and her dignity. On her last trip she got a little racial abuse on a late night 29 between Warren Street and Finsbury Park. Aside from that, aren't night buses generally a little "lively" on a Saturday night?
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Post by snoggle on Mar 10, 2013 20:11:57 GMT
Thank you snoggle. That's a fantastic itinerary. My only worry about night buses is our safety and her dignity. On her last trip she got a little racial abuse on a late night 29 between Warren Street and Finsbury Park. Aside from that, aren't night buses generally a little "lively" on a Saturday night? The night bus reference was meant a little in jest. If you and she actually do the itinerary I suggested then I expect you'll be worn out at the end of the day! The 29 / N29 is extremely busy and more than a little boistrous at night so perhaps not the best experience. It is, though, unusual in that the weekend night frequency is higher than that in the daytime. I've done a fair share of night bus photography in the centre of town and not had any hassle. If your friend is interested in transport for its own sake then a short night bus excursion and observation might be called for but it will make the day very long indeed. A ride in on a night 14, walk down to T Square from Picc Circus and then a N97 back to South Kensington will give a decent "snapshot" of night bus and night life. Both buses run frequently. Some routes are "lively" but not all of them IMlimitedE. If your friend wanted to see and use Tramlink then you could dive off at Wimbledon on the "Kingston to Clapham" stage of my itinerary and perhaps run through to Mitcham Junction and then take a Thameslink or Southern train from there to come back into town for the Westminster bit of sightseeing. Just a thought and prompted by another poster's suggestion so the credit is theirs. |
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Post by stevo on Mar 10, 2013 20:30:37 GMT
You are brilliant, snoggle. I take your point about being worn out. I was thinking about doing the night bus to Heathrow on the Monday night.
I must lead a dull life. Never been on either the DLR or Tramlink.
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Post by londonstuff on Mar 12, 2013 10:28:59 GMT
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