Anyone take buses only in London and not the Tube?

No problem make it easier for your mom and take the buses they work fine.

You will have to do research use your hotel or host before you set out anywhere:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/

Buses are fine just allow yourself extra time due to London traffic. Plan your sightseeing in similar areas so you don't have to keep criss-crossing the city.

For Greenwich, the tube is not your best choice. Consider a river cruise or the DLR. There is also a train from London Bridge station but there is lots of construction there so you can expect delays.

How to Get to Greenwich

Any idea how much longer the journey would be by bus?

We are down to looking at 3 apartments. Waiting to see which one my mom (72) will pick. One is near Buckingham Palace, one is near Covent Garden and one is in the nine elms area.

Thank you so much for that website. I had no idea there was a weekly cap on the fares. Good to know.

Do you need a picture for the Oyster card like you need for the one in Paris?

Oohhhh Frank....right now I love you. LOL

Buses are great, just slower. Make sure you sit up top on longer journeys, if mum can handle the stairs.

Especially note Route #15 from Trafalgar Square to St Paul's and the Tower of London.
http://heritageroutes.weebly.com/the-route.html

No picture needed for Oyster.

How long it would take on the bus depends on where you get on.

Mom is ok with the stairs for now. I love sitting up top. Ooohhhhh I can't wait. Going in October/November.

BTW, Nine Elms is near nothing. Zip. Nada. The other two locations are in the heart of London and within walking distance to lots of sights, restaurants, and shops. Nine Elms is being developed and is mostly residential. Use Google Maps streetview to check out the area.

You use 'mom' not 'mum' in Canada ?!?
A slight difference within the Commonwealth then.

Nine Elms is site for the new USA Embassy/Complex/Bunker.

I would go with the Buckingham Palace location, preferably inside. Jokes aside, you have the parks nearby.

I mostly use mom with a "a" sound as I grew up French. LOL.

The nine elms location was because it was $1000 cheaper over the 10 nights and had very modern bathrooms.......I'm hoping mom picks the place near Covent Gardens which is at Seven Dials ( might be noisy) or the flat near buckingham palace.

My hubby was hoping for near Bourough Market cause he watched a television show about that area and thought his foodie self would love it.

Seven Dials is great for food - bars, restaurants, cafes. Could be noisy though.

I am from the Englsih midlands, where 'mom' is standard. The word 'mum' seems to be mainly used in the South of England. Up in the North, they use 'mam'.

buses are great !! they can be slower, depending on traffic. sometimes they're much more efficient (i.e. direct) in getting you where you want to go. And I think they're ALWAYS more fun. I love watching London go by.

There's a reason Nine Elms is so much cheaper -- because it's so far away. You really will be much happier in either location -- and especially so if you want to avoid tube rides.

Quite a lot of the Underground is barely underground: in particular the District/Metropolitan/Circle/Hammersmith is only sub-surface with lots of daylight in between the tunnels.

This has been incredibly helpful. Thank you.

We did mostly buses (and lots of walking, which we enjoy) when in London for three weeks last May. I bought a bus map from Amazon before we went and found it very useful. My so used a Google app and it was also good, especially in advising the beat route at high traffic times.

I also loved riding the river boats but in November it might not be as nice.

One great advantage for your mum is the fact that not all tube stations are "accessible." Even at the "accessible" tube stations, it's not uncommon to find the lifts/escalators out of service... I found the bus system to be much more user friendly for my 80+yo mother wile visiting London. BTW - the TFL web site has a whole section devoted to accessibility if that is a concern of yours.

As noted earlier, the Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk) web site is a wonderful resource for getting around London via public transportation. The TFL trip planner will show you all available routes, bus or tube, while traveling in London. Be sure to get a local SIM card so you can use the TFL web site in real time.

I'll check out that website.

We are ok when it comes to cell phones cause our Canadian cell phones have a plan that for $100 a month we can use it just like we do at home.

Hi pbs,

I'm a bus fan and often choose it over Tube even though it takes longer. I love looking out the window.

There is a nice map from Transport for London showing "Key Routes in Central London" with many prominent landmarks drawn in as well. I used to see paper copies of this in the airport but it's probably better to print it in case they aren't making those any more.
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/key-bus-routes-in-central-london.pdf

Cheers,

Jill

Thanks Jill.