Navigating London

If the tube strike goes ahead (they’re often called off at the last minute) all bus routes will be very busy. Also, I expect it’ll be hard to get taxis or Ubers. Depending how where you are staying, you might be best to try to plan going somewhere that you can reach by walking, or else a day trip away from London by train, if you can get to the station in London by walking.

Rome2rio not always reliable.
If the tubes strike goes ahead on that day, buses will be very busy.
Aim to visit local sites that day.
There are also black cabs.
Where are you staying|?

Rome2Rio site reliable?

No, but CityMapper is.

If you use Google Maps or Apple Maps in the states, it may be your easiest option to use what you are used to. We used Apple Maps constantly last year in London and it worked great. If you don't use a nav system now, you may want to practice before you leave home so you aren't standing on a street corner fiddling in vain. Have a great trip

A few thoughts.

Forget Rome2rio website. Not 100% reliable. City mapper and Tfl are much better.

Black cabs are more reliable than Uber because Black Cab drivers have taken the Knowledge test. They take pride in their abiltity to deal with traffic and knowing the proper routes to locations. Alas, they will also be more expensive. You can use tap debit and credit cards. Over 50 years of traveling to and staying I’ll always chose a licensed Black Cab over Uber.

Depending on where your accommodation is located ask the hotel staff about the bus routes.

Lastly, from someone born when Truman was in office I’ve found the best way to experience London is on foot and by using the Tube.

Peruse Google maps to discover what’s close to your accommodation. Coffee shop, Pret a Manger, market ( Tescos, ALDI, Sainsburys, Whole Foods) and Underground Station. Also closest bus stop.

Last bit of advice is to allow your senses to get use to the sights, sounds and smells of the city. Parks are plentiful and enjoyable.

Grab a coffee ( countless coffee places nowadays: Redemption Roasters, Paradox, Starbucks, Ole and Sheen bakery, et al ) and find a bench.

Great city. Enjoy it.

CityMapper is my go to navigation in London. It works great and I prefer it to the Tfl app (which I also have). My first trip to London was in 2022, I've returned 3 times since then and have navigated the city with confidence using CityMapper.

It may seem daunting at first, but if a West Virginia girl who grew up in a town with one stop light can navigate London successfully, anyone can.

Enjoy your trip! Happy travels!

If the tube strike goes ahead it will not be all tube lines out of action every day. I understand that the plan is to have different lines out of action on different days. In addition the Elizabeth line, London Overground lines and the DLR will not be affected. So there will be options on each day to get around as well as buses, river boats and just walking.

When there was a tube strike on one of our visits, we tried taking the bus, but the roads were so crowded and congested, it was quicker to walk.

I always use Google maps and find it to be quite accurate (e.g. it lets you know when lines are closed for engineering works etc). The TFL app is good as well and the best to use if you want to see any recent unplanned disruptions, including strike info.

The DLR will indeed be on strike in a separate dispute from 7 September

Last month we arrived in London Heathrow and planned to take the National Express Bus to Victoria Station that was three blocks from our hotel.
I was told on this forum that NE busses 2 o4 3 times an hour.

We found a the sales person for the NE busses at Heathrow and purchased tickets for us, by the time we found our way to the bus station (20 minutes later) the bus we were scheduled to take was late. We stood in the bus station watching the electronic boards for a change in departure for our bus, but it was still "pending" and not scheduled. Also, over an hour later, two more busses that were supposed to go to Victoria Station were cancelled. Finally, with the help of an attendant (NOT the board) we found a bus that would take us to Victoria Station. All this while we were tired and getting frustrated.

Finally, almost an hour later we arrived at the bus station at the rear of Victoria Station. We then got directions to our hotel from an attendant and drug our luggage three blocks, but our hotel was not where we were told. We had to backtrack a block, but finally made it to our hotel.
During this luggage dragging, my wife informed me that we were NOT doing this again when we went back to Heathrow for our departing flight.

So, we took a black cab to Heathrow, cost was more than 100 GBP or about $150 once converted on my credit card bill.

This is the most that I have ever paid in my life for a taxi.

I am a fan of black cabs over Uber and found the Gett app very useful when in London earlier this year.