Double Decker Bus in London

There are a number of bus routes in central London that are quite scenic. Particularly good examples are the 15, which runs from Blackwall in East London to Oxford Circus, serving the Tower of London, the City, St Paul's Cathedral, the Strand, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, and the 11, which starts at Liverpool Street railway station in the City, and then serves St Pauls, the Strand, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Westminster, Victoria station, and the King's Road. Old-fashioned open-rear Routemaster buses are operated at no extra fare on short workings of the 15 (from the Tower to Trafalgar Square) and 9 (Trafalgar Sq to Kensington High Street). Note, though, that bus tickets are no longer sold for cash on buses in central London. You can buy tickets from machines at stops, but these can be unreliable and it's much better to get Travelcards or Oyster pre-pay. (Note that on buses you ONLY touch your Oyster when you board, if you do it when you leave you get charged twice.)

I am definitely a Tube person- much easier to know where you are going and when to get off. However, sometimes the busses are more direct, and definitely more scenic (if you can find a double decker- the only way to fly). Especially in the middle of a nice sunny day. Glance at the boards at bus stops that seem to point in the right direction. It helps to know where to get off. Also sueful when they pull a strike on the Tube or when as happened to me "not enough people turned up for work, so we had to close this station" I seldom rely on the busses if I am in a hurry, or need to be somewhere at a definite time

When the buses worked for us they worked great. Other times, not so much. One problem is you think you know where you can get off one, and switch to another bus. But that other bus may be at that intersection, or down the block a bit, or down another block. It can get pretty confusing. Add to that trying to figure out where to stand cuz they go the wrong way. Try asking your hotel staff for a recommendation of a regular bus. My kids and I did enjoy the upper level, so you should give it a try.

We were in London last spring and during the day traveled frequently on the upper deck of the double decker buses. Depending on where you are going particularly downtown they are a slow means of travel as the traffic is bad but being on vacation we were generally not in a hurry and you can see a lot more of the city than underground on the tube. We had no trouble figuring out where to get on and off. if you have an iphone or an ipad a great website is: http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en It will help you plan out your trips on public transportation. We used it frequently.

When I went before, you could also do a hop-on, hop-off between stops for the price of a regular ticket. You had to get off at the right stop,though. I rode from St Pauls to the Tower that way and got to listen to the commentary.

On our first morning in London (we arrived late in the afternoon the day before) we boarded a bus in South Kensington and rode it up into Piccadilly Circus and then got off near the British Museum. It was a wonderful way to get to see the city, and we were able to grab seats in the front on the upper deck! Will never forget it. During our trip, we'd usually take the tube to our destination, and then at the end of the day, would hop on a bus back to our flat. I find the bus much more relaxing than the tube, although much slower. We used Oyster Cards with a one week travelcard attached.

Thank you all so much. Philip, thanks for the great tips. Brian, I'm like you. The last time I rode a bus in London was about 30 years ago. Give me the tube any day. Just doing it for the experience for the kids. Karen, yes, will ask our hotel. Richard, thanks for the tips. Kristie, that would be great if it's still possible. I hope so. Dave, I like the route you mentioned. All places that we plan on going anyway. Thanks again everyone.