- Range of new culture maps and bus leisure routes showcase interesting activities and places to visit across London this half term
- TfL’s Craft Club provides parents and other carers with free downloadable activities for young children to help inspire days out in London
- Children under 11 travel free on bus, Tube, DLR, London Overground and TfL Rail services – making it easier to see the capital People encouraged to share their favourite places to visit in London and how to get there with TfL using #LetsDoLondon
With half term fast approaching, Transport for London (TfL) is reminding people that there are lots of places for families and friends to visit across London that can be easily accessed using public transport.
Since the lifting of lockdown restrictions London has come back alive with events, attractions and places for families and friends of all ages to visit. Ridership on Tubes and buses continues to see week-on-week increases, with ridership at weekends being particularly strong as theatres, art exhibitions and sporting events reopen and people continue to experience all the city has to offer.
Using pay as you go with Contactless or Oyster allows customers to travel flexibly by simply touching in and out and only paying for the journeys they make, reducing the need to queue or buy tickets in the station. Children under five travel for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, as well as children under 11 being able to travel for free on buses, Tube and most rail services when travelling with an adult who is using pay as you go. Thanks to the Mayor’s Hopper fare, customers can also make unlimited bus and tram journeys around London for £1.55, providing they are made within one hour of touching in.
To help families plan activities during half term, TfL has produced 18 culture maps, each with a unique design, highlighting places along Tube lines, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway for people of all ages to visit. The maps feature attractions such as the Olympic Park by Stratford station, Portobello Road market near Notting Hill Gate station and the famous ‘Abbey Road’ crossing close to Kilburn High Road. The maps can be downloaded by visiting https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk/category/sightseeing.
There is also a map for easy places to visit using Santander Cycles in central London. TfL’s cycle route maps outline some of the most scenic routes to cycle through, making bike journeys more enjoyable. You can rent a Santander bike for £2 a day, if docked every half an hour.
TfL has also produced five new downloadable bus leisure route maps that point out the capital’s most iconic areas. Each map has a set focus, from heritage routes to galleries and museums. The maps offer a fantastic way for families to plan a day out across London.
The five new routes can be downloaded via https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk/2021/10/06/sightseeing-by-bus/ and are:
- Bus route 9takes you across central London past some of the capital’s finest museums and galleries from Somerset House to The Design Museum;
- Bus route 17takes you through the heritage and history of London from Kings Cross St Pancras station via St Pauls Cathedral to the George Inn by London Bridge;
- Bus route 22lets you explore interesting antique shops and curios in West London from Fulham Palace to Green Park;
- Bus route 35ducks and dives you around some of London’s famous markets from Brixton market to Colombia Road flower market;
- Bus route 139gives you the full tourist experience past ‘classic’ London must-sees such as Trafalgar Square, Lord’s cricket ground and Selfridges
TfL has also partnered with Time Out to create a digital Culture Map to further help people find fun activities and places to visit across the city. The interactive Tube map has more than 800 places to visit, from museums, galleries, street artwork, which can be found by clicking on the relevant station at https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-cultural-tfl-map.
For those who have young children, TfL has produced a range of fun downloadable activities to help keep them entertained both while at home as well as while out and about in London. The TfL Craft Club includes a range of kits including building a model bus or cable car cabin, designing your own roundel as well as what nature can be accessed by walking in your local area. All kits can be downloaded from https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk/category/activities/craft-club/ with more planned to be added in the coming months.
TfL is also encouraging those on social media to share their adventures in London using the hashtag #LetsDoLondon. TfL will look to share the most creative posts across its TikTok, Instagram and Twitter accounts. This will further help those looking for places to visit and things for people of all ages to do in the city.
Vernon Everitt, Managing Director for Customer, Communications and Technology at TfL said:
With an abundance of things to see and do in London, we hope that these maps and guides will allow customers to plan their day out with ease. Public transport is clean, accessible and reliable and the best way to enjoy the city as you can hop on and off if you see something eye-catching. The buzz of the city is now well and truly back following the pandemic and we hope both tourists and locals will take to our buses, Tubes and trains to make the most out of their time in the city this half term.”
Across London a near-normal service continues across the public transport network and customers can plan their journeys and check for the latest service information through TfL travel tools including the free TfL Go app. An enhanced cleaning regime also continues to be implemented to ensure the network is cleaner than ever, with more than 1,100 hand sanitisers are installed across the network, and at least 200 UV light devices are continually sanitising escalator handrails.
Customers are also reminded that anyone age 11 years and over needs to wear a face covering on TfL services and stations under TfL’s condition of carriage, unless they are exempt. Across the network there are more than 500 uniformed officers undertaking compliance activity across London. Non-exempt customers who fail to comply may be refused travel.
TfL’s culture maps and guides are a key part of the Mayor’s #LetsDoLondon campaign to attract domestic visitors to the city and bring central London’s economy back to life. From fun family activities, autumn ideas and late events, there are many options to choose from this half term. Throughout half-term, Londoners and visitors to enjoy Pop-Up London – a free culture festival of family-friendly outdoor performances taking place across London in more than 100 events across 10 days.
The festival brings together artists, musicians and a range of performers from across the city to perform at Battersea Power Station, Canary Wharf, Oxford Street and other locations across central London in partnership with Battersea Arts Centre and Found in Music. The Visit London website also lists a range of activities taking place across half term that families could visit and experience as well. Popular attractions such as the London Eye and Madame Tussauds can be booked directly via: https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do.
For more ideas for half term, visit https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk.