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Getting Around London
Ah London, how we love you! So much so, that we want to share the love with you, dear reader. Below, we have put together some general guidance about the best way to see the city in the hope that you’ll be so inspired, you’ll want to join us on tour to see it in person!
Written by Chris Abbott
Founder & owner, BrakeAway Bike Tours
Getting around
What is the best way to see the city?
London is a city of over 9 million people – with an incredible array of sights, and a rich and varied history – so it’s very easy to feel uneasy about how best to navigate it. We find that lots of our guests are perturbed about how best to cover larger distances from one borough to another (Hampstead Heath to Soho anyone?) but also how to combine several iconic sights as quickly as possible. The fact that in London we drive on the left can also be a worry for visitors who might not be used to it, so hiring your own bike or car might feel too daunting.
Thankfully, we’ve been guiding groups for more than 15 years and have honed our routes – we avoid the hideously busy Strand with its lack of a dedicated cycle lane, and bypass the manic roads that surround Trafalgar Square, both of which are unpleasant to cycle on – in favour of the quaint cobbles that surround Westminster Abbey and the segregated cycle lanes of St James’s Park. Below, we’ll look at your options for how best to explore this marvellous metropolis.
15+
years guiding
London
Your options
Four ways to see London
Each has its place – but they’re not all equally good at actually showing you the city. Tap one to jump to it.
The world’s oldest underground railway
Option 1 of 4
The Tube
The world’s oldest underground railway (aka the Tube) is a fantastic way of getting from one side of London to the other, relatively quickly and cheaply. Obviously one of the main drawbacks is that much of it is underground so as a method of seeing the city, it has a clear shortcoming!
The Underground is generally quite quick as it isn’t at the mercy of the London traffic, but do factor in the time to get to the Tube platform – it can be a long walk. Additionally, anyone who’s ever been stuck underground at rush hour in the summer will know that unforeseen delays and cancellations can be both time-consuming and a bit pongy!
Pros
- Covers a large area
- Quick (when there are no delays!)
- Iconic – nothing screams London like hearing ‘mind the gap’ when jumping off a packed carriage
Cons
- Large parts (particularly in the centre of London) are below ground – not ideal for sightseeing!
- Busy – 4 million daily journeys!
- Walking to and from stations can take time
Option 2 of 4
The Bus
Double-decker buses, coach tours, hop-on-hop-off tour buses, Routemasters, novelty buses – London certainly has a lot of choice of large passenger vehicles! The main advantage of buses is this choice – they operate all over the city and you can decide if you want to pay more for a guided experience, if you want to jump on and off, or if you want to feel a bit more like a local and ride on a regular London bus.
Despite this abundance of options, buses are confined to the same routes that can be congested and slow-moving. Another downside of using a bus to see London is that their size restricts them to main streets and larger roads, which means that the wealth of exquisite backstreets and fascinating alleys are off limits.
Double-deckers, Routemasters & more
Pros
- Various options to suit you – sightseeing, guided, London bus
- Large, so you should have a decent vantage point (particularly on a top deck!)
- Themed buses are fun – ghost buses, afternoon tea buses, Peppa Pig buses – the list is endless
Cons
- At the mercy of London traffic – very slow-moving in places
- Unable to access smaller streets and hidden paths
- Generally quite impersonal and lacking any interaction
Every black-cab driver has passed The Knowledge
Option 3 of 4
The Taxi
London really does have an array of emblematic transport, with black taxis completing the field! London taxis are a great way to see the city if you have a specific destination or route in mind. Famously, black-taxi drivers have to pass The Knowledge – the ability to get from A to B in the quickest time – which equips them with an unbelievable insight into the layout and evolution of the city.
That said, London cabbies are not tour guides, so don’t expect them to have in-depth knowledge of the various landmarks that you’ll pass. Taxis are also a slightly more expensive way to get around, compared to the Underground or a public bus. Finally, taxis are also subject to traffic conditions so will be slower if the roads are busy (although they might be able to follow an alternative route, unlike buses).
Pros
- Flexible – will take you wherever you want within the M25!
- Relatively quick
Cons
- Pricier than other modes of transport
- Can be difficult to find at very busy times
Option 4 of 4 – our favourite!
The Bicycle
Call us biased(!) but we truly believe that there is no better way to see ol’ London town than on a bike! There was once a time when cycling round the capital was exclusively the preserve of Lycra-loving adrenaline junkies – thankfully, things have changed.
London now boasts 268 miles (431km) of dedicated cycle routes and hundreds more miles of canal towpaths, park loops and back streets that are perfect for cycling along. And what better way to start your cycling odyssey than on a BrakeAway Bike Tour?!
268 miles
of dedicated cycle routes (431km) – plus hundreds more miles of towpaths, park loops and back streets
+43%
more journeys taken by bike in the six years between 2019 and 2025
1.5m
journeys taken by bike across London every single day
Pros
- Gets you just about anywhere in the city – back streets, riverside cycle paths, parks
- Quick!
- Cheap – cycle hire schemes and apps are widely available if you don’t have your own bike
Cons
- You must be able to confidently ride a bike – sounds obvious but worth stating!
- Bikes are not permitted everywhere – if you’re unsure, it’s wise to follow someone who knows where they are going, like one of our BrakeAway guides!
- We cycle on the left! Again, worth following a guide if you’re not confident
In a nutshell
The BrakeAway Take Away
Over the 15+ years that we have been providing bike tours, we’ve established that most of our overseas guests are keen to see a mix of royal residences (via Buckingham Palace), architectural splendour (St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament) and well-known landmarks (Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, the River Thames) – and there is no better way to combine these world-renowned sights than on a bike tour.
When you’re visiting London on holiday or for a mini-break, you have limited time and need a method of sightseeing that is going to get you through the Westminster congestion that buses and taxis would be unable to avoid. When led by one of our engaging and knowledgeable guides, you won’t be sitting in a traffic jam, sweating on a delayed Tube or stuck at a bus stop! We have the skills and expertise to get you past the snarled-up Embankment roads using the Thames Embankment Cycle Superhighway, so you can actually see the breathtaking vista – which you wouldn’t get when underground!
A bike tour is the perfect way to hear some interesting tales, take some wonderful photos and make some happy memories – all while enjoying some light exercise.
We look forward to welcoming you soon.
See it for yourself
Ready to explore London by bike?
Grand London Bike Tour
Designed to show you London in all of its glory – great monuments as well as hidden nooks and crannies – and to give a taste of a Londoner’s London.
Secret London Bike Tour
Following river and canal-side pathways, cycle lanes, back streets and hidden passageways – a must for those who seek out an alternative ride through London.