London is one of the most expensive cities in the world but it also boasts one of the world’s best transport system making the attitude for making the most of London to book a hotel with Hotel Direct checking that is either central and within in walking distance of lots of sights or close to the tube and bus line. (Photo "Big Ben" by theswedish)If you have the 5 star budgets look for areas such as Park Lane, Mayfair and Regents Streets (yes, the expensive properties on the Monopoly board) but if you are on a budget there are plenty of hostels around Earls Court or Piccadilly which are well serviced by public transport.
Another tip for enjoying London is to buy a London Travelpass that’s good to go on both train and buses, and make your journey through London part of the adventure, spotting iconic train stations on the tube or sitting atop a red bus and watching the life of London pump down below you.
A handy tool to download is the London Train Tracking Map and London Bus Tracking Map. The Train Tracking Map app has been around for a while; it was first dreamed up by web designer Matthew Somerville in 2010 for the Tube. Somerville has just recently cracked the code for a bus tracking app. and has now applied the application to London’s icon red buses. The live map allows you to see and track all 8,000 of London’s buses traveling in real time across a city map on your phone, so you can see when your bus is due to arrive from the comfort of your hotel, or while leaving a gallery or a show (or whilst impatiently waiting at the bus stop).
Even if you are staying uptown with budget for London cabbies make sure you spend at least one day riding the tube through iconic monopoly stations or perch yourself up stairs on one of London’s double decker buses, observing the life and authentic characters of one of the world’s most iconic cities. (Photo "London City Center" by alesia17)
You’ll also have a map of your phone that can give you perfecting bearings for Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London, trendy Soho, Convent Gardens, the West End, shop iconic department stores such as Harrods and the East End Olympic. The London Bus Tracking App. will even help you get to some free stuff like the British Museum, the Modern Tate, the National Portrait Museum, and West Minister Abbey or to the spot where you walk across the London Bridge.
With some preparation nothing can rain on your parade in old Blighty, except maybe the rain itself. The train and bus trackers can also let you know when buses are running late and give you the perfect excuse to duck into an English pub for pint.
