ON TOUR: Explore London in the half-term holidays

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 weekends being particularly strong as theatres, art exhibitions and sporting events re-open and people continue to experience all the capital has to offer.

Children under 11 travel free on bus, Tube, DLR, London Overground and TfL Rail service.  Thanks to the Mayor’s Hopper fare, customers can also make unlimited bus and tram journeys around London for £1.55, providing they are taken within one hour of touching in.

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.

Using pay-as-you-go debit/credit cards or TfL’s 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 to buy tickets.

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. Take a leisurely read and make your app choices.

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.

• Bus route 9 takes you across central London past some of the capital’s finest museums and galleries from Somerset House to The Design Museum;

• Bus route 17 takes 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 22 lets you explore interesting antique shops and curios in West London from Fulham Palace to Green Park;

• Bus route 35 ducks and dives you around some of London’s famous markets from Brixton market to Colombia Road flower market;

• Bus route 139 gives 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, and of course street artwork.

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.

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.

Throughout half-term, Londoners and visitors can enjoy Pop-Up London – a free culture festival of family-friendly outdoor performances taking place across London in more than 100 events from 23 to 31 October.

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.

Do look at the activities listed on the websites below.  Because of Covid-19 some venues are only admitting by appointment, so please do check this out in advance.

Popular attractions such as the London Eye and Madame Tussauds can be booked directly via www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do.

For more ideas for half-term, visit https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk

And the following:

https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk/category/sightseeing

https://londonblog.tfl.gov.uk/2021/10/06/sightseeing-by-bus

www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-cultural-tfl-map

www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/lets-do-london

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/santander-cycles
 
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/routes-and-maps

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/experience-london/bus-leisure-routes

www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-cultural-tfl-map

www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/london-to-stage-mayors-free-pop-up-festival

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