WORST transport mistakes you'll make in London (2026)

thanks for making a shorter video ;-)

Can I use one credit card for all 6 of my kids while getting on and off the tube? Do I just scan them each in with that same card?

As someone who worked for London Underground for many years and ran some of the busiest stations in central London, please please take care on escalators. I have seen a woman (at Waterloo) split her head literally wide open after falling. This is because the treads are metal. Always hold onto the hand rail even if walking. Try not to run and never use an escalator with your hands in your pockets. Accidents on escalators are common and easily avioided.

04:15 how about Thames boat? Is it included in a daily cap?

Dear me she can talk!

What if heading to Hampton court from Covent Garden? Can i do a tap on and off on the train to Hampton court or will i need an actual train ticket??

Heathrow Express 30-day advance tix are £10 one way, normally £26, only 15 min. to Paddington (or to Heathrow). I have taken the Piccadilly to save money, but it’s an hour trip each way.

Merci pour vos précieux conseils je suis à Londres et ils me sont très utiles fromQuebec

I know you are mainly targeting tourists but I would just like to add a bit of info. As I replied to a user, daily travel cards have a specific advantage, especially for us rail enthusiasts. Tfl allots a time limit from when you pass through a gate to when you exit at the next station. It also doesn't like it if you tap in and out of the same station without travelling anywhere. It sees this as odd and can charge you the maximum daily price each time. This is not useful if you stay on a platform for a couple of hours before going elsewhere like us. The paper travel card has NO such time limit and though a bit more than the daily cap, can be the best option.

I just booked Heathrow express 35 days in advance and got the tickets for 10 pounds per person.

Thank you for the helpful tips. I'm about to go on a family vacation to London. TfL web site says children under 11 ride the Tube free. Do you know how I would get my 7-year-old on it for free? I suppose there may be an attendant at the station who could be checked in with? Thank you!

Oyster gives 50% cheaper prices for youth which is worth getting

The "stand right, pass left" on UK escalators is an odd quirk. Stand right, pass left is also the norm on North American escalators, but that makes sense because North Americans drive on the right hand side of the road and the rules of the road dictate slow traffic in the right hand lane and passing (when safe to do so!) on the left. In the UK, given that traffic drives on the left and passes on the right, it should follow that passing is on the right in other situations.

We took the Heathrow Express and booked early. We stayed at Premier Inn by the British library. My son is in a wheelchair. We used the bus for transportation.

Getting excited and nervous. In 60 some days I will be in london. Can you tell me if I have the time. I arrived at 930 at Heathrow.. still dont know whether to take a taxi or train . (Iam staying in the holiday inn express in Mansfield. ) my plan is to take a tour with a company call viator . That start at 130 ( meeting place parliament sq) end at 530 in picadilly. Then go to the theater at 730. To see phantom of the opera. Do you think I have time to go back to the hotel an get dress ? I will appreciate your help. Thank you.

As a Londoner I applaud you for putting emphasis on where to stand on the escalators because I'm also one of those people who zooms out of work and then down the escalators to catch my train which goes to a branch where the train doesn't come as often as for the other branch (of course, I have to live on the one where the service is less U_U). It bugs me to no end when people block the left side and I have to huff and puff at them first to make them go right. Often I've missed a train that way. Sometimes time is really of the essence in London.

wear headphones on every form of public transport is my tip

Great tips to ensure visitors don't get lost on the tube :-)

I prefer oyster because you can link your railcard or put the young visitor discount too

Nobody who is sane wants to visit shitty London where only Muslims live. Better go to Poland or Hungary where Christianity is respected and practiced.

Tap out at the ticket gates and in at a stand-alone validator when changing trains to the Waterloo and City Line at Waterloo, or to the DLR at Shadwell, Limehouse, Canary Wharf and Custom House. Same possibly applies in reverse.

An exellent and comprehensive explanation of this brilliant, but at first sight a bit confusing transport system ❤️🌹.
Thank you💐.

Oyster cards are worth it because you can put a congestion on them whereas you can't with a debit or credit card.

There are clever ways to know which part of the train you need to board so you find yourself directly opposite the exit.

You NEED to buy an Oyster card if you want to make use of the Young Visitor Discount. If you pay with your phone or bank card, the system will not know your age and you pay full price.

Thanks Jessica. I was unaware the debet/credit works just as good as Oyster You have a splendid channel :- )

That is Bond Street and not Tottenham Court Street.

Daily single ticket good for 1 day in London ?

How much a day oyster card for 1 day use for underground ? And can you use Oyster card on bus aswell included ?

Hi Jess, what is the best/cheaper way to get phone service/data?
I will be in Europe for 2 months.
I will be coming from the U.S



Thank you for all the travel tips I am excited to go

“Gliding down the escalator at top speed like an eagle…” oh yes, that is definitely one of the joys!! 😊🎉

Did London, Paris and NYC on a RTW trip from Australia in 2023. Arguably a trifecta of the most iconic cities in the world. London's public transport system was hands-down the easiest to navigate. Paris a very close second. NYC a more than commendable third. 👍👍

I prefer using Oyster rather than my contactless debit card. Reason is that contactless is not unlimited. I have many times tried ot pay with contactless, and discovered I had reached the limit of ttransactions I could do that way. A problem I don't have with Oyster.

2017 I think I payed cash on the bus and bought a Day ticket for Tube and Overground

Boarding through forward door only is... let's say bad; having only 2 doors per double-decker is worse, but having a single-doored double-decker is the WORST desition ever made, turning the bus from a vehicle to a proper estate. The ideal bus has its speed as a priority. Boarding should be done throuh any of the door (there should be 3 or more), the payment can be done during the journey, while tapping a card to a card reader and purchasing, let's say, an hour-long ticket. The fres should be controlled by ticket inspectors; the driver should be focused on driving only

Great video, Jess!
On our first trip to London, I ran into an issue on the Tube using my Amex card in my Google Wallet on my phone. It worked once, entering a station...but it wouldn't let me exit another station. I was told by a worker at the station that the Amex in Google Wallet was the problem... Visa / MC work better, for some reason. Not sure if this is still the case...

💕✈️

Btw, there is two incredibly niche reasons why you might choose a travel card.

If you are a transport enthusiast, and intend to be riding trains far out and for prolonged periods, getting a travelcard will likely cost you the same as Oyster (so long as you touch Zone 6 at some point), and ensure you don't get in trouble with being timed out of the network or fined for doubling back on yourself.

Also, if you are only spending a short time in London and have a UK Railcard, and will be travelling outside of Zone 1/2, it can also sometimes be cheaper to get a travelcard. This is compounded for when you can buy them super cheap in conjunction with another UK rail ticket (like if you are getting an Off-Peak Day Return Dorking to London Victoria with London Travelcard Zones 1-6)

Just to reassure anyone here who gets confused when they come to London, don't worry, you're forgiven, it's not you. I'm in my 60s now, and I've lived in London ALL of my life and I still can't make head or tail of it here. All I can is, welcome to the madhouse 😀

Heathrow is in London

Great holiday advice

Update 1st March Oystercard now costs £10.50 still non-refundable (was £10 non-refundable)- any credit on the card at the end you can get back- but if you do this the card becomes unusable so only do this if you don't need it ever again!