Getting around London

There has never been a better time than 2020 to enjoy London by bicycle. With thousands of docking stations conveniently located around our hotel, you can ride like a Londoner for as little as £2 for 24-hour access. Isn’t it great?

From the main tourist spots to the peaceful rides through the parks, from the River Thames to the Saturday markets, it is the perfect opportunity to observe social distancing while exploring leisure routes all over London. Discover Nothing Hill, Hyde Park or Little Venice in a unique way available just a stone-throw from London House Hotel. 

Origin

The London's public bicycle scheme is called Santander Cycles with red coloured bicycles at hundreds of docking stations scattered around Central London. Londoners still called them Boris Bikes, after then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who introduced the scheme.

Since 315 docking stations were launched across eight London boroughs on 30 July 2010, there’re now more than 12,000 bikes available at over 800 docking stations.

How it works?

You can ride the Santander Cycles anywhere you like, no limits at all. Turn up at any docking station and use a credit/debit card to purchase 24-hour access. You can hire up to four cycles at the same time.

With 24 hours access, you can ride the bike for unlimited journeys of up to 30 minutes. Longer journeys cost £2 for each additional 30 minutes. Remember, if you aren’t using a bike, dock it. You can hire a bike as many times as you like within the bike access period you have purchased.

Contactless cards are widely accepted; however, you still can’t use contactless devices such as smartphones or watches. In addition, you can also download the Standard Cycle app and see live cycle routes and docking space availability.

There’s no need to book - simply turn up and cycle like a Londoner. In other words: Santander Cycles is an affordable and convenient way to explore the capital while staying at London House Hotel.

Tips and hints

• It is ideal for short rides as the first 30 minutes of each journey are free. If planning a longer journey, make sure you dock your bike within 30mins, then wait 5 mins and release a new cycle again. The sky is the limit.
• Docking station full? You can get an extra 15 minutes free when a docking station is full. On the terminal please choose 'No docking point free', and you will be given an extra 15 minutes.
• Several Sightseeing Routes have been carefully designed to ensure you get the best London has to offer to two-wheeled travellers:

        Sightseeing Leisure Routes.pdf

• Do you recall the Batman signal? Similarly, for when using the bikes after sunset, all cycles are equipped with Blaze Laserlights™ that help to make the users more visible after dark.
• In the Santander Cycle app offers an interactive map with search by station, landmarks or street names as you ride. Don’t miss anything!

Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s a great way to see everything London has to offer, get your bearings and enjoy a bit of exercise, so get pedalling!