London isn’t often described as quiet, but Christmas Day is the one day of the year when the capital can feel that way. But there’s actually no shortage of things to do and Christmas Day is a rare chance to explore and experience a different side of London.

There’s no public transport on Christmas Day, but you could opt for a Boris bike to explore Central London with much less traffic around. There will also be a few taxis and mini-cabs for hire.

With limited transport options, and thousands of Christmas calories consumed, walking might be your best bet. You’ll have London’s beautiful architecture, street art and Christmas lights largely to yourself, and walking is the best way to experience it. Take a look at these photos of London on Christmas morning by IanVisits, which include Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and Hyde Park Corner.

Tours

You can even go on a guided walking tour. London Walks hosts two walks on Christmas Day: The London of Samuel Pepys at 1pm and Charles Dickens’ London Walk at 2pm. Both walks start at the big Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square and last for two hours.

Westminster guide Peter Berthoud is offering three walking tours on Christmas Day, with the first at 6am for anyone who wants to experience an eerie 28 Days Later-style London! If you’re keen on a Christmas lie-in, you can opt for a post-lunch walk at 4pm.

Fancy a more relaxing tour? Push the boat out and have your Christmas dinner on the Thames, enjoying the sights of the river on a cruise. Or take a luxury coach tour of London with a professional guide.

Activities

Almost all of London’s attractions are closed on Christmas Day, but the weird and wonderful world of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not is open all year round. Ripley’s is open from 10am with last admission at 8.30pm on Christmas Day (closing time subject to change so check in advance).

Or, for a different kind of weird and wonderful, head to The Serpentine (lake) at Hyde Park where the hardy members of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the annual Peter Pan Cup swimming race. The race starts at 9am.

Christmas Services

Most London churches will have Christmas Day services. It’s best to check with the individual church in advance but Central London churches with Christmas Day services include:

• St Martin-in-the-Fields
• Southwark Cathedral (closes at 1pm)
• St Paul’s Cathedral (arrive early and be prepared to queue)

Eating and Drinking

Many restaurants close on Christmas Day but check our blog post for Christmas dinner options in London.

Some pubs open for a few hours around lunchtime but most will be closed or ticketed in the evening. Make sure you check in advance for opening hours. Hotel bars are a good bet for a drink on Christmas Day, but again, check with the hotel in advance.

Do you have any advice or suggestions for spending Christmas Day in London?

Open to everyone – including non-UK residents – the scheme was expanded earlier this year to include more of East London. There are now 8000 bikes and 560 docking stations.

Cycling is a great way to see the city whilst getting some exercise - plus it can often be quicker than other forms of public transport. I’m guessing cycling will become even more popular in London following Team GB’s stellar London 2012 Olympic performance!

Have you tried the bikes? Tell us about your best journey?

London is going to be busy during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. An extra three million journeys are forecast for the busiest days of the Olympics, which take place from 27 July to 12 August, and the Paralympics from 29 August to 9 September.

Follow these tips to keep delays and frustration to a minimum – and we suggest a healthy dose of patience as well.

1) Plan Ahead
Don’t dash out of the door and work out your route on the way. Prepare your travel plans in advance using the resources on offer, and remember that every day of the Games is different due to the multiple events taking place.

2) Use the Tools Available
Transport for London (TfL) have created wealth of travel resources for the Olympics, including interactive hotspot maps for public transport and roads which show day-by-day breakdowns of busy areas. There are charts of predicted wait times for each 30 minute period at every tube station and you can search for any temporary road changes in your area. For those with Olympic tickets, there is an online spectator journey planner. You can also sign up to Transport for London’s social media channels for the latest travel alerts.

3) Adapt to the Olympics
If you know your route will be busy, consider leaving earlier or later or taking a different way to avoid peak periods. For short journeys, cycling or walking could be faster – there are 47 tube journeys that can be walked in under 10 minutes. Consider using river transport like Thames Clippers too, as there’ll be extra boat services laid on.

4) Be Aware that Transport will Change
Bus services could be diverted because of temporary road changesand bus stops may be moved or temporarily suspended. If stations are crowded, TfL may introduce a one-way system or close altogether if they get too full. There will be extra services too – Tube and DLR trains will run about an hour later than usual and there will be extra evening services on the Jubilee, Central and District lines.

TfL has outlined planned changes and signs in stations will display the latest information, but it’s wise to check the TfL journey planner before you travel. You can also follow @GAOTG on Twitter or sign up for Olympic travel email updates to keep up to date.

5) Avoid Driving if at all Possible
TfL’s advice is to avoid driving in Central London and around Games venues from mid-July if you can. It also suggests motorists avoid the Olympic Route Network, 109 miles of road linking Games venues together. Watch out for areas where Olympic road events will take place, such as the Cycling Road Races on 28 and 29 July.

You can put any Olympic travel questions to TfL in a Twitter chat on 21 June at 1-2pm. Follow the hashtag #GAOTG to take part.

For more advice on travelling during the Games visit the Transport for London or Get Ahead of the Games websites.

London will be getting its own cable car this summer, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Emirates Air Line will open at midday on 28 June, allowing passengers to cross the Thames in just five minutes.

The cable car will travel between two terminals: The Emirates Greenwich Peninsula, near The O2, and The Emirates Royal Docks, close to Royal Victoria DLR station and ExCeL. It will be in operation seven days a week during the summer, ferrying up to 2,500 people per hour in each direction.

Passengers with Oyster cards can touch in to take a flight for £3.20. Passengers without Oyster or Travelcards pay a slightly higher cash fare of £4.30. There’s also a frequent flyer pass, and a 360 Degree Tour option for passengers who want to make a round trip.

The cable cars offer a great view over East London, with sites including the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf and The City.

All cabins are wheelchair accessible and each cabin can accommodate up to two bikes.

Find out more from Transport for London’s website.

To celebrate, commuters were treated to scenes from Shakespeare’s Two Gentleman of Verona performed live on a train by Two Gents Productions, and comedy on the platform from duo Abandoman.

Blackfriars South station is just a 15-minute walk from some of London’s top cultural institutions, including Shakespeare’s Globe, Tate Modern and Royal Festival Hall. The Blackfriars project will be fully completed by the summer.

As of this morning, an additional 2,700 docking points have been added in Tower Hamlets, and in north Shoreditch, Hackney.

You can also cycle further west, as 600 new docking points have been provided at Westfield London shopping centre in Shepherds Bush.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

“Our wonderful blue bikes have changed the face of London and introduced a new form of public transport that has eased getting around our great city for thousands of Londoners and made the capital even more attractive to visitors. I am delighted to have kept my promise to provide a cycle hire scheme for the people of London and today we have made it even bigger and better than ever before.”

Find out more about Barclays Cycle Hire

This week we asked our Facebook fans how you like to get around London and got a huge response – more than 110 comments and counting!

Lots of you love the Tube, double decker buses are really popular, and the DLR and Thames Clippers also get the nod. Black cabs are some people’s favourite form of transport, not least due to the drivers, who you find entertaining and full of local knowledge (as well as “The Knowledge” of course).

But the most popular way to get around London is walking and since we reckon London’s a great city for exploring on foot, we’re really pleased you do too!

Do you agree? Join the chorus by telling us your favourite way to get around London in the comments below.

London’s cabbies are famous for their black cabs and “the Knowledge” – an incredible memory of thousands of streets and routes that takes several years to acquire.

But you might have spotted a few pink cabs among their ranks in the capital during the last few months.

The pink taxis are sponsored by the Bermuda Department of Tourism and feature an image of Bermuda shorts and the catchphrase “Feel the Love”.

Bermuda Department of Tourism sent seven lucky cab drivers to Bermuda this October to visit the country’s beaches, play golf and learn more about the island. They got to enjoy all this from the back seat for a change, as Bermudian taxi drivers drove them around the island.

Now the cabbies are back in London, driving the pink cabs and eager to share their newfound knowledge of Bermuda.

Cabbie Mark Williams said:

Bermuda was an absolutely beautiful country. Driving a bright pink cab always causes a stir and customers are always asking questions about it so now I’ll be able to tell them all about the island. I’ve already told people all about the cocktails, beaches and golf out there.

Have you been in one of the pink cabs? Do you know anywhere else you can have a Bermudian experience in London? Tell us in the comments below.

Londoners can now register as members for the Mayor’s flagship Barclays Cycle Hire scheme. The bikes will be available to members from next Friday, 30 July.

The Barclays Cycle Hire bikes are located at docking stations throughout London. The first 30 minutes of your ride is free but you’ll need to be a paid-up member to access the bikes in the first place.

A membership key costs £3 with membership costs at £1 for a 24 hour membership, £5 for seven days and £45 for an annual membership.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:

“I call on Londoners to sign up and become pioneer members of this fantastic new addition to our transport system. I know that in time our scheme will become a new London icon and enable many more people to cycle in our magnificent city. I look forward to seeing cycle hire and superhighways working in tandem to make London a cyclised city.”

Sign up for a daily, weekly or annual membership today at www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire

Just when you thought hosting the London 2012 Olympic Games was exciting enough; plans for a stunning £25 million cable car crossing of the Thames have now been unveiled.

The privately funded cable car would transport up to 2,500 people an hour in a five-minute crossing between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.

The 50 metre high construction, which spans the river, would enable a quicker link between the O2 Arena and the ExCeL Centre – both Olympic venues.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said:

“A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London’s skyline, but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river.”

He added: “Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time.

“It would also provide a much needed enhancement of cross river options to the east of the city.”

The cable car has been a successful mode of transport in a number of cities including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Barcelona.

It sounds fantastic! Are you as excited about this new scheme as we are?