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Travel »
Visitor Tips & Travel
Iin London and need to get around town? No problem…
Free Bus tour:
The Bus tours we mention on our A-Z page can cost a family £50. However by combining a few scheduled bus routes you can see the same sights, and if you've got a travelcard (Zones 1 & 2) or an Oystercarc, then it's 'hop on hop off':
LONG VERSION. At Liverpool Street take the Number 11 bus which runs through the City, past the Bank of England, past St Pauls Cathedral, Fleet street, The Strand, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall past 10 Downing Street and Horseguards, Westminster past Parliament and the Abbey, then through Victoria including Westminster Cathedral, close to Buckingham Palace, through Pimlico to the Chelsea Hospital and Physic Garden, Sloane Square, King's Road through World's End and finishes up on Fulham Broadway. From here a short interconnect via the Number 28 bus takes you to Olympia where you can catch the number 9 bus back into town. That follows Kensington High Street, past Kensigton Palace and Gardens, Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, up Piccadilly, though Piccadilly Circus, to the Strand, where you hop off and onto a number 15 bus to the Tower of London. You can, of course do the route in reverse, or simply start at the Tower instead of Liverpool street, in which case you take a number 15 Westwards and change for the 11 on the Strand (perhaps popping up to Covent Garden in between buses).
SHORT VERSION.From the Tower take bus #9 - these are heritage Routemaster buses with drivers and clippies (ask them about the best place to change to the 15...), and are usually vintage vehicles. Change at the Strand for a #15 bus to the Royal Albert Hall. The route takes you from the least liveable Royal Palace (The Tower of London) to the most liveable (Kensington Palace) where Lady Diana used to live.
TRAINS
There are ten main rail stations in London.Paddington serves the West
Country, Wales and the South Midlands. Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street serve East Anglia and Essex. Euston, King’s Cross, Marylebone and St Pancras International serve north and central Britain. Charing Cross, Waterloo and Victoria serve southern England. For information on timetables and tickets visit: nationalrail.co.uk or call Eurostar uses St Pancras International: eurostar.com
BUS SERVICES
Buses run from 05.00 to 00.30. Night buses (00.00-04.30) operate on many
major routes, and several services are 24-hour. Bus passengers in Zone 1 must
have a valid ticket or Oyster card before boarding.
LONDON UNDERGROUND
www.tfl.gov.uk Services run regularly from around 05.00-00.30 (Sun 07.30-23.30) on most routes.
TAXIS
Hail one of London’s famous black cabs (some are multi-coloured) when the yellow
‘For Hire’ sign is lit – they can take you anywhere within greater London. Please note
fares increase after 20.00 or special holidays. Private hire or mini cabs must
be booked in advance. We advise you against getting into any vehicle that approaches you in the street purporting to be a minicab. See www.tfl.gov.uk/pco for details of local licensed minicabs.
TRAVELCARDS/OYSTER CARDS
Travelcards are valid for one, three or seven days as well as monthly or seasonal
periods. An Oyster card (an electronic smartcard) can only be bought in increments
of one week or over. It can also carry a cash value for pay-as-you-go journeys and
offers much cheaper fares. The system is divided into six Zones with Zone 1 being the
central area. Travelcards and Oyster cards are valid on Underground, bus, some
National Rail services, DLR and tram journeys and offer discounts on river services.
See www.tfl.gov.uk/river
Visitors can purchase Travelcards and Oyster cards from TICs, any TfL outlet, or in advance at VisitBritain’s online store – : visit www.britaindirect.com
CONGESTION CHARGE
There is an £8 congestion charge to drive into central and parts of west London,
Mon-Fri 07.00-18.00, but this must be paid in advance or on the day of travel. Pay Next Day allows drivers to pay the charge the following day, but the fee rises to £10.
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