Underground

London's public transport system is touted as one of the best in the world and offers locals and tourists many options. The system revolves around the Underground (the "TUBE") which is the oldest metro system in the world, opened in 1863, and it furthermore constitutes the longest metro system in Europe. More than 3,37 million passengers travel on the Underground every day, amounting to over 1,35 billion passenger journeys per year.

It serves 272 stations and has 402 kilometres (250 miles) of track, making it the fourth largest metro after the Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing Metro system.

Opening hours

London Underground opening times vary slightly from line to line, but the first London subway trains normally start running around 5am, from Monday to Saturday, with reduced operating hours on Sunday, and it normally run until midnight.

Notice that five Tube lines run a 24-hour service on Fridays and Saturdays: Victoria, Central, Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. Find more information on this Night Tube page.

Lines

Tube maps are available from any station, most tourist offices and are prominently displayed in stations. Line Names & Map Color:

1. Bakerloo line - Brown
2. Central line - Red
3. Circle line - Yellow
4. District line - Green
5. Hammersmith & City line - Pink
6. Jubilee line - Silver
7. Metropolitan line - Dark Magenta
8. Northern line - Black
9. Piccadilly line - Dark Blue
10. Victoria line - Light Blue
11. Waterloo & City line – Turquoise
12. Overground - double orange lines (although part of the Tube, trains are different and not... underground)

Tickets

Tickets are sold at staffed ticket offices and through ticket machines. Some ticket machines accept coins, notes and credit cards, some accept coins only, and some accept cards only.

Single tickets are charged £5,50 flat fare for journeys within or beyond Zone 1, or £6,00 for journeys outside of Zone 1 (in 2021).
This is the most expensive way to travel as travelcards and Oyster cards offer much better rates and single tickets rarely used, and anyone will prefer to use an Oyster card (£2.40 for a single journey in zone 1 and £3.30 outside zone 1 with Oyster card).

There are various discounts available for children, students and elderly travellers on the London subway.
Pricing is devised according to the zones of London

• Zone 1 - central, with a boundary just beyond the Circle line
• Zone 6 - outermost and includes London Heathrow Airport
• Zones 7–9 - Stations on the Metropolitan line outside Greater London

Travelcard - Travel ticket for unlimited use on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink, London Buses and National Rail services in the Greater London area. You can currently buy Travelcards for periods of 1 day, 7 days, 1 month or 1 year.

Paper tickets are inserted into the turnstile face-up into the slot on the front of the machine, then removed from the top. If you have a single ticket it will be retained at the exit gate.

The cost of a Travelcard is determined by the area it covers and, for this purpose, London is divided into several fare zones. Depending on where it is purchased, and the length of validity, a Travelcard is either printed on a paper ticket with a magnetic stripe or encoded onto a reusable contactless electronic smart card, known as an Oyster card.

Example: Travelcard prices for zones 1-2 (June 2021)

• Day Travelcard – Anytime and Off-Peak: £13.90
• 7 Day Travelcard - £37
• Monthly Travelcard - £142.10
• Annual Travelcard - £1,480

Oyster Card - This smartcard with an embedded contactless RFID chip allows travelers to charge it with credit and use the card to pay for travel. It can be used on the Underground, the Overground, buses, trams, the Docklands Light Railway, and National Rail services within London.
This is a cheaper option than a travelcard and can be bought at any Tube station with a deposit of £5 (it is refunded when you give back the card, along with any cash remaining on the card).

It works as an electronic wallet and you charge the card with some cash ("top up"), that will be debited as you take the public transports. The fare is calculated based on your start and end points with pay-as-you-go being cheaper than paying in cash for each journey. For instance, a cash tube one way in Zone 1 is £5,50, while with an Oyster Card it costs £2,40. If you pay by Oyster Card, just tap your card against the yellow pad to open the barriers (both upon entrance and exit).

Visitor tickets, similar to Oyster card, that you can get on the Eurostar or in some airport cost the same as normal Oysters, but are not refunded!

Where you can use an Oyster card?
- The London Underground network
- The London red local bus network
- The railway network in Greater London
- Docklands Light Railway (DLR), TfL Rail Services and Overground Railway
- Heathrow Express - from 19 Feb 2019, Oystercards can be used on the Heathrow Express for the first time.
- TFL railway services including the TFL Heathrow Airport train
- 33% discount on many scheduled river services
- Train services between London and Gatwick Airport.

Train

London is the center of British rail and the busiest and largest in Europe. There are some major terminal stations, mostly serving areas of the city not served by the underground.
Major intercity terminals are:

• Euston for the West Midlands, North Wales, Northwest England and Scotland including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.
• King's Cross for the East Midlands, Yorkshire, NorthEast England and Scotland including Peterborough, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
• Liverpool Street for East Anglia including Ipswich, Norwich and Cambridge.
• Charing Cross for Southeast England and the South Coast, including the Medway towns, Canterbury and Dover.
• London Bridge for the same destinations as Charing Cross Station.
• Paddington for SouthWest England and South Wales including Reading, Bristol, Plymouth and Cardiff.
• St. Pancras International for the East Midlands and Yorkshire including Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield. Additional services to Kent including Faversham, Dover, Ashford and Canterbury via HighSpeed services along High Speed 1. This is also the terminal for Eurostars going to Paris and Brussels.
• Victoria for Southeast England and the South Coast, including Brighton, Canterbury and Dover.
• Waterloo for SouthEast England and the South Coast, including Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and Weymouth.
• Marylebone for the Chiltern Mainline, serving Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Birmingham Snow Hill.

International Services

International service is provided by Eurostar from St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi via the Channel Tunnel beneath the water, with intermediate stops at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in Kent and Lille Europe in Nord/Pas de Calais (France).

Journey Time:
Paris - 2 hours 15 minutes from London
Brussels - 2 hours away

Tickets

Rail fares vary depending on distance, how far in advance the ticket is booked, and the class of travel. The further in advance tickets are booked, the better the price.
Ticket Types:

• Anytime - Most expensive option. Travel on a limited schedule and buy few days before departure.
• Travel Off-Peak - Tickets are usually cheaper during quieter times on weekdays and weekends.
• Use GroupSave - If you are travelling in a group of 3-9 people you could save 34%.
• In advance - Travel on a specific day and train time, booked up to 12 weeks in advance either in person at a railway station, over the telephone or online. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be used on anything other than the date, train time and operator that is printed on the reservation.

Seats can be reserved for free on all long-distance trains to London. This is automatic with an Advance ticket, and usual with most Off-Peak and Anytime tickets bought online. If, for whatever reason you hold an Anytime or Off-Peak ticket and there is no seat reservation coupon, then it is highly recommended you get one from any railway station ticket office.

Note that you can use an Oyster card on nearly all of London's commuter train services (zones 1 to 9). See the Transport for London website for full details.

Bus and coaches

Bus network in London

The classic red double-decker bus can still be found in London, and it is not just for tourists. The network is extensive and caters to locals throughout the city. The more than 700 different routes serving 19,000 bus stops, cater to more passengers than the Underground. While service diminishes at night, there is still night bus service running 24h/day on some lines (N).

TfL Buses contracts the bus system to private companies (such as Deutsch Bahn or French RATP). TfL sets the routes, frequencies, fares and vehicles, with companies bid to run these services for a fixed price for several years.

There are different fares depending on your age, student statues, if you are wishing to get day, week or monthly passes, etc. Visit "transport for London" to find out about the fare that fits you better.

Long-Distance Operators

There are different international and domestic long distance bus services (coach). Most routes arrive and depart from stations off Buckingham Palace Road in Westminster, close to London Victoria rail station (Victoria Coach Station) or King's Cross Coach Station. The most popular companies are:

• National Express - Largest domestic coach operator. Advance ticketing is usually required, and fares are generally low.
• Megabus - Operates budget coach services from/to London (Victoria Coach Station) and major cities.
• Oxford Tube - as it says in the name, it goes from London to Oxford and run 24h/day (day return ticket = £17 in 2021).
• Flixbus – Known as ones of the cheapest bus companies in Europe.

Ferry/Boat

As a port town, London is accessible by water, but most people only use this mean of transportation for leisure. Ocean-going vessels can travel as far as the London Bridge. However, this is changing. Passenger service is increasingly available as part of the London River Services. Options include river bus commuter services and a large number of leisure cruises operating on the river.

Boats are operated by private companies, and they have a separate ticketing system from the rest of London transport. However, it is possible to use the Oyster card (pay-as-you-go or travelcard) in those operated by Thames Clippers.

Plane

London is one of the most served destination in the world when it comes to flights. The airport code for London's 5 airports is: LON.

Main airports

• London Heathrow (LHR): This is London and Europe's largest airport and of the world's busiest airport in terms of international passenger movement. Located 32km (20 miles) to the west of central London, the airport is spread across four terminals (terminals 2 to 5), each with shops, restaurants, currency exchange facilities, information counters, accommodation desks and left luggage facilities.
  Find out how to get from and to the airport HERE.
• London Gatwick (LGW) is London's second airport and the most efficient single-runway airport in the world, serving 200 destinations in 90 countries for 35 million customers a year.
  Find out how to get from and to the airport HERE.
• London Stansted Airport (STN) is London's 3rd airport and caters primarily to discount airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, RyanAir and AirAsia. It is located over 60 km away from the city centre, and it takes about an hour to reach central London (Charing Cross). It handles over 20 million passengers annually and it serves more European destinations than any other airport in the world with over 150 destinations in over 30 countries. Conveniently located to the north of the city, with 24-hour public transport access. Taxis and numerous car rental firms are conveniently located in the international arrival's areas.
  Find out how to get from and to the airport HERE.

Other airports

• London Luton - (LTN) Smaller than Stansted, this is still a useful London airport for low-cost airlines. Over 10 million passengers fly through the airport each year.
• London City Airport - (LCY) London City Airport is one of the easiest and most accessible airports in London owing to its location just 9.5km (6 miles) east of central London and 4.8km (3 miles) from Canary Wharf.
• A single runway handles short-haul flights with a strong emphasis on business travel to Europe and specialised flights to New York.
• London Southend Airport - (SEN) Developments are underway to make this airport London's sixth international airport. London Southend Airport is located 64km (40 miles) from central London.
• London Ashford Airport - Also known as Lydd Airport, it is located in the SouthEast of England. Lydd Airport currently caters for a wide range of aircraft operations, from executive jets, helicopters, to private light aircraft and cargo. Secure hangarage and aircraft parking with dedicated VIP stands are available and opening hours are convenient and practical, with extensions available upon request.

Taxi

Taxis are easily available to stop on the street, as well as outside of tourist areas, transport hubs, or hotels. It is also possible to book cabs in advance by calling or booking online.

Cab drivers must take extensive tests to qualify and at least in theory, they should be able to navigate without reference to a map. As they do not charge for additional passengers, there fees are quite reasonable with a full car.

There are two basic types of taxis:

• Classic black cab - Though not always black, these are the only ones licensed to "ply for hire" (i.e. pick people up off the street). They can also be booked in advance (extra fee of £2), stop on the street or picked up from designated taxi ranks.
  Amber TAXI lights will alert you if they are available. These cabs charge by distance and by the minute and have a minimum charge of £3.20.
  See more about "Black taxi fares" HERE.

• Minicabs - Private hire vehicles that need to be pre-booked. They generally charge a fixed fare for a journey that should be agreed before you start the trip. This is generally a cheaper option than black cabs (remember to always ask the price in advance, when you book the journey).

Tipping is not mandatory but may be expected for Black Cabs. Tip what you feel is appropriate and understand that Londoners usually round up to the nearest pound.

Transport of London offers a complete resource guide to cabs in the city.

Main Taxi Firms

• One-Number Taxi: 0871 871 8710
• Dial-A-Cab: 020 7253 5000
• London Black Taxis: 020 3984 4515 or 020 3004 4953
• Radio Taxis: 020 7272 0272
• Computer Cab: 020 7908 0207 (Credit/debit card bookings: 020 7432 1432 - Cash bookings: 020 7908 0207
• Southside Centre taxi rank: 0800 211 8087 (Wandsworth Southside Centre and surrounding areas)
• Sutton taxi rank: 0800 118 2192 (Sutton and surrounding areas)
• Taxi Call Wimbledon: 020 8099 7711 (Wimbledon and surrounding areas)

Addison Lee is one of the main firms and the cheapest option when looking for a premium or high executive travels owning the largest executive fleet of Mercedes cars.

Taxi apps and new alternatives

Over the past few years, new ways of using technology in our daily life appeared, including the way we book immediate taxis.
Many customers prefer the convenience of being able to request a ride via an app and pay for it using a stored card rather than standing on the pavement waving their arm up and down trying to flag an unoccupied taxi down, and taxi apps allow for that.

Here are the best taxi apps to get you around London:

• Uber: Uber is available across the UK - not just London - and it allows users to choose from a number of different vehicles, including executive cars and larger cars for more people.
• Free Now: It is available in several cities around the UK and over 100 cities across Europe.
• Gett: Several different types of car are available to request, from a regular Black Cab, to electric ones and ones designed to carry disabled passengers.
• Bolt: Very similar to Uber. You can store a number of cards within the app, allowing for easy payment and you can also view your trip history in your profile too.

Cars

Car rental

Car rental allow visitors to discover England hidden parts and travel freely outside the city of London. Rentals can be easily arranged online or at points of entry as most major car rental dealers are located at the airports, as well as major train stations. Competition is fierce so compare deals to find the one that works for you. Expect to pay about £35-50/day.

Car rental may require you to be over 21 years old or require an additional deposit until the age of 25. Moreover, all renters must have a valid driver's license (non-UK driving license are valid for up to 12 months from the time of your last entry into the country). The most popular car rental companies in the UK are:

• Alamo
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• SIXT
• Budget
• Avis
• Europcar
• Dollar
• Green Motion

RentalCars.com offers a search database where to compare rental car companies on selected dates.

Car clubs

Car club services have been expanding both in London and across the UK. They provide a convenient way of getting a car for a short time as you will pay only for the hours you need. No need to pay for repairs, servicing and renewing insurance.

You will have to register first with the service (including an yearly fee) which will allow you to book a car online or by phone, weeks ahead or with just a few minutes notice, for anything from an hour to a weekend. Price starts usually at about £5 an hour.

Some of the most popular companies that offer this service are:

• Hertz on Demand
• Zipcar
• Ubeeqo
• Getaround
• Hiyacar
• Enterprise Car Club
• Co-wheels

Driving Conditions

Like other places in the UK, driving is on the left side of the road. This can be confusing for foreign drivers, so prepare mentally and be careful when driving.
Moreover, Central London is difficult to navigate. Many Londoners prefer to take public transport rather than drive within the center.

Traffic can be quite bad during peak commuting hours of 7.30am and 9.30am and 04pm and 07pm. The Highways Agency offers live traffic updates throughout the UK.

Congestion Charge for Central London

A congestion charge seeks to lower traffic jams within the center and provide revenue for road infrastructure.

The Congestion Charge can't stop raising (it was £5 wjhen it was created in 2003) and is a £15 daily charge if you drive within the Congestion Charge zone 07am-10pm, every day, except Christmas Day (25 December).

The easiest way to pay is by setting up Auto Pay. Travelers can do this by first registering online (up to 5 vehicles). This allows the car to be driven within the zone and the fee automatically deducted from the registered user's credit/debit account once a month. It saves time and offers a reduced daily charge.

If found in non-payment, the fine is between £80 and £240. Exemptions and discounts are available too.

Note that Two-wheeled motorbikes (and sidecars) and mopeds and vehicles for more than one disabled person (for example Dial-a-Ride) that are exempt from vehicle tax and have a 'disabled' taxation class DO NOT HAVE TO PAY the Congestion Charge if the vehicle is recorded at the DVLA in one of these categories.

For more information visit: Tfl.gov.uk

ULEZ zone

To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (25 December), within the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge.

Most vehicles, including cars and vans, need to meet the ULEZ emissions standards or their drivers must pay a daily charge to drive within the zone:

• £12.50 for most vehicle types, including cars, motorcycles and vans (up to and including 3.5 tonnes)
• £100 for heavier vehicles, including lorries (over 3.5 tonnes) and buses/coaches (over 5 tonnes)

From 25 October 2021, ULEZ expands from central London to create a single, larger zone up to, but not including, the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). Find out how more on the ULEZ expansion.

Parking in London

Issues with parking and frequent ticketing are one of the many reasons people prefer to take public transport within the city. Parking restrictions typically apply between 8:30am and 06:30pm from Monday to Saturday.

Many of London's roads operate "Pay & Display" schemes, where you'll need to purchase a ticket and display it on the dashboard or windscreen of the vehicle. Some London boroughs operate "phone parking" where you can pay for parking on your mobile phone. However, you usually need to create an account and register a credit or debit card to do this.

Outside of advertised restricted hours, parking on a single yellow line is permissible. Parking on a red line or a double yellow line is never permissible.

Parking fines are generally between £80 - £130 if paid within 14 days. This rises to an average of £120 or more for late payments.

Park-and-rides are useful. There is a National Park and Ride Directory that helps users find a location.

For about £100 per year (depending on the borough), you can get a resident parking permit, that allows you to park within your area. Rules are different according to the boroughs, but usually you will have to provide the followings:

• a completed form (that you can find at your council),
• a proof of residence (bill, tenancy agreement...),
• driving licence,
• vehicule card with our name/proof this is yours.

Shared bicycles

As many European cities, London also offers the possibility of cycling around the city with rental bikes parked in different docking stations. Santander Cycle is the company in charge of the service. You simply have to download Santander Cycles app or go to any docking station terminal with your bank card and touch the screen to get started. There is no need to book - hire a Santander Cycle, ride it, then return it to any docking station.

Hiring a Santander Cycle costs £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes within a 24 hour period. For journeys longer than 30 minutes, you pay £2 for each additional 30 minutes. You must return the cycle within 24 hours or you may be charged. However, if you use Santander Cycles regularly, you can become a member to make hiring cycles even quicker and cheaper.

• 1-day membership: £2 for 24 hour access
• Yearly membership: £90 (25p per day)
• Students save 25%: If you are 18 or over and studying in London, you can buy Santander Cycles yearly membership for £67.50.
• Cycle to work discount: If you are using a Santander Cycle to get to work, the City Bike Hire scheme can save you up to £37.80 through tax-free yearly membership with your employer.

See our article in our expat magazine: The expansion of shared bicycle schemes.

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