When visiting London, there is no better way to get around the city than with the Tube. While you can always take a taxicab or ride share, do you want to save time being stuck in traffic? After all, England’s capital and largest city is the world’s most congested city regarding traffic conditions. In other words, traffic is worse than in other international destinations, like Paris, New York, and even Tokyo. On the other hand, London’s Underground is a far more efficient and reliable mode of transportation. Thus, whether you’re new to riding a subway or need a refresher, here’s a concise guide on how to use the London Tube.
About the London Underground (The Tube)
Established as an underground railway in 1863, the London Underground or Tube subway system is the oldest in the world. In comparison, other major transportation systems, such as the Paris Metro and New York MTA, date back to 1900 and 1904, respectively. Today, the London Underground operates 11 lines and 272 stations covering 250 miles (400 km). With such an extensive network, you can reach almost every London attraction via a subway line.
Getting Started
If you’re new to riding a subway train, there are some basic things to understand. For example, you’ll need to know your fare, how to read a subway map, and the direction of travel. Of course, you’ll also need to know how to pay the fare, find the entrance to a London Underground station, the hours of operation, and more.
Fare Options
Nowadays, most London Underground riders will use some form of cashless payment for fares. For example, you can use a valid bank card, an Oyster card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, among others. While you can still use cash as fare, it’s far more time-consuming and expensive per subway ride. Of all your fare payment options, your best to consider are a Day Travelcard or a Visitor Oystercard. That is, of course, if you plan to use the London subway frequently during your visit.
Fare
The cost of a subway ride generally depends upon the distance to travel. It would cost you £6.70 for a short ride, whereas with an Oyster card or contactless payment, it’s much less. During peak hours, such as commuter hours, it’s £3.40; off-peak, it’s £2.80. With this in mind, it’s clear that you will save money using a contactless method. In addition to the single fare, there are options, like Day Travelcards (all-day passes), 7-day Travel Cards, and Monthly Travelcards. However, it’s essential to know that London fares depend on the number of Zones you’ll travel through.
Related: How to Ride the Tokyo Subway
London Zones
Getting deeper into explaining the concept of fare payment and distance are the zones used in the Greater London Area. There are nine zones in the region, with central London in Zone 1. In contrast, the outer areas are Zones 2-9, including Heathrow and Gatwick airports in Zone 6. To explain it further, the area surrounding Zone 1 is Zone 2, Zone 2 is Zone 3, etc. Unless you plan to visit places outside central London, you’ll likely be traveling primarily in just Zone 1 and maybe Zone 2. However, if you wish to take the London Tube subway from Heathrow or Gatwick, you must travel through Zones 1-6.
Day Travelcards
Much like an all-day bus pass, Day Travelcards allows unlimited rides for the days you’re in London. Moreover, Day Travelcards can be used in Zones 1-4 or 1-6 for the same starting fare of £15.20 for a single day. In other words, you can use a Day Travelcard to transport you from Heathrow or Gatwick to the city center of London. If that’s not enough, you can purchase it online in advance and have the Day Travelcard sent to your home or hotel. However, these cards can be more expensive, and you’ll take longer to pass through the turnstiles. The Day Travelcard is valid on London’s public buses, subway lines, and other public transport services.
Related: How to Take the Bus in London
Visitor Oyster Card
An Oyster Card is much like a credit card; you tap on a small screen to open a turnstile. In this case, a card is preloaded with monetary credit, such as £10, £15, £20, £25, and so on. Since a Day Travelcard is £15.20, an Oyster Card would benefit you if you take only a handful of subway rides each day of your trip. To explain this further, if you ride six off-peak subway lines, not including transfers, in a day, you’d be paying a higher rate with an Oyster Card. As for peak hours, you can take four trips without paying a higher rate. Like the Day Travelcard, a Visitor Oyster Card can be sent to your home address.
Useful Travel Apps
You can use many travel apps to get around London via the Tube. For instance, the official London Transport app is the Tfl Go app for Android or Apple iOS devices. In addition, there are apps like First Off the Tube, London Tube Live, and MyLondonMap. Of course, there may be other helpful apps you may already use, like Google Maps and Moovit. The Tfl Oyster app, CityMapper London, AccessAble, and the VisitLondon app are even more helpful.
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How to Read a London Underground System Map
Understanding the London Tube system map is the key to helping you get around London with public transportation. Like any other central subway map, viewing London’s version can be daunting at first impression. However, once you learn the basics, you’ll be much more comfortable in your transit travel plans.
The Basics
The London Underground or Tube consists of 11 color-coded lines. However, it’s doubtful that you will use each of these subway routes for your transit travel plans. You might use just a handful of these. It depends on where you’re staying and what restaurants, bars, and attractions you want to visit. In addition to the 11 London Underground lines, there are six London Overground lines and a few more transit options.
Related: Riding the Subway to Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt
Know Your Direction of Travel
Each of the 11 color-coded subway lines has a terminus or ending point on either side of the route. For instance, the Piccadilly line (dark blue) has one terminus at Heathrow International Airport at the bottom left of the map. Next, you can follow the dark blue line and see subway stations like South Ealing, Hammersmith, Hyde Park Corner, and Piccadilly Circus. Then, following the dark blue line, you’ll see King’s Cross and St. Pancras, Arsenal and its terminus at Cockfosters. The endpoints are essential as they help you determine your direction of travel.
Understanding the Central Line
Another widely used line is the Central Line (red), with notable stations like Notting Hill Gate, Bond Street, and Oxford Circus. However, you might notice two endpoints at West Ruislip and Ealing Broadway, with the opposite endpoint at Epping. If you’re having trouble finding these termini, follow the numbers and letters surrounding the entire map (the grid). In detail, West Ruislip can be seen near 1A and about 1D, Ealing Broadway. On the opposite end at A8 is Epping.
The District Line
One last subway line you might use is the District Line (green). After all, among the popular stations are Paddington, Notting Hill Gate, Westminster, and Tower Hill. On the other hand, there are four termini: Ealing Broadway, Richmond, Edgware Road, and Upminster. Although this initially seems confusing, you will know your travel directions, such as going from St. James Park to Westminster.
More on the Direction of Travel
While you now better understand a subway line’s ending point, the next step is determining the direction of travel. For example, say that your starting point is Charing Cross station, and you want to go to Leicester Square. Using the numbers and letters shows that Charing Cross is near D5 on the system map. Upon further inspection, you’ll see that Leicester Square is the next station on the Northern Line (black). Therefore, you must travel on the Northern Line towards the High Barnet terminus to get from Charing Cross to Leicester Square. Conversely, if you want to go from Charing Cross to Embankment, you would travel in the direction towards Morden.
The Circle Line
Another London Tube subway line you might use is the Circle Line (yellow). Unlike other routes, the Circle Line travels mainly in a circular pattern. In this case, the route travels in a clockwise direction. Therefore, if you want to travel from Paddington to Westminster, you should stay on the Circle Line in that clockwise direction. On the contrary, if you want to go to Embankment from Westminster, you must travel the entire clockwise route.
Connecting to Another Subway Line (Interchange)
As long as you understand how to take a ride on the subway, you can also make transfers. What’s more, there may be many times that you’ll have to make a transfer from one subway line to another via interchange tunnels. All you would have to do is view where you will start on the system map and where you might have to connect to a different subway line. For example, if you start at Leicester Square (C4) and want to visit Baker Street, you’ll take the Piccadilly Line towards Heathrow. Your next station is Piccadilly, where you will get off and then transfer to the Bakerloo Line (brown). Then, follow the signs leading to the Bakerloo Line and continue to the signs leading to the Harrow & Wealdstone terminus. However, Baker Street station is just two stops away after leaving Piccadilly station.
Walking Through a Subway Station
If you have to transfer from one line to another, you may find yourself walking a great distance between the two. You can walk within a station for several minutes to make a connection. With this in mind, you will need to allow extra time to arrive at or before a specific time at your final destination.
Find London Attractions Using the Index to Stations
In addition to the London Underground system map, an Index to London Subway Stations is on the second page. Here, you can determine where attractions are on the system map and what subway lines serve these attractions. For example, if you want to go to the famous Abbey Road, the Grid column shows that Abbey Road is C8 on the map. However, the subway station you wish to reach is St. John’s Wood at C4, on the Jubilee (gray) line. From St. John’s Wood station, it’s about a 15-20 minute walk to the Abbey Road Crossing. Westminster is at D4, Piccadilly Circus is at D5, and Buckingham Palace is at St. James Park (D4).
Accessibility on the London Underground
Of the 272 stations served by the London Underground, there are 92 that are “step-free access.” This includes step-free access from the street to the train and from the street to the platform. In addition to the Underground’s website on accessible stations, you can use the system map to determine your travel. Each of the accessible stations is marked with the international symbol for accessibility. To complement the subway service, you can also use London Transport’s accessible bus system.
Safety in Stations and Trains
It is generally safe to walk through subway stations and onboard subway trains. The London Underground is among the world’s safest rapid transit systems. Nevertheless, there are basic things you can do to protect yourself and your personal belongings. This includes keeping valuables out of sight and holding your bag close. Additionally, you must be aware of nearby people and avoid riding in unoccupied train cars. You should also be mindful of your surroundings when using a smartphone and avoid headphones.
London Transport Staff
During hours of operation, at least one or more London Transport staff are at each station. This includes someone at the information window and another assisting customer at the ticket machines. Of course, you will see security staff at all subway stations and often onboard subway trains. That’s not to mention security cameras at stations and onboard trains.
Related: Top Attractions in London, England
About the Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University and has nearly 25 years of experience in the transportation industry.
