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How to get around in London? with the underground!

As Londres is a very big city, the best option to get around the city is by taking the underground. London underground has 275 stops, 63 of which are distributed all around the city centre.

The underground is formed by 12 lines and leaves every few minutes from 5,30 in the morning until 00,30 at night (from Monday til Saturday), and from 7,30 in the morning until 23,30 at night (Sundays). You can get an underground map in any of the train stations for free.

How does it work?

The London underground works in a different way as any other underground in Spain. In Spain. In London the price of the ticket varies depending on the zone you are going. The underground is diveded into 6 zones, zone 1 being the most used as it is the central zone.

The London underground.

Prices

The price system in London is very simple: the further you go, the more you will pay. For instance, if you are in zone 1 visiting the city centre, but at the end of the day you must return to your hotel, which is located in zone 3, you'll pay £2.50 for the ticket, because you'll be moving across 3 zones. On the contrary, if your hotel was located in zone 1 you would only pay £1.50.

We detail the prices of the London underground as follows:

Zone	1 zone	2 zones	3 zones	4 zones	5 zones	6 zones
Price	£1.50	£2.00	£2.50	£2.50	£3.50	£3.50

Tickets with discount

If you are going to spend two days or more in London, we suggest you to buy the tickets called Travelcard, which can last one day, three days or one week. Moreover, the Travelcard allows you to use all the public transports in London (underground, bus, train, etc.).

This travelcard is very useful when spending a few days in London, as you'll be able to avoid the queues when buying the tickets.

Any advice ?

The London underground is enormous, but it is extremely useful. Furthermore, I find it fair this method of paying for the distance you take.

However, in the underground you must watch over a lot because it is always very crowded and busy. Keep always an eye on your bags.

Keep always your ticket with you, because you'll need it at the exit in some stations. Moreover, if a ticket collector asks you to show him the ticket and you don't have it, he will penalize you.

The bus

In London you can also get around by bus, in the famous red buses of the city. There are in London over 17.000 bus stops, so it is an excellent public transport, specially when getting around in the city centre and when visiting monuments.

The price of the ticket is £1.20 per trip, which allows you to move over the 6 zones of the city. As with the underground, you can also buy a ticket which lasts all the day for £3.00.

Be aware! If you take the bus in the city centre, you have to buy the ticket before getting in. You can buy it in the machines of the street or in the underground station. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to get in!

The taxi

You can also get around London by taxi, in the famous black taxis with that so characteristic old style. The only problem is the price, which is obviously a bit expensive. However, it's a good idea to take it some time, as it is very funny.

This London guide has been written by Marian Jubany and Narcís Vilà. Revised on August 2006.
A Comexus Networks, SL initiative. NIF: B-17689324. All rights reserved.
Forbidden its parcial or total reproduction (texts and pictures). Don't copy it, better link to it. ;-)

rige