London & Partners

ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL
One of London’s
famous black cabs
t St. Pancras
International serve north
and central Britain.
Ë t Charing Cross,
Ë t London Bridge,
Ë t Waterloo and
Ë t Victoria serve
southern England.
For timetables and tickets
visit nationalrail.co.uk or
call 08457 48 49 50
(UK only)/020 7278 5240.
Eurostar uses
t St. Pancras
International
eurostar.com
or 08432 186 186
(UK only)/01233 617 575.
LONDON BUSES
London buses run 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
(THE TUBE) Ë
tfl.gov.uk See p. 98 for
the London Underground
Map. Services run Mon-Sat
05.00-00.30 and Sun
07.30-23.30 on most routes.
Fares vary, but single adult
journeys in Zone 1 cost
£4.50. With an Oyster card
the same journey works out
far cheaper at £2.10.
LONDON
OVERGROUND Ë
tfl.gov.uk See p. 98 for the
London Underground Map.
Services run Mon-Sat 05.00-
00.00, and Sun 07.00-23.30
on most routes.
OYSTER CARDS/
TRAVELCARDS
Travelcards are valid for one,
three or seven days, plus
monthly or seasonal periods.
A Visitor Oyster card (an
electronic smartcard) can be
bought in increments of one
week or more (plus a £5
deposit). It can also carry a
cash value for pay-as-yougo
journeys and offers
much cheaper fares.
The system is divided
into nine zones (p. 98), with
Zone 1 being the central
London area. Travelcards
and Oyster cards are valid on
Underground, Overground,
bus, all National Rail services
within London, Docklands
Light Railway (DLR), the Air
Line (Emirates) cable car
and tram journeys, and offer
discounts on river services.
Visitors can buy
Travelcards and Oyster
cards from Tourist
Information Centres, any
TfL outlets or in advance at
VisitBritain’s online store,
visitbritainshop.com
For more information, go to
visitlondon.com/travel
RIVER SERVICES
tfl.gov.uk/river Thames
Clippers 08707 815
049. thamesclippers.com
High-speed catamarans
leave major piers every 20
mins. Services between
Waterloo Pier and The O 2
(QEII Pier) and on to Royal
Arsenal Woolwich Pier have
scheduled stops including
Embankment, Bankside,
Tower Pier, London
Bridge, Canary Wharf and
Greenwich. The adult single
fare is £6 (£5.40 with an
Oyster card; £4 with a
Travelcard). Alternatively,
a River Roamer day pass
allows unlimited hop-on, hopoff
travel on the river from
£13.60 per adult (p. 41).
TAXIS
Hail one of London’s iconic
black cabs (they now come
in a range of colours). When
the ‘taxi’ sign is illuminated
they are available to take
you anywhere within Greater
London. Fares increase
after 20.00.
Private hire or minicabs are
different: you can’t hail them
in the street but instead must
book them in advance. We
advise against using any
vehicle that approaches you
in the street. See tfl.gov.
uk/pco for details of local
licensed private hire and
minicab operators.
TRAINS
There are 11 main stations
in London:
Ë t Paddington serves
the West Country, Wales and
the South Midlands.
Ë t Liverpool Street and
Ë t Fenchurch Street
serve East Anglia and
Essex.
Ë t Euston, Ë t
King’s Cross St. Pancras,
Ë t Marylebone and
SIGHTSEEING
PASSES
The London Pass
( londonpass.com) offers
free entry, discounts and
fast-track queuing at 55 top
London attractions including
the Tower of London
(p. 34) and the London
Bridge Experience (p. 28),
plus some special offers
designed to enhance your
visit. An adult one-day pass
costs from £46, child from
£29. Passes are available
for up to 6 days. Official
UK tourism authority
VisitBritain offers various
cards including the Three
Palace Royal Pass, £41
( visitbritainshop.com).
EMBASSIES
AND CONSULATES
For emergencies (that are
no fault of your own, and
where local help has been
exhausted), your embassy
may be able to assist you.
Australia
020 7379 4334.
Canada
020 7258 6600.
China
020 7299 4049.
France 020 7073 1000.
Germany
020 7824 1300.
India 020 7836 8484.
Ireland 020 7235 2171.
New Zealand
020 7930 8422.
South Africa
020 7451 7299.
Spain 020 7589 8989.
US 020 7499 9000.
TAXI © THINKSTOCK/COMSTOCK
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| visitlondon.com|LONDON PLANNER|January 2013