LONDON

ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL104One of London’s famousblack cabsDOCKLANDS LIGHTRAILWAY (DLR): Ë 020 7363 9700.Trains run approximatelyevery three and a halfto 10 mins. Mon-Sat05.30-00.30; Sun 07.00-23.00. Useful for visitingDocklands and Greenwich,the network has fantasticviews of the city.LONDON BUSESLondon buses run 05.00to 00.30. Night buses(00.00-04.30) operateon many major routes,and several services are24-hour. Bus passengersin Zone 1 must have avalid ticket or Oyster cardbefore boarding.LONDONUNDERGROUND(THE TUBE): Ë tfl.gov.uk See p. 106 forthe London UndergroundMap. Services run Mon-Sat05.00-00.30 and Sun07.30-23.30 on mostroutes. Fares vary, butsingle adult journeys inZone 1 cost £4.50. Withan Oyster card the samejourney works out farcheaper at £2.10.LONDONOVERGROUND: Ë tfl.gov.uk See p. 106 forthe London UndergroundMap. Services run Mon-Sat05.00-00.00, andSun 07.00-23.30 onmost routes.OYSTER CARDS/TRAVELCARDSTravelcards are valid forone, three or seven daysat a time, plus monthlyor seasonal periods.A Visitor Oyster card(an electronic smartcard)can be bought inincrements of one week ormore (plus a £5 deposit).It can also carry a cashvalue for pay-as-you-gojourneys and offers muchcheaper fares.The system is dividedinto nine zones (p. 106);Zone 1 is the centralLondon area. Travelcardsand Oyster cards arevalid on Underground,Overground, bus, allNational Rail serviceswithin London, DocklandsLight Railway (DLR), theAir Line (Emirates) cablecar and tram journeys,and offer discounts onriver services.Visitors can buyTravelcards and Oystercards from TouristInformation Centres,any TfL outlets or inadvance at VisitBritain’sonline store, visitbritainshop.com For moreinformation, go to visitlondon.com/travel| visitlondon.com|LONDON PLANNER|May 2013RIVER SERVICES tfl.gov.uk/river ThamesClippers 08707 815049. thamesclippers.com High-speedcatamarans leave majorpiers every 20 mins.Services between WaterlooPier and The O 2 (QEIIPier) and on to RoyalArsenal Woolwich Pierhave scheduled stopsincluding Embankment,Bankside, Tower Pier,London Bridge, CanaryWharf and Greenwich.The adult single fare is£6 (£5.40 with an Oystercard; £4 with a Travelcard).Alternatively, a RiverRoamer day pass allowsunlimited hop-on, hop-offtravel on the river from£13.60 per adult (p. 44).TAXISHail one of London’siconic black cabs (theynow come in a range ofcolours). When the ‘taxi’sign is illuminated theyare available to take youanywhere within GreaterLondon. Fares increaseafter 20.00.Private hire or minicabsare different: you can’thail them in the street butinstead must book themin advance. We adviseagainst using any vehiclethat approaches you inthe street. See tfl.gov.uk/pco for details of locallicensed private hire andminicab operators.TRAINSThere are 11 main stationsin London:Ë t Paddington servesthe West Country, Walesand the South Midlands.Ë t Liverpool Street andË t Fenchurch Streetserve East Anglia andEssex. Ë t Euston,Ë t King’s Cross St.Pancras, Ë t Maryleboneand t St. PancrasInternational serve northand central Britain.Ë t Charing Cross,Ë t London Bridge,Ë t Waterloo andË t Victoria servesouthern England.For timetables and ticketsvisit nationalrail.co.ukor call 08457 484950 (UK only)/020 72785240. Eurostar usest St. PancrasInternational eurostar.com or 08432 186186 (UK only)/01233617 575.SIGHTSEEING PASSESThe London Pass( londonpass.com)offers free entry, discountsand fast-track queuingat over 60 top Londonattractions including theTower of London, theLondon Bridge Experienceand St. Paul’s Cathedral,plus some special offersdesigned to enhance yourvisit. An adult one-day passcosts from £46, child from£29. Passes are availablefor up to six days. OfficialUK tourism authorityVisitBritain offers variouscards including the ThreePalace Royal Pass, £41( visitbritainshop.com).EMBASSIESAND CONSULATESFor emergencies (that areno fault of your own, andwhere local help has beenexhausted), your embassymay be able to assist you.Australia 020 7379 4334.Belgium 020 7470 3700.Canada 020 7258 6600.China 020 7299 4049.France 020 7073 1000.Germany 020 7824 1300.India 020 7836 8484.Ireland 020 7235 2171.The Netherlands 020 7590 3200.New Zealand 020 7930 8422.South Africa 020 7451 7299.Spain 020 7589 8989.US 020 7499 9000.TAXI © THINKSTOCK/COMSTOCK