CITY SAFARI - London & Partners

LONDONBUS SERVICESBuses run 05.00 to 00.30.Night buses (00.00-04.30)operate on many majorroutes, and several servicesare 24-hour. Bus passengersin Zone 1 must have a validticket or Oyster card (below)before boarding.DOCKLANDS LIGHTRAILWAY (DLR) Ë% 020 7363 9700. Trainsrun approx every three anda half to ten mins. mon-Sat05.30-00.30; Sun 07.00-23.00. Useful for visitingDocklands and greenwich.Look out for some truly lovelyviews of the city.LONDONUNDERGROUND Ë: tfl.gov.uk See p. 130 forthe London Undergroundmap. Services run mon-Sat05.00-00.30 and Sun 07.30-23.30 on most routes.LONDONOVERGROUND Ë: tfl.gov.ukThe London Overgroundnetwork appears on theUnderground map on p. 130.Services run mon-Sat 05.00-00.00 and Sun 07.00-23.30on most routes.OYSTER CARDS/TRAVELCARDSTravelcards are valid forone, three or seven days, aswell as monthly or seasonalperiods. an Oyster card (anelectronic smartcard) canbe bought in increments ofone week or more (plus a£3 deposit). it can also carrya cash value for pay-asyou-gojourneys and offersmuch cheaper fares. Thesystem is divided into ninezones, with Zone 1 beingthe central area. Travelcardsand Oyster cards are valid onUnderground, Overground,bus, all National Rail serviceswithin London, DLR and tramjourneys, and offer discountson river services. Visitors canbuy Travelcards and Oystercards from TiCs, any TfLoutlets or in advance at VisitBritain’s online store at: visitbritainshop.comFor more information, go to: visitlondon.com/travelRIVER SERVICES: tfl.gov.uk/river ThamesClippers % 08707 815049. : thamesclippers.comLuxury high-speedcatamarans leave majorpiers every 20 mins. Servicesbetween Waterloo pier andThe O 2 (Qeii Pier) and onto Royal arsenal WoolwichPier have scheduledstops every 20 mins atembankment, Bankside,Tower Pier, London Bridge,Canary Wharf, greenwich,etc. Snacks available. adultsingle £5.50 (from £3.55with an Oyster card), or buya River Roamer which allowsunlimited hop-on, hop-offtravel from £12.60 per adult.See River Thames box(p. 41) for more.TAXISHail one of London’s famousblack cabs (which come ina range of colours). Whenthe yellow ‘For Hire’ sign is litthey can take you anywherewithin greater London. Pleasenote that fares increase after20.00. Private hire or minicabsmust be booked in advance.We advise against using anyvehicle that approaches youin the street. See : tfl.gov.uk/pco for details of locallicensed services.CAR HIREPlease make sure your drivinglicence is valid for the UK.Avis % 08445 810 147.: avis.co.uk Europcar% 08713 849 847.: europcar.co.ukEasy Car : easycar.comHertz % 08708 448 844.: hertz.co.uk Kendall CarsLtd % 020 8542 0403.: kendallcars.comEnterprise Rent-A-Car% 0800 800 227.Sixt % 08444 993 399.: sixt.co.ukCONGESTION CHARGEThere is an £8 congestioncharge to drive into centraland west London, mon-Fri07.00-18.00. This must bepaid in advance or on the dayof travel. Pay Next Day allowsdrivers to pay the charge thenext day, but the fee rises to£10. % 08459 001 234(UK only)/020 7649 9122,or visit : cclondon.comSIGHTSEEING pASSESSave money on entry fees.The London Pass offers freeentry into 55 attractions plusspecial offers and more. adultfrom £43, child from £28.: londonpass.comVisitBritain offers variouscards including the greatBritish Heritage Pass from£39 (: heritagepassbritain.com) and Three Palace Pass,£35 (: visitbritainshop.com).LOST pROpERTYCredit cards: americanexpress % 01273 696 933;Diners Club % 08701 900011; mastercard % 0800Tourist Information964 767; Visa % 0800 891725. London Transport:% 08453 309 882.EMBASSIESAND CONSULATESFor genuine emergencies(that are no fault of yourown, and where local helphas been exhausted), yourembassy may be able toassist you.Australia % 020 73794334. Belgium % 020 74703700. Canada % 020 72586600. China % 020 72994049. France % 020 70731000. Germany % 0207824 1300. India % 0207836 8484. Ireland % 0207235 2171. New Zealand% 020 7930 8422. SouthAfrica % 020 7451 7299.Spain % 020 7589 8989.USA % 020 7499 9000.For information on bars, restaurants, shops, attractions andmuch more, go to London’s official website for visitors,: visitlondon.com or % 08701 LONDON (08701 566366, UK only). mobile devices can access: m.visitlondon.com for up-to-date info while on the move.BRITAIN & LONDON VISITOR CENTRE (1 RegentStreet, Piccadilly Circus, SW1. : visitbritain.com/blvcË Piccadilly Circus. map C5). a one-stop shop with staffproviding free advice in afrikaans, Dutch, english, French,german, italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian,Spanish and Swedish. The centre offers accommodationand transport booking, tours and theatre tickets, foreigncurrency exchange and VaT refunds. Visitors can alsoaccess the web and buy souvenirs in the shop. mon09.30-18.30; Tues-Fri 09.00-18.30; Sat-Sun and BankHolidays 10.00-16.00.Other Tourist information Centres (TiCs)include: OriginalLondon Visitor Centre Theatre tickets, days out, entryinto attractions, car hire, tours and cruises. mon-Sat 08.30-18.00; Sun 09.00-17.30. 17-19 Cockspur Street, W1.: theoriginaltour.com Ë Charing Cross. map C6. City ofLondon mon-Sat 09.30-17.30; Sun 10.00-16.00. St Paul’sChurchyard, eC4. Ë St Paul’s. map B7. Euston mon-Fri07.15-21.15; Sat 07.15-18.15; Sun 08.15-18.15. Oppositeplatform 8, euston Station, NW1. Ë t euston. map a5.Victoria Station mon-Sat 07.15-21.15; Sun 08.15-20.15.Victoria, SW1. Ë Victoria. map D4. Liverpool StreetStation 07.15-21.15; Sun 08.15-20.15. Liverpool Street,eC2. Ë Liverpool Street. map B9. GreenwichDaily 10.00-17.00. 2 Cutty Sark gardens, Se10.Ë greenwich. map inset.also look out for London ambassadors on the streets of thecapital. They can be identified by a badge on their uniformand are happy to help with free visitor information andadvice. more information on this and locations of all LondonTiCs can be found on : visitlondon.com/welcomeRegister at : visitlondon.com for up-to-date info onplanning your trip, booking accommodation and specialoffers on sightseeing, entertainment and restaurants.ESSENTIALSJune 2011 | LONDON PLANNER | visitlondon.com |129