The best way by far, to get around London is the Underground, popularly known as the “Tube”. All of the major London attractions are within walking distance of a Tube station. When booking a London hotel or B&B is is always wise to ask the walking distance from the nearest tube station. All of London rides the Tube, joining them makes you part of the life of this great city. It is the perfect way to get outside of the tourist bubble and feel the pulse of London.
The London underground “map” is really a diagram. It is not to scale. Central London is expanded and distant stops, such as Heathrow Airport appear much closer than they really are. In central London, many station are within easy walking distance from each other with train travel time often being just 1-3 minutes. Service is frequent Monday-Saturday. Sunday schedules start later and with longer waits between trains.
The easiest way to pay your fares is with an “Oyster Card”. This is a plastic card containing a microchip that the station gates read. You just tap a flat area on the gate when entering and leaving the station and the fare is deducted from your card. You can “top up” you card using cash or a credit/ATM card in any station.
The Oyster card always gives you the best discount on your fares. I highly recommend it for economy and convenience. You can register your card online to protect it against loss or theft. You do need a UK address to do this. I used our London hotel address. There is a 3 Pound refundable deposit to get an Oyster card.
Taking the Tube to/from Heathrow Airport
Heathrow has frequent Tube service on the Picadilly line. It takes about an hour to get to central London and up to an hour and 45 minutes to get to outlying areas. It is by far the least expensive way to get into central London.
When you transfer between lines, there are often stairs to ascend and descend. Be aware that you may have to carry your luggage up and down some stairs when you transfer. Stations marked as handicapped access have elevators for the use of handicapped passengers.
Trains start running at 7 AM on Sunday, so do not plan to get to Heathrow via Tube for Sunday morning flights.
