(Editor’s note:This is Pt. 2 of a two-part post with tips from actual Londoners on navigating the city’s complex transportation system.You can jump to Pt. 1 here.)
London newbies can find the public transport system overwhelming, with tube lines, buses, the Overground, National Rail services and even trams competing for attention. But once you’ve mastered reading the tube map, realised that the Zone fare system means the wealthiest residents in Central London’s Zone 1 tend to pay the least for their journeys, downloaded Citymapper onto your phone – and heeded the words of wisdom from long-time Londoners, getting around the capital of the United Kingdom won’t seem quite so daunting after all.
On the buses
Wendy’s tips for considerate commuting continue apace: “On a double decker bus, the seats downstairs are for those who can’t climb the stairs. The rest of you should go upstairs where you will generally find seating and you won’t block the exits.”
Within Zone 1 – otherwise known as central London – Radhika says catching tubes to get around can be more time-consuming than the bus. It’s definitely worth giving this a go next time you’re in the middle of town as you may be pleasantly surprised.
If you’re travelling from outer London into town, Rima says it’s worth looking into getting a bus to a train or tube station and then getting back on a bus to complete the journey within the Hopper Fare time. For those who are unfamiliar, the Hopper Fare allows you to take two London bus journeys for the price of one if you get two buses within an hour.
And Richard would like us all to embrace our inner child: “Sit at the front of the top deck of the bus and pretend to be the driver.”
Covent Garden traps for novices
Covent Garden is a popular destination, especially for nights out, but Covent Garden tube station has a staircase that is arduous at best. As Maria says, “Don’t ever use the Covent Garden steps instead of waiting for the lift – I made that mistake once with a bunch of colleagues when I was very young!”
There’s even a sign at the bottom of the staircase to warn you that it’s 193 steps to street level, but plenty of people will see this as a fun challenge, rather than a warning.
Katharine says that if you need to go to Covent Garden, it’s best to avoid Covent Garden station altogether: “Instead, go to Holborn or Leicester Square stations; it’s much less stressful, there are escalators instead of lifts and stairs, and you can possibly avoid the Bow Street/Longacre third circle of hell when you get outside.”
Sometimes, it’s easier to walk
“Are you heading westbound on the central line, trundling into Queensway, intending to change at the next stop to the District/Circle line to get to Bayswater?” asks Matt. “Stop! Get off the train at Queensway! The two stations are actually less than 100 metres away from each other up there in the real world.”
Mervyn shares the simple pleasures of walking to get around central London, especially the area around Liverpool Street, Bank and St Pauls tube stations: “It is actually very easy to walk and some of the things you will find are amazing. A lot of the big banks have now left, so new areas have popped up with bars and shops – and there is a lot of art to be found.”
If you’re visiting the Tate Modern on the Southbank, Claudia says the supposedly “nearest tubes” to the famous gallery are “all ghastly.” Instead, she recommends getting off the tube on the other side of the Thames at St Pauls, walking around the magnificent cathedral and crossing the river via the Millennium Bridge. If you take this route, Claudia says you will be treated to “wonderful views, a short pleasant walk – and you’ll find the entrance to the Tate Modern much more easily than from any of the other stations.”
The joy of “the ginger line“
South-east London is a tube station desert with the Bakerloo line ending at Elephant and Castle, but locals in the know swear by the Overground, known as” the ginger line” for its orange logo.
“The Overground is amazing and worth getting to know as it has connected travel to South East and South London in easy journeys,” enthuses Mervyn.
The Overground comes in handy for other parts of London too, as Leah attests: “I love the ginger line! Forest Hill to Canada Water in 13 minutes plus an interchange with the Jubilee line for the tube, and direct trains from Forest Hill to Highbury & Islington in 35 minutes – and, as the name suggests, it’s overground, so much less hot and claustrophobic.”
Benefits for over-60s
If you live in London long enough, you can receive a Freedom Pass as a 60th birthday present from the city. This entitles Londoners aged 60 and over to free travel on bus, tram, tube, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line services any time after 9 a,m. from Monday to Friday and any time on weekends and bank holidays.
“Hang in there until you are old – you get free travel and people get up to give you a seat,” says Ruth.
“I’m about to turn 75 and my Freedom Pass is wonderful,” says Alan. “It carries me free to each end of the Elizabeth line, so we had a free day out to Reading last year to see the Reading Museum’s bowdlerised version of the Bayeux Tapestry – out, in and back for £0, apart from a coffee and snack at the museum.”
Kate has an extra tip for over-60s: “If you have a Freedom Pass, you can combine that with a senior railcard so that you get free travel as far as the edge of Zone 6 and your discounted rail fare kicks in at that point – you have to go into a ticket office and buy from a human as the machines choke if you try and do that, but it’s worth the extra few minutes.”
And no matter how old you are, don’t forget this simple advice from Dan: “Accept that your journey takes 45 minutes, no matter how close or far you are going.”
Georgia Lewis is an Australian expat who spent five years living in the United Arab Emirates before moving to London in 2011. She is a freelance writer and editor. When she's not writing or editing, she loves cooking, trying new restaurants, going to the theatre and travelling. Her favourite destinations are the Greek islands, Mallorca, Oman and Vietnam.
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