When travelling, you have two ways to get around - rent a car or use public transportation.  Thankfully, London has a terrific transportation system and it will get you just about anywhere you need to go within the London area.  The center of London is traversed by bus routes and the “tube” (subway), and the national rail lines connect London to the outlying areas.

What’s the cheapest, most convenient way to get around?

Upon arriving at the airport, the simplest way to get into central London is to take the Heathrow Express train.  After claiming your bags, follow the signs for the underground and go to the train station beneath the airport.  You can take the Heathrow express train directly into Paddington station - tickets cost £15.50 for one way and £29 for round trip.  Chances are that this 15 minute train ride will be quicker and more convenient than a cab ride.

Once inside London, you can take the tube to just about anywhere you need to go.  Paddington station, the connection to Heathrow Airport, rests at the northwest end of town.  It connects to three of the major subway lines - Circle, District, and Bakerloo.  The Circle line will connect you to popular attractions like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London.  You’ll want to connect to the Picaddilly line to get to most of the shopping and entertainment venues in Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden.  There are tube maps available in the station, and each train and station has a clearly marked map to help you find your stop and any connections.

Individual tube tickets are quite expensive - £4 for a one way ticket.  However, buying a day pass for £5 grants you unlimited use of the tube all day.  It is almost always advantageous to buy this day pass, since it is far cheaper than two one way tickets.  London is a fairly large city, and although you can walk between many places you will definitely want to take the tube to get between sections of town.  I purchased a day pass each day I went out sight seeing and always got my money’s worth.

Several of the tube lines go far out into the outlying areas.  It may be cheaper to stay at a hotel a few miles from the city center, but you should be sure that the hotel is near one of these tube stations.  That way you can combine the convenience of public transportation with the affordability of a remote location.

Finally, be aware that the tube does not run all night.  Each stop and line should have the last train marked.  The tubes generally stop some time between 11:30 and 12:00 at night.  If you’re going to be out late at night for some reason, you should plan for an alternate form of transportation back home.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 at 9:34 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.