what times does the tube run?...when does it start and end?...i realize different lines may be different but i'm just trying to get a general idea on how late we can stay out...thanks

Do a google search for london tube and bookmark the official site.

i did that already and could find no info...maybe i was not looking in right spot

http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/about...u=menu2option5

Friardave,
this should be a help to you.

Although most tube lines stop running between midnight and 1 AM, don't forget about the night buses and taxicabs!

Remember to mind the gap.

Remember to hold on tightly to purse (make sure they are zipped up) and belongings when its very crowded.

Get a day or week pass, and have fun! I love the tube.

Good ideas: night buses, and taxi..

travel on the tube before 9:30a.m is usually more expensive that after 9:30a.m.....check rules on the travel card

www.thetube.com you can read and get a handle on the tube.

thanks all...we will be getting a pass...and looking forward to our time in uk next month...is is sept 19 yet?...ready to go now...and yes...we will mind the gap

You can't travel during certain times (rush hour) on the pass. I can't remember if you have to wait until after 9am, or after 9:30am????

That was sort of a pain.

But on the other hand, do you really want to travel on the Tube during the rush hours if you don't have to....?!!

Other wrong information being given out.

The one day passes have a 9:30 AM restriction on weekdays only. Now for zones 1 & 2, the all day travelcard is £1 more...the zones 1-6 all days are about £3 more expensive than the cheap one day passes but emphatically this restriction only applies on weekdays.

The 7 day passes do not have any such restriction whether it is the Visitor's card purchased outside the UK or the regular 7 day pass available in London.

You can also buy for £2 an all day bus pass. It does seem to me the buses are somewhat more crowded now that the £5 congestion charge is in effect.

Finally bear in mind the tube is not air conditioned and that while London temperatures usually (this summer of course being a major exception) do not go much over 25, the humidity can be stiffling. They have put propaganda on their web sites claiming it is physically impossible to air condition many of the smaller tube trains such as on the Picadilly line but those carriages are no smaller than the cars on the A division (IRT) of the NYC subway and there the cars are all air conditioned.

Just be aware of the facts.

Yep the tube was quite hot...even when it was only in the 70's outside. I can't imagine how the tube was on the day it was 90. Ick.

One-day passes do not have a 9:30 restriction, BUT one-day passes bought on weekdays before 9:30 am do cost more.

7-day passes (both visitors and London-bought) are good all day every day.

Isn't that what I said?

friardave:

Hey, Sept. 19 will be my first day in London, also!

While not a specific answer to your question, I'd recommend going to the tube website and playing around in the "route finder" section if you haven't already. It was really helpful for me in terms of helping to plan our London itinerary.

Have a great trip!
Jennie

xyz123 - a typical American "better here than there" merchant. oh, my, doesn't he just know it all!

fyi, 123, maybe the fact that the tube is not a/c has something to do with when it was built. I'm sure the newer lines have better ventilation that the older. It's all a question of tunnel size and how to vent the outflow from an a/c system.

Like many things, an underground railway was a British invention (like the railway itself - check it out if you don't believe me) and so we have the oldest system in the world (dating from 1863).

London is also a densely built up area - much of it built BEFORE underground trains were thought of. Maybe you should do a little researh before expounding on how much better NY's subway (your word, not mine) is. Oh, and could we have a word on the crime statistics.

Well, the IRT line opened in 1904 -- after NYC was built up, but before AC was introduced.

Alice, I am not like that at all...no I don't think just because it is in the US it's better. But don't you think that during the latest heat wave and as a matter of fact because of the humidity much of the year, folks in London would prefer A/C on the tube.

Are you familiar with the IRT (A division) of NYC Transit? Cars are very narrow and for years they claimed no A/C was possible. Now it might be a tad more necessary in NY as summers are somewhat warmer but they figured out a way and today about 99% of the subway trains in NYC have A/C and I truly believe if they really wanted to, after all this is the 21st century, they could figure out a way to have A/C on the London tubes....

I also think that the system of administering fares in London probably is much more confusing and costly and holds people up much more than the simple single fare system in NYC...ride 23 miles for a single fare...no queuing to leave the station, no haveing to run tickets both in and out and the inequities....a journey from say Glouster Rd to Barons Court (not that anybody would necessarily make that trip) costs more than a trip from Queensway to Liverpool Street? It's a stupid system...a single fare system taking away the waste of money for tickets and extensions and whatever would probably be much more efficient.

On the other hand, I do love the fact that in much of central London, there are always signs telling you how long until the next train something we don't have in NY and wish we had; just like I bet you wish you had A/C...

I'm a subway (underground) fan and not one of those who think it's better the American way. I like to think I am pragmatic.

(Incidentally what do you think of the Paris Metro...they could use A/C also).

Best,

xyz123

xyz, have you ever been to our nation's capital? The DC Metro system uses a zoned system like London's, complete with using your pass both upon entry and exit, passes for unlimited rides for 7 days or one-day (but not for use before 9:30), and shutting down at midnight.

Just to complicate the matter, they also have different prices for rush hour and off-hours for single fares and their maps don't include the fare zones. I find London's simpler to understand, even though it has twice as many lines!

DC's system, OTOH, is relatively brand-new as subway systems go, is very logically laid out and easy to navigate (no mile-long hikes underground when changing lines), clean, and incredibly boring -- all the stations are identical concrete caverns.