Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Tubes in London

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I will be in London late summer and it will be necessary to ride the Tube several times in one day. When I pull up the "Tube Planner Results", it looks very confusing. Is it going to be as confusing as it looks? Second question, if I ride the tube 3 times in 1 day, will I need 3 tickets or just 1 ticket for that day?

No, dn't worry, it's not as complicated as it seems on that web site. First, you can buy an all-day pass, good for umlimited rides on the tube and buses, for £5.30, or for £4.10 after 9:30 AM. It's much easier to plan if you have a copy of the tube MAP in front of you. It's a graphic work of art. Just find the stations for your origina and destination; if they're on different-colored lines, you'll have to find intersections and make transfers. The rule of thumb in estimating travel time is to allow 3 minutes per station and 15 minutes per transfer. Tube maps are found in the backs of all tour guides to London; if you don't want to buy one, you can find one in a local library. This is one rare case where I believe the internet is not a superior traevl-planning strategy.

Oops, one further thing I should have mentioned: the tube system is divided into 6 "zones" which are basically concentric circles like a target with downtown London in the center, in Zone 1. Very few tourist activities go beyond Zone 2; the prices above for passes are for a pass that's good for Zones 1 and 2.

Betty: Yes, you will need a new ticket for every new ride, unless you have a day-pass. That's the way it is everywhere in the world. I suggest you read some of the essential info at Time Out London: http://www.timeout.com/london/esinf/ Have fun and do some homework and planning before you leave. This will save you a lot of time and tube tickets. It's almost as fun as the trip itself. The tube is quite easy, once you're there. It may look confusing for you right now. Just don't worry too much in advance.

xxx, I guess you haven't ridden on systems like Washington DC's Metro, where you can use the same ticket indefinitely -- the rides are charged by ride, and deducted from the ticket value.

Yup, I ride the metro every day in Washington, DC. I think they have a pretty good system. I use the SmarTrip Card where you can add to $200 and you can register it in case it gets lost. Much more convenient and it's plastic so it doesn't tear.

The day travel cards are good for busses too, and the views from tops of busses surpass those from tube trains. Of course, long journeys need tubes. Welcome to London Ben Haines

Ben, Ellen already said that the passes are good on the buses. Why do you have to put your two cents into EVERY discussion?

yyy. "Y" don't you go stuff it up your nose! Mr. Haines added some pertinent information.

"Ya'll" are just too much! LOL! But I really do appreciate all your help. No, my city doesn't have all this modern transportation! Just the city bus - and you don't want to go there!

The day travel cards are good for busses too, and the views from tops of busses surpass those from tube trains. Of course, long journeys need tubes. Welcome to London Ben Haines

OK, now "why(everpost)," are you going to defend Ben again? This time he seems to be on automatic, posting the exact same thing again 90 minutes later. Hey Ben, wake up!

You can always tell when I go on automatic and post twice, because the result is two posts, one straight after the other. This time no: there is a glitch in the software somewhere. But you are quite right: from time to time I do misunderstand the indicators, and post twice. Still, that will give you the pleasure of pointing it out. You ask why I answer posts. I do so because somebody has a question and I know part of the answer. May I tell you something that I fear will make you sad: I do the same on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree. Best wishes Ben Haines

Ben: Sigh... I really do love you!

Just topped a related thread from a couple of years ago. Good information, no sniping.

Did somebody criticize Ben? No, don't do that. As a Londoner he has been very helpful to many people on this site. Myself included. He has numerous files about his city and shares his vast knowledge with all who ask. If he were to abandon this site we would be the loosers.

I believe that Ben is made of sterner stuff, and wouldn't be driven away by one or two sniping idiots!

http://www.londontransport.co.uk/tube/mau_home.shtml

We bought a 3 day tube pass through our travel agent. Are you saying it is good for city buses also? I is a city bus the same as the "hop on hop off" buses. Forgive my ignorance. thanks

The 3 day visitor's travelcard you bought is good on the tube and on the buses. I assume you bought the one for zones 1 & 2. The hop on and off buses are operated by private agencies and while I would not call them a rip off, they are operated for tourists who are don't want to take time to do a little research, no offense meant at anybody. They provide a commentary along the way and you do have the ability to hop on and off as the buses ply their routes and might serve as a good orienation. However, when friends go with me to London as I have been there, I don't have them take the touristy hop on and off buses; rather we ride the regular city buses where the passes are good. There are several really good routes that go by all of the tourist areas. From Marble Arch, two of my favourite routes are the #12 and #15. The #12 runs from Marble Arch down Oxford St. to Oxford Circus turn right down RegentsSt. to Picadilly go up the Haymarket to Trafalger Square go through the Square onto Whitehall past the government ministries to Westminster (Big Ben) across Westminster Bridge passing the London Eye by Waterloo station to Elephant & Castle where is located the Imperial War Museum. The #15 follows the same route till Trafalger Square but turns the other way down the Strand past the Aldwych Theatre through (fom here I may have the order a bit mixed up) by St. Peters through the City to the Tower of London across Tower Bridge... The reason the city buses are so great is if you see something you enjoyed and the stop has passed you just cross the street and take the bus back the other way. With the travelcards you hop on and off to your heart's content and in effect they are all paid for with the travelcard. You almost get to rub shoulders, if you want, with locals not other tourists. BTW there are two kinds of double decker buses in London. The newer ones have a driver only. You show him your pass as you enter. The other, the older type, are two man operations with an open end at the rear. You hop on the bus, find a seat and wait for the conductor to come to you and show your pass....somehow they feel more London like. Many times after the theatre, we enjoy taking the bus back to our hotel rather than the tube. Yes the tube is somewhat faster but it's fun to watch the night scenes of London go by you from the top deck.....somehow I feel those who insist on taking a cab everywhere just miss out on seeing the real London and insulate themselves from the essence and lifeblood of the city. Go to the London transport web site and download the bus map. You'll see just how extensive the system is....