Getting Around London

Traveling London

No other city in the entire world offers quite the same mix of ancient and modern, commerce and culture, sweeping views and winding streets, as does London. London's massive metropolitan area is home to between twelve and fourteen million citizens, and the businesses and attractions of the central city bring in more visitors per annum than any other city in Europe. All this magnificent grandeur can be somewhat overwhelming for visitors who have not planned out their intra-city travel. Fortunately, London is home to a host of simple, affordable transportation options.

The Underground

Most visitors familiar with British culture will have heard of the London Underground ("Mind the gap!") but few realize how genuinely simple it is to navigate, even for first-time visitors. The Underground (or "tube" as it is frequently referred to) is a series of interconnected subway and light rail trains, which service the entire greater London area. Tickets are available for various concentric zones; i.e. zone one may include several dozen blocks in a heart of downtown, zone two encompasses zone one and a large area surrounding it, zone three encompasses that, etc. Day tickets are significantly more efficient than single-ride tickets; Underground stations are ubiquitous and travel is rapid and efficient. A day of sightseeing can be accomplished for the price of one Underground ticket.

London Cabs

The famous London taxi is an icon all over the globe, and for good reason! If your time in London is more geared towards business transactions than riding the London Eye, a taxi is the right solution to navigate the streets and ensure that you arrive on time and ready for work. Free from the crowds of the underground, taxi travel allows visitors to quickly traverse downtown with the aid of a seasoned professional who knows the best routes by heart.

London on Foot

Despite the initially intimidating size of the city, for the adventurous tourist, nothing beats a healthy walk. An incredible number of world-famous sites and landmarks are within mere blocks of each other, and moreover, walking allows visitors to experience London at street level, not cruising along several hundred feet below it or dodging in and out of traffic in a taxi. London is an enormous able to walk everywhere type of city, although travelers beware: it can get quite hot on some midsummer days. Therein lies the hidden beauty of the walk, however. Refreshment at a pub is never far!