Getting Around London

London's transport network is among the most complex and expensive in the world. The London Transport (LT) travel information office , at Piccadilly Circus tube station (daily 9am-6pm), will provide free transport maps; there are other desks at Euston Station, Heathrow (terminals 1, 2 and 3), King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Victoria stations. If you can, avoid travelling during the rush hour (Mon-Fri 8-9.30am & 5-7pm) when tubes become unbearably crowded, and some buses become full to overflowing.

To get the best value out of the transport system, buy a Travelcard . Available from machines and booths at all tube and train stations, and at some newsagents (look for the sticker), these are valid for the bus, tube, Docklands Light Railway, and suburban rail networks. One-Day Travelcards , valid on weekdays from 9.30am and all day at weekends, cost £3.90 (central zones 1 and 2), rising to £4.70 for all zones (1-6, including Heathrow); the respective Weekend Travelcards , for unlimited travel on Saturday and Sunday, cost £5.80 for zones 1-2, and £7 for zones 1-6. If you need to travel before 9.30am on a weekday, but don't need to use suburban trains, you can buy a One-Day LT Card , which costs from £5 (zones 1 and 2) to £7.50 (all zones). Weekly Travelcards are even more economical, beginning at £18.20 for zones 1 and 2; for these cards you need a photocard , available free of charge from tube and train stations on presentation of a passport-sized photo.

The eleven different London Underground - or tube - lines cross much of the metropolis, although London south of the river is not very well covered. Each line has its own colour and name - all you need to know is which direction you're travelling in: northbound, eastbound, southbound or westbound. Services operate from around 5.30am Monday to Saturday, and from 7.30am on Sundays, and end around midnight every day; you rarely have to wait more than five minutes for a train between central stations.

Tickets for all bus journeys within, to or from the central zone costs a flat fare of £1; journeys outside the central zone cost 70p. Normally you pay the driver on entering, but some routes are covered by older Routemaster buses, staffed by a conductor and with an open rear platform. Note that at request stops (easily recognizable by their red sign) you must stick your arm out to hail the bus you want. In addition to the Travelcards, a One-Day Bus Pass is also available and can be used before 9.30am; it costs £3 for zones 1 and 2.