Transport With so many ways to get to and around London, doing business here has never been easier First Capital Connect runs up to four trains an hour to Blackfriars/London Bridge. Fares from £8.90 single; journey time 35 mins. firstcapitalconnect.co.uk To London by coach There is an hourly coach service to Victoria Coach Station run by National Express Airport. Fares from £7.30 single; journey time 1 hour 20 mins. nationalexpress.com London Heathrow Airport T: +44 (0)844 335 1801 baa.com To London by Tube The Piccadilly line connects all five terminals with central London. Fares from £4 single (from £2.20 with an Oyster card); journey time about an hour. tfl.gov.uk/tube To London by rail The Heathrow Express runs four non- Greater London & airport locations stop trains an hour to and from London Paddington station. Fares from £16.50 single; journey time 15-20 mins. Transport for London (TfL) Travelcards are not valid This section details the various types Getting here on this service. of transport available in London, providing heathrowexpress.com information on how to get to the city On arrival from the airports, and how to get around Heathrow Connect runs between once in town. There are also listings for London City Airport Heathrow and Paddington via five stations transport companies, whether travelling T: +44 (0)20 7646 0088 in west London. Fares from £7.40 single. by road, rail, river, or even by bike or on londoncityairport.com Trains run every 30 mins; journey time foot. See the Transport & Sightseeing around 25 mins. heathrowconnect.com listings on page 86 for details of transport The airport is on the Docklands Light companies. Railway. Fares from £1.60; journey time To London by coach Our website visitlondon.com is around 22 mins to Bank station. Dot2Dot runs a 24-hour door-to-door also a valuable source of information. service between central London and Just click on Travel to read about the London Gatwick Airport Heathrow airport. Prices start from £21.50. public transport system and use the T: +44 (0)844 335 1802 dot2.com route planner to organise your journey baa.com to particular areas or attractions. To London by bus And don’t forget London’s waterways To London by rail There are no direct bus services and vast public transport network Gatwick Express runs four trains to/from central London by day, however allow easy access to visitor attractions an hour to Victoria station. Fares from Night bus N9 runs to Aldwych via High across the capital and a variety of £16.90 single; journey time 30 mins. Street Kensington and Trafalgar Square. sightseeing options. As with all airport transport services, Services every 30 mins; fare £2 single, check the website for departure times. journey time around 65 mins. gatwickexpress.com tfl.gov.uk/buses Southern operates three trains hourly London Luton Airport to Victoria station. Fares from £11.90 T: +44 (0)1582 405 100 single; journey time around 40 mins. Luton Airport Parkway railway station is southernrailway.com near the airport, and a regular shuttle bus service connects them. Fare £1.50, journey time 10 mins. london-luton.com 14 visitlondon.com/business To London by rail Getting around Green London First Capital Connect operates up The most environmentally friendly way to eight trains an hour to St Pancras Travel information to travel around the city is on foot or by International, Farringdon, City Thameslink, bike. It’s also a good idea to offset the Blackfriars and London Bridge stations. Transport for London (TfL) has an extensive carbon emissions created by a flight Fares from £11 single; journey time from website providing up-to-the-minute here. For more ideas on travelling 27 mins. firstcapitalconnect.co.uk information on all modes of London transport. green, go to visitlondon.com/green TfL also has a network of Travel Information East Midlands Trains operates a regular Centres located in stations throughout the rail service to St Pancras International. city, including Euston, Piccadilly Circus, National Rail Fares from £11.50 single; journey time Heathrow Airport, Victoria, Liverpool Street Trains are useful for reaching places not from 23 mins. eastmidlandstrains.co.uk and King’s Cross area. served by the Underground. Mainline stations include: Waterloo and Victoria, To London by coach London Travel serving the south of England; Paddington, Green Line operates three coaches an Information Helpline the south-west; Euston, the north; King’s hour to Baker Street, Marble Arch and T: +44 (0)20 7222 1234 (24 hour) Cross and St Pancras International, the Victoria. Fares from £11 single; journey tfl.gov.uk north-east; and Liverpool Street, the east. time from 75 mins. greenline.co.uk Travel tickets and information are Various annual discount cards are available. also available at the Britain & London nationalrail.co.uk or thetrainline.com easyBus operates up to three coaches Visitor Centre at 1 Regent Street, near an hour to Baker Street and Victoria. Fares Piccadilly Circus. Coaches from £6 single, journey time from 75 mins. Journey Planner is a useful website telling Coaches are a quick and inexpensive way easybus.co.uk you the best routes to and from locations, of making a day trip out of London. Victoria by rail, Tube, bus or on foot. It is available in Coach Station is a major hub for various London Stansted Airport 19 languages. tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner bus companies. nationalexpress.com or T: +44 (0)844 335 1803 For detailed information on travel in tfl.gov.uk/coaches baa.com London see visitlondon.com/travel For further information on London’s attractions, The River To London by rail and to plan your own itineraries online, go A great way to get around by day or night Stansted Express operates up to four to visitlondon.com/explorer is on a boat on the Thames. There are trains an hour to Liverpool Street station. several piers for boarding, and services Fares from £18 single; journey time from Tickets to travel head east towards Greenwich and west 45 mins. stanstedexpress.com Single fares are generally available for to Richmond. Get tickets on the pier or, any journey, although it is better value to in some cases, on the boat. Travelcard To London by coach purchase a Travelcard if you will be making holders get a discount. tfl.gov.uk/river or National Express runs three coaches several journeys. Travelcards can be visitlondon.com/river an hour to Victoria. Fares from £10 used on the Tube, buses, DLR, trams and single; journey time from 1 hour 18 mins. national rail. For cheaper fares on single Taxis nationalexpress.com journeys, pick up an Oyster Card. As well as London’s famous Black Cabs offer a safe being able to use them as Travelcards, you and reliable door-to-door service. Taxis Terravision Express Shuttle operates can put up to £90 of credit on your card to can be hailed on the street when the two coaches per hour to Victoria Coach be used to ‘pay as you go’. For a short visit, yellow light is on, or at designated taxi Station and Liverpool Street train station, try a Visitor Oyster Card, for ‘pay as you go’ ranks. Fares are regulated and all drivers with good onward travel connections. journeys only. The cards cost £2, and you and vehicles are licensed by the Public Fares from £9 single; journey time around buy them with an initial credit of £10 or £15. Carriage Office. 75 mins. terravision.eu To purchase one, see visitlondon.com/oyster Minicabs Underground Private-hire companies or ‘minicabs’ There are 11 colour-coded London cannot be hailed on the street; they must Underground lines (also known as the be booked by telephone or in person at the Tube). Most operate from 0500-0030 operator’s base. To check if an operator Mon-Sat, and from 0730-2330 on Sun. is licensed, call +44 (0)20 7222 1234 It is cheaper and less crowded to avoid or go to tfl.gov.uk/pco – do not get into a the rush hour and travel after 0930. The vehicle that is not licensed, or if the driver network is divided into six concentric zones approaches you in the street. Text HOME to – Zone 1 is the central area. 60835 to get the phone numbers of three local, licensed minicab operators sent to Buses your mobile phone. Some routes are especially good for sightseeing, such as routes 8 and 11, Cycling and services 9 and 15 use heritage For information on cycling in London, Routemasters (old-fashioned double- see tfl.gov.uk/cycles deckers) during the day. Most bus services operate from 0500-0030 daily, with many Congestion Charge routes now operating 24-hour services. If you are driving in central London Mon-Fri Arriving by Eurostar Tickets must be purchased before boarding from 0700-1800 (except public holidays), T: +44 (0)870 518 6186 a bus in Zone 1, and are available from you will need to pay the Congestion eurostar.com ticket machines at bus stops – although Charge. The charge is £8 per day, which There are frequent services from visitors may find it easier and cheaper to must be paid either in advance or on the Paris and Brussels to London daily. buy a bus pass or Travelcard. day of travel. If you pay by midnight the The Paris journey takes 2 hours 15 following day, the charge is £10. Payment mins; from Brussels it is 1 hour 51 Docklands Light Railway can be made, without registering, by mins.