London Weekend Break

Maps, the London underground (tube) and getting about

Although greater London covers a massive area, it has two advantages that make moving around easy. Firstly, the main tourist and shopping areas of London are located in their own little hubs and secondly, the city has the London Underground or tube. A big plus for anyone taking a London Weekend Break.

The Underground makes getting around easy and there is always a station within a few hundred yards of all of the city's major tourist attractions. Ticket can be purchased for a single journey, a return trip, or you can buy an all access daily pass. The London bus service is also a great way to get around and spot the main sights and it is also heavily subsidised making tickets a bargain.

The tube has 12 different lines and each has it own consistent and unique colour on all London underground maps. Handy pocket sized maps of the tube, its lines and stops, can be picked up free from all tube stations and many tourist offices. The tube also has "zones" and the cost of underground travel is dependent on how many of these zones you cross. Spending a day in London and staying within zones 1 to 4 will enable you to buy a day ticket at a cost of £5.70 per person - excellent value for unlimited travel within those zones.
For more information on the tube, maps and methods of travel in London, continue down this page.

More on the Underground

The London underground lines are as follows -

Central line,
Piccadilly line,
Bakerloo line, the Circle line (which is in a continuous loop),
the District line,
Jubilee line,
Northern line,
Victoria line,
Metropolitan line,
Hammersmith line,
Waterloo line and East London.

There is a direct tube shuttle to London Heathrow airport and the tube also connects at Kings Cross railway station.

Maps of London, buses and taxis

If you are planning a London weekend break, the best kind of map is probably one featuring all the tourist hot spots and you can get these free at the tourism offices and at some of the bigger attractions and exhibits. Standard A to Z road maps are of little use as you are unlikely to drive from one visitor spot to another and the one way systems make London difficult to navigate for anyone who is not familiar with the city.

Black London taxi cabs are a well known and familiar sight on the streets of London, but they are far from the best, easiest and quickest way to get around. You can also run up a sizable bill and spend a lot of time in stationary traffic jams. Use the tube, the bus (with 1700 stops in the city), or shoe leather and always refer to a map before deciding how to get from one spot to the next, you may only be a few hundred yards away from your target.

Sponsored Links Below