How do I use the tube? A handy guide for visitors

London's tube itself is world famous – and displayed everywhere is the network map which easily shows you how to get from A to B. It makes travelling round London easy, if you know how.. Tube secrets, a London Underground 101 and tube etiquette right here!

London’s underground train network (the ‘tube’) is the oldest and one of the most blurry tube train

extensive in the world; 250 miles of line and on an average day more than 500 trains whizz round the network. Once you’ve seen it in the flesh it’s easy to use and so extensive many people use only the underground and its s network to get around. There are stations everywhere.

Tens of thousands of Londoners used to shelter down here all night from Hitler’s bombers; some parts of it are so old and remote that special breeds of mosquitoes have evolved there.

But as its been going so long there’s bound to be complications – and there are. It gets crowded at peak times and more importantly the fare structure is, frankly, more confusing than getting home from work to find Uncle Walt stapling cheese to the ceiling.

Now at some stage you're going to want to know about finding the best-value fares for your trip, and to learn about what the Oyster card is, and how it differs from a travel card and what it's used for. Don't worry I've got a full guide to help you find the best ticket for your trip - it's a mammoth subject in itself so I haven't included it here.

SO HOW DO I MAKE A JOURNEY?

Step 1: Find a tube station.

So you're at street level and you want to use the tube to get somewhere else. Luckily tube stations are everywhere in London, and you can identify them using the logos that you see above ground - pictured here. There are also normal street signs pointing pedestrians to the nearest tube station. And, if you’re not sure exactly where the nearest one is, you can stop and ask someone. They should be able to point you in the general direction at the very least. In central London you'll hardly ever be more than 5 minutes walk maximum from a tube station, and usually a lot closer than that.

Step 2: Look at the tube map

Once you've gone down into the station, you can see a copy of the network map on the wall. It's also handy to carry one with you: they give out free leaflets with them on at every tube station, they're in every London guide book and they're reproduced on the back of my two favourite London map options (which I review on a different page). Carrying one helps you decide in advance which tube station to start your journey from.

Ok, so looking at the map, there are many different lines that interconnect at certain stations. The lines are color- coded, and also named – the Jubilee line for example is gray. I've got an extract of a map below, to give you the idea. (For a full map go to Transport for London's website)

So say I'm at Leicester Square tube station. I want to get to South Kensington, which is the stop where Harrod’s is... I’d go down the steps at Leicester Square and take a look at the tube map on the wall. london underground tube how to example

You can see that Leicester Square and South Kensington, whilst being on lots of lines are also on the same line. This makes things really easy because there’s no need to change between lines. It’s the dark blue line, which the key printed on the map tells me is the Victoria line.

Now obviously you can go in either direction up and down the line so you need to work out which way to go. On the map South Kensington is to the left of Leicester Square so you need to travel WESTBOUND (the map is orientated to the north). If you wanted to go from South Kensington to Leicester Square then you’d need to get on an Eastbound train.

So in this instance you need a Victoria Line, westbound train.

The same principle holds true across the tube – on any line you need to basically need to work out which vague direction you’re travelling in: up = north, down = south, left = west and right = east. If you get really stuck ask a guard or fellow traveller. Someone will help you out but it’s easy so you should be able to do it anyway.

Once you are on what you think is the right platform, you can double-check that the tube train you want is going in the right direction by listening to the announcements and looking at the digital displays. These will always tell you the name of the ultimate destination station on the line. This final destination will usually be way after you want to get off, but a quick look at the tube map on the wall will confirm it’s the right train to take. If the train goes to this final destination, it always stops at every station in between.

Now If you really want to check you've got the directions right - maybe for the very first time you use the tube for example, from the airport - you can use Transport for London's online journeyplanner. Plugging-in your details to this good website will let you know the best route and how long it's likely to take from any one point in London to any other. So you can use it to calcultae you a route right to the address of the place you're staying.

Step 3: Head to the platform

So having worked out, in this example, that I want to take the Victoria line Westbound I’d go through the barriers – either using my paper travelcard or an oyster card (see: what's the best travel option for me?) – and then follow the signs to the platform. The tube is mostly an underground railway so you’re going to need to descend to the platforms. This means taking the escalator.

On the escalator you need to STAND ON THE RIGHT, WALK ON THE LEFT. This is very important, and you will likely get a stern ‘tutting at’ if you don’t. It means that terribly important busy people can rush down the escalators at the risk of falling over while you’re looking round like a startled hedgehog in search of signs to the platforms, or looking at the adverts by the escalators. Londoner’s know this rule very well and can look at you like you’re from Mars if you forget. It’s unfair to expect you to know without being told, but now you do! Soon you’ll be tutting at other tourists who don’t know about it, complaining about how they’re blocking the way for people who want to get through!

Step 4: On the platform

speeding tube train Once you get to the platform, the trains leave every 3-5 minutes or so, so you won’t have long to wait. You can check again if you’re definitely going the right way because there’s an electronic display board which will detail the name of the last station along the line the train will stop at. It’ll probably be far beyond where you want to go, but don’t worry because it will also stop at every intermediate station. Then, before you know it, the train arrives! The doors open automatically. Let the other travellers off the train first, but once they've finished filing off, just walk on in.

Step 5: Once you're on the train

At this stage you probably want to hold on tight, as tube trains can often hurtle off with an alarming jolt. If you’re unlucky enough to be travelling at rush hour then just view it as an experience – you really are living like the locals now! If you’re there in rush hour (morning from 8am to 9:30am) it will be horrendously crowded, and you might have to squeeze on until you’re as tightly packed in as marbles in a jar. Trains can get very crowded and incredibly hot during the summer so a map in tube carriage bottle of water is a good idea!

When you’re on board there are (yet more) maps for you to triple check you’re going the right way, and, in some parts of the network, an electronic board or announcement voice telling you what the next station is. Of course, I don’t need to tell you to offer your seat (if you get one) if you see someone who needs it more than you.

Keep a look out of the window too, there are signs on every platform.

As a rough rule of thumb reckon that it takes about 2 minutes between each tube stop in Central London.

Question: What if my journey’s not direct?

If your journey was more complicated than the one I mentioned above in the example, then you just divide it up into several individual journeys. So imagine that instead of wanting to go to from Leicester Square to South Kensington you wanted to go to Bond Street.
tube-example2
The first journey would again be on the Victoria Line westbound. But this time you’d get off the first train at Green Park, follow the signs underground to the Jubilee line northbound and get on a train there. There really are signs everywhere, so you won’t get lost. Then you go one stop to Bond Street. Easy!

Step 6: Once you arrive at your destination station

Once you’ve got off the train, there will be signs to the exit. Once you’ve gone up the stairs or escalator to ground level (again, standing on the right, walking on the left) you’ll see more barriers – just put your paper ticket in the slot or touch the sensor with your Oystercard to get out again. The ticket barrier will open and you can walk right on though. Nearly there!

Step 7: Check the map before you leave

It’s probably quite bustley and busy here as people are heading to and from the barriers. But before you leave the tube station, if you’re not quite sure where you’re going there are some very, very useful area maps on the wall. This is handy because sometimes tube stations have several exits so it may save you crossing the road when you get back above ground! You've done it! See, taking the tube is easy. Soon you won't even have to think about it.

What do you want to do now?