Useful Information about London
London was originally recognised as a formal settlement with the arrival of the Romans almost 2,000 years ago and is situated towards the lower reaches of the River Thames in South East England and is the capital city.
London is one of the largest cities in the world and with a population of over 7 million people is the most populated city in the European Union. It is very culturally diverse with extremes of both wealth and poverty. London is about 35 miles wide and 28 miles from North to South.
London receives around 16 million foreign visitors and 11 million domestic visitors annually and is the second most visited city in Europe after Paris.
AIRPORTS (getting to and from London)
London Heathrow:
Heathrow Airport is 15 miles (24km) west of central London and is the world’s busiest international airport serving over 180 destinations in more than 90 countries.
Tube
The Piccadilly line connects Heathrow Airport to central London and the rest of the Tube system. It is the cheapest way to central London. There are trains every few minutes from approximately 05:03 (05:47 Sundays) to 23:57 (23:30 Sundays). Journey time to Piccadilly Circus is about 50 minutes.
Train
The Heathrow Express travels between Heathrow and Paddington station in central London. It is the fastest option - trains run non-stop to and from London Paddington every 15 minutes, with a journey time of 15 minutes.
The cheaper, slower service with multiple stops to London Paddington runs every 30 minutes and the journey takes 25 minutes.
Taxi
Taxis are available 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The average journey time is approximately 30-45 minutes, and if four or five people travel together the fare could be lower than going by bus or train. Do not travel with anyone offering a `taxi` service inside the terminal - it is likely to be an illegal, unlicensed driver.
Buses and Coaches
There are regular bus and coach services available to and from Heathrow Airport, information is different for each terminal at Heathrow. Frequent buses and coaches link Heathrow with more than 500 destinations around Britain. Most arrive and depart at the central bus station, a short walk from Terminal 1.
London Gatwick:
Gatwick Airport is in Crawley, Sussex about 28 miles (46 km) south of London and is very well served by public transport with many options for getting to and from London. If it’s speed and convenience try the Gatwick Express train service to Victoria Station with a journey time of 30-35 minutes, or if you want the best price try the National Express coach service which runs ever hour and has a journey time of 90 minutes.
London Stansted:
London Stansted airport is just outside Bishops Stortford in Essex and is about 30 miles (48 km) north-east of London. The Stansted Express train service from London’s Liverpool Street Station is the fastest and most convenient method of transport to and from central London running every 15 minutes with a journey time of 45 minutes. There are several National Express bus routes serving various different parts of London and an Easybus service that operates every 20 minuntes to London Victoria Station via Baker Street with a journey time of approximately 75 minutes.
London City Airport:
London City Airport is situated approximately 6 miles (9.5km) east of the City, 10 miles (16 km) from the west end and just 3 miles (4.8km) from Canary Wharf. The easiest way to get to/from London City Airport is to use London City Airport DLR station. The service running from London City Airport every 7-10 minutes serves Canary Wharf and has direct connections with the Jubilee Line (at Canning Town), Northern, Central, Circle and Waterloo and City Line (all from Bank station).
TRAIN STATIONS
There are nine major British Rail train stations in London, each serving different parts of the UK; therefore the station you travel from is determined by where you want to go, and so you need to know and get to the right train station in order to successfully make your journey.
London Transport have a 'Stationlink' bus service which runs between the major London British Rail stations; in addition all the stations are part of the Underground train network, and so it is reasonably easy to travel from one station to another.
Paddington Station – W2
Paddington Station is in West London and it serves destinations in the South West, including Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. The Heathrow Express departs every 15 minutes in both directions. Journey time is approximately 15 minutes, or 24 minutes to terminal 4. Tickets can be purchased at station or on train, major credit cards accepted.
Marylebone Station – NW1
London Marylebone station is one of London's smaller stations. It is in northwest central London and serves routes to the northwestern Home Counties and the Midlands.
Euston Station – NW1
Euston Station is in north central London and it is the main rail gateway from London to the West Midlands, the North West and southern Scotland.
Kings Cross – N1
King's Cross is in northeast Central London and is the London terminus for the east coast main line that serves the northeast of England and Scotland. Over 40 million people pass through the station each year.
St. Pancras – NW1
St. Pancras station is located just to the west of Kings Cross station and is the terminus for international channel tunnel Eurostar trains, it also serves the cities of Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield, and smaller towns in between. St. Pancras has undergone significant refurbishment recently and is now home to the longest champagne bar in Europe, there are also plans in place to open a daily farmers market.
Liverpool Street Station – EC2
Liverpool Street station, also called London Liverpool Street, is a major railway station and connected London Underground station in the north eastern corner of the City of London. It is the southern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line, and is the main departure point from London to destinations in the East of England not served by the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross, as well as serving commuter services to parts of East London and Essex.
Charing Cross – WC2
Charing Cross Station is located at the top of the Strand, a couple of hundred metres from Trafalgar Square and runs services to Kent and suburban destinations in south London.
Victoria Station – SW1
Victoria Station is in southern central London near St James Park and Buckingham Palace and is one of London’s largest and busiest stations and serves the southern commuter belt, Kent and the south coast. The Gatwick Express is a high speed railway link that runs every 15 minutes between Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station. Regular cheaper and slower services are also available.
Waterloo Station – SE1
Waterloo Station in southern London is one of the capital's busiest commuter railway stations, providing suburban services to south west London, as well as fast trains to the south west of England. Waterloo was formerly the terminus for the Eurostar, this moved to St Pancras station in 2007.
UNDERGROUND
London Underground is the world's oldest underground system and serves a large part of Greater London. Popular local names include the Underground and, more colloquially, the Tube.
The Underground has 268 stations and for the first time ever in 2007 it had over one billion passengers. It is possibly the easiest, best, most cost efficient way to get around central London and generally the quickest.
Tickets are available for single journeys and for days/weeks depending on your needs. London is split into zones with the most central area being zone 1. Prices get higher the more zones that you want to be able to travel in.
TAXIS
Londons famous black cabs are available all over the city. They can be hailed on the street by rasing your arm and passengers can be assured that the driver will be able to take you wherever you need to go by the quickest possible route. Drivers have to “do the knowledge” before they can get tbehind the wheel. This is two years of intensive training followed by a difficult exam. Drivers must know the whereabouts of every hospital, theatre, hotel, train station etc. With this in mind, Black Cabs cost more than a regular minicab (see below) and can work out to be more economical when traveling as part of a group.
An alternative to the traditional black London taxis are minicabs. Despite the name, minicabs may offer space for more passengers than a black taxi; traditional London taxis can seat 5 passengers, while minicabs seat from 4 (most common) to 7 people. These cabs are unmarked, and cannot be hailed on the street like a black taxi; minicabs must be called for by telephone.