Air
Heathrow Airport, the country's biggest airport, is situated 26
kilometers (16 miles) west of Central London. The airport has four terminals
handling transatlantic, European and domestic flights. Taxis into and
from London are available from ranks in front of the terminal buildings
(journey time is around 60 minutes). The Heathrow Express is the fastest
train route into central London. It provides a regular service to London's
Paddington station (trains leave every 15 minutes between 05.00 and
23.40). The journey times are 15 minutes from Terminals 1,2,3 and 25
minutes from Terminal 4. However, tickets are expensive: £11.70 single
for adults and £5.70 for children. www.heathrowexpress.co.uk Passengers
can also take the Piccadilly Line Underground from all terminals. Trains
run frequently every few minutes (from 05.00 to 23.30), with the journey
into central London taking between 45 and 65 minutes. This costs £3.60
for an adult single ticket, £1.50 for children (up to age 16). (Young
people aged 14 and 15 need a photocard or proof of their age to get
a discount, child fare on most public transport in London).
Buses The Heathrow Airbus Shuttle (double decker red London
buses) can be taken from any of the airport's terminals. Route A1 serves
London King's Cross, while route A2 terminates at London Victoria. Two
buses run each way per hour on both routes. There are also Oxford Citylink
coaches direct to the university town from Heathrow, leaving every thirty
minutes. www.oxfordbus.co.uk .
Travelling by Car To reach London by car, take the M4 motorway,
travelling east. The journey time to Central London is around 60 minutes.
Heathrow Airport lies approximately 45 miles from Gatwick Airport, which
is south of the capital. A coach service runs regularly between Heathrow
and Gatwick, with a journey time of approximately 70 minutes (this could
be longer depending on traffic). Gatwick is London's second busiest
airport and is located 56 kilometers (35 miles) from central London.
It's two terminals, North and South are connected by a fast and frequent
monorail service(the journey time is a mere two minutes). The Gatwick
Express train is the fastest and most effective way to get into Central
London (this travels directly to London Victoria station). Trains run
seven days a week, every 15 minutes from 06.00 to 20.00 and every 30
minutes between 04.30-06.00 and 20.00-00.30. The journey time is around
30 minutes. Alternatively, Connex South Central trains (terminates at
Victoria station) and Thameslink trains (to London Bridge, King' s Cross
and Blackfriars) run a service from Gatwick. This may be slightly cheaper.
A large number of different bus services run into central London, leaving
from Gatwick's central coach station in the south terminal. If you are
traveling by car, take the M23 motorway at junction 9 and follow M23
and A23 to London. The journey time to Central London is approximately
60-75 minutes. Stansted Airport is located 53 kilometers (33 miles)
north-east of London and handles mainly business and charter flights.
There is no taxi rank at Stansted. Taxis must be booked at the desk
in the International Arrivals area (the journey time to central London
is approximately 70 minutes). The airport's train station is situated
under the main terminal building. The Skytrain rail service, which terminates
at London Liverpool Street, is the fastest and most frequent link from
Stansted to Central London. There is a stop at Tottenham Hale, connecting
with the Victoria Line Underground line. Trains to central London run
every 30 minutes to Liverpool Street Station and take approximately
45 minutes. There is also a coach service which leaves from the airport
every hour, taking approximately 100 minutes. Stansted is located on
the M11 motorway at Junction 8. The M11 connects with the M25 London
Orbital Motorway at Junction 27 (journey time to central London is 60-80
minutes). London Luton Airport handles holiday charter traffic from
popular carriers such as EasyJet and RyanAir. A free shuttle bus connects
Luton Airport to Luton train station. It leaves the airport every ten
minutes and takes approximately twelve minutes to reach the station.
Trains run frequently to King's Cross Thameslink Station (Monday to
Sunday), with several departures through the night. Total journey time
including shuttle bus is around 45 to 60 minutes. The Luton and District
757 Greenline coach runs from the airport to Victoria station. The total
journey time is about 90 minutes, but can be longer during rush hours.
Luton Airport is situated two miles from junction 10 on the M1 motorway.
The motorway runs into North London with a journey time of about 75
minutes. London City Airport is located six miles away from the City
of London (main financial district) in the Docklands area of East London.
There is a taxi rank on the forecourt and a ComputerCab desk in the
concourse. The journey time to the City by taxi is around 30 minutes.
Take bus LCA1 from Canary Wharf stop D to London City Aiport. Alternatively,
take LCA2 from Canning Town station. Both run every ten minutes. Airport
shuttle buses connect to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) along with
Tube/rail services at Canning Town and Liverpool Street. Alternatively,
you can also get into Central London by taking a taxi to Plaistow Underground
station. Local buses, the 473 and 69 heading to Plaistow and Stratford,
depart directly from the airport terminal.
Public Transport
Train The British train network connects London to all the major
cities, and most towns within the UK. There are fast Eurostar trains
to European destinations which go directly from London to Paris, Lille
and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. There are nine major rail train
stations in London, each serving different parts of the UK. Therefore
the station you travel from is determined by your final destination.
These transport interchanges also connect to bus and Underground services.
Different companies run separate sections of the rail network, so be
careful to get the right ticket for the train you are travelling on.
There are often restrictions on when you can travel, so ask for the
relevant leaflets when you buy your ticket. The Docklands Light Railway
is one of the most efficient part of London's public transport infrastructure.
The DLR provides a fast service across East London, serving over 30
destinations including Docklands, Greenwich, Canning Town (for London
City Airport) and London Arena. www.nationalrail.co.uk <br>
Underground Trains The most efficient way to travel around London
is on the Underground (or Tube). The Underground map has eleven lines,
and more than a hundred stations, many of which are within a short distance
of major tourist attractions, hotels and shopping areas. The Tube system
is divided into six zones: zones 1 and 2 cover Central London and the
vast majority of tourist attractions. It is important to ensure that
you stay within the zones for which your ticket is valid, otherwise
you may incur a fine of around £10. <br>
Buses Traditional London buses (easy to identify as they are
double deckers and usually painted red) travel to most parts of the
city. There are also open-top tourist buses which provide running commentaries;
one way to enjoy sightseeing while travelling. Day tickets usually provide
the cheapest way to get around using buses, the tube and trains. Ask
for the 'one day travelcard'. There are also reduced rates for children.
Bus day passes are very cheap and although it can be a slower way of
getting around, you do get to see a lot of London from the upper deck.
Buy these from selected newsagents and travel offices. You can also
buy weekend, week-long, or monthly, quarterly or annual tickets, most
of which require a passport photograph at the time of purchase. London
Travel Information Telephone 020 7222 1234 www.londontransport.co.uk
This a useful website with details of buses, tubes, and information
about how to get around this large city. It also has a running display
giving information about current delays on the underground, so travellers
know which stations or lines to avoid. Coach JourneysVictoria Coach
Station, National Express London's main coach station, for both national
and international services, is located near Victoria railway station,
at 164 Buckingham Palace Road. Here, you can buy long distance coach
journey tickets and travel to most destinations throughout the British
Isles and even the continent. Telephone 020 7730 3499Open 9am to 7pm
Monday - Saturday Advance purchase of Coach Tickets (until 2 Hours before
Departure) All Major Credit/Debit Cards Accepted. www.GoByCoach.com
www.eurolines.com<br>
Taxis Taxis (black cabs) have meters and are licensed to carry
up to 5 people, plus luggage. Taxi ranks can be found at a mainline
station or designated areas in the city center. The yellow 'for hire'
sign is displayed if the taxi is free. Mini cabs can be booked from
hundreds of offices in outer London. You can't hail them in the street,
but they are cheaper than black cabs for long distance journeys and
late night rides home. Computer Cab Radio Taxis 020 7432 1432 020 7272
0272 Dial-A-Cab 020 7253 5000 Car London is ringed by the M25 'orbital'
motorway. The M1 heads north, the M3 off to Southampton and the M4 to
Gloucester. Visitors arriving at Dover or Folkestone can take the M20
and M26 before joining the M25 into London. Motorways are marked with
a 'M', major roads with the letter 'A' and minor roads with a 'B'. The
speed limit on motorways is 113kph (70mph), 97kph (60mph) on main roads
and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas. However, speed limits do vary according
to local conditions.
Travel by sea The Eurotunnel allows drivers and passengers of
cars and buses to cross the Channel (journey time is approximately 35
minutes) from Kent in Southern England to Nord-Pas-de-Calais in Northern
France. The tunnel is linked to the UK and French motorway networks.
Tickets can be purchased on the day of travel at check-in or be pre-booked
at the Eurotunnel call centre. Passengers without vehicles can also
travel by high speed train direct from Lille, Paris or Brussels to Waterloo
Station in central London.Telephone Eurostar 0044 (0) 8705 186186 or
0044 (0) 1233 617575 Ferry There are various sea crossings by ferry,
the most popular being Calais - Dover and Ostend-Dover. The journey
time for the Dover-Calais crossing is 1 hour and 15 minutes. The driving
time to London from Dover is approximately1 hour and 50 minutes. www.ferrysavers.co.uk
Telephone 0870 9908492
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