London Tube - Easy to use?

[kidzer]

Howdy

I'm heading to London soon, and need to get from Gatwick to Central London - I'm assuming the Tube is the best way to do this, and I've been on TfL and timings seem to work out ok for my flights.

I've just never used a train in my life before, is the Tube Easy enough to work out?

I'm thinking of getting a travelcard as that gets me on any train/bus doesn't it? Would save me messing about with individual tickets.

[staffsMike]

The maps are pretty easy to follow, I've only used them a couple of times but I got on alright

I always bought the travel cards, as you you say it saves a lot of hassle.

[nvening]

Thats how travel cards work yep and that would probably be best depending on how long/much your going to be using the tube.

Also its pretty easy to use you just need to work out where you need to get off and then see if you need to change lines at any point(s) (which normally just requires a shot walk which is clearly sign posted).

[Mithrandir]

The tube [map] looks a mess, but its easy to use.

From Gatwick you can take the Gatwick Express train. This'll take you into London Victoria. Here you can take the underground [tube] lines and change if needed to get to your destination.
Victoria serves the cricle line (yellow), Distrcit line (green) and Victoria line (light blue).

As for tickets, travelcards won't work with the Gatwick Express. You can buy a one day travelcard to use in central London. Buy a Zone 1-2 which'll cover Central London. If you're planning on travelling quite often then it'' work out cheaper to buy an Oyster card

[ShenBlade]

Just keep in mind to have some backup travel plans in case a train goes faulty or any other delays.

The link below is quite helpful for your planning journey as well

http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2...JPLanding=true

[tigerboyce]

Yeah there really easy, IMO, the best thing to is work out what zones you will be keeping in with and just get a all day travel card, i usually just get the Z6 as it covers everywhere, its £16 i think but they obviously get cheaper for the less zones you need.

Especially useful if you do actually get lost and end up somewhere withought a ticket to get back, but that's unlikely.

They also work up until like 3am i think that night/following morning.


Navigation is pretty simple, there i maps all over the place and on the tube trains themselves so you wont be far from one, any worker in the staion will point you in the right direction if your really stuck anyway.

[shadowmaster]

I've just never used a train in my life before, is the Tube Easy enough to work out?

Don't worry you have not missed out.

Its very easy to work out, everything is clearly sign posted, and if you ever need help you can ask someone. Just try to avoid rush hour (roughly 7am to 9am, 4.30pm to 6.30pm), as the trains become packed like sardines, and it becomes very uncomfortable unless you happen to be next to a stunning blonde

[JK Ferret]

If you do get stuck at any point, you can always ask a staff person to help you on your way - they've always been friendly enough for me (like when I needed to take three detours in one day...)

[TooNice]

The tube [map] looks a mess, but its easy to use.

The London Underground map actually looks pretty good when compared to Tokyo's equivalent in my opinion. To make things more complicated, they have more than one system there, so you can't just use one travel card for both the JR and Metro (well, actually, you can but it's not commonly used, more expensive, and less convenient as it's paper based last time I tried).

But while I am here, does a travelcards allow you to use the DLR? I recommend getting an Oyster to the OP simply because it's more convenient and it always work out cheaper than a travelcard by up to 50p, so unless it's just for the week-end, it's well worth it.

[Howard]

Travelling in London looks like a nightmare but in reality it's absolutely fine. You can even drive there at the right times without too much grief

[Stringent]

Its daunting at first, but you really can't go wrong, even if you do its easy to correct. Try and avoid rush hour though as you will feel like a can of sardines!

[Tumble]

to be fair.. last time I went to the Big Place, I got the train/tube in from the airport, then went up to street level and just walked - nowhere's more than 20 minutes away if you got a map.

[Mithrandir]

But while I am here, does a travelcards allow you to use the DLR? I recommend getting an Oyster to the OP simply because it's more convenient and it always work out cheaper than a travelcard by up to 50p, so unless it's just for the week-end, it's well worth it.

Yes, you can use a travelcard on the DLR.

[tiggerai]

You can also get to gatwick from London Bridge if the express isn't working... it's about 30 mins.

[TheAnimus]

I do this trip quite often, my parents live in cornwall, and BA do daily flights from gatwick.

Basically the gatwick express is a total rip off.

They take the money of tourists/those who don't know better.

Granted if your in a real hurry, it is 10 min faster than the alternative. The problem is your not in TFL land yet, which means everything f**king confusing.

First question is, where in london do you need to get too?

The trains goto Victoria, London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon, Kings Cross.

[rufeo]

yeah like everyones saying its quite easy as long as you've got a map and know where to change etc. one word of warning though, weekedends can be a bit of pain. thats when the most engineering works happen. sometimes only a few stops on a line are closed, other times it can be half or even the whole line.... but its not too bad as long as you have map, because you can pretty much work your way around the closures