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The London Underground Including Fares, Maps & Travel Zones
Official Web Site of London Underground

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London
Public Transport

Travel Passes
(Travelcards)

For the visitor to London the underground or Tube will probably be the transport of choice.

There is invariably an underground station nearby where you want to go, (there are currently 12 underground lines) and finding yourself around the system really is very easy.

Underground
Map

The fare is dependent on how many zones you travel across.

The easiest way to approximate where the zones are, is to check out the London Underground Map

Most visitors will only be travelling in Zone 1, the central zone. For most its worthwhile purchasing a Travelcard (see below) or an Oyster Card.

You will see mention of Oyster Cards offering cheaper fares. These are reusable "smart" cards. There is a £3 refundable deposit for an Oyster Cards. More details on Oyster Card.

London Underground Fares (from 2 Jan 2008 )
Zones	Adult	Child*	Oyster Card Pre-Pay
Zones	Adult	Child*	Mon-Fri	Weekend
1	£4.00	£2.00	£1.50	£1.50
1-2	£4.00	£2.00	£2.00	£1.50
1-4	£4.00	£2.00	£2.50	£2.00
1-6	£4.00	£2.00	£3.50	£2.00
* Childrens Fares Children pay £0.50 with an Oyster Card - though see free travel section below. Free Travel For Children On Buses & Underground Under-5s Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Under-11s Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams. They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under 11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground. Under-11s travelling with an adult will not be issued with tickets and will be allowed to pass through the ticket gates at stations 11-14s Children aged 11-14 can travel free at any time on the entire London bus network,

Using the Underground
There is a ticket office at all stations. The ticket offices accept credit cards and also sell the various travel passes.

Next to the manned ticket offices are always at least one bank of automatic ticket machines (see picture left).

These can you save you a lot of time if there are queues at the manned ticket office. They take credit and debit cards as well as cash.

To gain access to the platforms, and to exit a station you have to pass through automatic barriers, (pictured left).
You are allowed through by inserting your ticket into a slot in the barrier, or if you have an Oyster Card swiping it over the yellow pad.
If you have a single ticket, the barrier at your destination will not return your ticket. There is usually a manned side gate by the barriers.

All Underground trains run at about 1-4 minute intervals between around 05:00 and 24:00.

London Travelcard & London Visitor Travelcard

The London Travelcard is for most short term visitors to London the right solution to their public transport needs.
The product you purchase in London is just called the London Travelcard. The London Visitors Travelcard is for overseas visitors purchasing before arriving in London but there is little if no difference in the scope of the product itself. If you are staying around more than just a day or so, the Oyster Card is probably a better buy.

The Travelcard allows unlimited travel on the Underground (Metro), buses and trains in the London urban area. You also get a discount on many of London's scheduled river services.

You can purchase Travelcards for 1,3 or 7 days (there are also monthly and annual tickets). London public transport is divided up into six circular zones radiating out from the centre. You pay more, the more zones you need. Most visitors will only need Zones 1/2 where all the attractions are. (Heathrow Airport is in Zone 6)

London Travelcard Prices Purchased in London (from 2 Jan 2008 )
Zones	Day (Peak)*	Day (Off Peak)	3 Day (Peak)	3 Day (Off Peak)	7 Day
1-2	£6.80 (£3.40)	£5.30	£17.40 (£8.70)	-	£24.20 (£12.10)
1-4	£9.40 (£4.70)	£5.90	-	-	£34.60 (£17.30)
1-6	£13.80 (£6.90)	£7.00 (£2.00)	£40.00 (£20.00)	£20.00 (£6.00)	£44.60 (£22.30)
Off peak hours are after 9 30.a.m. Monday to Friday, all day Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. Children (Under 16) (£?.??) = Child fare. Up to 4 accompanied children (under16) can purchase an off peak day Travelcard covering zones 1-6 for £2 and single journeys for £1 Free Travel For Children On Buses & Underground Under-5s Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Under-11s Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams. They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are travelling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under 11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground. Under-11s travelling with an adult will not be issued with tickets and will be allowed to pass through the ticket gates at stations 11-14s Children aged 11-14 can travel free at any time across the entire London bus network,

London Travelcard & Visitors Travelcards Purchased In Advance

You can purchase Overseas Travelcards in advance in many countries. Travelcards can also be purchased on the Gatwick Express.

Alternatively you can purchase Travelcard tickets here on-line, and either collect the Travelcards in London or have them sent to your home, wherever you live.

There is also a card called the London Pass which includes admission to many attractions in London in addition to the Travelcard