London is a HUGE city, but luckily it’s really easy to get around. Between the Tube, the busses, and of course Uber, you can get anywhere. But to make things easier, learn the tricks of the trade before you go!

How do I use the Tube? The Tube is the underground train system and is very straightforward, with each line being a different color. Each Tube station (look for a circle “Underground” sign on the street) has signs letting you know which direction in the station to go for the line you need to take. And if you’re not sure which line you need, there are maps in each station with the colored lines. Once you pick your line, there is always two directions you can take it. For example, with the Central line, you can go Eastbound or Westbound, or for the Northern line you can go Northbound or Southbound. If you’re not sure which direction your stop is, there are signs with the stops in each direction from the station you’re at, so you can make sure you’re getting on the right one.

Do I need an Oyster card? It depends on how long you’re in London for. The cheapest single return ticket costs around 9 or 10 pounds, so if you know you’re going to use the Tube several times in a day and you don’t have an Oyster card, you’re better off buying a day pass, which costs 13 pounds and lets you ride the Tube as many times as you want that day. Pro tip: since most of Central London is in Zones 1-2, pick the Zone 1-6 option for your day pass; you most likely won’t need Zones 1-9 and that day pass costs more. If you’re in London for at least a few days, it might be worth looking into a visitor Oyster card. You can also pick one up for a 5 pound deposit (most convenience stores sell them, and you can even load them up there) and then top it up at a machine with however much you want on it. Tube ride fares differ based on time of day and distance traveled; traveling to the further zones of London will cost more than staying within Zones 1 and 2. When you’re done with your Oyster card, you can return it and get your 5 pounds back (as well as any unused money left over on the card). If you’re studying or working in London, you might want to look into a student Oyster card or the monthly passes.

What’s the deal with the Student Oyster Card/monthly pass? With an Oyster card, you can choose either the top up option or monthly pass. A Student Oyster card gives you a student discount on the monthly pass; however, if you aren’t using the Tube 5-6 days of the week, you’re probably better off sticking with the top up option since it’s still quite expensive. For example, if you know you’ll be traveling around Europe on the weekends or for a large chunk or time like a few weeks at once, then stick with the top up option since you wouldn’t be using the Tube every day. Note that for the monthly pass, you need to choose what zones you want your Tube pass for. If you’re traveling mostly within Central London, Zones 1-2 should be good.

So Oyster Card vs. day pass then? The perk of any regular Oyster card versus a day pass is that Oyster cards max out at 6,70 pounds a day while day passes cost 13 pounds, or $17. This means the most you’ll be charged in a day regardless of how much you travel is 6,70. Pro tip: if you choose to apply for the Student Oyster card (which has an application fee of 30 pounds) make sure to do so as soon as you get your student ID number from your university since the process can take up to 2 weeks during high season! I should’ve just gotten a regular Oyster card since I just topped mine up at Tube stations (you can top up with cash, or what the British call ‘notes’, or card) because I blew close to $300 on day passes for the 2 weeks I waited for my Student Oyster card to come in #sad.

Can I use my Oyster card on the red busses? Yep! It’s all the same system. Busses take much longer than the Tube to get wherever you’re going, so I’ve gotten around London exclusively using the Tube and not a bus. For example, I was looking at getting to London Paddington station via Tube and bus; taking the bus would’ve taken almost 2 hours whereas the Tube took 40 minutes. Pro tip: night buses, though, are extremely handy when you’re going out at night because the Tube closes.

Wait, the Tube closes?! The Tube stops running at midnight during the week, including Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, though, they run all night just not as frequently. So if you’re going out during the week, it’s a good idea to plan your route accordingly and look up the best way to get home via night bus if you aren’t planning on taking an Uber home.

What’s the best way to plan routes? I’ve found that each handy-dandy navigation app is best for different things. A lot of people like CityMapper, but I dislike it quite a lot since it doesn’t rotate while you’re walking. It was handy, however, in some European cities like Copenhagen for looking up what busses could get me where. I wanted to try for London but the app still thought I was in Copenhagen; I would say it’s worth a try though. Google Maps, similarly, is really good for navigating transportation. It gives you all the different Tube routes possible and can even tell you the times of the upcoming trains, which is handy! When it comes to walking, though, Apple Maps takes the cake. If you’re trying to plan trains within the UK or the Greater London area even, check out the app Trainline. You put in the ‘From’ and ‘To’ stations and it gives you possible times and can show you any transfers and all the stops it makes. It’s also handy if you’re living in London for a while to have a picture of a map of the Tube system when you’re getting your bearings - some people lose service down in the Tube stations (you’ll definitely lose service on the actual Tube but I usually have service in most of the stations until I get on).

Can you take the Tube to the airport? Depends what airport. You can take the Tube all the way to Heathrow airport - the Piccadilly line goes to all 5 terminals, just make sure you know which terminal you’re going to since Terminals 1, 2, 3 are one stop and Terminals 4, 5 are another. For the other airports, you can take the Tube to a stop where you can change over to an express train that goes directly to the airport, like the Gatwick Express from Victoria station. This one in particular is 17 pounds, and while it is quick, with the transfer from the Tube to the train it can sometimes be quicker and cheaper to take a bus to the airport depending on where you’re starting from and which airport you’re going to. Check out my post on London airports for more information on getting to them! I’ll be talking about all the different routes and busses/trains I’ve tried.

Ok, so we know all about the Tube now, but what about walking around London? London can be quite walkable, depending on where you’re going. When Liam came to visit me, we walked from the London all the way to the British Museum. It was a nice day out and we passed Westminster Abbey and Big Ben as well as went through Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square. That was all about a 40 minute walk. The Tube is handy but sometimes the distance between stops is really short; for example, there are two Tube stops on my street, Stepney Green and Mile End, and there are only about a 10 minute walk apart from each other. Some friends have walked home 30 minutes from central places such as the Skygarden instead of taking the Tube.

What’s the deal on black cabs? Black cabs are quite expensive in London, so you’re better off using the Tube or calling an Uber. If you do want to take a cab, though, make sure you get in a black cab since they are licensed taxis! Sometimes a bunch of black cars will line up outside of night clubs and bars and it might be easy to mistakenly get into one of those.

So how do you feel!? You're ready to navigate London now! Where are you off to explore?