🗺️ Citymapper

Starting off with a simple but effective tool to help you navigate London, Citymapper. For iOS and Android, Citymapper is an easy-to-use navigation app, with turn-by-turn directions for all public transportation, walking, and cycling trips.

Why we love it:

• instantly compares all travel options in real-time 
• wide variety of transport methods
• ability to save ‘home’, ‘work’, and other favourite places for quick use
• live issues page, including the state of usage of all transport methods
• GO stats, highlighting the benefits of walking/cycling a trip compared to a car
• option to make a trip ‘step-free’
• new cities are constantly being added so, wherever you are, this app will come in handy

Visit the Citymapper Website.

🚇 Underground 

Also known as the Tube, the Underground is really helpful for getting you around the city! However, it can take a while to get to grips with how it works. The app Tube Map is free to download and can help you navigate the Underground even when you’re not connected to the internet.

Tickets & Fares

There are a few ways you can use the Underground

• Paper Ticket
• Oyster card
• Travel Card
• Contactless Debit Card / Apple Pay

We’ll let you in on a secret, contactless cards/Apple Pay is the easiest and cheapest option! 

Busy Times

Unfortunately, there are times when the Tube is very busy and it is best to avoid using it at these times, or getting off a stop or 2 sooner and walking the little distance left (which is also a great way to ensure you get outside and a little exercise!). 

Busy times on the Tube include:

• Weekdays between 6am - 8am 
• Weekdays between 4pm - 5.30pm
• Saturday and Sunday afternoons

Tube Map

A map was designed a few years ago to help explain the navigation of the Tube. Physical copies of the Tube map are available for free at most stations on the Underground network, and fold up small making them easy to carry around in a pocket. The app Tube Map may be easier to use than a paper copy, however, and is free to download from your Apple or Google Store. 
Key features include:

• An easy to use journey planner that works with and without an internet connection.
• Check line status for delays, closures and service changes.
• Live departure times for the next Tube.
• Real-time routing around closures and delays.
• Additional map views for the TfL Night Tube and Rail Network.
• Save your favourite routes.
• Find your closest Tube station wherever you are in London.
• The Walking Tube Map shows shortcuts where it’s quicker to walk than waiting for a Tube.

Every line on the London Underground has a different name and colour. The names and colours will appear on a Tube Map, and also all over the various stations on the network.
Generally, the colours are the simplest way to help you get around, and also to use when asking for directions.

Travelcard

If you are going out for a day around the city and you aren’t 100% certain where you want to go, travelcards may be a cheaper and easier way for you to get around. Travelcards allow you to travel as much as you like in a single day, and they can be used on the Tube, Overground, DLR (Docklands Light Railway), National Rail, bus, and tram.

🚌 Bus Routes

You can basically get anywhere in London by bus using the wide variety of routes covering a huge area and, at a fixed price of £1.55 for a single journey, fares are also cheaper regardless of distance.

Simply use a contactless card, or an Oyster card, on the big yellow card reader when you board to tap in for £1.55, and every journey you take within the hour is included in this price - but remember to still tap in to the new bus to ensure you have a valid ticket!  There is no need to ‘tap out’ when you get off, as fares are fixed.

How does the ‘daily cap’ for buses work?

• If you make 1 bus trip*, £1.55 is deducted from your card
• If you make 2 trips, £3.10 is deducted
• If you make 3 trips, £4.65 is deducted from your Oyster card
• Your 4th trip and all other trips you make until 4.30am the following morning are free.

*a ‘bus trip’ means either a single trip on a bus or an unlimited amount of bus trips in a one hour period.

What’s the downside? 

Buses do have to face the London traffic so can be slower than rail services. But with the fixed fares and no walking around the Underground tunnels, it seems like a fair trade-off.

🚲 Cycle Routes

Santander Cycles is a public bicycle hire scheme that you can use to get around. Hiring a bike costs £2 for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes within a 24hr period. Journeys longer than 30 minutes, you pay £2 for each additional 30 minutes. 
The bike must be returned within 24 hours, or you may be charged.

You can download the Santander Cycles App on both iOS and Android. Using the app, you can:

• Get release codes sent to your phone so you can hire your bike quicker.
• See live cycle and docking space availability.
• Check your recent activity including hires and charges.
• Use a journey planner to easily plan your route.
• Save your favourite docking stations.
• Use the interactive map to search by station, landmarks and street names.

To hire a bike, you can use the app or go to any docking station with your bank card and touch the screen to get started.

🚕 Taxis, Ubers, & Bolt

Black Cabs

One of the most iconic ways to travel, taking a black cab is definitely an experience! If the taxi light is illuminated, the taxi is available and you can flag it down by waving. However, a word of warning, black taxis are certainly more expensive than any of the other forms of transport.

Uber

Uber is an app that, put simply, connects you with drivers. You can use the Uber app to request a ride and, when a nearby driver accepts your request, the app will let you know an estimated time of arrival for the driver heading to your pickup location. They will then take you to where you need to go. 

Known as the cheaper option to a black cab, Uber quickly became extremely popular across the city. However, in the past year or so, there has been a lack of drivers and the cost of Uber has increased, so be careful with cost. Also, you will be charged if you cancel an Uber, so make sure you are certain before you book!

Bolt

Similar to Uber, Bolt connects you with drivers who can take you where you need to go. Entering the scene in 2019, Bolt has similar prices to Uber but boasts a lower cancellation fee. Also, there is an in-app SOS button that links you directly with the emergency services, as well as a 24/7 call centre for non-emergency situations.