Navigate the Tube like a pro when you visit London

History of the London Underground

Dating back to the 1860s the London Underground or “the Tube” is an iconic part of London’s history and infrastructure. It is a consistently evolving method of transport – a new line opened in 2022 (though some dispute if the Elizabeth Line is truly the tube) and there is constant expansion and upgrade work happening.

It’s also one of the least intuitive parts of the city. Let’s face it, the names make little to no sense, depending on your knowledge of colloquial Londonisms or British History. It’s not clear how to pay. It’s not obvious which way to go. The locals are usually grumpy, drunk, impatient or all of the above.

This is your one-stop guide to navigating the tube and the locals that frequent it. Tube stations have in the past six months become a place where phone snatching has become common. If this happens to you, see my guide on how to sort it.

Paying for the tube

Let’s start at the beginning. How to pay for the tube. There are very few ticket offices at tube stations, if any these days. There are machines but… if you have a contactless card or any mobile payment app you can ignore them. Equally, if you have either of these, don’t worry about buying an Oyster card. For a paper ticket, you can buy via the Trainline.*

The London Travelcard area is divided into zones (1 being the closest to Central London, 6 being the furthest out) and there is a daily cap on what you can be charged. At the moment it is about £16.50 a day for all bus, tube, overground, Docklands Light Railway or mainline travel in zones 1-6. If you’re staying in a travel card zone (there will be numbers like this at the station) you can either buy a paper ‘travelcard’ ticket or use your contactless payment card or an Oyster card. These zones extend beyond the tube out to many of the commuter towns so it’s worth checking before you buy a paper ticket if you’re covered.

The biggest challenge for tourists is that Stansted, Luton and Gatwick airports are not in a travel card zone, so you need to buy the right ticket. If you’re landing at Heathrow, the Heathrow Express isn’t included in a travel card but the tube (Piccadilly or Elizabeth Lines stop at Heathrow) or a red London bus is.

However the most important thing to know is…. whatever way you’re paying, ensure you have it ready when you get to the gate. Nothing annoys the locals more than having their carefully calculated journey slowed down by someone looking through their bag for a payment card.

Rules of travel (unofficial)

Once you have paid, how do you get on the tube and survive boarding it?

Understanding which way the tube goes

Every tube line in London goes either North to South or East to West, some are simple lines with just one branch, but many have 2 or 3 similar routes they take, with a set number of stations common to each branch. For example, the Northern Line (below) has two branches in Central London, three in North London and now two in South London. Do your research first, however, the announcements are always really clear which is arriving, so listen out if in doubt!

Plan your journey (but not with a tube map)

The tube map is deceiving. It doesn’t always tell you useful things like what destination you need to look for or the fact it’s quicker to walk between some stations (like Embankment and Charing Cross) than it is to go underground, wait for the tube, ride it and exit the station. Google Maps and CityMapper are the best apps – they will tell you helpful things like which destination to look for, how long to allow in between trains and which exit to leave via at the more confusing stations. There are maps at each platform, however there is little to no time to actually study them when in the city.

Stand to the right, walk on the left:

Whether it’s on travelators or escalators, the rules are clear (and by clear, I mean assumed): you stand firmly on the right, with your luggage tucked in front of you. If you want to walk, that’s the left or for the pavement above ground.

Let others get off first

One of the unwritten pieces of tube etiquette is letting others off first. If you’re on a train, you’re expected to get off the tube to let others get off. This is good manners, but also practical – you might not be able to get on if you don’t.

Mind the doors (and the gap, but the doors are more of a menace)

Despite there being lovely buttons on most tube doors, passengers cannot open the doors. They are operated by the driver at each station. This helps keep the timing. The doors at each tube station are open for a really short period of time – at most stations less than one minute. At rush hour it becomes a true survival of the fittest to get on in time. Once the doors start flashing, don’t run for it or your luggage might not survive. This may sound dramatic but just last week I witnessed a lovely Chloe tote bag be caught in the tube doors. It probably wasn’t so lovely and white after going a stop on the tube with half of it jammed between the doors. I’ve also lost a pair of headphones to the bud being trapped in the door. On the Jubilee line, you double the jeopardy with the double doors.

Your bag doesn’t need a seat

There is not much that annoys Londoners more than having to talk to people they don’t know, let alone to ask them to move their bag off a seat. Yes the floor of the tube is disgusting and no, you don’t want to rest your beautiful bag on it however on a transport system where most people pay to stand, seats are a premium.

Avoid changing at Bank

Even for some of the most hardened Londoners, Bank and Monument stations are confusing. These two separate yet interconnected stations span 5 lines, eight exits and the DLR. I did once get very lost trying to get between Bank and Monument and took about 15 minutes walking in circles getting increasingly confused.

Consider the night bus if it’s late

Most of the tube shuts down between 11.45 and 0.30 each evening. There are limited night tubes on Friday and Saturday night but it’s only on Central, Northern, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. The night bus is often more reliable and runs all night.

Plug your headphones in

No-one wants to hear your music, podcast, phone call (on certain lines).

Eating on the tube.

Eating on the tube is permitted (drinking alcohol isn’t) however, there are rules of etiquette for it.

Egg sandwiches are a no-no, as are Tuna sandwiches (there are even posters about these now). Essentially anything stinky you should avoid – there is not much ventilation that far underground and the smell lingers. Equally avoid anything sticky… you REALLY don’t want to be trying to wipe your hand on a seat.

If you have to eat, or have something safe, don’t leave your rubbish. No-one likes a litter bug and a sure-fired way to get a glare is to leave your smelly sandwich wrapper on a tube seat.

Pets.

Dogs on a lead and Cats (or other small pets) in a carry case are permitted on a tube and are usually given a seat. They’re more worthy than your bag.

All on the board

Allontheboard has become a bit of an institution for Londoners. Scattered at tube stations across London, the station staff will put a thought for the day on the poster. If it’s a station by a major venue, you’re likely to find something linked to the event that evening. If there has been a major event happen in the country or in the city, there will be a thought for the day there too.

So… are you feeling brave enough to ride the tube? What have I missed?

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