How to Get Around London

Your transport options in London

London's public transport is run by Transport for London (TfL) and covers the Tube (11 Underground lines), the Elizabeth line, London Overground, DLR, buses and Thames river boats. For most visitors the winning strategy is simple: use the the Tube for longer hops, walk the dense central areas, and keep a route planner that works offline.

Paying the smart way

Skip paper tickets entirely. Tap in and out with any contactless bank card or phone — fares are automatically capped at the daily maximum (about £8.90 in Zones 1–2), so you can never overpay. An Oyster card works identically; the Visitor Oyster is rarely worth its fee.

15 lines, one offline app

CityNav pre-loads all 15 London Underground lines — including Central, Victoria, Northern, Piccadilly, Jubilee, Bakerloo — with 140+ key stations, so you can plan any journey with no mobile data. Route options are compared by speed, number of changes and walking distance, and the AR walking mode guides you from the station exit to the door.

Local knowledge that saves your day

• Stand on the right on escalators — Londoners take this seriously.
• The Tube map is not geographic: Leicester Square to Covent Garden is a 4-minute walk but looks like a Tube journey.
• Most of Zone 1 is more walkable than the map suggests — central stations are often 5–10 minutes apart on foot.
• The Tube largely stops around 00:30; the Night Tube runs on five lines on Fridays and Saturdays only.
• Buses are cheap (£1.75 flat fare with the Hopper — unlimited changes within an hour) and a great way to actually see the city.

Staying safe while getting around

Like every major city, London has its share of transit pickpockets and tourist-targeted scams. CityNav's London safety guide lists the local emergency numbers, tourist police, hospitals and the specific scams to watch for — and it works offline, exactly when you need it.

More London guides