The London Underground is a railway system that serves a large part of Greater London

and some neighbouring areas. It’s the world’s oldest and longest underground railway having 270 stations and 11 lines.  The London Underground's history dates back to the 10th of January, 1863 when the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon serving six intermediate stations. Despite its name, about 55% of the network is above ground. The generations of Londoners affectionately nicknamed it the Tube in reference to the cylindrical shape of the system’s tunnels.

There are six concentric zones, each farther from Central London, that are marked on the map by alternate bands of white and gray in the background. Most major tourist attractions are within Zones 1 and 2.

Tickets are sold from staffed ticket offices at stations, and from various types of self-service machines. Some machines that sell a limited range of tickets accept coins only, other touch-screen machines accept coins and English bank notes and give change. Some newer machines accept cards only. In addition to the automatic and staffed ticket gates at stations, the Underground is sometimes patrolled by the uniformed staff who mainly stay at the ticket barriers. Passengers travelling without a ticket valid for their entire journey are sometimes required to pay a £80 penalty fare or face prosecution

for fare evasion.You can travel on Tube using an Oyster (contactless payment card

to payas you go) or you can add a Travelcard to your Oyster card.

A Travelcard is valid for one or seven days.When you have an Oyster Card you can

use it on the buses, underground, and overground, so it is quite convenient!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trains run frequently from the central area. Stand behind the yellow line on the platform and wait for your train. Make sure you wait on the correct platform for your destination, and choose your train by the indicator on the platform or the front of the train. It’s important to know the final destination of the train you want, because from some platforms trains leave for several different destinations. Most stations have screens that display what the next train is and when it will be arriving at that station. Though if you are unsure there are plenty of maps and people you can ask to point you in the right direction.

 

The best website to go to plan your journey when using the public transportation is: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/