Londoners may frequently grumble about the Tube, but there’s lots to love about it — including that it makes this big city much more navigable.

However, before you hop on board, there are a few written (and unwritten) rules that you should know about, so you can ride the Tube like the locals do.

London Tube tips to ride like a local

These tips will save you money, time and gain you the unspoken appreciation of your fellow passengers.

1. Don’t use the Tube in central London

Locals know that in central London it’s often easiest not to take the Tube. Getting the bus or even walking may be quicker and more direct — not to mention cheaper. This is a handy list of stops where it’s quicker to walk than to change tubes. Take note of the Covent Garden/Leicester Square/Piccadilly Circus/Charing Cross and Embankment one to feel extra smug around fellow Tube-reliant visitors.

Related: Top budget hotels in London

Use an Oyster card wisely and you’ll save a plethora of pounds. Photo: Mikey on Flickr

2. Play your Oyster or credit card right

Visitors may want to get an Oyster travel card for the cheapest Tube fares. You can read all about our guide to Oyster cards here.

Another option is using a contactless payment card to travel on the London transport network for the same price as an Oyster card. Just check with your card provider first that you can do so without incurring a transaction fee.

3. Don’t rely on the Tube 24/7 (on most nights)

The Tube doesn’t run 24 hours a day, so don’t rely on it to get you to that early morning train. (Note: A “night tube” was launched in September 2015 for certain lines on Friday and Saturday nights.)

Times vary from line to line, but most open shortly after 5 a.m. and close again before 1 a.m. The time of the first and last train should be displayed at each tube station. For public transit outside these hours, you’ll need to rely on the night bus services.

Related: How to save on Tube and bus tickets in London

Don’t even try to get on during the morning scrum on the Tube. Photo: Ted Sullivan

4. Avoid traveling during rush hour

Why on earth would you want to squeeze yourself into a carload of grumpy Brits during morning rush hour if you have the leisure of waiting a bit? Need another reason to wait to jump on board? It’s cheaper to travel after 9:30 a.m., too. Relax — have a coffee, then travel “off peak.”

5. Let everyone off before boarding

The train has pulled into the station. We know you’re eager to get onto the train, but don’t push your way in the second the doors open. Let everyone who wants to exit the train get off before getting on (admittedly this principle gets a little stretched at very busy times).

6. Be prepared to give up your seat

You shouldn’t need us to tell you, but consider this a gentle reminder to give up your seat on the Tube to someone who looks like they need it more than you — most expectant mothers will wear a “Baby on Board” badge — and take a look around before you throw yourself onto the last remaining seat in a carriage.

This being Britain, we’ll just glare, and perhaps mutter under our breath rather than simply saying if someone really does need a seat. But we always appreciate being offered one.

7. Move down!

Try not to stand by the doorways of the trains. Chances are there are plenty more people who’ll want to get on at the next stop. The same goes for the station platforms, too. The entrance to a Tube platform is not the best place to stop with your case and pull out your Tube map if you want to make new London friends. And when you get off, keep an eye out for directional signs to show you the nearest exit.

8. Everybody always gets off at your stop

It’s really busy and they announce your tube stop. You leap to your feet and start trying to make your way to the door so you don’t miss it, right? Rookie error. Chances are half the carriage will also be getting off at your stop, and trying to get there in advance is not only pointless but the pushing required will also wind up and frustrate most of the car.

Wait until the train gets to the station, then try and make your way to the exit (and then any pushing is, of course, fully justified).

9. Stand on the right. Walk on the left.

Perhaps the London Tube’s most sacred rule: When standing on an escalator, stand to the right; if you want to walk up or down it, do that along the left-hand side. Sorry, suitcases/friends/loved ones you want next to you will not be tolerated — it’s single file only. Londoners are so well-trained that you’ll probably catch us doing this on department store escalators too.

10. Keep it down

Shhh…  for a place that’s so busy and vital to the city, the Tube can be eerily quiet. Don’t take that as your cue to fill the void with noise. It’s not that we’re unfriendly; it’s just easier this way. Playing loud music, of course, is definitely a no-no and probably goes without saying. And going without saying is definitely one of a London tube traveler’s favorite things…

Your tips on the London Tube?

Do you have any tips for riding the Tube like a local? Share in the comments below.

The post London: 10 tips for riding the Tube like a local appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Hailing a London taxi can cost a small fortune and riding the night buses can take a long time to get you back to your hotel.

However, all that might change with the arrival of the Night Tube – a boon to party people and budget travelers who like to stay out late or are catching a late-night flight.

What is the Night Tube?

After announcing the new service in 2014, the Night Tube has finally arrived! It offers a 24-hour service on selected Underground lines on Fridays and Saturdays.

At the moment, the service is running on the Central Line (that runs west to east across London including stops in Notting Hill, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Bank and Liverpool Street) and the Victoria Line (that crosses the city south to north, including Brixton, Victoria, Oxford Circus, Euston, King’s Cross, Highbury & Islington).

The service is due to start running on the Jubilee Line starting October 7, 2016 and will be extended to the Piccadilly and Northern lines later in the autumn.

Related: 10 Tips for riding the London Tube like a local

How much does it cost?

The service costs no more than a standard off-peak journey on the Underground, whether that’s a single ticket or an Oyster card fare. Day tickets are valid from the day of purchase until 4:30 am the following day — so if you buy your ticket at 10 am on a Saturday, it’ll still be valid come 4:15 am on Sunday morning (although you’ll personally probably be exhausted!).

How will it benefit the budget traveler?

The obvious benefits are convenience and cost. Rather than having to navigate the network of night buses or shell out for a taxi, this will open up most of central London.

Even the two lines offering the service at the moment are convenient for traveling, servicing some of the typical budget hotel areas including Warren Street, Victoria, and Holborn. Party areas such as Brixton and Shoreditch (using Liverpool Street station) are now much more easy to reach — and return from — in the early hours.

It will also be a huge help for travelers who have scored cheaper flights or trains into and out of London, with Victoria (for trains to and from Gatwick), Liverpool Street (trains to and from Stansted) and King’s Cross (for the Eurostar) all on the network. When the Piccadilly line becomes part of the Night Tube, Heathrow will also be accessible.

Related: The Cheapest and fastest options for getting to the airport in London

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So ask yourself what your priorities are—is it worth that extra £20 to get yourself to hotel check-in as swiftly as possible and make the most of your visit to London? Or do you have time on your side and would rather save those £££s on transportation, so you have more money to burn when you’re out and about in the city?

We’ve saved you the lengthy research by weighing up the best fast and cheapo options below!

Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. Photo: Curt Smith

Heathrow Airport

If you’re arriving in London on a long haul flight, chances are you’ll wind up at Heathrow, which sees almost 200,000 passengers arriving and departing each day. There are five terminals, all fairly easily accessible. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are walking distance apart, whereas for Terminals 4 and 5 you may find you need to jump on the Underground or the Heathrow Express train.

Fastest: If you’re on a short jaunt in London and want to maximize your time in the city then the Heathrow Express is the best option for you. Sleek and uber comfortable trains with tons of space for luggage depart every 15 minutes from the airport and take just 15 minutes from terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Paddington station in central London. Add on four or six more minutes to the journey time if departing from terminals 4 or 5.

It’s not the cheap option, with adult tickets costing £26 for a single and £39 for a return when purchased onboard, but you can knock £5 off the cost of each ticket when you buy online or at the ticket machines and ticket desks in the station, making a single £21 and a return £34. Get organized and you’ll get an even better price as well, with regular advanced booking deals available online, particularly for kids and group bookings.

Cheapest: If saving those pennies is the most important thing, then by far the best option is to take the London Underground into the city center, which takes around one hour depending on where your final destination is. The Piccadilly Line has a stop for Terminals 1, 2 and 3, another for Terminal 4 and another for Terminal 5, so no matter where you land you’ll be able to access the Tube.

The airport is located in zone 6 and a single ticket into zone 1 (central London) will set you back around £5.70. However, if you read our guide to public transport in London and get yourself an Oyster card, this will be reduced by a few pounds.

The Gatwick Express train gets you to Victoria Station in 30 minutes. Photo: Vera Blossom

Gatwick Airport

Officially located in Sussex, Gatwick Airport is London’s second biggest air hub and covers the largest number of destinations of any airport in the country. There are two terminals; North and South, which are walking distance apart.

Fastest: The quickest way into London is from the well-located train station at the airport. However, unlike from Heathrow, the official “Gatwick Express” service which runs every 15 minutes to London Victoria only shaves around five minutes off your total journey time when compared to the notably cheaper, Southern Trains service. The former will set you back around £18 for a single and £31 for a return, while you can bag a return on the trusty Southern Train for a mere £15. If London Bridge or St Pancras are more convenient for you, opt for the Thameslink train for a similar price.

Cheapo tip: If you’re arriving and departing from Gatwick then be sure to buy yourself a return ticket, it’s only a few pence more expensive that the single!

Cheapest: If time is on your side then take the bus to central London. National Express has regular departures from both terminals to London Victoria from as little as £8 each way online. On average the journey takes an hour and a half, but be patient—London traffic is always unpredictable. Alternatively, Stelios’ easyBus has services to Waterloo and Earl’s Court which take between 60-90 minutes. Buses run every 15-20 minutes and start from as little as £2 each way when booked in advance online.

Stansted Airport

London’s third busiest airport is Stansted. Serving shorter haul destinations, you may well find yourself here if you’re flying to other countries in Europe with a low-cost airline.

Fastest: The handily located station makes it very easy to hop on the train from the airport. The Stansted Express departs every 15 minutes and takes around 35 minutes to Tottenham Hale or 45 minutes to Liverpool Street station. Given the trains are often pretty packed, the £21 single and £32 return feels pretty steep, but you can cut this price massively if you book early, with fares from £8 when booked 30 days in advance and £12 when booked seven days in advance. There are also discounts for groups and two adults traveling together.

Cheapest: Again, if you really want to save those pennies then the bus will be your best option. From Stansted you can catch National Express or Terravision buses to Victoria or Liverpool Street, while the easyBus goes to Old Street and Baker Street. All buses depart regularly and take between one and two hours. Fares start from £2 each way and the best prices are found when booked in advance online.

London Luton

Again, you’re most likely to find yourself at Luton if you’re flying low-cost to a nearby destination, and most Londoners try and avoid this airport like the plague. Not because it’s unpleasant when you get there, but because the lack of an on-site train station makes it a whole lot more awkward to get to and from. If arriving very late at night, I would pay the extra flight price to land somewhere else, as the onward journey from Luton is not so straightforward.

Fastest: Rail is still (just) the quickest way to central London, but the difference isn’t as huge as when compared to Heathrow and in this instance I would probably just go for the cheaper bus route. All visitors must catch the shuttle from outside the airport to the rail station. The journey takes around 10 minutes and the buses leave fairly regularly. Your rail ticket can be bought at the bus stop and includes the surcharge for the shuttle. If you don’t pay it you will be charged £1.60 to take the shuttle bus. On arrival, Thameslink runs trains to Blackfriars, Farringdon, and St Pancras, which take between 40 and 60 minutes and cost around £15 single and £24 return.

Cheapest: Both easyBus and National Express serve Luton Airport and take around 90 minutes to Victoria coach station. EasyBus just launched its direct service to Liverpool Street last month as well, which it claims takes one hour and five minutes, but I would always recommend leaving a bit longer. Single tickets can be bought from as little as £2 if you get them in advance.

You can easily take the Docklands Light Rail to connect with the Tube from London City Airport. Photo: Tom Page

London City

Finally, if you’re touching down at London City Airport then you’re very lucky indeed! Designed for business travelers to have easy access to the city, you won’t be swamped with mind boggling options here—simply up your Oyster card and hop onto the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and connect to London Underground’s Jubilee Line at Canning Town in just three stops.

How do you get in?

Have a tip for a fast or cheap way in from any of London’s airports? Share with us in the comments section below!

The post London Airport Transport: Our picks for the fastest and cheapest ways into town appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

While taking the night bus is a cultural experience of sorts, it’s by no means the most direct route home, often involving hours spent hanging around bus stops in the freezing cold. On arrival of said bus, expect to pile in with a woozy mob comprising noisy Londoners, dazed foreigners and plenty of chips, kebabs and McDonalds. Regular out-of-tune singsongs take place, friendships are made, couples argue about who chose to get on the wrong bus and, eventually, what feels like many weeks later, the night bus will deposit you back out into the cold, hopefully somewhere near your accommodation.

The desire to avoid it is what spurs on hordes of merrymakers to cut their nights short and charge towards the nearest underground station as midnight draws near for fear of missing that oh-so-important Last Tube Of The Night.

All-night tubes would make enjoying London’s nightlife a much less stressful business. You want to stay for one last drink? One last dance? Go ahead. There will be no night bus experiences or eye-wateringly expensive taxi rides home for you.

Since November 2013 plans have been being hatched to run 24-hour tubes, and last month the much anticipated announcement was made—London’s Night Tube will launch on September 12, 2015, just in time for the Rugby World Cup, during which 400,000 overseas rugby fans are estimated to visit.

A section of the Tube’s Northern Line will be open all night on weekends beginning next year. Photo: Nico Hogg

What to expect

To begin with, the Night Tube will operate on Fridays and Saturdays across five key lines (make a note when choosing where to stay): Central, Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines, plus the busiest section of the Northern Line. Here is a map. There will be six trains an hour between 12:30 AM and 6 AM.

What does it mean for Cheapos?

Quite a lot, actually. Apart from saving time and money on taxis, being able to stay out late, at least on weekends, without having to worry about how to get home means you can look further afield with your accommodation options. While many of the properties we review on Eurocheapo are very central, looking slightly further afield will make your stay a lot easier on the wallet.

For example, bagging a room at one of the lovely B&Bs in Kings Cross or a bed in a lively youth hostel in Earl’s Court will save you many £££s, and you’ll be perfectly placed to catch the Victoria or Piccadilly lines home after a night out in Soho. Cheers to that!

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Underground, Overground, here are a few questions to help you navigate yourself around London’s transport system.

Related: 4 ways to save on public on transportation in London

London transport

London transport, that’s just the tube right?
Wrong, Transport for London covers a range of options for getting around the city: Underground ‘tube’ service, buses, the Overground and National Rail trains, the Dockland’s Light Railway (DLR) and trams. In reality, you’ll probably use the first two services the most.

The zone system

Where am I heading?
When considering London transport, you need to get into the zone. That’s because London’s transport system divided into nine (very) roughly concentric circular zones, radiating out from zone 1 in the center. Generally speaking, it costs more to travel the further out you go, although bus fares remain the same throughout the city.

Most of the major tourist attractions are in zone 1—British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, etc—and many hotels too, though some of the cheaper options may be in zone 2 and beyond. It’s possible to visit London and to rarely stray beyond zone 1, let alone zone 2, although it’s not quite the wilderness out there: Hampton Court, for example, is in zone 6. The zones are marked on maps of the tube and posters, and sometimes at the station itself. You can view an online map here.

Peak vs off-peak hours

When will I be traveling?
Transport costs vary depending on whether you are traveling at peak hours or off-peak. To get the cheaper off-peak rates, you need to start your journey after 9:30 AM on Mondays to Fridays. Saturdays, Sunday and public holidays all count as off-peak too. It’s worth bearing in mind that it’s not only less expensive, it’s also probably considerably more pleasant to travel off-peak, away from the stressed commuters, if you possibly can. In the afternoon, it depends on how you are paying for your transport: no off-peak hours apply to Travelcard users, but for those using pay as you go Oyster, peak hours apply between 4 PM and 7 PM. And, don’t worry, I’ll explain the difference between a travelcard and an Oyster card later.

Ticketing

What are my best ticket options?
While you can still buy tickets for individual journeys, this isn’t really cost effective if you plan on making more than a couple of journeys each day. In addition, from the July 6, cash payments will no longer be accepted on London buses, meaning you (and the rest of the city) will need to be a bit more prepared when stepping out. And this might be the most complicated part of your journey, because there are a number of different methods of ticketing available:

Oyster card

What is it?
This is what the majority of Londoners use. It’s an electronic card that you tap onto a reader at the entry and exit barriers at tube and rail stations, or simply tap once onto the reader when getting on a bus. There’s a £5 deposit, then the card can be loaded with a 7 day, a month or even year’s travel pass for whatever zones you require. On top of this, you can add money to Pay As You Go (PAYG): payment is deducted for each journey you take, depending on your method of transport and how far you travel.

Why would I want to use it?
Staying for London for any considerable length of time? This is probably the option for you. This is what the majority of Londoners use. It’s a very flexible system: most people get a travel pass to cover their commute and use PAYG to pay for journeys into zones not covered by their pass. Also, only using PAYG can actually be a money saver if you only make occasional journeys on public transport and, if you are only using the card for PAYG, the money doesn’t expire (meaning you can hold onto it for a return trip in the future) and the cards can be passed over to another person when you’re done with it.

Why wouldn’t I want to use it?
Well, there’s not that much to differentiate it from the Visitor Oyster card (see below).  The major difference and disadvantage is that you can’t order it in advance from abroad, so when you get to London you’ll need to get in one of the likely long lines of people waiting at a station ticket office (rather than at a machine). There’s the £5 deposit, and then the subsequent secondary station visit to get your £5 back at the end of your trip.

Visitor’s Oyster card

What is it?
As the name suggests, it’s a version of the Oyster card intended especially for visitors. No deposit for this card: it’s priced at £3, which is non-refundable. The PAYG works in the same way: you load your Oyster with credit which is deducted per journey you make, so a journey in zones 1 to 2 will deduct £2.80 during peak hours and £2.20 off-peak, or a single journey on any bus will set you back £1.45.

Why Would I Want to Use It?
You can order the Visitor Oyster in advance of your visit, preloaded with credit, allow 12 to 16 days for delivery to the States.

Like the standard Oyster, it’s a really convenient option. There’s a cap on how much you pay out using PAYG, which is really handy if you’re planning some extensive sightseeing to do. Say you only intend to travel about zones 1 and 2. Once you’ve done the equivalent of £8.40 (peak hours) or £7 (off-peak hours) worth of journeys over the course of a day, money will stop being deducted from your Oyster card for any subsequent journeys you make that day.

The Visitor Oyster card comes with some additional tourist-friendly perks, such as a 25% discount on the Emirates Air Line cable car and a 10% reduction on the fare for the Thames Clipper River Bus. The card can also be passed over to another person when you’re done with it.

Why Wouldn’t I Want To Use It?
It can’t be used for 7 day, month or yearly travel cards. You also have to be extra vigilant to make sure you ‘tap in and tap out’ on the reader for every journey you take on tube or train—even if the barriers are open—and at transport interchanges, otherwise you will be charged extra.

Travelcard

What is it?
A paper ticket purchased for a day or a week’s worth of travel around the Transport for London system. You insert it into the barriers at stations to open the gates, or show it to the driver on a bus. A day’s worth of travel in zones 1 to 2 is £9; 7 day is £31.40. A day is based on the transport system’s day, rather than being a strict 24 hours, so a ticket bought at 9:30 AM would be valid on a ‘night’ bus at 1am that evening, but not when the tube reopens at around 5:30 AM

Why Would I Want To Use It?
Again, you can order these in advance of your visit, meaning no standing in line when you step exhausted off that plane. While a day’s worth of travel works out slightly more expensive than using an Oyster card, the 7 day card can work out a lot cheaper if you are going to use public transport a lot over a week. And it also means that, unlike Oyster PAYG users, you don’t need to worry about traveling/not traveling in peak hours in the afternoon.

Why Wouldn’t I Want To Use It?
For visits of less than a week, the Visitor Oyster is better value. Oyster would also be more convenient if you intend on venturing beyond zones 1 and 2. Plus there’s the fact it’s made from paper and it’ll get soggy in the rain. (This is England. The rain is an important consideration.)

Public transit alternatives

What if I don’t like any of these options?
There’s always the Barclays Cycle Hire program: read our EuroCheapo guide to how it works. Most of central London can be tackled on your feet. It can be a bit exhausting, but it is all walkable. The money you spend on getting a centrally located hotel may be worth it in terms of what you could save on transport. You can buy paper tickets for single tickets when your feet really need it, or perhaps even splurge on a black cab.

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And it’s also far cheaper. Using an Oyster card, it’ll cost you £4.40 a day at most to get anywhere on the London bus network, compared to double that on the Underground (find out more about how to use London buses in our guide).

With over 700 different bus routes in the city, there’s no need to pay for traditional sightseeing tours. Here are the five buses that every visitor to London should know about.

RV1

We’ve sung the praises of this bus on EuroCheapo before and with good reason, as its route takes in some of the city’s most famous attractions (Londoners commonly know it as “the tourist bus”). It starts in Covent Garden before heading to the river for some stunning views, including the London Eye and the South Bank Buildings, and it trundles over Tower Bridge for a picture postcard perfect shot, before delivering you virtually to the door of the Tower of London.

All in all, a much better experience than that enjoyed historically by most visitors to the Tower.

#9 Heritage Route

Think of a traditional London bus and you’re probably thinking of a Routemaster: a red double decker, with a platform at the back for passengers to leap on and off. This style of bus had been on the road since the mid-1950s and its withdrawal from service in 2005 lead to howls of protests from its fans. Because of the protests, the Routemasters were allowed to keep operating on two “heritage” service: the 9 and the 15. The Heritage number 9 route is suitably scenic, running through Kensington, past the Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park and Green Park for Buckingham Palace, before terminating in Trafalgar Square.

A huge disadvantage is that the buses aren’t built for wheelchair or pushchair access (a reason behind them being taken out of service). However, there are also modern and access-friendly number 9 buses running along an extended version of the same route. Although slightly confusing, it does mean that the views are available to everyone.

#38

The number 38 is a hardworking route, going all the way from Victoria Station to the south of the centre, up to Clapton in the East End. In fact, it’s the perfect route for visitors who have come straight off the bus or the train, as its hour-long journey (on a good day) takes in Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch and Bloomsbury, before heading north to King’s Cross and Euston stations, and up east through Hackney.

As testament to its usefulness, this route was selected as the first to run the “new bus for London.” Introduced at the end of 2011, these new buses were designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the man behind the London Olympics cauldron. Their sleek and space-age style will give you something else to ponder as you cross the city.

#24

No meandering around back streets for this bus. The 24 takes a very useful and direct route through the centre of the city. Starting in Pimlico, it travels through the heart of Westminster and past the Houses of Parliament, before shooting northwards. Use it to take you to drinks in Soho, or to check out Camden’s famous market, or to head for a bracing walk on Hampstead Heath. With the route taking an estimated 40 minutes in total, it’ll probably get you there quicker than the Tube, and certainly with more interesting things to look at along the way.

#8

For exploring the east of the city, you’ll need to get to know the number 8. It starts in the depths of the East End, and its route takes in some of London’s most fashionable bars, clubs and shops that are clustered around Brick Lane and Shoreditch. Then it’s onto the City itself – one of the oldest bits of London and where historical institutions brush up against today’s modern financial market. You can find out more in the Museum of London, one of the next stops on the route. A final sweep through Bloomsbury and then you’re bang into the centre of the city.

Did we miss your bus?

What are your favorite London buses? Tell us about the ones we’ve missed.

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Another old Paddington euphemism, one we have not heard for many a year, is the habit of alluding to Platform 1 as “the departure stage.” In the 19th century, that was where the premium trains departed. It’s a nice phrase, a happy reminder that there is still something theatrical about leaving a grand railway station. Departures deserve a little drama.

Arriving in Paddington after 15 minutes of theatre. Photo: Lars Plougmann

All stops on the Piccadilly Line

Visitors to London are spoiled for choice when it comes to getting out to Heathrow. But let’s face it. There’s not much drama if you ride the tube, en route swapping subterranean gloom for London’s leafy western suburbs. There are an awful lot of intermediate stops and it’s a challenge to work up any great enthusiasm for the architectural charms of South Ealing, Northfields or Boston Manor.

Or 15 minutes of theatre

But the Heathrow Express does have a touch of the dramatic about it. It is a great alternative to the slow grind on the Piccadilly line. Trains run every 15 minutes and the travel time from Paddington to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 is just 15 minutes. (Trips to slightly further distant Terminals 4 and 5 take a little longer.) And the run out from Paddington to the airport offers 15 minutes of theatre.

You catch glimpses of some very engaging architecture along the way, from the assertively modern Paddington Basin development to sedate Victorian suburbs like Ealing. There is art deco style (watch out for the EMI plant at Hayes), a water tower disguised as a castle (near Southall) and wonderful reminders of London’s multicultural character.

Just before Southall station, on the left and easily identifiable from its golden dome, is the largest Sikh temple in Europe. And the station signs at Southall station are in both Punjabi and English. This is “Bend it like Beckham” country and a chance to catch a glimpse of quite another London from that which features in the regular tourist guides.

A blurry flurry passes… Photo: JDinBawlmer

A changing London

Times have changed since the great 19th-century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel built this fine route out from Paddington to the west. The new branch off to Heathrow is a mere youthful upstart.

But until the moment, usually about 11 minutes out from Paddington, when you branch off from Brunel’s main line to burrow underground to Heathrow, you’ll get an eyeful of classic railway architecture. There is Wharncliffe Viaduct, a feast of brick and Georgian elegance that just oozes style.

Heathrow Connect for slow-motion replay

There are some journeys that we just wish would take a little longer. This is one of them. Heathrow Express is a premium service, but it is a visual feast. Part of the appeal is the kaleidoscope of images seen at speed.

If you want a slow motion re-run, then note that Heathrow Express has a slower sibling that makes the same journey at a more moderate pace. It is called Heathrow Connect and the fares are a little cheaper.

The post London’s Heathrow Express: 15 minutes of theatre appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

For most tourists, being charged over £4 for a single journey in central London is (understandably) a most baffling concept. While unfortunately I can’t tell you how to make travel on public transport in London cheap, here’s how to make it as cost-effective as possible:

1. Don’t rely on your walking shoes

If you’re planning to really explore all London has to offer, don’t make that common mistake of thinking it is a walkable city. It’s not and it never will be. With the exception of a few tube stops clustered around the area between Piccadilly Circus and Holborn, most stations are there because it would take a very long time to walk between them.

Just tap your Oyster card on the sensor and go through. Photo: Tom Pagenet

2. Make sure you have an Oyster card

The Oyster card is a small plastic card that can be topped up like a “pay as you go” phone (perfect for shorter visits), or used for weekly, monthly and annual Travelcards. Valid for travel on London Underground (The Tube), bus, tram, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), National Rail Service and London Overground, the Oyster card offers savings of over 50% compared to buying individual tickets.

You can get your Oyster card at Tube stops and Travel Information Centres by paying a £5 deposit. If you return your Oyster card when you are leaving London, you get this money back. However, if you are planning on returning regularly then it is worth keeping hold of your Oyster.

With “pay as you go,” a Zone 1 Tube, DLR or London Overground journey will cost you £2. Depending on how much you travel in one day, Oyster will cap your daily spend at £7 for off-peak travel and £8.40 for peak-time travel. Bus rides alone cost £1.35 each with Oyster. If you are staying in London for a week, save some pennies with a 7-day Travelcard to Zones 1 & 2 for £29.20.

Cheapo tip: Just remember to touch in and touch out on the yellow oyster card readers when you enter and leave stations – if you forget your Oyster card will be charged a penalty.

3. Ditch the tourist bus and take the RV1

When you’re out and about in London you may be tempted to give one of those open top sightseeing buses a go. Well, they’ll set you back a whopping £23.

So here’s an idea for Cheapos: One of central London’s public transport bus routes, the RV1, takes in an incredible number of sights and is a whole lot cheaper. Pay with your Oyster card (max £1.35 and less with a Travelcard) and bag a seat next to the window. This is a great option in the winter, as shivering in the rain on an open top bus is certainly not my idea of fun!

Starting in Covent Garden, the RV1 makes its way past Somerset House and across Waterloo Bridge onto London’s South Bank. It then stops at the Royal Festival Hall, the London Eye and the Oxo Tower before heading towards City Hall and the Tower of London. Spend the whole day hopping on and off and feel incredibly smug every time you see an expensive tourist bus pass by!

4. Cruise down the Thames with your Oyster

Another perk to using your Oyster card is that it includes discounts on Thames riverboat routes, meaning that you can opt for public transport and forgo the overpriced tourist boats along the Thames.

Oyster Travelcards will get you a 1/3 off any of the public boat services on the Thames, while Oyster “pay as you go” will get you a 10% discount just on KPMG Thames Clippers riverboats.

KPMG Thames Clippers are perfect for visiting some of London’s biggest attractions, from the London Eye and the Tate Modern, to cruising passed the Millennium Dome and enjoying a leisurely day out in Greenwich. Fares cost between £2.30-£5.40 depending on how far you wish to travel.

Also in our guide: Heading to London and looking for more ways to keep it cheap? Our editors have visited, reviewed and inspected great inexpensive hotels all over town. Read reviews and see photographs in our London guide.

The post London: 4 ways to save on public transportation appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Wider horizons

Four years ago this week, St Pancras found new life as London’s gateway to the continent, when Eurostar services (which until then served Waterloo on the south bank of the Thames) relocated to St Pancras. The spectacularly refurbished Victorian train shed was transformed by the arrival of Eurostar, which runs frequent trains to St Pancras from Brussels, Paris, Lille and Calais, occasional trains from Marne-la-Vallée and seasonal services from the French Alps and the Rhône Valley.

Since 2009, sleek new Javelin high-speed services (run by Southeastern) have revolutionized links between the capital and east Kent, running from St Pancras to the Medway Towns, Dover, Canterbury and the Thanet Coast – along the way making use of High Speed 1, the new fast rail line that runs from St Pancras to the Kent Coast and Channel Tunnel.

A spot to savor

Lingering at St Pancras last week, we saw how frazzled clock-watching commuters hurried through the station and tourists rushed to reach the Eurostar check-in gate before the nominal cut-off time.

Yet St Pancras deserves much more. This is more than a mere railway station. It is a palace, a spot that exudes an exuberant sense of place, so much so that it demands a certain reverence. It is a place for lingering departures and happy arrivals, a theater full of meeters and greeters, and a place just to enjoy.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel reopens

St Pancras is a star among stations, made even better this year by the long-awaited reopening of the station’s celebrated hotel. The St Pancras Renaissance is a feast of Victorian Gothic splendor, the perfect place to splash out for a stylish first or last night in London when arriving or leaving with Eurostar. Choose your room carefully, and you may even get an engaging view of the interior of William Barlow’s spectacular train shed where the Eurostar trains come graciously to a halt as they arrive from the continent.

The perfect beds for train spotters, of course. But the sheer convenience of the St Pancras Renaissance makes the hotel a hit with regular travelers who want a quick getaway. Such convenience does not come cheap, of course, but you can chance a flavor of the hotel by checking out its bars and restaurants. Where once Londoners queued to buy tickets to all points north, there is now The Booking Office, an elegant bar and bistro which serves such English staples as fish and chips or bangers and mash, as well as more up-market fare. If you want to splash out, the hotel’s Gilbert Scott restaurant, all elegant curves and bright red banquettes, is a spot for fine dining.

The interiors of the hotel are heavy with nostalgia (as indeed is the airy main departure concourse of the station). The hotel epitomizes all that is superb about St Pancras: it is finely balanced and richly ambiguous, cherishing the legacy of the past while looking to the future.

Too good to rush through, St Pancras deserves to be a destination in its own right.

The post St Pancras Station, London: A place to linger appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

It is not the first time that a European city has deployed a cable car to speed travelers over a river. The Kölner Seilbahn has been whisking passengers across the Rhine for over half a century, along the way affording magnificent views of Cologne’s fine Gothic cathedral.

But a cable car is a first for London, giving visitors to the city another option for crossing the river. Though, of course, they are already spoiled for choice. London has its landmark bridges, plus tunnels and ferries aplenty, so–while we wait for the cable car to be completed–we have been taking a look at London’s top five river crossings.

1. The London Millennium Footbridge

This is the perfect link between St. Paul’s cathedral and the growing cluster of attractions on the south bank of the river: Tate Modern, Bankside Gallery and the Globe Theatre. The footbridge, which opened in 2002, is airy, light and elegant.

2. The Albert Bridge

Compared to the youthful Millennium Footbridge, the Albert Bridge is a real veteran of the river. Opened in 1873, the bridge connects Chelsea with Battersea Park. It looks for all the world like a suspension bridge, though it fact it is not. It just oozes Victorian grace and is a great spot to linger at night. Traffic is always light. Just now, the bridge is closed for refurbishment, but this prettiest of London bridges will reopen later in 2011.

3. Greenwich Foot Tunnel

This is a decidedly oddball way to cross the Thames. Near the preserved Cutty Sark ship on the Greenwich riverfront is a brick building with a glass dome that many visitors mistake for public toilets. Actually it is the entrance to a foot tunnel under the Thames that opened in 1902. The northern end of the tunnel is in Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs, from where there are super views back across the river to Greenwich. And just in case you are wondering, the Isle of Dogs is not an island at all.

4. The Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Ferry

This is the only one of our top five river crossings that you have to pay to use. The ferry connects the Hilton Docklands Hotel (on the south bank of the river) with Canary Wharf. The boat shuttles to and fro between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on weekdays. At weekends, it starts at 9 a.m. We think this little ferry hop is at its spring and summer best late afternoon or early evening, when the sun to the west really shows off Canary Wharf architecture at its most dazzling.

5. The Woolwich Free Ferry

Free, just as the name says! Operating day-in, day-out since 1889, the Woolwich Free Ferry is a London institution. Services run from 6 a.m. till 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The Woolwich Free Ferry carries vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

Your favorite Thames crossing?

If you have thoughts on your favorite Thames river crossing, be it by tunnel, ferry or bridge, why not share them here? Within Greater London alone, there are more than 50 options from which the traveler can choose.

The post London’s Bridges, Tunnels and Ferries: Top 5 ways to cross the Thames appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.