London Underground Map

How does the London Underground work?

The London Underground, also named “the Tube” by Londoners, is the city’s underground metro system. It’s an excellent way to travel in central London as it’s fast, frequent, and you can avoid traffic jams and fees for driving in the capital.

The network has 11 train lines, each with a unique name and colour to help you travel, 9 zones which are used to calculate your fare depending on how far you travel, and it's extensive, as it connects central London (zone 1) to areas beyond Greater London.

The Underground opens around 5 am and closes around midnight, except on Sundays when it opens later and finishes earlier due to a reduced service. On Fridays and Saturdays, it's open for 24 hours on the Central, Victoria, Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines. 

London’s public transport has a unified payment system, so you can switch between any TfL service, like the tube, bus, and Elizabeth line and benefit from the daily and weekly fare capping. It’s quick to pay as you can use contactless, Google/Apple pay or Oyster card payment, but remember to pay the same way throughout so you don’t get overcharged! These payment methods are not accepted on the Stansted Express, so you’ll need to buy a ticket online.

How to understand the London Underground

The London Underground has 11 train lines with their own name and colours, to help travellers find where to go at the station. On the map, you'll see other London trains like the DLR, Elizabeth line, London Overground, and other public transport like Trams and the IFS Cloud Cable Car.

The network is divided into nine zones, so if you travel across multiple zones, you may end up paying more. Some tickets are restricted, so you can only travel in certain zones, like Travelcards.

We recommend using apps like City Mapper and Google Maps to find your way around the city, as you can find out which stations to visit, which tube line to use, and the correct platform number. The platform departure screen will display the final stop for the tube line, so make sure to check the map or your phone to check if you're getting the correct train before boarding.

How to pay on the London Underground

• Pay-as-you-go contactless: bank card, Apple or Google Pay. This is our preferred choice as it’s the fastest way to pay.
• Pay-as-you-go Oyster card: top up a card with money before you travel
• Paper train ticket: buy a normal Single or return, or a Travelcard which includes unlimited travel inside a zone on the tube, bus and other public services. 

To pay, tap your contactless, Oyster card or insert your paper train ticket into the ticket gate at the start and end of your journey.

If there are no ticket gates, tap your contactless or Oyster card on the yellow card reader stands. At some stations, there are pink card readers which you should tap when changing trains for a journey that doesn't pass through central London (zone 1).

If you forget to tap in and out, your journey will be considered incomplete, so you’ll be charged the maximum fare for the day. This also applies if you use different devices to pay, e.g. iPhone to tap in and a contactless bank card to tap out, so make sure to keep it charged while you travel.

Cost of the London Underground

Contactless and Oyster pay-as-you-go are generally the cheapest way to travel on the London Underground. The fare is calculated based on how many zones you pass through; they're cheaper during off-peak times, and there is a cap, so there is a limit on how much you'll be charged per day/week. 

Oyster fares can be cheaper than contactless if you have a railcard, but you need to buy an Oyster card first. On the other hand, contactless payments have no upfront cost.

Single and return tickets are not recommended as these are the most expensive option. Travelcards include unlimited travel inside a zone on the tube, bus and other public services, so they can be a cost-effective option if used enough times. If you're travelling for a day, it's recommended to use contactless or Oyster instead of a Day Travelcard as they're usually cheaper.

Use the TfL fare finder to check the price for your journey.

London Underground zones

The London Underground is divided into 9 zones. So the more zones you travel through, the higher your fare will be. If you have a Travelcard, this will help you know which areas you can travel to.

• Central London, including London Liverpool Street, is in zone 1
• Tottenham Hale is in zone 3
• Stratford is considered to be in two zones. If travelling to London Liverpool Street or central London, it's in zone 2, and if travelling to Tottenham Hale or away from central London, it's in zone 3.