The Tube is the fastest and most efficient way to travel across London, covering 11 lines and serving the majority of tourist attractions and neighborhoods. Trains run every few minutes from about 5AM until midnight, and night services are available on Friday and Saturday nights on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines.

What is the best way to pay?

• Cheapest and most convenient way to pay is to use an Oyster card or to simply use your contactless credit / debit card. DO NOT buy single paper journey tickets as they are way more expensive
• An Oyster card is a prepaid smart card that you can buy and top up with credit at ticket machines at all Tube stations. The card itself costs £7 (non-refundable), but you can get any remaining balance refunded when you leave
• To avoid having to pay for an Oyster card, you can tap in and out using any contactless-enabled Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card. The fare is the same as using an Oyster card and there is no need to top up a separate card. However, foreign transaction fees might apply for cards issued outside the UK

How much does it cost?

The transport system is divided up into zones with Zone 1 being the heart of London where nearly all the main attractions are. The fare you pay depends on 1) which zones your departure and destination stations are in, and 2) the time you are travelling (peak vs off-peak). Below are the fares for single journeys within Zones 1, 2 and 3:

• Within Zone 1: £2.8 (peak) / £2.7 (off-peak)
• Between Zone 1 & 2: £3.4 (peak) / £2.8 (off-peak)
• Between Zone 1 & 3: £3.7 (peak) / £3 (off-peak)
• etc.

(Peak times include Monday to Friday (not on public holidays) between 06:30 and 09:30, and between 16:00 and 19:00. Other times are considered off-peak)

Important information:

For both Oyster cards and contactless payments, fares are capped daily and weekly, so you never pay more than a certain amount regardless of how many journeys you take in a day/week. Daily and weekly caps for Zone 1-2 are £8.50 and £42.70 respectively and increase for subsequent zones. As an example, below is how much you will be paying if you only travel within Zone 1 in a single day at peak time:

• Trip 1: £2.8
• Trip 2: £2.8 (cumulated: £5.6)
• Trip 3: £2.8 (cumulated: £8.4)
• Trip 4: £0.1 (cumulated: £8.5 - capped)
• Trip 5: £0 (cumulated: £8.5 - capped)
• Etc.

A daily cap is calculated over 24 hours for pay as you go journeys that start at 04:30AM and end on 04:29AM the next day.

Anything else I should be aware of?

• You must touch in at start and touch out at the end of every journey (by touching your card on a yellow card reader), using the same contactless card, device or Oyster card. If you don't you may be charged a maximum fare. For example, don't touch in with your iPhone and touch out with your Apple Watch, contactless card or Oyster card
• Paper Travelcards are also an option, providing unlimited rides for the chosen duration (1 day, 1 week, or 1 month) at a flat rate. However, they are generally more expensive than using an Oyster card or contactless payment. The only time a Travelcard becomes more economical is if you're staying for over 5 days and taking 3 or more trips each day for at least 6 days within a 7-day period. In short, it's usually not worth it!
• The Transport for London (TfL) app and Citymapper are excellent resources to plan routes, check live service updates, and get step-by-step directions. They also give access to an offline map of the network
• Each person needs a separate card
• Children under 11 travel free at all times