Underground map

London Underground Heaven

Central London, London, England Greater London

Recommendation added: 08/10/2007 21:46
By: katygriff (YSUK rating +504)

katygriff has been thanked 2 times for this contribution

"When I visited London recently I was scared about using the underground. What I remember is about five years ago and travelling down with my friends for the day. The underground smelt really bad, the place was packed so you were shoved up against other people and I was so confused, I was just glad that I had two people with me who actually knew what they were doing.

I got to London on the Saturday morning and for the whole weekend found the underground a lot better. It still did smell and you were shoved against other people and yes it was still confusing but I have to say it is perhaps the best transport system I have ever seen.

The underground travels all over London and is extremely quick. The tickets I found to be very cheap as we paid £4.40 for the whole day which was for the central zone as to be honest that was all we needed. What was extremely nice is that tube trains run at great times so we managed to catch trains at half seven in the morning and then late at night after we had been to the theatre.

Ok so I will now bullet point why I think the London Underground is absolutely fantastic;

Secure:
What I liked is that there was security at every single entrance and exit which was fantastic. You have to buy a ticket and then use this to get into the stations. The barriers make sure that every ticket is valid and people are there to stop ticket evaders jumping over the barriers.

Cheap:
If you buy a day pass then it is very cheap. Not so much if you buy each stop at a time. For your money it is fantastic value and I would recommend it as the only way to travel around London.

Quantity:
The number of trains running at any one time must be huge as I am not joking hen I say I don't think we waited for more than five minutes for a train.

Areas:
With our tickets which bear in mind was just for one zone we could go anywhere in central London. We managed to visit many stores, tourist sites, museums and theatres and it took such a small amount of time to get everywhere.

Times:
Ok so I know I have said about quantity but as all the lines have a load of stops they get through them quite quickly. The longest we spent on a tube was about 4 minutes and that was to get half way through one of the lines.

Maps:
Everywhere you go there are maps showing you the underground system and it really helps. I was confused at first but after the weekend I was confident that I could go on the underground on my own and understand where I was going. It is all well signposted and there are so many maps available it is fantastic.

Cleanliness:
I have to say that all of the tubes were quite clean. There were litter bins around and although they are a bit dingy you feel safe as there are so many people around and people obviously do look after them. The tube trains were relatively clean also.

All in all I think the underground system is amazing. It certainly came to light how good it was when I got home and was sat there waiting half an hour for a train and then it was a long journey with cramped conditions, not to mention the very expensive tickets.

When in London I suggest it as the only way to travel. In fact I would even go as far as saying I like it. Although it can seem quite daunting at first you quickly get used to it and there re maps which are pretty clear. Plus I found that people are very friendly and if you do get stuck you can just ask.

Thanks for reading.

xxx"