London has one of the world's most comprehensive public transport networks, and getting around the city is far easier than first-time visitors expect. The network is run by Transport for London (TfL) and spans the Underground, the Elizabeth line, buses, the Overground, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), river buses on the Thames, and National Rail services within the city. Whether you are heading to a West End show, exploring Greenwich, or catching a flight home, there is a direct route that gets you there without a car.

This guide covers everything you need to know — how to pay, how zones work, which modes of transport suit which journeys, and how to get into the city from both Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Before you explore the city, browse activities in London to plan what you want to see, then use this guide to figure out how to get there.

The single most important thing to know about London transport is that cash is not accepted on buses, and is increasingly irrelevant across the whole network. Every bus, Tube, Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line, and most National Rail services within London accept contactless bank cards or mobile payment directly at the gate or reader. You simply tap in when you board and tap out when you arrive.

Tapping your contactless debit or credit card — or your phone or smartwatch — is now the recommended way to travel in London. The fares are identical to Oyster, daily and weekly caps apply automatically, and there is no deposit or top-up required. If you already carry a contactless card, you do not need to buy anything before you travel.

The Oyster card is TfL's prepaid transit card and has been a London staple for over two decades. It works on the same fare structure as contactless and applies the same daily and weekly caps. Since September 2025, the refundable card deposit has increased to £10, which makes it less attractive for short trips compared to simply using a contactless bank card. It remains useful if your bank card does not support contactless or if you want to keep travel spending on a separate card.

A Travelcard gives unlimited travel across specified zones for a fixed period — one day or seven days. It can be worth buying if you plan to make a very high number of journeys in a single day, but for most visitors the automatic daily cap on contactless or Oyster offers the same protection without requiring an upfront purchase. Compare the relevant daily cap against the Travelcard price before buying.

TfL divides Greater London into nine concentric fare zones numbered 1 through 9, with Zone 1 covering central London. The fare you pay depends on which zones you travel through, not just where you start and finish. The vast majority of tourist destinations — the West End, South Bank, Tower of London, Hyde Park, Greenwich — fall within Zones 1 and 2.

Peak fares apply Monday to Friday between 06:30 and 09:30, and again between 16:00 and 19:00. A Zone 1 to 2 single costs £3.10 during peak hours and £3.00 off-peak as of March 2026. The daily cap for Zones 1 and 2 is £8.90, meaning no matter how many Tube or rail journeys you take within those zones in a single day, you will not be charged more than that amount. The weekly cap for Zones 1 to 2 is £44.70, and all weekly caps are frozen until at least 2027.

Planning your hotels in a central zone keeps your daily transport spend low — staying within Zone 1 or Zone 2 means most major sights are one or two stops away, and you will rarely exceed the daily cap.

The Underground, known universally as the Tube, is the backbone of London travel. It operates 11 lines serving 272 stations across the city, with colour-coded routes that make navigation straightforward even on a first visit. The network runs from approximately 05:30 Monday to Saturday and from around 07:00 on Sundays, closing just after midnight on most lines.

On Friday and Saturday nights, five lines run 24-hour services: the Victoria, Central, Jubilee, Northern, and Piccadilly lines. This is particularly useful for late-night theatre visits, concerts, or dinners in the West End, as it removes the pressure of catching the last train.

A growing number of stations have step-free access from street to platform, marked on the Tube map with a blue symbol. If accessibility is a priority, check the TfL website before your journey, as coverage varies significantly across the network.

The Elizabeth line is London's newest rail addition, running east to west across the city from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. Its central stations include Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, and Canary Wharf. The trains are longer and more spacious than standard Tube carriages, all stations have step-free access, and the line operates from approximately 05:30 until past midnight on weekdays.

For visitors arriving at Heathrow, the Elizabeth line offers the best balance of cost and convenience into central London. A tap of your contactless card costs a flat £15.50 from Heathrow to any Zone 1 station, regardless of time of day or day of week. The journey to Paddington takes around 30 minutes, but unlike a dedicated airport express service, the Elizabeth line continues directly into the heart of the city — meaning no change is required to reach Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, or Liverpool Street.

London has plenty to fill an itinerary once you arrive. Tap through to Traveloka to compare flights into London and browse the full range of things to see and do.

Gatwick Airport is south of the city and served by two main rail options. The fastest non-stop service runs to London Victoria and takes 30 minutes, departing twice an hour from the South Terminal. Thameslink services connect Gatwick to a wider range of central London stations — including London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon, and St Pancras International — with journey times of around 35 to 45 minutes and up to eight trains per hour at peak times.

Both options accept contactless payment and standard rail tickets. Thameslink is generally the more affordable route for most city-centre destinations, while the Victoria service is the better choice if your hotel is in that area of the West End.

London's red double-decker buses cover the entire city and run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making them one of the most flexible ways to travel. An adult single fare is £1.75 with a contactless card or Oyster. Cash is not accepted on any London bus, so make sure you have a payment method set up before you board. The daily bus-and-tram cap is £5.25, after which all further bus journeys that day are free.

The Hopper fare is a significant advantage for bus travellers. When you tap a contactless card or Oyster on one bus, any additional bus or tram journey taken within 60 minutes counts as the same single fare. This means a short walk and a second bus to reach a destination that requires a change costs the same as a single journey.

Night buses operate on hundreds of routes after the Tube closes, using the same contactless-only payment system as daytime services. Routes that operate through the night are marked with an N prefix on TfL maps and at bus stops.

The Overground runs primarily above ground and connects outer London districts that the Tube does not always reach. It uses the same Oyster and contactless payment system, and fares fall within the standard zone structure. The network recently expanded and was restructured into named lines, making it easier to navigate on TfL maps. It is particularly useful for reaching areas of east, south, and north London.

The DLR is an automated, driverless railway serving east and south-east London. Key destinations on the DLR include Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Stratford, and London City Airport. It uses the same zone-based fares as the Tube and accepts Oyster and contactless payment. The elevated sections offer excellent views over east London, making it a scenic as well as practical route.

Several National Rail services operate within the TfL fare zone system, meaning you can use an Oyster or contactless card on them for journeys entirely within London. This includes routes into terminals such as London Bridge, Waterloo, Victoria, and King's Cross. Always check the TfL journey planner to confirm whether a specific National Rail service accepts Oyster or contactless for your route before travelling.

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers operates river bus services along the Thames, stopping at 24 piers between Putney in the west and Barking Riverside in the east. The main RB1 service connects central piers including Battersea Power Station, the London Eye (Waterloo), Embankment, Blackfriars, Bankside, London Bridge, and Tower, continuing east to Greenwich and beyond. Services run from early morning until late at night, seven days a week.

Adult tickets start from £6.20 per journey, with children aged 5 to 15 receiving a 50 per cent discount and under-fives travelling free. River bus tickets can be purchased at pier ticket machines or via the operator's app. Oyster and contactless cards are accepted at participating piers. The river route is one of the most rewarding ways to travel across central London, with unobstructed views of landmarks including Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, and the Houses of Parliament.

From river views to rooftop tours, London's activity options are remarkably varied. Here are some of the most popular experiences to book before your trip.

Visitors arriving at Heathrow have three rail options into central London. The Piccadilly line Tube is the cheapest choice, running all the way from Heathrow into the heart of the city for the standard zone fare, though the journey takes around 50 to 60 minutes. The Elizabeth line is faster at around 30 minutes to Paddington and costs £15.50 with contactless or Oyster, continuing through central London without requiring a change.

A dedicated airport express service provides the fastest connection to Paddington in 15 minutes from Terminals 2 and 3, or around 21 minutes from Terminal 5. Walk-up fares run to £26, though advance booking can reduce this significantly. For most visitors on a standard visit, the Elizabeth line offers the best combination of speed, value, and convenience — particularly since it drops passengers at multiple central London stations rather than requiring an onward journey from Paddington.

On the Tube, Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line, and National Rail, you must tap both when entering and when leaving a station. Forgetting to tap out results in a maximum fare being charged for your journey. On buses, you only tap in — there is no need to tap out when you exit.

Daily and weekly fare caps accumulate per payment card. If you tap in with your phone on one journey and your physical card on another, TfL treats these as separate accounts and your spending does not combine toward a single cap. Stick to one contactless card or device throughout your trip to ensure caps apply correctly.

TfL's official journey planner app shows real-time departures, step-free routes, and live service status across all modes of transport. It is free to download and works offline for basic map browsing, making it an essential companion for navigating the city.

Central London Tube stations and buses are significantly busier during the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays. If your schedule is flexible, travelling between 09:30 and 16:00, or in the evening after 19:00, is not only more comfortable but also means off-peak fares apply.

If you are travelling with a group, have heavy luggage, or are arriving at an unusual hour, a pre-booked airport transfer can be more practical than navigating public transport from the airport. You can also arrange car rental through Traveloka if you plan to explore areas of the UK beyond London during your trip.

Planned maintenance on the Tube, Overground, and Elizabeth line is common on weekends, particularly on Sunday mornings. Always check TfL's website or the TfL Go app before travelling on a weekend to see if your line has a reduced service or a section closure, and plan an alternative route if needed.

Before you finalise your London travel budget, check Traveloka promotions for the latest deals on flights and hotels — locking in a competitive hotel rate in Zone 1 or 2 reduces your daily transport costs considerably.

Traveloka is Southeast Asia's leading travel platform, trusted by over 100 million users to plan and book trips across Asia and beyond. For a London visit, the app brings together flights, hotels, activities, car rental, eSIM, and travel insurance in a single, easy-to-use interface — so you can sort your entire trip without switching between multiple sites.

Finding the right hotel in London is straightforward on Traveloka: filter by zone, star rating, or budget to compare hundreds of options side by side, from well-located mid-range properties to central five-star addresses. Activities can be booked in advance directly from the app, helping you avoid queues at popular London attractions. With competitive rates and a wide selection of seats across major airlines, Traveloka makes it easy to compare and lock in the best flight to London before prices move.

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