Getting around London...

[*Ashley*]

Talk to me like I'm an idiot please - then I will understand.

If I get off a train at Liverpool St Station how do I get to all the good shops in london? I would like to walk if I could - if its within good distance - but what direction - ish or what train would I get on? Do I need to leave the station and head to an underground or can I stay in liverpool st?

Also how would I get to the London Palladium on Argyll Street, again from Liverpool St station?

I have no idea where to start! I want to explore London a bit but need some sort of direction I guess or else Im going to be totally bewildered and get mega mega lost.

Any general/specific help/advice would be mosssssstttt highly appreciated.

Cheers :thumb:

[MrG]

From liverpool street take the west bound central line to tottenham court road, then you can just walk along the street (past lots of shops) to where the entrace is for oxford circus tube. Where you can then just carry on walking down a street with loads of shops till you get to picadilly circus.

Then take the north bound picadilly line 3 stops to holborn, where you can jump onto the central line again, but this time heading east, towards liverpool street.

Watch out, because at weekends they like to do random higgory jiggory work with the tube, the attendants are usually quite helpful and wil be able to direct you of alternative routes or stops.

[Melian]

www.tfl.gov.uk

[Wyetry]

For the paladium go to oxford circus on the central like from liv street and take the argylle street exit........

Shops depends on what you want to buy but seeing as your a london virgin i would imagine that top shop at oxford circus has plenty to keep you entertained

[*Ashley*]

From liverpool street take the west bound central line to tottenham court road

STOP! I said idiots talk please. So do I stay in L-pool St Station and just look for a train with "Tottenham court road" on. What does west bound central line mean?

then you can just walk along the street (past lots of shops) to where the entrance is for oxford circus tube. Where you can then just carry on walking down a street with loads of shops till you get to picadilly circus.

So I get off the above train and exit the station, and walk along that street, past shops. PAST the oxford tube enterance (not going in) and then there are more shops?

then take the north bound picadilly line 3 stops to holborn, where you can jump onto the central line again, but this time heading east, towards liverpool street.

So after I've been in these shops I go to which tube/station? Where is that from the end of the street of shops? I stay on the train while it goes past three stops and get off at a stop called Holborn. Then I get another train, from the station I get off at Holborn on a train saying Liverpool St?

Watch out, because at weekends they like to do random higgory jiggory work with the tube, the attendants are usually quite helpful and wil be able to direct you of alternative routes or stops.

No worries, I'm going on a Wednesday not a weekend!

SO, I'm going on one train from L-P St to the shops, then two trains from the shops to L-P st? Can I not just go to the end of the shops, then turn round then go back the way I came, on the train in reverse?

Also roughly how much is it to travel on these trains? Just a rough idea 'cos I have absolutly no clue!!

[Melian]

Also roughly how much is it to travel on these trains? Just a rough idea 'cos I have absolutly no clue!!

That depends on a few things:
Singles are usually around £4, (unles they've gone up since then?) travelcards depend on what zones you go to. An Oyster card costs £3, but there's a cap of £5.10 per day.

The link I posted gives more information.

What does west bound central line mean?

There are loads of lines on the tube. The central line is red and there's a few ways it can go.

[Jim V]

First thing - from a train station you'll have a tube station attached - but it's not the same section. So when people are saying get the tube from liverpool street you need to change to the underground.

Best thing probably to get an oyster card - which you can get from the ticket booths near the underground.

If you want to walk it ain't too bad - maybe an hour at most heading west -

best website for information about getting around by tube and train is tfl, which has been linked to. Absolutely the best site for walking around london is walkit.com - great way to find out how to get fom one place to another walking.

[Jim V]

Oh and with the transport for london site, use the journey planner - you can put in a station, place, or even postcode and it'll suggest the best way to get there, with possible routes, types of travel and maps.

[MrG]

With an oyster card the deposit you pay for it, and any money left on it, you can get it all back when you have finished.

[Randomgirl]

Absolutely the best site for walking around london is walkit.com - great way to find out how to get fom one place to another walking.

:yes: Definately. I love that website. I post it here often, lol!!!

[Wyetry]

also its pretty impossible to get that lost in london as you will nearly always stumble accross a tube staion and then you can get back to where you want to go. My advice woudl be to buy a travel card and an a-z and just go and explore....

Also if you walk anywhere along oxford street then there are central line stops all the way down it and you can hop on any one and get back to liverpool street really easily. I wouldn't bother walking down regents street to picadilly as except for liberty and possibly jager all the shops are a bit crap - your better off walking west down oxford street and going to selfridges.

[budda]

oxford tube station (I think)... get on the picadilly line heading north (it will say the direction) and get off when it says holborn

get off at holborn, come into the main bit of the underground station... get back on the central line (diff tube) in an east direction till it says liverpool st where you can get off and come up to the station

you are already doing practically the reverse just using tubes not trains lol

No. There is no piccadilly line connection at Oxford Circus, its on the Central Line.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

Oh and with the transport for london site, use the journey planner - you can put in a station, place, or even postcode and it'll suggest the best way to get there, with possible routes, types of travel and maps.

that sent me on a wild goose chase last time i used it. The guard who i eventually had to ask for directions was baffled

[SuzyCreamcheese]

also its pretty impossible to get that lost in london

I actually find it really easy to get lost in london. I hear if youre used to the tubes they are great, but for an outsider they can be pretty complicated and scary. I hate using them

[kangoo]

I actually find it really easy to get lost in london. I hear if youre used to the tubes they are great, but for an outsider they can be pretty complicated and scary. I hate using them

Really? I love the tube, I find it so simple to use, even easier than normal trains because the lines are colour coded! I've been to London twice and used the tube to get everywhere, as long as you carry round a tube map with you then you can't really go wrong! There's signs EVERYWHERE. I've got lots on the streets a few times, but its true that if you keep wandering around you'll stumble across a tube station soon enough!

[Franki]

Basically Ashlee, you get off at Liverpool St (although I am intrigued as to where you'd be coming from to arrive there, since it's all South East destinations), there is a big entrance to the tube station there which says "LIVERPOOL ST UNDERGROUND STATION" over it. Go in there, get your ticket/top up your Oyster if you need to, go through the ticket barriers, turn RIGHT and go down the escalators to the Central Line (the red one). There will be signs next to the platforms which say Eastbound or Westbound and they also have a list of all the stations the trains will go to. It's really really simple if you know where you want to go and the line isn't closed.

If the line is down for engineering (which is actually pretty rare for the Central line afaik, it's usually the Circle line) then just ask one of the tube station employees who will help you. It might help you to print off a copy of a tube map and highlight all the ways to get to Tottenham Court Road/Oxford Circus just in case.

[Randomgirl]

I actually find it really easy to get lost in london. I hear if youre used to the tubes they are great, but for an outsider they can be pretty complicated and scary. I hate using them

I've lived in London for years and I still go wrong on the tubes :yes:

[budda]

I've lived in London for years and I still go wrong on the tubes :yes:

I travel around quite a lot on the Tube and I am begining to learn where to get on the tube so I can be next to the exit at the station I want - perhaps I take my commuting a little too seriously.

[g_angel]

I travel around quite a lot on the Tube and I am begining to learn where to get on the tube so I can be next to the exit at the station I want - perhaps I take my commuting a little too seriously.

I've done this since the first week I arrived in London. I hate messing around with crowds, so if I can be at the exit first, it saves me minutes on each journey.

[Wyetry]

I travel around quite a lot on the Tube and I am begining to learn where to get on the tube so I can be next to the exit at the station I want - perhaps I take my commuting a little too seriously.

I do that toooo - though where there is a choice of exits i will also choose the option of a carriage which is more likely to get me on a seat!

[budda]

I do that toooo - though where there is a choice of exits i will also choose the option of a carriage which is more likely to get me on a seat!

Of course, there are many variables to consider. I'm not massively proud of how competitive I get for a seat, but the rush hour does it to everyone. I do of course still offer it to the old and pregnant.

[Wyetry]

I was having a chat the ohter day at work about weather you should offer a seat to an old person who is trying really hard to look young?

Also yesterday i didn't take a seat because i thought i saw someone pregnant getting on but it turns out she was just fat - i feel so gutted.

The trains are worse though since they decided to get new ones which have only about 6 seats - i will fight tooth and nail to get a spot in the baggage compartment which is the only place to sit! I am actually sad enough to know which trains have old and new carriages on them and wehre possible avoid the ones where i'm unlikely to get a seat.

[budda]

Its a difficult call to make, especially with older tourists because they arent likely to be going far so its easier for them to stand - and they dont do this every day.

The is she isnt she pregnant issue can be a nightmare, I know women who've been given seats and wondered if its because they looked like they had a fat stomach.

I dont do the trains, but I have got to know the time table of the tube, which tubes come from further away and therefore are fuller.

I've heard horror stories about trains, my old boss took the coach instead because he got so fed up with paying loads to stand.

[Wyetry]

Someone offered me a seat the other day - it was a girl about the same age as me - great - i dont' think i'm *that* fat - i do have a fat stomach though....

[budda]

Someone offered me a seat the other day - it was a girl about the same age as me - great - i dont' think i'm *that* fat - i do have a fat stomach though....

It is potentially insulting, but it is a seat.

[Indrid Cold]

Speaking of offering seats, once when I was on a bus a white-haired man came on and a young woman stood up so he could sit.
Then he started shouting at her and swearing about how she dared consider him too old and things like that.

[CoolMiguel]

i usually seat at the back of the bus so i dont have to worry about giving my seat up. like others though when i am at the front i give my seat to the elderly, pregnant and even fat women. i hate the feeling of others looking at me when i do this but i do it anyway.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

ive never had anyone give me a seat at any time when travelling in London, not when ive been pregnant, nor when travelling with small children. Ive had people so desperate for a seat or to get on to the next train, theyve barged in front of the pushchair or tried to get inbetween me and my seven year old when im holding his hand ffs, and ive always made sure i travel when its not too busy but the last time i went to london none of us got a seat the whole time and that was travelling with 3 young children.

I actually think most londoners must be total selfish cunts. I think they should put a warning on the london underground stating this

[budda]

I actually think most londoners must be total selfish cunts. I think they should put a warning on the london underground stating this

The rush hour certainly can get a bit cut throat I'll admit that, but we're not all bad, I always help women with prams up and down stairs.

[g_angel]

ive never had anyone give me a seat at any time when travelling in London, not when ive been pregnant, nor when travelling with small children. Ive had people so desperate for a seat or to get on to the next train, theyve barged in front of the pushchair or tried to get inbetween me and my seven year old when im holding his hand ffs, and ive always made sure i travel when its not too busy but the last time i went to london none of us got a seat the whole time and that was travelling with 3 young children.

I actually think most londoners must be total selfish cunts. I think they should put a warning on the london underground stating this

Strange, people are usually very accommodating, when I've been on the tube.

[g_angel]

The rush hour certainly can get a bit cut throat I'll admit that, but we're not all bad, I always help women with prams up and down stairs.

Same here. I also help people with heavy luggage and ask people if they need help if they look a bit lost.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

actually i did have someone help me with my pushchair at battersea the other day. I was really surprised and pleased. The rest of the journey id had to carry it up whole flights of stairs on my own with people just pushing past

[Wyetry]

Strange, people are usually very accommodating, when I've been on the tube.

yes my sister in law is pregnant and gets offered a seat every day on the tube - however - I can see if your traveling with a pushchair it makes it all the more complicted as the only seat you can have is the one next to the door...

I to always help people with push chairs as well

[kangoo]

I actually think most londoners must be total selfish cunts. I think they should put a warning on the london underground stating this

LOL I wouldn't say this but they are totally different. It seems to be each man for himself in London! Friendly to strangers they are not.

My mam was in London and a lost tourist asked her for directions. She helped them and they said 'you're not from London are you?' She said how do you know, because the directions were right. The tourist said 'because I've been asking people for ages and you're the first person that's stopped to help me!'

[budda]

LOL I wouldn't say this but they are totally different. It seems to be each man for himself in London! Friendly to strangers they are not.

My mam was in London and a lost tourist asked her for directions. She helped them and they said 'you're not from London are you?' She said how do you know, because the directions were right. The tourist said 'because I've been asking people for ages and you're the first person that's stopped to help me!'

No, this is only partly true. We are generally a reasonably friendly city, we're just not over the top and we dont like poking into other peoples business.

Trust me, its the rush hour on the Tube, it would take a saint not to get a bit competitive about it.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

im not talking about rush hour.
I wouldnt dream of travelling in london in rush hour with children. Im talking about last sunday afternoon is my example im using, but i dont live that far from London, im not a stranger to it. My boyfriend lived there for seven years and was quite amazed at the difference in attitudes just less than an hour outside the place when he moved here, You probably dont notice because youre so used to it

[kangoo]

im not talking about rush hour.

Me neither. Its all the time. I don't set foot outside in London in rush hour! :nervous:

You probably dont notice because youre so used to it

:yes: Its quite a shock for people that don't live in London. You think, everyone hates me in London! It's just a different culture

[budda]

im not talking about rush hour.
I wouldnt dream of travelling in london in rush hour with children. Im talking about last sunday afternoon is my example im using, but i dont live that far from London, im not a stranger to it. My boyfriend lived there for seven years and was quite amazed at the difference in attitudes just less than an hour outside the place when he moved here, You probably dont notice because youre so used to it

Blimey, well if I come across you at some point I will make a point of offering you my seat if I have one. I'm surprised you've had such bad experiences, we're not all bad.

[budda]

Me neither. Its all the time. I don't set foot outside in London in rush hour! :nervous:

Even rush hour is fine as long as you know exactly where to go, move quickly, dont stand on the left of escalators and dont stand in the way of people getting off tubes.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

Blimey, well if I come across you at some point I will make a point of offering you my seat if I have one. I'm surprised you've had such bad experiences, we're not all bad.

lol im sure youre not, but as kangoo said, its just a different culture

[budda]

lol im sure youre not, but as kangoo said, its just a different culture

I can see what you mean, its largely because no one knows anyone else, everyone I know has friends all over London, there isnt really a community as such.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

yeah I think noone cares about barging past people because the chances are, anyone you see, youre never going to see them again. Everyones depersonalised. Its just like a big machine

[JessaAZ]

Talk to me like I'm an idiot please - then I will understand.

If I get off a train at Liverpool St Station how do I get to all the good shops in london? I would like to walk if I could - if its within good distance - but what direction - ish or what train would I get on? Do I need to leave the station and head to an underground or can I stay in liverpool st?

Also how would I get to the London Palladium on Argyll Street, again from Liverpool St station?

I have no idea where to start! I want to explore London a bit but need some sort of direction I guess or else Im going to be totally bewildered and get mega mega lost.

Any general/specific help/advice would be mosssssstttt highly appreciated.

Cheers :thumb:

We share the same problem! :lol:

But don't worry, we'll get by. As for me, I am running through the London Tube Map (http://www.uktravel.com/london-tube.html) to help lessen the chances of me getting lost. :lol:

[*Ashley*]

We share the same problem! :lol:

But don't worry, we'll get by. As for me, I am running through the London Tube Map (http://www.uktravel.com/london-tube.html) to help lessen the chances of me getting lost. :lol:

Ah don't worry about it. I managed it on Tuesday, both by myself on some tubes and with someone else and it really is simple. The tubes are cheap to use AND they stop like everywhere.

I was impressed by London's transport :) and laughed at my worrying! :razz:

[Thunderstruck]

As someone who has to use the Tube at least twice a day, I can safely say that I hate it, especially the fucking District line which I sadly live on. Smelly, cramped, full of moronic tourists and slow. If I can possibly help it, I get the bus. London's bus network is actually pretty good and 90p for as far as you want to go on your Oyster card, it's not to be sniffed at.