Londra Turu Local Transport
While in London you will inevitably need
to use local transport to get around. While many attractions are clustered together
and the simplest and most pleasurable option will be to walk between them, the clusters
themselves can be quite far apart. On this page we describe the public transport
options that are available to you.
The traditional double decker London buses, where you hop
on or leave via a platform at the back, are being phased out but can still be seen
on some routes in central London. You are most likely to see newer double decker
buses where you enter via doors at the front and either show passes to, or purchase
tickets from the driver, and exit via doors in the middle. However, there are also
single decker buses with either one or two sets of door and the new long 'bendy'
buses where you can enter via any of the three sets of doors. All London buses are
red and only stop at designated bus stops or in designated hail and ride zones which
are found in the suburbs. To stop a bus you will need to signal to the driver that
you want the bus to stop. To do this while at a bus stop simple wave your hand to
attract the drivers attention as the bus approaches the stop and while onboard do
this by pressing one of the stop button. In central London you will need to purchase a
ticket or pass before boarding the bus as drivers cannot accept cash fares. While
out in the suburbs this is not usually the case except on a few clearly identified
routes. When you need to purchase a ticket prior to boarding a bus there will be
ticket machine at the bus stop which will accept coins only. Although it is not
strictly necessary to have the exact fare when paying the driver for a ticket it
is better if you do as the driver may not allow you to board if he does not have
change.
The cash fare for a single bus journey is £2.00 irrespective of the distance covered,
however, if you need to change buses you will need to purchase a new ticket for
each bus taken. There are a multitude of passes and discounts available that you
may wish to consider if you plan to travel extensively on public transport. If you
are planning to be in London for an extended period you may wish to consider the
Oyster Card
and if you plan to use public transport extensively
on specific days you may wish to consider a
Travelcard.
For further information on bus travel visit the
Bus Travel
pages of the Transport for London web site.
For help planning your journey visit the Transport for London
Journey Planner.
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The tube is probably the most convenient way of covering
long distances within the capital although it can become very overcrowded during
peak rush hours, quiet in the early morning and at night in the outer reaches, unpleasantly
hot during warm weather and is prone to breakdown and delay. The underground operates
from approximately 5:30am until around midnight and consists of 12 interconnected
named lines which generally radiate out from the central zone to the suburbs. At
peak times you should not have to wait for more than a few minutes for a tube train.
The network itself is divided into a number of mainly concentric zones with zone
1 in the centre. The cash fare for a single journey on the tube is dependant on
the zones travelled in or through.
Any single journey within or through zone 1 will cost £4.00. Single journeys avoiding
zone 1 will typically be less expensive.
You are free to
change between underground lines as necessary while making your journey. Tickets
can be purchased from the ticket office within the underground station or from one
of the ticket machines which accept coins and occasionally notes and credit/debit
cards. You need to have purchased a ticket or be in possession of a valid pass
before proceeding to the underground platforms. At most stations you will need to
pass through automated barriers. To do this insert your ticket into the slot in
the front of the barriers - do not forget to retrieve and retain the ticket during
your journey. Your ticket may not be returned to you by the ticket barrier when
you complete your journey.
There are a multitude of passes and discounts available that you may wish to consider
if you plan to travel extensively on public transport. If you are planning to be
in London for an extended period you may wish to consider the
Oyster Card
and if you plan to use public transport extensively on specific days you may wish
to consider a
Travelcard.
For a copy of the London Underground map, available in several languages including
Turkish, visit the
Tube Map
pages of the Transport for London web site. The tube map, which is also available
for free at any underground station, clearly indicates which zone a tube station
is located in, allowing you to calculate the price of your ticket and plan your route.
For further information on tube travel visit the
Tube Travel
pages of the Transport for London web site.
For help planning your journey visit the Transport for London
Journey Planner.
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It is unlikely that you will need to travel by local train
unless you are staying some way out of the centre and are close to a station or
wish to visit somewhere on the outskirts where there is a station. If this is the
case train travel may be an option worth considering although you are likely to
need to connect with other forms of transport at your destination station. You should
purchase tickets for train travel prior to boarding a train where possible. Most
stations have a ticket office and those without will have ticket vending machines.
Oyster Cards
cannot generally used for payment of train tickets but Travelcards are valid for
travel on trains within the zones the
Travelcard
covers and can be purchased at the station ticket office.
For further information on rail travel visit the
Rail Travel
pages of the Transport for London web site.
For help planning your journey visit the Transport for London
Journey Planner.
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Traditional London Taxis are of a distinctive design and
are generally, but not always, black. Taxi drivers are licensed and have extensive
knowledge of streets and locations. You can hail a taxi on the street by attracting
the attention of the driver or take one from a taxi rank, often found at train and
bus stations and in town centre locations. Fares can be expensive unless sharing
between a group of friends and are based on a minimum fare, distance covered, time
taken and time of journey. Drivers should be able to give you an estimate of the
cost of the journey but fares will be metered unless a special arrangement is made
with the driver.
A guide to fares can be found on the
Taxi Fares
pages of the Transport for London web site.
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A mini cab differs from a Taxi in that it is a private
hire vehicle that must be booked in advance either by phone or in person at a mini
cab office. This means that you should not be able to hail one from the street and
they cannot wait in a taxi rank. Drivers will not necessarily be well trained and
may not speak English very well. For safety reasons you should not get into a mini
cab that you have not ordered yourself especially late at night when travelling
alone. Fares are generally not metered and you are strongly advised to negotiate
a fare prior to making the journey as many drivers make up a price that they think
they can get away with.
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Although it is unlikely that you will need to travel by
boat to get around London a trip along the Thames is an extremely pleasant experience.
Popular trips you can take are from central London to Greenwich or from central
London to Kew or Hampton Court. Holders of a Travelcard are entitled to a 33% discount
on the published fares.
For general information about river travel visit the
River Services
pages of the Transport for London web site.
For a copy of the River Services guide, which includes route and fare information
and is available in several languages including Turkish, visit the
Boat Guide
pages of the Transport for London web site.
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If planing to make multiple trips on public transport on
a particular day a Travelcard will probably be the cheapest and most convenient
solution. Travelcards are valid for travel on all buses and within specific zones
by tube and train. The price of a Travelcard varies by the zones required and whether
it will be used before 9:30am on a weekday. An off-peak Travelcard, valid for travel
after 9:30am on weekdays and all day at weekend costs £5.70 for travel within zones
1 to 4 . Most attractions and places on interest within London are located within
zones 1 and 2 and an off-peak Travelcard costs £5.10 for these zones. Heathrow Airport
lies in zone 6 and an off-peak Travelcard covering travel in zones 1 to 6 costs
£6.70. The London Underground map, available for free at any underground station,
clearly indicates which zone a tube station is located in, allowing you to plan
which zones you require when purchasing a Travelcard. The Travelcard itself can
be purchased from tube stations, train stations or any of the many Transport for
London ticket agents, often small newsagents, displaying the Transport for London
or Oyster card logo in their window. When travelling using a Travelcard either show
it to the bus driver when boarding, a train conductor when requested or insert it
into the slot in the front of the automated ticket barriers on the underground -
do not forget to retrieve and retain the ticket from the slot on the top of the
ticket barrier.
For more information on Travelcard prices, including different zone combinations
and peak travel prices, visit the
Travelcard Prices
pages of the Transport for London website.
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The Oyster card is credit card sized prepayment card that
can be used to pay for travel by tube or bus. The card can be acquired for free from
tube station ticket offices but a refundable £3.00 deposit will need to be paid.
Once the Oyster card has been acquired it can be credited with cash at tube stations
ticket offices, some tube station ticket machines or any of the many Transport for
London ticket agents, often small newsagents, displaying the Transport for London
or Oyster card logo in their window. Once credited with cash the Oyster card can
be used to pay for travel. When travelling bus tap the Oyster card on the yellow
Oyster card reader located by the driver. The reader will beep to indicate that
the card has been read and the fare will be deducted from your credit balance. For
travel by tube tap the Oyster card on the reader on the top of the ticket barrier
to open the gate. It is important to also tap the Oyster card on the barrier when
leaving the station so that the correct fare can be deducted. Remember to do this
even if the ticket barriers are already open for some reason. At stations without
ticket barriers there will be a reader located somewhere near the station entrance
and exit.
Ticket prices are variable when paid for with an Oyster card but are always less
than the cash fare. In the case of bus travel a single journey costs £1.00 as opposed
to the £2.00 cash fare. If on any day the price
of the tickets you have purchased exceeds the cost of the Travelcard for the journeys
you have made your travel cost will be capped at the price of the Travelcard.
For further information visit the
Oyster Card Information
pages of the Transport for London website.
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Transport for London provides a very good
journey planner which allows you to plan a route by public transport, at a specific
time and date, between a source and destination entered as a postcode, address,
station or place of interest. The journey planner covers all forms of public transport
with the exception of taxi and mini cab travel and provides details of known problems,
planned engineering work, approximate journey timing, walking distances involved
and maps of destinations and interchanges. The journey planner is available in a
selection of languages but Turkish is not one of them.
For further information visit the Transport for London
Journey Planner
website.
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