Getting Around London: Tube, Buses, Contactless and Heathrow

The short version

Paying is the easy part — the payment section below covers it. The real decisions in London are about which mode suits each journey: the Tube for distance, buses for short hops and views, and your feet for central London, which is far more walkable than the Tube map suggests.

The Ramavera verdict

• Best default: the Tube or Elizabeth line for longer journeys, with pay as you go (see below) for paying.
• When walking is better: around the West End, between Covent Garden, Soho and Trafalgar Square, along the South Bank and around Westminster. The Tube map distorts distance; some neighbouring stations are only a few minutes apart on foot.
• When the bus is better: short trips that would need a Tube change, journeys where you would like to see the city, and for anyone who wants to avoid stairs — London's buses are designed to be boarded without steps.
• When the Elizabeth line is the answer: east–west journeys across the centre, Heathrow and Paddington, and step-free travel.
• What visitors overcomplicate: zones and ticket types.

Best option by situation

How paying works

Checked with the operator (26 October 2026): Contactless cards and devices, and Oyster cards, can be used to pay as you go on TfL services. TfL advises contactless users to use the same card or device to touch in and out so the journey is charged correctly. Check current service →

Three practical points matter more than anything else:

• One card or phone per person. Each traveller needs their own contactless card, device or Oyster card; you cannot share one between two people on the same journey.
• Stick with whichever card or device you started with. If you touch in with your phone, touch out with the same phone — not the physical card inside the same wallet. Keep other contactless cards away from the reader so the wrong one isn't picked up.
• Buses are touch-in only. You touch in when you board and do not touch out.

Visitors from abroad should check whether their card issuer charges for overseas transactions; that is a bank question, not a TfL one. Oyster is a separate physical smartcard that you top up, useful if you would rather not use your own bank card. Ramavera does not publish ticket costs or daily limits — TfL owns those and changes them. Check TfL's current pay-as-you-go information if cost matters to your decision.

Airport to the city

Heathrow

Checked with the operator (23 October 2026): Elizabeth line provides direct rail service between central London and Heathrow Airport. Check current service →

Ramavera's view: for most visitors staying in central or east-central London, the Elizabeth line is the first option to consider. The Piccadilly line also serves Heathrow and is useful if you are staying along it, for example around Earl's Court, South Kensington, Knightsbridge or Covent Garden; it is slower but can avoid a change. Heathrow Express runs non-stop to Paddington and is a separate operator with its own tickets.

If you arrive late, check TfL's service status before you choose — evening and weekend works can change the best option.

Other London airports

Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City each have their own rail or DLR connections run by different operators. Check the official airport and operator pages for current options; this guide focuses on Heathrow as the airport most first-time visitors use.

Accessibility and luggage

Accessibility on the London Underground varies a lot. Some stations are fully step-free, some are step-free only to certain platforms, and many still rely on stairs and escalators. Do not assume the station nearest your hotel is accessible, and do not treat the whole network as either accessible or inaccessible.

Checked with the operator (26 October 2026): TfL lists every Elizabeth line station as step-free from street to platform, including the Heathrow stations. Check current service →

For any other journey, use TfL's step-free planning tools and check lift status on the day; lifts can be out of service, and TfL publishes this live. Buses are designed for step-free boarding, which makes them the simplest option for many trips.

With large luggage, the same rules apply: favour the Elizabeth line and direct buses, and avoid long Tube journeys with several changes at busy times.

Common mistakes

• Touching in with one card and out with another. Use the same card or device for the whole journey.
• Letting the reader pick the wrong card. Take the card you mean to use out of a wallet that holds several contactless cards.
• Taking the Tube for a two-minute walk. Leicester Square to Covent Garden is the classic example.
• Forgetting to touch out on the Tube or rail. Touch out at the end of every Tube, rail or Elizabeth line journey.
• Trusting the map for distance. The Tube map is a diagram; check a street map for walkable trips.
• Assuming a station is step-free. Check TfL first.

Official planning links

• TfL — journey planner
• TfL — status updates
• TfL — wheelchair access and avoiding stairs
• TfL — best ways for visitors to pay

Beyond London

London has several main rail termini, each serving a different part of the country (and St Pancras for Eurostar), so check which one your train uses before you travel. If you have not picked a base yet, Where to Stay in London compares the main areas by transport links, and 3 Days in London shows how to group sights so you walk more and ride less.