The London Underground, better known as "The Tube," is a popular way many Londoners and visitors get around the city. The Tube has twelve color-coded lines, and it has service to both Heathrow and London City airports.
The yellow-colored "District" is one of the best ways to see the inner city, and it intersects with every other colored line in the system. Transport has recently introduced a "pay-as-you-go" Oyster card, which can be used for unlimited rides within a 24-hour period. Keep in mind that most stations close by 12:30 a.m. and do not reopen until 5:30 a.m., at the earliest. Also, you may want to familiarize or refresh your memory on tube etiquette (see Resources).
Perhaps the most famous and novel way to see the sights of London is to ride a Double Decker bus. There are at least two types of Double Decker buses in London, commuter and touring. Picking the type you want depends on whether you want to have a guide tell you about what you are seeing. Double Decker buses are still being used by city transit, but have been augmented by new articulated buses that are common in other large metropolises. Many of the touring buses are open-top, thus great for seeing the sights, but there are different routes depending on the season. Transit buses often run close to a tube station and you can buy cards that will work on both the tube and buses. Transport for London has a route planner on its website, found at journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk.
London also has an intricate system of riverboats and ferries that service the River Thames. London River Services has integrated river transport with the bus, rail and tube system in the city, thus connecting the various modes of transportation to one another. The service offers both transport and leisure cruises in the Thames, and the latter often disembarks at tourist sites, such as the Tate Gallery. Snacks are offered on some riverboats, and there are also dinner cruises scheduled, for around £75 per person.
London's famous black taxicabs are called "hackneys" or "hackney carriages," and there are approximately 21,000 of them in the city. Cabs or cars can also be hired in London, and these are known as minicabs. Most cab drivers have to pass a knowledge test to become certified to drive in the city, so most cab drivers should know the streets pretty well. The fare rate for a cab starts at £2 and goes up 30p for each additional minute. It is polite to tip 10 percent to your London cab driver. Although the Underground is quicker, a cab fare from Heathrow will run you about £40 and a cab from Gatwick Airport will cost about £80.
Other than an expensive helicopter tour, and there are those (www.londonhelicoptertours.co.uk), a great way to see the city is via the London Eye. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, the largest Ferris wheel in Europe was completed in 2000. The Eye has 32 sealed and air-conditioned passenger pods surrounded by windows, which make for a great view. A 45-minute trip on the eye costs about £17 for adults and about half that for children. The Eye is located on the South Bank of the Thames, close to Jubilee Gardens.
