Transport
Travel within London:
London buses and underground trains are all run by Transport for London. Attendees wishing to use public transport are highly encouraged to purchase Oyster cards which are available at any underground station. These operate on a pre-pay scheme of travel which can be topped up at any underground station, online, or any shop with the Oyster card symbol displayed.
Traveling by oyster card is cheaper than buying paper tickets. If you make several journeys in a single day using an oyster card you will never be charged more than the equivalent cost of a travel card. Bus journeys are £1.40 and underground journeys start at £2.20 depending upon where and when you travel. Travel can be planned using Transport for London's Journey planner. A London underground map can be found here.
National travel to London:
Traveling to London from within the UK can be achieved by domestic flights to London airports, national trains, and national coaches. National trains arrive at several major stations including London Paddington, London King's Cross, London Victoria and London Waterloo. Most national coaches arrive at London Victoria.
International travel to London:
London is served by 5 airports, the largest of which are Heathrow and Gatwick serving a large variety of airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Easyjet.
Alternatively, London can be accessed by Eurostar trains arriving at St Pancras International, train times and tickets may be purchased from the Eurostar website.
From Heathrow airport, attendees have several transfer options available to them:
The Heathow Express train to London Paddington (15 minutes, ~£20) is the fastest method and has trains every 15 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the station.
Alternatively Heathrow is served by the London Underground on the Piccadilly line. Travel by oyster card to South Kensington Station varies between ~£3 to ~£5 depending upon the time of day and takes approximately 45 minutes.
Taxis are also available costing between ~£45 to ~£85 and takes between 30-60 minutes.
From Gatwick airport, attendees also have several transfer options available to them:
The Gatwick Express train to London Victoria (30 minutes, ~£18) is the fastest method and has trains every 15 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the station.
Alternatively Gatwick is served by easyBus, a low cost, frequenct airport transfer service. Travel must be booked online in advance and all travel is to Earls Court/West Brompton in Central London where further travel if necessary can be taken on the London underground. Prices start from £2 and the journey takes approximately 65 minutes.
Taxis are also available from Gatwick airport with approximatley 60 minute travel time and should be booked in advance to minimise cost.
