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London Public Transport Journey Planners

These are the best apps and tools to plan a journey by public transport in London. We recommend using the options listed below instead of Google to plan a journey.

Citymapper is the most comprehensive public transport planning app for London.

It’s available online or as a free app for ios or android . The online version is now rather limited. The app is much better.

The route planner shows all transport options including cycling, walking and local trains.

The adult Pay as you go Oyster card/contactless fares for each journey are also shown. This make it easy to find the cheapest route.

Transport for London’s TfL Go app is a sleek design and easy to use . It’s the easiest app to find and live departures for underground trains and buses.

It also has a route planner showing options for

• fastest route
• an alternative route (usually bus)

Select ‘Status’ for delay information. You are then able to see if there are any problems on a particular train or underground line.

It defaults to an excellent live tube map, which finds your closest tube station. Click on the underground station, then the name of the station to get the times of the next tube trains.

Click on ‘bus stops’ to see times of the next buses from bus stops near you.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t give fare information. But it’s recommended if you don’t need to know the fare.

Transport for London’s online journey planner

Transport for London’s online Journey Planner shows the quickest way from A to B.

It’s possible to choose bus/tube/train only routes. It also gives you the Pay as you go Oyster peak/contactless and off-peak fares.

Do bear in mind that the default is the quickest route, which is not always the cheapest. For example, to Heathrow Airport:

• under ‘Edit preferences’ deselect ‘National Rail’ to exclude the expensive Heathrow Express train.
• Deselect ‘Elizabeth line’ if you want to exclude that as well.

Early morning or late-night journeys

To be somewhere at a specific time, especially if it’s in the morning or late at night, use the TfL Journey Planner

Mobility issues

If you have mobility issues, you can narrow down your search options to find the best route with:

• Escalators but not stairs
• Stairs but not escalators
• Step-free access to platforms
• Full step-free access

If you just need a tube map and don’t want to use an app, download a pdf tube map to your device.

Related pages

• How to get around by bus
• How to get around by underground
• Walking in London

Getting around London

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• How to use London buses
• London cycle hire scheme
• London trains
• London taxis & minicabs

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Route Planner

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The route offering the shortest distance to a destination via the most accessible roads. Journey times for this option will tend to be longer.

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Your Cheap Fare Finder

The cheap fare finder from National Rail Enquiries shows the fares for all UK train operators on all routes.

Simply select your preferred dates and time of travel to find the best value fare you can purchase and get great savings on your journey.

Enter your journey details to find and buy train tickets.

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If you are flexible with dates and times for your journey, and can book in advance, you can often achieve huge discounts when buying train tickets. Whether you're travelling for work or leisure, the cheap fare finder is your one-stop shop to finding the best option for your selected point-to-point journey.

Our cheap fares are subject to these provisions .

Here are some other tips on ways to save money on train travel.

Use Railcards for Great Savings

Choose the right railcard that's for you and you can get a 1/3 off rail fares on your standard rail tickets. There are a range of national Railcards . There is also a selection of regional Railcards which can be used in specific areas of the country.

Find train tickets using National Rail Enquiries

Book in advance

Advance fares are single (one-way) tickets, offering great value for money on many journeys. Advance tickets are sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. The earlier you book, the more money you save. Buy train tickets up to three months in advance for the cheapest fares.

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London Tube Fare Calculator

This London tube fare calculator will instantly tell you how much a journey on the London underground will cost between two stations. Remember that the cheapest way of getting around London is with a contactless payment or an oyster card, and ticket prices depend on how many zones you travel through.

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TfL has a tool that works out how long it takes to travel to anywhere in London

Move over Citymapper, because TfL has stepped its game up with a feature that lets you map journey times to anywhere in London. It's called WebCAT, but has nothing to do with cats and everything to do with maps. On first glance, you might think you've stumbled into the wrong place because it's placed under the distinctly unglamorous-sounding 'urban planning and construction' tab, because it's used for planners to look at how well areas are connected when planning new buildings. But before you completely switch off, it's actually a surprisingly useable tool. You can choose to view the map by access level, which rates locations by their distance from public transport services. Or you can search by time mapping, which shows how far you can travel in a set amount of time and you can filter your search by transport mode, time of day and direction. You can also look ahead to what London's transport network might look like in 2021 and 2031, if you fancy a bit of crystal ball-gazing. It's a pretty handy feature if you're moving house or office and want a quick overview of how long it will take to get to all your favourite spots, or if you're trying to work out if the trek to your mate's house in Tooting is really worth the effort. Plus, all the colour coding makes it look real pretty. Good job, TfL.

Have a go yourself  here .

Want more tube news? Take a look at these:

Mind the ghost: explore London's abandoned tube stations with the Disused Tube app

This is what the new night tube map looks like  

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Route planner

Driving directions.

The route deemed to be the safest and simplest with minimal scope for error along the way. The default recommended route from Michelin.

The route offering the shortest distance to a destination via the most accessible roads. Journey times for this option will tend to be longer.

The most fuel-efficient route that also avoids toll roads.

My cost options

• B7 (Diesel)
• E5 (Unleaded)
• E85 (superethanol)
• CNG (Biomethane)
• H2 (Hydrogen)

My route options

• E5 (Unleaded) €1.700
• Route : Fast
• Distance in : Kilometres
• No restrictions
• Route from this place
• Directions to this place
• Route via this place
• Nearby hotels
• Nearby restaurants

Arrive at %{address} Organise your trip

Accommodation, other services, restaurants at %{address}.

• See restaurants from the Michelin selection

Tourist Attractions at %{address}

• View the must-see tourist sites

Renting a car, an attractive proposition for the holidays

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Taxi fare calculator London

• Taxi fare calculator
• United Kingdom
• Current: london

Taxi fares are based on the current taxi tariffs of London

Day tariff: From 5:00 to 20:00.

Day tariff: From 5:00 to 22:00.

Prices are in British Pound (£)

Price per minute is applied in stop-and-go traffic or when the driver is instructed to wait.

London fixed the taxi fare in a regional regulation. Licensed taxi operators are bound by these transport fees for rides in the core area of London. The vehicle mounted meter ensures that the taxi price is neither higher nor lower than mandated. Our taxi fare calculator London works by simply entering start and ride destination in the dialog window (Drive me...). With a push on the button you will get a detailed estimate of your taxi cost.

• ➤ Airport transfer London Stansted (STN)
• ➤ Airport transfer London Gatwick (LGW)
• ➤ Airport transfer London Heathrow (LHR)
• ➤ Airport transfer London City (LCY)
• ➤ Airport transfer Bournemouth (BOH)
• ➤ Airport transfer Canterbury
• ➤ Airport transfer Coventry (CVT)
• ➤ Airport transfer Leicester (LRC)
• ➤ Airport transfer Southampton (SOU)
• ➤ Airport transfer London Luton (LTN)
• ➤ Airport transfer London Southend (SEN)
• ➤ Taxi London
• ➤ Taxi Brighton
• ➤ Taxi Portsmouth
• ➤ Taxi Chelmsford
• ➤ Taxi Reading
• ➤ Taxi Slough
• ➤ Taxi Eastleigh
• ➤ Taxi Braintree
• ➤ Taxi Henley on Thames
• ➤ Taxi Rochester
• ➤ Taxi St. Albans
• ➤ Taxi Coventry

How can I get a taxi cost estimation for a ride?

When entering start and destination into the dialog field (Drive me...) you are supported by an "autocomplete" function. After typing the first letters you will get a list of matching addresses from Google Places. Thus a fast, easy and correct route entry is ensured while using any current Internet browser version.

Based on the fastest route, time of departure, local taxi fare and a factor for traffic delays, a taxi price is calculated. Please note that this calculation is always just a guidance non binding. The taxi cost will solely be determined by the taxi meter in the car - with the exception of fixed price offers.

BetterTaxi performs more than 1,000,000 price calculations per month. The service is currently available in 19 European countries. About 1000 local tariffs are maintained in the most extensive and detailed tariff database of local rates. We warmly welcome you to make use of this free service!

In every city

Do you want to calculate your taxi fare in another city? We constantly add taxi rates from throughout Europe. Try it! Simply enter a desired route from another town in this taxi fare calculator. Or choose to view all taxi calculator pages and go from there. View all taxi price calculators

London Black Cabs: Hailing Taxis & Journey Fare Calculator

How much is a black cab fare in London?

Black cab fares in London are based on how long the journey takes rather than the distance travelled, so the same journey can have different prices depending on the traffic.

The price is always 10% higher late at night (8 PM to 10 PM, Mon-Fri) and during the weekend (5 AM to 10 PM, Sat-Sun), and 20% higher in the early hours of the morning (10 PM to 5 AM, Mon-Sun). The highest price shown in the table includes the 20%.

These are the typical fares to/from London’s airports. An extra few pounds is usually added to the meter before your journey begins to cover the driver’s parking costs.

Note: If you pre-book the cab over the phone then you’ll have to pay another £2 on top. (Note: the booking fee differs between taxi companies, so you should always ask when you book it.)

Journeys that start from a taxi rank at Heathrow airport will have an extra £3.60 added on top. And they charge an extra £5.20 to drop off passengers at any of the terminals.

You’ll also have to pay an extra £4 over the Christmas and New Year holidays (8 PM on 24th to 6 AM on 27th Dec, and 8 PM on 31st to 6 AM on 2nd Jan).

What are the benefits of getting a black taxi?

• You can usually hail a black taxi in the street if you’re close to a train station or tourist hotspot in zone 1, whereas minicabs are banned by law from picking up passengers in the street
• Because you only have to pay for one cab between all of you, if you’re travelling in a group of three or more than it might be the cheapest way to travel
• Taxi cab drivers have to pass one of the toughest training regimes around that takes them three years to complete, giving them an encyclopaedic knowledge of London’s streets
• You can fit up to five people in a black taxi, whereas a lot of minicabs use normal cars which only fit four
• Black taxis are allowed to travel in the bus lanes whereas minicabs are not, so they might be able to skip a bit of the traffic
• All black cabs use the same fare system, and unlike some minicab companies they never hike up their prices during a strike or busy period

What are the downsides of getting a black taxi?

• Black taxis have a minimum fare of £3.80, which is more than double the price of a bus ticket and nearly 50% higher than the cost of an Oyster tube fare
• Black taxis charge by the time taken rather than distance travelled, so if you get stuck in the traffic the price will continue to go up
• Black taxis are often more expensive than minicabs (sometimes by quite a lot)

What is the minimum fare for a black taxi?

The minimum fare in a black taxi cab is £3.80, which will appear on the meter before your journey begins.

Do London taxis accept credit cards?

Yes. London taxis accept payment by cash, debit card or credit card. No surcharges are added on top for contactless card payments.

Do taxi drivers expect a tip?

Taxi drivers are not entitled to a tip, but it is customary to give them 10% of the fare. In practice most people will just round up to the nearest pound, or the nearest £5 or £10, so the driver doesn’t have to root around for change.

Can you haggle with London taxi drivers?

You cannot haggle with taxi drivers. You always have to pay the fare showing on the meter at the end of your journey.

The only exception is when your taxi journey takes you outside central London, in which case a black cab driver might be prepared to agree a fee with you before the journey begins – but he is under no obligation to. If you want the certainty of a fixed fare then you really should be using a minicab.

How many passengers can a black taxi carry?

A black taxi can carry five people – three on the forward-facing sofa seat, and two more on the fold-down jump seats.

But remember that you have to squeeze all of your luggage inside the exact same space (taxis don’t have a boot), so if you’re travelling with some bulky bags then you might struggle to fold down one of the seats. For safety reasons the driver will not allow you to sit on one of your bags.

Are black taxis wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All modern black taxis are wheelchair accessible. The driver can place a ramp between the street and the floor of the vehicle, allowing you to ride up and park your wheelchair inside. You don’t even have to get out of the chair if you don’t want to, and it can be securely fastened into place with seat belts.

Most taxis also come equipped with the following accessibility aids: a swivel seat, seat sight patches, intermediate step, large coloured grab handles, plus an intercom and induction loop.

They also carry assistance dogs at no extra charge.

Can you hail a black taxi in the street?

Yes, you can always hail a black taxi in the street, but the easiest places to pick them up are from taxi-ranks outside the airports, popular tourist spots, and big mainline train stations like Charing Cross , Euston , King’s Cross , Liverpool Street , Marylebone , Paddington , Victoria and Waterloo .

Underground stations do not usually have taxi ranks, but if you hang around for a few minutes then you can usually flag one down in the street (there are over 20,000 of them driving around London, so you never have to wait long). Just stand in a place where it’s safe for the cab driver to stop and stick your arm out into the road when you see it coming. If its orange ‘Taxi’ sign is lit then it should be available for hire. If the light is out then it probably already has a passenger.

Note: It is quite common for taxis to drive around at night with their light switched off. This is so the drivers can pick and choose their passengers and avoid the ones that look like trouble (ie. drunks). So if you see one with its light out at night then it might still be worth sticking your arm out – just don’t be surprised if it drives straight past.

Can a London taxi refuse to take me?

A black cab driver is obliged to accept any journey of up to twelve miles, or within one hour’s driving time, provided it’s within the Greater London area. They should also accept a journey of up to twenty miles if it begins at Heathrow Airport.

The exception is when you’re drunk or misbehaving.

Can you pre-book a black taxi?

You can pre-book a black taxi over the phone and have it meet you at a particular time. TFL provides some telephone numbers and web addresses for reputable cab companies on their website: tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/ .

Be aware that pre-booking a taxi will add some money onto the meter before you start. This might be a fixed fee of a couple of pounds, or it might depend on how far the driver had to travel to meet you. You should always ask the phone controller how much extra they charge when you book it.

If you want to pre-book a minicab online then try using TFL’s online form: https://tfl.gov.uk/forms/ . You can also download their ‘Cabwise’ app from iTunes and the Google Play store. Most pubs and restaurants will happily recommend a few trusted companies as well.

What’s the difference between a black taxi and a minicab?

There are five main differences between a black taxi and a minicab:

1) The first difference is the shape. Taxis are the ones shown in the photo on this page, with an orange ‘Taxi’ light on the roof. They are usually painted black. Minicabs, on the other hand, have no basic shape at all because they just use normal everyday cars.

2) The second big difference is the way you pay. Black taxis all come equipped with meters so you can see how much you’re spending as you drive along. The driver might be able to give you a rough estimate of the price before you set off, but you will not know the exact amount you’re paying until you reach your destination. The longer it takes, the higher the cost will be.

3) Another big difference is that you can hail down a black taxi in the street, whereas it is technically illegal for minicabs to pick up new passengers in the street – you’re supposed to order one from a minicab office by telephone or email.

Unfortunately a lot of the minicab drivers don’t care about the rules and loiter around tourist hotspots hoping to pick up a fare. You should never get into one of these vehicles because not only is the minicab driver breaking the law, you’re also putting your own safety at risk by stepping into a stranger’s car. How do you know that it’s really a minicab?

4) The fourth difference is that black taxis are allowed to use the bus lanes, so if you’re in a massive rush to get somewhere and you’re worried about the traffic then a taxi might be slightly quicker.

5) And the final difference worth mentioning is that taxi drivers are subjected to an Enhanced Criminal Record check before they receive a licence. (That’s not to say that minicab drivers are unsafe… just that they are not subjected to the same kind of rigorous checks.)

Are minicabs cheaper than black taxis?

Black taxi fares are based on how long the journey takes, rather than the distance travelledm, so you won’t know the final price until you arrive. The driver might be able to give you a rough idea before you set off, but if you get stuck in some traffic then the price will go up.

Some minicabs also have a meter inside, but the vast majority of them will quote you a final price before you begin. It is imperative that you agree this price with the minicab office when you book it, and you should also reconfirm it with the driver before he begins the journey. This price is usually cheaper than a black taxi.

If you want the certainty of a fixed fare then you should certainly be using a minicab.

Why are black cabs so expensive?

London taxi cabs are certainly expensive if you’re travelling alone, and you can easily blow ten pounds in ten minutes just travelling one mile between Trafalgar Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral .

Black taxis become much more cost-effective when you’re in a group of three or more because the cabs can fit up to five people, and you only have to pay one fare between all five of you.

Where is the taxi Lost Property Office?

If you lose something in a London black taxi (but not a minicab) then it will be dealt with by TFL’s Lost Property Office. You can phone them at 0343 222 1234 or use their online form at tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact . Postal enquiries should be sent to the TFL Lost Property Office, 200 Baker Street, London NW1 5RZ.

You have to give them a description and wait up to 15 working days, and then pay a fee if they find it.

Your comments and questions

Melissa How many people will a London taxi accommodate? Are there likely to be taxis at Kensington Olympia and Baron's Court stations? Thank you!

Staff They can take a maximum of 5 people, but you have to put all your bags and luggage in the same space, so it will be less if you've got a lot of bags. You are unlikely to see a cab outside Baron's Court, the station is right on the street and they don't have a taxi rank. You'd have to get lucky and flag one down in the street. You might be a bit luckier at Kensington Olympia if there's an event on that day. The only way of being sure is to pre-book one and have it meet you.

Thegrizz Advance planning for four seniors arriving from Canada are looking for travel options from Heathrow o Euston Rail Station. The Tube is by far the least expensive, but probably the most difficult with luggage. Fares on the LHR Express suggest taxi cabs might be a reasonable choice. Would a black or mini have capacity for four adults plus luggage? Would 100 bps fare be about right?

Staff Hi Thegrizz. Black cabs can fit five people, but you have to squeeze all of your luggage into exactly the same space, so it will depend how many bags you've got. Two of them are fold-down seats, and you might not be able to get one of them down if you've got a lot of big bags - but it should be all right for four people. £100 should be at the upper end of what you might pay from Heathrow. It should be a bit cheaper than that. Black cabs are on the meter so the price changes depending on how long it takes.

Gary White Why can't I book a Black Cab to take my wife to a hospital appointment without paying a minimum fee of forty or fifty pounds. If I wave a cab down it only costs 14 to 15 pounds.

Staff If you pre-book a black-cab over the phone they always add on an extra fee, but it's usually only a few quid. I would ask them why it's so much. Or try a minicab company instead, which should be way cheaper.

Denny B What are the rates on New Year’s Day as we need to get from kings cross to emirates stadium

Staff Hi Danny. It’s the same rates as shown in the table above, but you have to pay an extra £4 on top for New Years Day

Sheila Are black cabs mostly dog friendly please?

Staff Hi Sheila. Black taxis are obliged to carry assistance dogs but as far as we are aware normal dogs are at the driver’s discretion, so they can say no if they want to.

Michelle Husband and I are from Australia, needing to travel from Crowne Plaza Hotel near London Heathrow Airport to the centre of Uxbridge at around 8am on a Monday morning. We are planning on catching a Taxi there and back to the hotel within three hours. Any ideas, how long it should take to get there and should we expect the fare to be expensive due to that time of the morning?

Staff Hi Michelle. It’s just over 10 miles so it might take about 30 minutes. You can try emailing one of these taxi companies for a quote - tfl.gov.uk/​modes/​taxis-and-minicabs/book-a-taxi?intcmp=4226

Hazel Is there a phone number I can get a price from London fenchurch Street to Chelsea registry office please.

Staff Hi Hazel. If you try that link in the comment above yours then it has a load of companies and phone numbers on it

Frederick I was over charged on the 5th of august. Charged almost double. A whopping 275 pounds from Heathrow to hayling island. I think the meter was broken. I would like to be reimbursed as this is obviously a error with the meter.

Staff Hi Frederick. You need to contact the minicab company you booked it through, or try here if it was a black cab - tfl.gov.uk/​help-and-contact/​contact-us-about-taxi-and-private-hire . But I think they're going to tell you the price is correct - it does sound incredibly expensive but it's not out of the ordinary (especially if you were travelling late at night or at the weekend)

KATHERINE PARATHYRAS I am part of a group of 7 people - 5 adults and 2 children. We are arriving on Boxing Day at Heathrow and travelling to Westminster Bridge Park Plaza hotel. We will have 6 full-size suitcases and 7 hand luggage. How many taxis will I need? and how much extra will I pay because it is Boxing Day. Thank you.

Staff Hi Katherine. A taxi fits five people so normally two should do it, but like it says above you have to squeeze all of your luggage into the same space and you’ve got a lot of bags and suitcases, so you might not be able to fold down the two single seats. So you might only get three people per taxi. You have to pay an extra £4 over the Christmas period.

patrick spedding What is the best taxi to get me from euston station to the thai embassy london

Staff As long as its not a crazy hour you can always get a black taxi out the front of euston station.

Lnick Hello! Should 4 people and 4 22kg suitcases fit into one black cab? Are the cabs readily available at all Heathrow terminals? IF so do we just look for one with the orange light on and approach it?

Staff Hi Lnick. if you mean 22 litres (cabin size) then it should be okay. 22 kg could be any size. There are taxi ranks outside all of the heathrow terminals where they sit and wait for passengers, so just go up to the taxi at the front of the line

Dicken Is it possible to pre-book the Black Taxi online?

Staff Hi Dicken. You can do — it’s explained in the ‘How can you pre-book a black taxi online?“ section above

Sarah Is it possible to get lost property back any earlier than ten days?

Staff Hi Sarah. Actually it's gone up a bit. They now say it might take up to 15 working days, but you can always give them a ring to see if they've found it sooner (they discourage people from visiting the office in person).

Megan What is the diameter of a black cab? Would it fit a panel of 129cm x 145cm?

Staff Hi Megan. We're not sure if this applies to every single black cab, but the typical measurements for the door are width 88cm, height 135cm. Inside the cab it's width 142cm, height 140cm

Samantha Blackmore-Smith I and my friend will be coming to London via plane landing at Stansted airport in 14th September. I was wondering how much is it for us to hail a black taxi down to my sister at 63 Walpole Road, London. Or We could catch black taxi from Liverpool Station to my sister's place. That way we could catch Stanstend express train to Liverpool street station.

Staff Hi Samantha, We cant hive quotes, but you can get a rough idea from the prices listed in the airport table on this page.

Caroline Will there be black taxi cabs waiting outside Fenchurch Street Station at 6am on a weekday.

Staff Hi Caroline. There's a taxi rank outside the front entrance, so you shouldn't have to wait long

Terry Do the cabs charge for each suitcase you have with you?

Staff Hi Terry. They don't charge extra for bags.

Maree We would like to catch a black taxi from Globe Theatre to Chelsea after a show, and have a small drive around the city on the way to see the sights by night. Do we need to prebook at the Globe or are they usually waiting there after a show? And how can I calculate this fare? it would be approx 40 mins drive time we think.

Staff H Maree. The Globe's down by the river, not on a main road, so you won't have any luck hailing a taxi outside. Best thing to do is phone a taxi company and order one to meet you at a specific time. They can give you a quote at the same time - tfl.gov.uk/​modes/​taxis-and-minicabs/book-a-taxi

Maree Can we book a black taxi to pick us up from the Globe? or only other types of taxis?

Staff Lots of different companies provide black taxis. There's not just one number - try a google search for "london black taxi hire". Some companies actually provide tours as well - city-guide.london/​events/​?p=48935

Jo Italy Do I need a car seat for a toddler

Staff Hi Jo. The law seems to say that you can travel without one, provided the taxi doesn't have one - gov.uk/​child-car-seats-the-rules/​when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat

Hyacinth Black cabs are very safe, they maybe a little more expensive, but you will always get to your destination without the driver telling you that he is not quite sure of where the place is. Even with TOMTOM minicab can still take you around the world and back before getting to your destination

Gerard kijak Would a black cab drive me to bournemouth?

Staff Hi Gerard. they're not obliged to accept a journey of that distance, but they might do - its up to the driver. It might be better to book it in advance over the phone, so you know the driver is okay with it

mark Can you pay in cash for a black taxi and also when they drop you off, can you ask them to pick you back up

Staff Hi Mark. You can pay with cash. The driver might be willing to wait, and keep his meter running the whole time, but it's unlikely he'll return at a particular time because he won't know where he'll be. The normal way to do it is to pre-book over the phone, and have a few quid added onto the fare.

Ace Grabbed a cab to get to a nearby Ibis Hotel and was charged £30 and was advised by the driver this was a flat fee for all nearby hotels. The ride was no more than 3 minutes. Feel like we were scammed. Beware! Ask for an estimate of the fare before you enter. Turns out we could have caught a shuttle bus for £6.80

Staff Hi Ace. If it was a black cab that shouldnt have happened, but if it was a minicab then there are some dodgy ones about

Sharon We are arriving in Apr 2024 at Paddington station around 8am. How much does it cost for 2 persons, with 2 large check in luggage and 2 cabin size luggage, from Paddington Station to Page 8 Hotel at St Martin's Place? also, can we (2 persons) with all the luggage fit into a black cab?

Staff Hi Sharon. We don't give quotes but it's just under 3 miles, so it could be anything from £13 to £23 depending on whether it's a weekday or weekend and how long the journey takes. You should be able to get everything into one taxi

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Crossrail: New Elizabeth line journey time calculator on Citymapper shows how quick trips will be

After much anticipation, Londoners can now plan their trips according to the incoming Elizabeth line

• 19:34, 29 APR 2022
• Updated 11:46, 4 MAY 2022

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Just four years and £19 billion later, the brand-new Elizabeth line is set to open in a matter of weeks. The huge trans-London trainline will make journeys across the capital from until-now badly connected areas much quicker and easier. Transport for London's (TfL) initial Crossrail project will also decongest other lines, meaning other London Underground lines will be less cramped and, if all goes well, less delayed.

TfL has announced today (May 4) that the first stage of the new line will open on May 24 . Phase 1 covers the Paddington to Abbey Wood section of the line, which is set to run every five minutes. Phase 2 - covering Reading and Heathrow Airport to Paddington - will open later in the autumn.

In advance of the opening, mapping service Citymapper has created a journey time calculator for the Elizabeth line to show just how quick trips across the capital will now be.

Here is a breakdown of journey times between each station once the first phase of the Elizabeth line opens.

READ MORE: Forget more London Underground stations - what South London really needs is Thameslink 2 linking Croydon, Lewisham, Canary Wharf and Stratford

Elizabeth line journey times from Abbey Wood

Current: 7 minutes

Elizabeth line: 6 minutes

Custom House

Current: 41 minutes

Elizabeth line: 8 minutes

Canary Wharf

Current: 35 minutes

Elizabeth line: 11 minutes

Whitechapel

Current: 52 minutes

Elizabeth line: 15 minutes

Liverpool Street

Current: 43 minutes

Elizabeth line: 18 minutes

Elizabeth line: 20 minutes

Tottenham Court Road

Current: 55 minutes

Elizabeth line: 23 minutes

Bond Street

Current: 48 minutes

Elizabeth line: 26 minutes

Current: 58 minutes

Elizabeth line: 29 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Woolwich

Current: 28 minutes

Elizabeth line: 2 minutes

Current: 23 minutes

Elizabeth line: 5 minutes

Current: 32 minutes

Elizabeth line: 9 minutes

Elizabeth line: 12 minutes

Elizabeth line: 14 minutes

Current: 40 minutes

Current: 22 minutes

Elizabeth line: 22 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Custom House

Elizabeth line: 3 minutes

Current: 26 minutes

Elizabeth line: 7 minutes

Current: 34 minutes

Elizabeth line: 10 minutes

Current: 39 minutes

Current: 38 minutes

Current: 33 minutes

Current: 47 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Canary Wharf

Current: 17 minutes

Elizabeth line: 4 minutes

Current: 30 minutes

Current: 27 minutes

Elizabeth line: 17 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Whitechapel

Current: 10 minutes

Current: 12 minutes

Current: 31 minutes

Elizabeth line: 13 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Liverpool Street

Current: 15 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Farringdon

Current: 18 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Tottenham Court Road

Current: 16 minutes

Elizabeth line journey times from Bond Street

Elizabeth line journey times from paddington.

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Lifestyle | Health & Fitness

London Landmarks Half Marathon 2024: date, route, start time, map and everything you need to know

Dig out that banner and get warming up that cheer voice. London’s most scenic half marathon, the  London Landmarks , returns to the streets of Westminster and the City this weekend. It’s set to be the biggest yet with more than 18,500 runners primed to take to the closed-roads route on Sunday (new landmarks for 2024 include Westminster Bridge, The Scalpel and The Cheesegrater buildings), with thousands more turning out to cheer them on and more than £10 million expected to be raised for feel-good causes. As ever, this year’s official charity is Tommy’s , the UK’s leading pregnancy charity.

Plenty of star faces are expected to join the running ranks this year. Sibling duo AJ and Curtis Pritchard, BBC legend Sophie Raworth and TV sports presenter Gabby Logan are among celebrities taking part in Sunday’s race, and it’s due to be the most sustainable London Landmarks yet, with paper cups available and runners encouraged to bring their own refillable bottle in a bid to go plastic bottle-free. Forecasters are currently predicting highs of 15 degrees – keep your fingers crossed that those April showers hold off.

From where to watch on the new route to how to download the live-tracking app before race-day, here’s everything you need to know.

When is it?

The race takes place this Sunday, April 7 starting between 9.20am and 11.30am. With the first runners expected to arrive from 8.20am it’s an early alarm for a Sunday, but it’s worth getting there with plenty of time to spare as there’ll be large crowds.

Aim to arrive at the event 60 minutes before your allocated start time (there are eight different waves this year to spread everyone out) if you want to drop stuff off. The  bag drop  opens from 8.20am and arrival times open an hour before each wave’s start time. If you’re in waves 5, 6, 7 or 8, please don’t arrive before 10am.

Where is it?

New year, new route. For any London Landmarks returners, it’s back to a similar route to 2023 starting on Pall Mall (look out for the red London buses parked up nearby for storing bags) but with the addition of two new landmarks along the way: the Cheesegrater (Leadenhall Building) and The Scapel. The 13.1-mile winding route also passes many of the key landmarks of previous years including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Nelson’s Column, the Gherkin, the Shard, the Tower of London and the London Eye.

For runners, there’s certainly no chance of getting bored. The race set out to celebrate the “the grand, the quirky and the hidden” of London so there’ll be celebrations of many of the city’s proudest features and moments along the route, from a Pride Party celebrating the capital’s LGBTQIA+ community and a suffragist pageant, to supporters dressed as their favourite Tube stations and even a Roman Reception featuring gladiator fighting and centurion drilling.

Just like previous years, you’ll end with a stately finish on Whitehall just outside Downing Street. The Prime Minister might not be there to cheer you home, but plenty of runners and supporters will be. You can view a map of the route  here .

Drinks stations will be at miles 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10.5 (expect paper cups, not bottles), and there will also be cans of water in your goody bag at the finish line. This year, race partner Beauty Banks will be providing free sanitary products along with hair ties and tissues at all toilet facilities along the route too.

Who’s running?

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Roughly 18,500 brave runners will take to the start line this year – the highest number yet – and many more will be cheering them on.

A number of celebrities will also be attempting the 13.1 mile course, including TV presenters Jenny Falconer, Gabby Logan and Sophie Raworth, comedian and author Stephen Mangan, Love Island stars Arabella Chi, Joe Garrett, Amber Wise, GB snowboarder Aimee Fuller and Strictly dancer  AJ Pritchard and his brother Curtis.

Where to watch

It’s hard to know who’ll have more to see: the runners or the thousands of spectators coming to cheer them on. For spectators, the best way to plan your day is to check out the course map here and to download the free LLHM 2024 race-day app for live predictive tracking and an interactive course map to use during the race.

As you’ll see on the map, there’ll be dozens of charity cheer stations bringing the feel-good factor along the route, plus plenty of themed activations celebrating the grand, the hidden and the quirky.

There’ll also be historical activations: spectators should pop into mile 6.5 to cheer runners at halfway alongside everything from gladiator fighting to tunes from a rock choir. Organisers say it’s best to avoid Westminster Bridge (another new addition to this year’s route) as it’s expected to be busy. The area around the finish line and King Charles Street will also be particularly busy after the race so organisers suggest arranging an alternative meeting point away from the finish and bag drop area if you’re meeting a particular runner afterwards.

If you feel inspired, tickets for next year’s ballot are already available to pre-register for  here .

How to get there

It’s going to be busy, so plan ahead. Road closures are planned and there’s no designated parking, so the Tube is your best bet.

The event hub is on Pall Mall so the nearest stations are Charing Cross, Green Park, Embankment, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. If you’re confused or want advice, call  TFL  or check its website in advance.

Once you arrive, bag drops will be located inside a series of double decker buses. Can an event get any more London than that?

‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ Review: Patricia Clarkson Illuminates an Uneven West End Production

By David Benedict

David Benedict

• ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ Review: Patricia Clarkson Illuminates an Uneven West End Production 3 days ago
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No one, wisely, has turned “A Long Day’s Journey Into Night” into an opera — not least because, arguably, Eugene O’Neill’s most famous play already is one. It features extended solo arias mixing memory and pain, and, excluding the maid’s comedy high notes, the near-negligible plot operates as a vocal quartet. The job of the conductor — or, rather, the director — is to weave and build the sound to maximum dramatic effect. Led by Brian Cox (“ Succession ”) and Patricia Clarkson , Jeremy Herrin’s West End cast of soloists is definitely strong. Overall, however, his production doesn’t fully sustain the tricky balancing act.

Given the terrifying and delicious ease he deployed as vicious Logan Roy in “Succession,” Cox makes complete casting sense as tyrannical, self-serving James. At 77, he is a trifle old for the role, which latterly strains credulity when it comes to the physical relationship between him and his sons. But as his bravura final scene demonstrates, he is a commanding presence.

Descending, through drink and exhaustion, to the state that is the closest he ever gets to insight about his controlling, miserly failure with his family, Cox is in fine form in this scene. Furious at the truth-telling of his combative younger son Edmund (Laurie Kynaston) he allows us to see a man just about able — for brief moments only — to glimpse the truth of his own responsibility in the terrible family psychodrama.

But the slow-burn arc of the role isn’t quite within his grasp. His opening scene is pitched too high: The family is self-consciously acting happy now that matriarch Mary (Patricia Clarkson) is home and sober, but Cox’s overly-signaled brightness militates against audience engagement.

The consumption killing Kynaston’s nicely considered Edmund is, mercifully, underplayed. He gently indicates sadness without overstating it and in the final showdown with his father, his self-possession works in balance to his father’s chaos. But elsewhere, like most of the characters in this production except Louisa Harland’s beautifully judged, knowing maid, he seems too isolated, as if playing the end of the play from the beginning.

Neurasthenic, fluttering and fragile, Clarkson’s Mary positively glides through the day of the play with a sweetness that beautifully belies her pain within. Her level of denial is so absolute that she is able to maintain dignity throughout, no matter how upsettingly empty her illusions are.

Herrin knows about secrets and lies in dramas of addiction, having directed Duncan MacMillan’s scorching, award-winning “People, Places, Things.” Here, his pacing of Clarkson’s performance is the strongest line through this production. His handling of her final moments, ultimately placing her calmly sitting on the edge of the stage, is masterly.

Elsewhere, not all of his choices are helpful to so drawn-out a text. Lizzie Clachan’s self-consciously bald, wooden set over-emphasizes the lack of money that James gives to the running of a household. More of a statement than a helpful design, it leaves the creation of atmosphere to the actors and the lighting. Even a lighting designer as skilled as Jack Knowles struggles with the demand.

In a play that goes to some length to point out the intrusive sound of fog horns, it seems antithetical to have so noticeable an additional soundscape that loudly alerts the audience to approaching doom, or to the ethereal quality of Mary’s blissed-out-on-morphine state. This soundscape fires up some moments but flattens out the following scenes. The irony of this is that in so notoriously wordy a play, it’s absence and, crucially, silence which have proved so lethal in their lives.

The cumulative power of a still horribly recognizable journey through desperate, misplaced hope has ensured the longevity of O’Neill’s drama. Despite the unevenness of this production, Clarkson’s tender glow keeps it alive.

Wyndham’s Theatre, London; 780 seats; top £95 ($119), top premium £195 ($245). Opened, reviewed, Apr. 2, 2024; closing Jun 8. Running time: 3 HOURS, 30 MINS.

• Production: A Second Half Productions presentation of a play in two acts by Eugene O’Neill.
• Crew: Directed by Jeremy Herrin. Sets and costumes, Lizzie Clachan; lighting, Jack Knowles; music and sound, Tom Gibbons; movement, Polly Bennett, production stage manager, Laura Draper.
• Cast: Brian Cox, Patricia Clarkson, Laurie Kynaston, Daryl McCormack, Louisa Harland.

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Long Day’s Journey Into Night review – Brian Cox upstaged by Patricia Clarkson’s morphine fiend

Wyndham’s theatre, London Cox is thrilling as an overbearing patriarch but it’s Clarkson who steals the show in Eugene O’Neill’s agonising family drama

T he overbearing patriarch in Eugene O’Neill’s semi-autobiographical drama is an actor who feels his career has been straitjacketed by typecasting. Could James Tyrone be speaking for Brian Cox too who, playing him, steps almost seamlessly from Succession’s paterfamilias to O’Neill’s flawed father marshalling obstreperous sons?

Even if so, Cox is, as always, thrilling to watch. Yet it is Patricia Clarkson as his “morphine fiend” of a wife, just returned from a sanatorium and tumbling back into addiction, who steals the show. Clarkson exudes vulnerability along with hard denial. For all the play’s period elements – it is set in 1912 – hers feels like a true, infuriating, compassionate portrait of an addict.

Tyrone is less textured, a disgruntled and judgmental father switching between anger, flecks of wry humour and expressions of love.

First staged posthumously in 1956 against O’Neill’s instruction that it not be dramatised for 25 years after his death, it might represent the gruelling apex of classic American dysfunction family dramas. We spend a day with the Tyrones, during the course of which the source of Mary’s addiction is revealed along with the family’s points of weakness and pain, from James’s tight-fistedness and tendencies towards drink to wrangles between his sons, Edmund (Laurie Kynaston), a failed poet with TB, and Jamie (Daryl McCormack), a failed actor and drunk.

Under Jeremy Herrin’s direction, the production does not seek to leaven the drama’s gloomy spirit: it is a long, talking play with little action delicately well-crafted which slides between domestic exchange and accusation, anger, emotional conflagration.

Here it is stripped to its elemental state as the family convene in their summer home and vacillate between love and hate. Anger is tempered by anxious love that ironically seem to fuel each other’s various addictions: parents wring their hands over Edmund’s illness, sons wring theirs over their mother’s soul-sapping addiction.

In one pique, Mary tells James the family house has never felt like a home and Lizzie Clachan’s set, spare and wooden, reflects her sentiment. It has the look of early American puritanism, Shaker-like in its simple lines, severe colour palette and sleek lighting (by Jack Knowles). There are doorways within doorways, it seems, which gesture towards Mary’s sense of being spied upon too, although the set-up, as empty as it is, does not quite carry a sense of over-heated crowdedness.

“There’s gloom in the air you could cut with a knife,” says James. He is right. This drama is so stark it seems almost Beckettian, despite its naturalism. Yet there is forgiveness and tenderness between the hard edges, especially between Mary and James – Cox and Clarkson have a lovely, natural chemistry. And although characters spiral into resentment and rage, they always return to love and togetherness, which makes this distinct from the emotional desolations of a Tennessee Williams drama.

Louisa Harland, for her part, is so effective as the family maid, Cathleen, that you want more of her. She lifts every scene she is in, turning a functional role into a comic highlight.

Some scenes glitter with dark energy, and are truly tragic. Others feel protracted, the play’s old-fashioned exposition exposed, and the over-used device of characters narrating memories feeling like lengthy confessions. The circularity of family argument and accusation, are grinding too, and do not always absorb us, emotionally.

At three and a half hours it feels withering. Then again, that is the point here. This is the ultimate family reckoning, with some light, but mostly shade.

• Eugene O'Neill
• Patricia Clarkson

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