Getting Around

Kids' Travel Discounts -- As long as they're accompanied by an adult, children under 10 travel free on just about everything public, including Tube, Overground, DLR, bus, and regular rail services. Children in this age bracket who look older than 10 should carry photo ID. Children aged 11 to 15 carrying a 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard travel free on buses and trams, and pay child fare on Tube, Overground, DLR, and regular rail services -- up to a maximum of £1.30 for unlimited off-peak journeys in one day. To obtain a Zip Oyster photocard, apply online at www.tfl.gov.uk/zip. There's an administration fee of £10, and you'll need to upload a photo. Postage is free to U.K. addresses, and overseas visitors can arrange to collect their card at any Travel Information Centre. It's a similar drill for anyone aged 16 to 18. The 16+ Zip Oyster photocard gets you single tickets at half the adult price on bus, Tube, tram, and Overground services, as well as child-fare Travelcards.

By Public Transportation

The first London word that any visitor needs to learn is "Oyster." The Oyster Card is a plastic smartcard that is your gateway to pretty much every form of London public transport, from the Underground (the "Tube") and the buses to surface rail networks and even the suburban Croydon-Wimbledon Tramlink. You can still pay to use all these services with cash, but an Oyster offers substantial savings on just about every journey. The pay-as-you-go card costs £5 for adults from any Tube or major rail station -- a charge that's refundable if you return the card after use. (In any case, you'll get almost half that investment back right away if you ride the Tube from Heathrow into the center, for example.) As well as these significant discounts, your daily bill for using an Oyster is capped at the price of an equivalent 1-Day Travelcard , so there's no longer any need to calculate in advance whether to buy a discounted multi-trip travel ticket. Basically, if you're staying more than a day or so, and plan to use London's public transport network, investing in an Oyster is a no-brainer. It saves you time and money.

To use an Oyster, simply swipe it over the yellow card-reader that guards the entry/exit gates at Tube and rail stations. On the bus you'll find the reader next to the driver, or opposite any of the sets of doors on London's long "bendy buses." If you're caught traveling without having swiped your Oyster, you're liable for an on-the-spot fine.

You can order an Oyster in advance, preloaded with as much credit as you like, from www.tfl.gov.uk/oyster. Postage to the U.K. is free, but worldwide delivery costs £4. It's cheaper for overseas residents to wait and purchase from the first Tube station they encounter. Oyster Cards are also on sale at London's Travel Information Centres, located inside Heathrow 123 Underground Station, and at Liverpool Street, Euston, Victoria, and King's Cross rail stations. To top up your balance, use cash or a credit card at any Oyster machine, which you'll find inside most London rail stations, at any of a network of around 4,000 newsagents citywide (visit http://ticketstoplocator.tfl.gov.uk), or online if you register your card in advance. For more information, call the Oyster Card helpline on tel. 0845/330-9876.

The Underground and Docklands Light Railway -- The "Tube" is the quickest and easiest way to move around the capital. All Tube stations are clearly marked with a red circle and blue crossbar. There are 10 extensive lines, plus the short Waterloo & City line linking Waterloo and Bank, all of which are conveniently color-coded and clearly mapped on the walls of every Tube station. The Underground generally operates Monday to Saturday 5am to 12:30am, Sunday 7:30am to 11:30pm. The above-ground extension of the Underground that links the City with points around the East End and Docklands, including London City Airport, is known as the Docklands Light Railway, or "DLR." This metro system is, to all intents and purposes, integrated with the Tube.

Tickets for the Underground operate on a system of six fare zones. The fare zones radiate in concentric rings from the central zone 1, which is where most visitors spend the majority of their time. Zone 1 covers the area from Liverpool Street in the east to Notting Hill in the west, and from Waterloo in the south to Baker Street, Euston, and King's Cross in the north. Tube maps should be available at any Underground station. You can also download one before your trip from the excellent Transport for London (TfL) website, at www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf. A 24-hour information service is also available at tel. 0843/222-1234. The best planning resource is the TfL Journey Planner, online at www.tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner. For specific journey information on-the-move, text your start-point and end-point -- as full postcodes, or station or stop names -- to tel. 60835. TfL will send an SMS with the quickest route and scheduled departure times.

If you don't have an Oyster Card , you can buy your ticket at a vending machine or a ticket window. But note the prices: the cash fare for travel across up to three zones is £4, rising to £5 to travel across six zones. A journey from anywhere in zones 1 or 2 to anywhere else in zones 1 or 2 using Oyster pay-as-you-go costs £1.90 outside peak hours; £2.50 before 9:30am. Oyster will get you across all six zones for £2.70 after 9:30am. On all ticketed journeys, you can transfer as many times as you like as long as you stay on the Underground or DLR network.

The Bus Network -- London's buses can be a delightful way to navigate the city. Not only are they regular, efficient, and -- late nights aside -- comfortable, but also cheap compared to the Underground system. Buses also have the distinct advantage of allowing you to see where you're going -- no need for an open-topped bus tour when you can ride the upper-deck of an old-fashioned heritage Routemaster from Knightsbridge to Trafalgar Square on route no. 9, or Regent Street to St. Paul's and the Tower of London on the no. 15. Other excellent "sightseeing" routes include the no. 8 (from Oxford Circus to the Bank of England) and the no. 11 (from Victoria Station, through Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square to Bank).

Unfortunately, the bewildering array of services and routes deters many visitors -- and even some locals. There's a comprehensive route map at www.tfl.gov.uk. If you plan to keep largely to the center, the excellent "Key bus routes in central London" map borrows a few design tricks from the Underground map to help out first-timers. It's also available to download from www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/visitor-bus-route-map.pdf.

Unlike the Underground, bus fares do not vary according to distance traveled -- but if you transfer buses, you must pay again. A single journey from anywhere to anywhere costs £2.20 with cash, £1.30 with an Oyster Card. You can travel on buses all day with an Oyster for £4. To speed up bus travel, passengers in central London have to purchase tickets before boarding. There are roadside ticket machines at most stops; you'll need the exact fare. The sign at the stop clearly marks which services halt there. Put your arm out when you see a bus approaching, just to be sure you've been seen. Once aboard, if you want your stop called out, simply ask the conductor or driver when you board -- although all modern vehicles in London's fleet have automated digital information.

Buses generally run from 5am to just after midnight. Some run 24 hours, but other popular routes are served by night buses, running once every half-hour or so during the night, and with service numbers prefixed by an "N." Most night buses originate at or pass through Trafalgar Square. Keep in mind that these buses are often so crowded (especially on weekends) that they're unable to pick up passengers after a few stops. You may find yourself waiting a long time. Consider taking a taxi . The TfL 24-hour information service is available at tel. 0843/222-1234.

The Overground and Other Rail Services -- The remarkable improvements in London's surface rail network have been the big transport story of recent years. Especially useful for visitors to South and East London is the London Overground (marked in orange on most transport maps). The Overground connects Kew in southwest London with Highbury in North London, Stratford in East London adjacent to the Olympic Park, as well as Whitechapel and Wapping in the East End, and then points south of the river as far as Croydon. The new, air-conditioned carriages and upgraded track ensure an efficient, comfortable ride. Oyster Cards are valid on Overground services. See www.tfl.gov.uk/overground for more. Oyster Cards are also valid on the remainder of London's surface rail network -- encompassing a vast web of commuter and local services. For specific journey information, contact National Rail Enquiries (tel. 08457/48-49-50, or 020/7278-5240; www.nationalrail.co.uk).

Travelcards -- These discounted travel tickets offer unlimited use of buses, Underground, DLR, and regular rail services in Greater London for any period ranging from a day to a year. The fare cap on pay-as-you-go Oyster Cards has in many ways obviated the need to buy a short-period Travelcard, but they remain available from Underground ticket offices, Travel Information Centres, and some newsstands.

For the 1-Day Off-Peak Travelcard, valid for travel anywhere within zones 1 and 2 after 9:30am, the cost is £6.60 for adults or £3 for children aged 5 to 15. One-Week Travelcards cost adults £27.60 for travel in zones 1 and 2. For more Travelcard prices, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets.

By Car

We suggest you confine your driving in London to the bare minimum, which means arriving and parking, at the very most. Before arrival in London, call your hotel and enquire if it has a garage (and what the charges are), or ask staff to give you the name and contact details of a secure garage nearby. Expect parking charges to be expensive, perhaps as much as £30 for 24 hours in a West End garage. Be warned, also, that the entire city center is covered by a CCTV-monitored Congestion Charging Zone. All vehicles that enter this "C-Charge" zone -- all of central London, in effect -- between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday must pay £10 per day. Pay online or by phone (tel. 0845/900-1234) up to 90 days in advance, and by midnight on the day after you entered the Zone at the latest. Failure to do so will result in an automatic fine. Disabled Blue Badge holders and drivers of electric vehicles qualify for a 100% C-Charge discount, but you need to register your vehicle in advance. There's usually a C-Charge moratorium between Christmas and New Year. For everything related to C-Charging, including a downloadable map, consult www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging.

London's roads are also among the most camera-dense on the planet, and you can expect to be photographed and fined if you err into a marked bus lane, park in the wrong place, park in the right place but at the wrong time, park in the right place but on a matchday at a nearby sports stadium, stop on a double-red line anytime, stop on a single red line outside designated times, turn right or left when you're not supposed to, run a red light, or come to a standstill in a marked yellow "box junction" -- even if none of the above were done on purpose. And don't think you'll avoid a fine if you're driving a rental car: the rental agency will pay up and bill your credit card automatically, perhaps with an "administration fee" as well.

On top of all that, the city's roads are haphazardly laid out and plagued by road works, one-way systems are baffling and undergoing apparently constant redesign, and car-rental rates are high. Visitors from outside the E.U. might be shocked at the price of Britain's heavily-taxed gasoline, or "petrol." At the time of writing, it costs around £1.35 a liter (1 U.S. gallon = 3.785 liters) -- and that price is on an upward trajectory.

CarRentals.co.uk is a handy price comparison site for London car hire, and the city has offices of all the main international competitors, including Alamo (www.alamo.co.uk), Avis (www.avis.co.uk), and Hertz (www.hertz.co.uk). Be sure to check whether your rental vehicle takes unleaded or diesel before refueling. Watch out for constantly changing speed limits -- enforced, of course, by cameras. The limit for traveling in a built-up area is 30mph (and some are marked only 20mph), but on an urban clearway that can shift up to 40 or 50mph, and then back again. So for all those reasons, we suggest you don't drive in London, unless it's totally unavoidable.

By Taxi

London black cabs are among the most comfortable and best-designed in the world. All drivers must pass a rigorous series of tests known as "the Knowledge," and cabbies generally know every London street within 6 miles of Charing Cross. You can pick up a taxi either by heading for a cab rank -- stations, marquee West End hotels and department stores, and major attractions all have them -- or by hailing one in the street. The taxi is available if the yellow taxi sign on its roof is lit.

Black taxi meters start at £2.20, with increments of £2 or more per mile thereafter, based on distance and elapsed time. Surcharges are imposed after 8pm and on weekends and public holidays. Expect a mile-long journey to average around £6 to £8, a 2-mile journey around £8 to £12, and so on. There's no need to tip, although you may like to round the fare upward if you receive friendly service. To book a black cab, phone One-Number Taxi on tel. 0871/871-8710. There's a £2 booking fee.

Minicabs are also plentiful, and are useful when regular taxis are scarce, as is often the case in the suburbs or late at night. These cabs are usually meterless, so do discuss the fare in advance. Unlike black cabs, minicabs are forbidden by law to cruise for business. Twitter users can employ the services of the excellent Tweetalondoncab (www.tweetalondoncab.co.uk). Follow @tweetalondoncab, send a Direct Message with your location, phone number, and time the taxi is required, and they'll confirm and send a licensed taxi. Rates are competitive. If you text CAB to tel. 60835, TfL's Cabwise service will text you back with the telephone number of the nearest two licensed minicab offices.

If you have a complaint about your taxi service, contact the TfL Taxi and Private Hire Office, 4th Floor, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Rd., SE1 8NJ, or call tel. 0845/300-7000. If it's a complaint about a black taxi, you must have the cab number, which is displayed in the passenger compartment.

By Boat

Once London's watery highway, these days the River Thames is more suited to a sightseeing trip than an A-to-B journey. However, it is used by some Docklands commuters, and that commuter service is as fun a way as any to get to the maritime sights of Greenwich. Thames Clippers (www.thamesclippers.com) runs a year-round fleet of catamarans between the London Eye Pier and North Greenwich Pier, stopping at Embankment Pier, Bankside Pier, Tower Millennium Pier, Canary Wharf Pier, and Greenwich Pier, among others. Services run every 20 to 30 minutes for most of the day; journey time from Embankment to Greenwich is 35 minutes. An adult single costs £5.50, £5 with an Oyster Card, £3.70 if you hold a valid Travelcard, and £2.80 for children aged 5 to 15. A River Roamer, allowing unlimited travel on Thames Clippers after 10am through the day -- or all-day at weekends -- costs £12.60, £8.40 for Travelcard holders, and £6.30 for children. A Family River Roamer costs £26.50. Buy online, on board, or at any of the piers. There's also a separate Tate-to-Tate service that connects Tate Modern, in Bankside, with Tate Britain, in Pimlico. Tickets cost £5, and boats depart each end at least hourly, all day between 10am and 5pm. The Thames Clippers iPhone app makes comprehensive timetables available offline.

Narrowboat trips on London's canals, especially Regent's Canal, are also a good way of seeing the city. Bus no. 6 takes you to Little Venice, where you can board several tour boats. One of the best is Jason, which takes you on a 90-minute round-trip ride past London Zoo to Camden Lock. The season runs April to October, with daily trips at 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm. The round-trip fare is £9 for adults, £8 for seniors and children 14 and under, free for children 4 and under. One-way fares are £8 for adults, £7 for seniors and children 14 and under. Contact Jason's, Jason's Wharf, Westbourne Terrace Road Bridge opposite 60 Blomfield Rd., Little Venice, W9 (tel. 020/7286-3428; www.jasons.co.uk; Tube: Warwick Ave.).

By Bicycle

The Barclays Cycle Hire scheme (www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire) was launched with great fanfare in 2010. Anyone can rent a so-called "Boris Bike" -- jocularly named after incumbent mayor, Boris Johnson -- from any of the hundreds of docking stations dotted around the center from Whitechapel to Olympia, and Hoxton to the Oval. Stations are scheduled to spread further east during early 2012. There's no need to return the bike to the same docking station you collected it from, making the scheme ideal for short-range tourism. Charges are made up of a fixed access fee -- £1 per day or £5 per week -- and a usage fee -- it's free to rent a bike for 30 minutes, £1 for an hour, £6 for 2 hours, £15 for 3 hours. Buy access with a credit or debit card at the docking station or join online. Regular visitors to the city should consider annual scheme membership, which provides you with a quick-access key (£3), and allows you to manage a running account balance online. The bikes are suited to anyone aged 14 or over.

For longer-term rental and better equipment, try On Your Bike, 52-54 Tooley St. (tel. 020/7378-6669; www.onyourbike.com; Tube: London Bridge), open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Hybrid bikes, with high seats and low-slung handlebars, cost £12 for the first day and £8 for each day thereafter, or £35 per week, and require a deposit on a credit card.

You should always ride London's roads with extreme care. Most importantly, never under-take a large vehicle close to a junction or corner. For more on cycling in London, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/cycling.

On Foot

London comes in two sizes: Greater London, which is huge -- 28 miles north to south, 35 miles east to west -- and central London, which isn't very big at all. Touring on foot is the best and cheapest way to get to know the smaller version. (And was the method used by quintessential Londoner Charles Dickens to get familiarized with his city: He walked everywhere, even as far as Rochester, in Kent.) Do note, however, that London was created piecemeal over many centuries. The city's layout adheres to no comprehensible grid or plan, and it's very easy to get lost. Arm yourself with a copy of London's iconic street atlas, the London A-Z (£6.95), on sale everywhere, or a smartphone with the Google Maps app locked on open -- though be aware that Google Maps is extremely data-hungry.