2018 Getting around London

Some things to help you make the most of your stay in London.

Visit London

Getting around London and Maps

London Transport sightseeing overview map and brochure for pdf download

Interested in Theatre? Apart from the Barbican Theatre there are two others not too far away on the south side of the river:

  • The Bridge Theatre, Tower Bridge - opened in October 2017 , 3 Potters Fields Park, London SE1 2SG - Alan Bennett's new play opens 11th July
  • Shakespeare's Globe - 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT - Hamlet is on around the time of the conference

Paying for the underground and buses

The easiest and cheapest way to get about London on the buses or underground is to either get an Oyster card before you arrive in London, or if you have a contactless payment card (or on your phone) you can register to pay with this before you arrive in London.  You can sign up for either of these on the Transport for London webpage - oyster or contactless. 

Walking around

Within a 10 minute walk of the Barbican Centre, heading south on Beech Street (through the tunnel)

  • Charterhouse Square and The Charterhouse
  • St Paul's Cathedral
  • In and around St Bartholomew's Hospital
    • Smithfield Market, Charterhouse Street, West Smithfield
    • Historic lanes such as Cloth Fair, Little Britain
    • St Bartholomew The Great Church, West Smithfield close to Little Britain

Walking to the Conference Dinner at The Tower Hotel?

Stroll past some of London's oldest buildings on your way to the Conference Dinner.  If walking from the Barbican Centre head towards Moorgate underground station, walk down Moorgate to Bank (Bank of England) and on to Monument and a little bit beyond that you can walk along by the Thames past The Tower of London to Tower Bridge and The Tower Hotel (on foot it will take approximately 30 minutes from Barbican to Tower Hotel).

River Bus to the Tower

Or walk to Blackfriars Pier and take the River Bus to Tower Pier on the RB1 route. This journey is within the central area (for the purposes of buying a ticket), services run every 20 minutes approximately until 23.10 departure from Tower Pier travelling west. 

Underground to the Tower Hotel

The closest underground station is Tower Hill (Circle and District Lines), 7 minute walk to The Tower Hotel.  If alighting at Monument and walking along by the river this will take approximately 15 minutes to The Tower Hotel.