Arriving in London
London is served by six international airports: Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Luton, Southend and Stansted. Gatwick and Heathrow are the largest and most frequently used and connected to central London by rail on the Gatwick Express, which runs to Victoria, or the Heathrow Express, which runs to Paddington. The only airport which is directly connected to the London Underground is Heathrow, which is on the Piccadilly line. London can be reached from other airports by alternative rail routes and coaches. A pre-booked taxi from Gatwick or Heathrow to central London will cost £40-60. You can check the relevant airport website for guidance on travelling into London. Unfortunately LSHTM is not able to provide an airport pick-up service.
Getting around
Oyster cards
We recommend you get an Oyster card as soon as possible when you arrive in London as this is far cheaper than buying cash tickets for the London Underground. London buses do not accept cash, so if you want to travel by bus, an Oyster card is essential. Alternatively, if you have a UK-issued contactless bank card this can be used instead and you will be charged the same as if you used an Oyster card. Students get 30% off London weekly, monthly and annual transport travel cards once registered at the School.
London Underground (‘The Tube’)
The nearest Tube stations to the School are Goodge Street (Northern line), Russell Square (Piccadilly line), Warren Street (Victoria/Northern lines), Euston Square (Circle/ Metropolitan/Hammersmith & City lines) and Tottenham Court Road (Central/Northern lines). You can plan your journey using the Tube map or Citymapper.
Bus
A number of bus routes have stops close to LSHTM, including:
- 24, 29, 73, 390 on Tottenham Court Road
- 59, 68, 91, 168, 188 on Southampton Row/Russell Square
- 1, 8, 19, 38, 55, 98 on Museum Street
You can find your route with the bus map.
Cycling
Cycling is a popular and cheap way of getting around. Around LSHTM there are some good cycle lanes but this is not the case for many parts of London, so you will often find yourself sharing the road with traffic. If you plan to cycle, we recommend you wear high visibility clothing, a helmet, use lights when it’s dark and buy a good lock. There are plenty of bike racks at LSHTM and nearby.
London also has a cycle hire scheme, through which you pick up a bike from a docking station and pay for the time you use the bike. You pay a bike access fee (£2 for 24 hours) and then extra for the time you use the bike, but the first 30 minutes is free of charge. There are docking stations near LSHTM on Malet Street and Alfred Place.
Taxis and minicabs
Travelling by taxi is expensive but may be preferable if you are travelling alone late at night. The traditional London black cabs are the only type of taxi you can hail in the street. If the orange taxi light is illuminated, it means the taxi is available for hire. It is illegal for any other type of taxi to pick you up in the street unless you have pre-booked.
Minicabs can be booked in advance but make sure you use a licensed firm. Transport for London have set up a useful mobile phone service called Cabwise: simply text the word “home” to 60835 and you will instantly receive a text message listing the three nearest licensed minicab firms.
Apps such as Uber, Bolt and Kabbee are very popular in London and, similar to minicabs, can sometimes offer a cheaper fare.