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How To Get The Tube From The Dictionary Hostel
We get it… looking at that gigantic tangle of multicoloured lines can be a bit daunting, especially if you’re from somewhere that doesn’t use an underground travel system. There are plenty of ways to get the tube from The Dictionary Hostel but we’ve also listed a few golden rules to help you blend in and look like a right regular London tube traveller! Follow our tips to make sure you’re clued up on the etiquette and ways of the London Underground.
The closest tube stations to The Dictionary Hostel are:
Hoxton – Overground Line – 6 mins walk
Shoreditch High Street – Overground Line – 8 mins walk
Old Street – Northern Line – 9 mins walk
Liverpool Street Station – Metropolitan, Central, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines – 14 mins walk
Bethnal Green – Central Line – 22 mins walk
Whitechapel – District and Hammersmith & City Lines – 26 mins walk
Get a map
First up, you need to know which lines you need get to your destination. Each station will have a tube map leaflet, but these can be a bit fussy and will definitely leave you looking like a tourist! Instead, if you have a smartphone, download the free Citymapper app for iOS and Android.
This handy little app will let you compare all your transport options by travel time and cost, notify you of any line status changes and, best of all, the route planner will tell you exactly which lines you need to take – and even which carriage to get on for maximum efficiency! And if you are heading to meet someone, you can share your ETA. Easy as pie!
Check your ticket
Make sure that you get the right ticket at the station as London is broken up into 9 travel fare zones, with fares based on how many zones you travel within. Thankfully, we are located in zone 1, slap bang in the middle of London (along with all the major tourist attractions). You might venture into zone 2 if you’re heading into East London (Hackney, Whitechapel, Bethnal Green)
You can buy a single journey ticket from the machines at the station, however, if you are going to make more than one journey in a day, you can buy a Day Travelcard (it’s better value). You’ll most likely only need a zone 1-4 Travelcard which costs £12.10 per day and is valid on the bus, Tube, tram, DLR, Overground, TfL Rail and most National Rail services within London.
However, if you’re staying for a bit longer, an even better idea is to get a pay-as-you-go Oyster card. Fares are reduced when using an Oyster and you will only be charged you for the journeys you take up to a daily cap – any journeys after that are free! So, you can get unlimited travel in zone 1 for the day for just £6.50. Bargain! It’s also valid on all the forms of transport listed above too.
Keep right!
London Underground asks that you always stand on the right when using the escalators so that people in a hurry can walk on the left. Walking on the left is sort of a general rule of thumb when going to the station anyway. Some stations now ask that you ‘stand on both sides’ during peak hours as part of a trial to reduce the bottleneck of people waiting to get on and stand on the right.
Good manners
If there is one thing that most British people can’t stand, it’s bad manners, even more so when you’re crammed onto a train hurtling around underneath the ground. Some Londoners are still very much guilty of the following faux pas, but make sure to stick to these rules so you don’t offend anyone just trying to go about their day.
- Don’t eat smelly food – we’ve seen (and unfortunately smelled) someone eating their pickled mackerel salad on the tube before and it was just THE WORST, so please don’t eat stinky foods in the carriage. This goes for fast food too as it mostly just makes everyone want to drop their diets and leg it to the nearest fast food joint. Of course, having a sneaky snack is totally fine as long as it’s not messy or smelly!
- Don’t sit down and immediately spread your legs – This act has been coined as ‘manspreading’, though we’ve seen the ladies get in on the action too! It restricts the legroom of the people that are sitting next to you and is just kind of uncomfortable for everyone.
- Priority seats – This is obvious. If you see anyone who’s less abled than you, then offer them your seat! This goes for the disabled, pregnant and elderly. The priority seats are close to the doors meaning passengers don’t have to scramble as much to exit the carriage at their stop. Usually, you’ll only end up standing for a few minutes anyway as you reach your stop or the carriage clears out a bit.
Don’t panic!
If you ever need any further tips or information, then come see one of our staff members and they will help you out as best they can or just drop us a line on Twitter or Facebook!
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