Transportation

London has a relatively good transport infrastructure, although Londoners always complain about it!
(Chris Hankin)

Although this remark caused considerable merriment amongst the local organizers, it is fair to say that you should not encounter too many difficulties when moving around London. Please bear in mind that traffic in the centre of London is a mess, and often there is no traffic flow at all. This implies that buses can run late, get overfull as a result of that, and therefore arrive in 'waves'. Patience is the only solution.

Below, we give you some instructions on how to reach the Royal Society, using various means of transport.

Local street map
(Click for detailed map)		 Local Underground map
(Click for complete London tube map)

Transport ticket prices

London is divided in six transport zones, following the onion shape. The first and central zone, where the venue and the hotels are all located, is the most expensive for travelers. Tickets for the underground can be bought at any underground station, from either vending machines (that take all British coins and sometimes notes as well), or the ticket office. Bus tickets can be bought from the driver (in case you get in through the front door), or from the conductor (in case you get in at the back of the bus). Travelcards and bus passes are also on sale from news agents that have the underground sign in their window.

How to reach the Royal Society

On foot From Piccadilly Circus, walk down (Lower) Regent Street until you meet the stairs. Turn right into Carlton House Terrace. You'll find the Royal Society on the left, at number 6. From the Travel Inn, London County Hall, cross Westminster Bridge, walk straight on past Churchill, and turn right on the corner with the park, into Horse Guards Road. Cross The Mall, climb the stairs, and turn left.
By bus The main buses that are of interest to visitors of POPL'01 are lines 9, 12, 14, 38, that all have a stop at (Lower) Regent Street.
  • Lines 14 and 38 run from the north-east, along Theobalds Road, down Shaftsbury Avenue, and could be used by visitors staying in the Bloomsbury area.
  • Line 12 runs from the South Bank, from Elephant and Castle over Westminster Bridge, and is very much suited for visitors who stay at the Travel Inn.
  • Line 9 connects the venue with the Department of Computing at Imperial College. Get off the bus at Albert Hall, walk in the direction the bus was going upto the traffic lights, and turn left to Queen's Gate. The department is down this road on your left, at number 180.
By Tube Travel to Piccadilly Circus station, and take the exit to Regent Street (South).
By Air All major carriers fly to London, but they do not all fly to London's main airport Heathrow (about 15 miles to the West of the centre) or Gatwick (about 30 miles to the South of the centre). Especially the cheaper carriers fly to the smaller, more remote and less well connected airports like Luton, or Stansted.

For travelers from the USA, American Airlines offers a discount. To take advantage of these special discounts please call 1-800-433-1790 or your local travel agency and refer to authorization number A2411UT. Callers will receive 5% off of the lowest fare available. Also, a discount is available from Continental.

For travelers from Europe, it might be worthwhile to check this file, or contact other cheap carriers, who sometimes offer ridiculously low prices.
Heathrow airport The fastest way to reach the centre from Heathrow is by the Piccadilly Line; tickets cost just over £3.- and the journey time is about three quarters of an hour. Travel to Piccadilly Circus station. Alternatively, there are trains going to Paddington Station (15 minutes travel time). From there, you can take Bakerloo Line, going in the direction of `Elephant and Castle', to Piccadilly Circus (about 10 minutes travel time), or take a cab outside the station.
Gatwick airport Take a British Rail train to Victoria station; you can either use the Gatwick Express (tickets are about £10,- for a single fare and the journey time to Victoria station is 30 minutes) or use the normal service, which will cost less and take longer (up to 45 minutes). From Victoria Station you can either
  • walk, taking Buckingham Palace Road, past Buckingham Palace, followed by The Mall, which will bring you to the back of the building; climb the stairs, and turn left. The distance is about 1 kilometer, so it should take about 15 minutes;
  • take a taxi;
  • or take the Victoria Line going in the direction of `Finsbury Park'; change at `Green Park' station for the Piccadilly Line.
Stansted airport Take a British Rail train to Liverpool Street station; you can often buy a ticket for the fast train (travel time 30 minutes) during your flight. Return tickets are about £10,-. From Liverpool Street station you can take the Central Line; change at `Holborn' station for the Piccadilly Line. There is also a bus service from the airport to Central London, that has at least a stop at Victoria Station (cost £7.-). Check their stand at the airport (close to the exit) for information and tickets.
Luton airport Take a British Rail train to King's Cross or St. Pancras stations. The train station at Luton is a short distance from the airport. An airport bus connects the two, and takes 10-15 minutes. You can also get taxis at the airport to take you to the train station. In addition, the 757 bus goes from the airport to central London.
All airports are some distance from central London, travelling by taxi is likely to take longer than travelling by train and a taxi is therefore not recommended for the whole journey. However, if you have to do so, establish the cost before you get in; it can set you back well over £50,-.

By train Eurostar runs a service from Paris and Brussels. Their trains arrive at Waterloo International. From there, (or any other main line station), travel by Underground. From Waterloo International, take the Bakerloo Line to Piccadilly Circus.

You can also travel onward by train to Charing Cross. From there, leave the station, turn left on the main road and walk in the direction of Buckingham Palace, that you can see at the far end behind the arches. Walk through them, and follow the road upto the stairs on your right. Climb the stairs, and turn left.

By car Car parking in the centre of London is severely restricted and you are advised not to bring a car. Parking in the streets is at pay and display or parking meters for limited periods only, and costs about £4.- per hour. The area is heavily controlled by traffic wardens who have the reputation to be swift and relentless.