ORIENTATION TO LONDON - London 2015 - page 27

ful offline.) The handy Citymapper London covers every mode of public transit in
the city. City Maps 2Go lets you download searchable offline maps; their London
version is quite good. Time Out London ' s free app has reviews and listings for theat-
er, museums, movies, and more (download the “Things to Do” version, which is up-
dated weekly, rather than the boilerplate “Travel Guide” version).
Travel Bookstores: Located between Covent Garden and Leicester Square, the very good
Stanfords Travel Bookstore stocks current editions of many of my books (Mon-Fri
9:00-20:00, Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, 12-14 Long Acre, second entrance on
Floral Street, Tube: Leicester Square, tel. [phone], www.stanfords.co.uk ) .
Two impressive Waterstones bookstores have the biggest collection of travel
guides in town: on Piccadilly (Mon-Sat 9:00-22:00, Sun 11:30-18:00, Costa Café,
great views from top-floor bar—see sidebar on here , 203 Piccadilly, tel.
0843-290-8549) and on Trafalgar Square (Mon-Sat 9:30-21:00, Sun 12:00-18:00,
Costa Café on second floor, tel. [phone]).
Baggage Storage: Train stations have replaced lockers with more secure left-luggage
counters. Each bag must go through a scanner (just like at the airport). Expect long
waits in the morning to check in (up to 45 minutes) and in the afternoon to pick up
(each item- £ 10.00/24 hours, most stations daily 7:00-23:00). You can also store bags
at the airports (similar rates and hours, www.left-baggage.co.uk ) .
Updates to this Topic: Check www.ricksteves.com/update for updates to this topic.
GETTING AROUND LONDON
To travel smart in a city this size, you must get comfortable with public transportation.
London's excellent taxis, buses, and subway (Tube) system make a car unnecessary (see
here for details on driving in London—and why it's a bad idea).
The helpful Welcome to London brochure, produced by the mayor's office and Trans-
port for London (TFL), includes both a Tube map and a handy schematic map of the
best bus routes (available free at TFL offices—such as the one in Victoria Station, the
City of London TI, and at museums and hotels all over town). For specific directions on
how to get from point A to point B on London's transit, call TFL's automated info line at
0843-222-1234.
Public-Transit Tickets and Passes
London has the most expensive public transit in the world—save money on your Tube
rides using a multiride pass. You have two good options: Get a Travelcard for unlimited