RWC 15: Your guide to getting around London

Ireland’s World Cup pool games are bookended by matches in Cardiff but London will play host to at least two of the Irish games, both of which are being held at venues which most supporters will be unfamiliar with – the Olympic Stadium and Wembley. Progress to the semi-finals and beyond will see Joe Schmidt’s side back in the English capital and the well-trodden route to Twickenham.

For the thousands of supporters who will travel to London, this is a guide to getting to and from the stadiums and the best tips for travelling in one of the world’s great cities.

Transport

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Ireland’s World Cup campaign begins against Canada at the Millenium Stadium. Photograph: Getty

London’s transport system can sometimes be as complex as it is vast encompassing the Underground, Overground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), buses, trams and some mainline train services. The first step for all travellers should be to purchase an Oyster Card, which allows for significantly cheaper travel throughout the capital.

It can be purchased and topped up at stations and selected newsagents. Contactless ATM cards can also be used but Irish visitors may wish to consider this only as a last resort as there are additional foreign exchange fees and not all such cards may work in London.

London’s transport network, which is run by Transport for London, is split into six zones from the centre of the city (Zone 1) to its outskirts, like Twickenham (Zone 5) or Heathrow Airport (Zone 6). The price of a journey using an Oyster Card varies depending on the number of zones a journey passes through although a bus journey will cost £1.50, which is a flat fee.

In addition, there is a maximum daily cap for Oyster Cards, which varies depending on the number of journeys and zones travelled through on any given day. In any event, the daily cap is usually no more than £10.

Underground

The fastest way around Central London is the Underground, or Tube, which is now more than 150 years old. Originally designed by Harry Beck in 1931, copies of the famous Tube map are available for free at all stations and should prove to be invaluable travel companions. The subject of strikes throughout the summer, sections of certain Tube lines (Piccadilly, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Victoria) will run all night on Fridays and Saturdays during the Rugby World Cup and beyond.

Bus

The bus is frequently overlooked by many visitors to the UK capital but it can often be quicker and cheaper than taking the Tube. With apps such as Citymapper and Google Maps (described below), navigating the web of routes that criss-cross the city can actually be the best way to get significantly closer to your ultimate destination. Many bus routes run all night for no more than the standard fare and so are a cheaper and, for the most part, safe alternative to taxis.

Bike

London’s public bicycle scheme can be found at what seems like the end of every street. Day passes can be purchased at each bike station for £2 and the first 30 minutes of every journey is free.

London by ferry

For those people who have yet to book flights or come to possess a ticket in the coming weeks, the SailRail will get you from Dublin Port to London Euston for a flat fee of less than €60 (see www.irishferries.com or www.stenaline.co.uk for more information). But be warned, you may not consider nine hours on a ferry and a multitude of trains to be time well spent.

London’s airports

London Heathrow Central London is easily accessible via the Tube (Piccadilly Line) with a journey time of approximately one hour and a cost of approximately £3.10 off-peak. If you’re in a rush, the Paddington Express leaves the airport every 15 minutes and brings you to Paddington Station in the same amount of time. However, note that speed comes at a cost and a return journey will cost £35.

An alternative insider’s tip is the Heathrow Connect service that travels the same route (via Ealing Broadway) in approximately 40 minutes for just over half the price.

- To the Olympic Stadium: Piccadilly Line to Holborn and change on to the Central Line for Stratford (90-100 minutes).

- To Wembley: there are quicker ways but to those unfamiliar with London, the most straightforward route is to take the Piccadilly Line to Green Park and change on to the Jubilee Line for Wembley Park (75-90 minutes).

- To Twickenham: Piccadilly Line to Hounslow East and change on to the No. 281 bus (or free shuttle bus if available) (approximately 40 minutes).

London Gatwick

Heathrow’s little cousin is home to one of the great ruses of rail travel, the Gatwick Express. Heavily advertised in the adjacent train station, the Gatwick Express to London Victoria is, to say the least, very expensive with a journey time of 30 minutes and simply not worth the money.

The alternative Thameslink rail service will have you in London in 40 to 50 minutes for half the price and serves more stations in Central London (Blackfriars, Farringdon, St Pancras or London Bridge). Less frequent rail services operated by Southern also connect Gatwick Airport with Victoria Station for a lot less than the Gatwick Express.

- To the Olympic Stadium: Thameslink to St Pancras and change onto the Southeastern mainline service to Stratford (80 minutes plus walking time).

- To Wembley: Thameslink to Farringdon and change on to the Metropolitan Line to Wembley Park (100-110 minutes).

- To Twickenham: Southern mainline service to Clapham Junction and change on to South West Trains mainline service to Twickenham (60 minutes journey time but leave plenty of extra time as trains are not as frequent as the Tube).

London Stansted

Much like the Gatwick Express, the direct rail link to Stansted Airport from London Liverpool Street Station, the Stansted Express, costs a small fortune at £32 for a return journey and should be avoided if possible.

The journey takes approximately 50 minutes and services leave every 15 minutes during the day. There are a number of alternative bus services that compete with the train and come out on top.

For example, Terravision or National Express services (more information available at terravision.eu or nationalexpress.com) leave from London Liverpool Street Station or London Victoria Station every hour or so and cost approximately £9-£12 for the 60 to 90 minute journey to the Essex airport.

- To the Olympic Stadium: Terravision bus service to Stratford (50 minutes plus walking time).

- To Wembley: Bus or train to Liverpool Street and change onto the Metropolitan Line to Wembley Park (approximately 120 minutes).

- To Twickenham: A long journey by bus to Victoria Station, followed by Southern mainline service to Clapham Junction and change onto the South West Trains mainline service to Twickenham (at least 150 minutes).

London City Airport

For those with tickets to the Italy match, this airport is very close to the Olympic Stadium and no more than a 20-minute journey to Stratford, the closest station, on the driverless DLR. If you’re travelling into Central London, take the DLR to Bank station in 25 minutes, which is served by a multitude of different Underground lines.

- To the Olympic Stadium: Short and direct commute on the DLR (20 minutes plus walking time).

- To Wembley: DLR to Canning Town and change onto the Jubilee Line to Wembley Park (70-80 minutes).

- To Twickenham: DLR to Canning Town, change onto the Jubilee Line to Waterloo and then take the South West Trains mainline service to Twickenham (90-100 minutes).

The grounds:

The Olympic Stadium

On account of its location in the middle of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this stadium must surely be the best connected arena in England.

Situated seven miles from London city centre, the nearest station is Stratford, which is served by the Central and Jubilee Lines on the Underground network along with the Overground, DLR, mainline rail services and buses. Stratford station sits in the shadow of Westfield (think Dundrum Town Centre on steroids) but might not be best neighbourhood to base yourself for your World Cup adventure. Expect to do a fair amount of walking from the station to the stadium (at least 20 minutes).

From Central London: Jubilee or Central lines to Stratford (35-45 minutes).

Wembley

The home of soccer has allowed rugby in as an occasional lodger in recent years and this will continue when Ireland play Romania in their pool game. When travelling to Wembley, bear in mind that the Metropolitan Line is effectively an express service for a lot of the journey so this will save time.

From Central London: Well-connected by the Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines (30-40 minutes).

Twickenham

A well-beaten path exists between Central London and Twickenham with favoured watering holes between Twickenham Station and the stadium. While the temptation may be to take the Underground to Richmond (District Line) or Hounslow (Piccadilly Line) and take a bus thereafter, the best route is the direct mainline train service from Waterloo, which you can pay for with your Oyster Card.

From Central London: South West Trains mainline service from Waterloo to Twickenham (approximately 45 minutes).

Millenium Stadium (From London)

There are two public transport options to get to the Welsh capital – the bus and the train. Although it is significantly cheaper than the train, many of the scheduled bus services from Victoria Bus Station in London may already be booked out so you should check out the latest availability as soon as possible on nationalexpress.com. Trains leave from Paddington Station and are operated by First Great Western.

Train timetables can be accessed on nationalrail.co.uk where tickets can also be bought but check first to see if there are any online deals available from thetrainline.com.