Stuff

We have included Fenchurch Street station for two reasons. It is a terminating station in London and you could, possibly, arrive here from Southend (airport) or Tilbury (docks).

It’s a small station. There’s a coffee shop on the left but little else, and just a few platforms. It always looks a bit neglected, like the old Broad Street station before it closed, but we guess it must be busy during the week with commuters.

How to get to central London?

Tube/Docklands Light Railway

None. This railway station famously has no Underground or DLR connections.

It’s not miles to walk to Tower Hill (Circle and District) or Tower Gateway (DLR, if it’s still there). Just come out of the station, turn left and keep walking.

Bus

No bus. Again, walk to nearby the Tower of London for buses heading west.

Taxi

There’s no taxi stand. If you are lucky, you may catch a free cab on one of the local roads. If not, try near to the Tower, or walk up to the actual Fenchurch Street.

If you are coming in on this route, you may find it easier to change at Barking (Overground, District and Hammersmith lines) or Limehouse (DLR).

If you are in the area with spare time, well, it’s a great, historic area to ramble. There are some nice old pubs, genuinely old. There’s the Tower, Tower Bridge, the Monument, St Katharine’s Docks, the river and so much more.

Liverpool Street is to the east of London, by the City of London, a kind of eastern equivalent of Paddington.

If you are using Liverpool Street, you’re coming from East Anglia or Essex, so Norwich, Ipswich, Colchester (Britain’s oldest recorded city). However, as a traveller you have probably come from Stansted or Southend airports, or the towns of Harwich (Netherlands) or Felixstowe (though we think that’s not passengers), both busy ports, or even Tilbury.

It is the terminus of the Stansted Express, and you could also have come direct from Heathrow airport.

Literally right next to St Pancras. There’s an historic old bit and a nice modern bit. And it’s always busy.

If you are arriving here, you have probably come down the east coast, from Edinburgh, Newcastle, York (a big tourist city), Peterborough, Hull, Lincoln, Leeds… it’s a long list.

Underground

It’s exactly the same as St Pancras, with different entrances. There’s an entry just off the left of this picture above between the two mainline stations and going down some steps, and the new section takes you down using more escalators, right at the back on the left (below where the picture was taken). There are also some lengthy passage ways to trek.

(The worst thing about this part of the station is the mob of Harry Potter fans queuing up to stand by a wall).

Taxi

Same as St Pancras. The taxi rank is at the west side of the station.

Bus travel

The same principle as St Pancras.

Buses stop in front of the mainline station, heading east towards Islington, Stoke Newington, and at the east (right) side of the station (heading north). Many buses terminate here.

To head towards central London, you will need to cross the main road and it is tricky.

And the one way system is beyond confusing.