Please see below travel advice and guidance from the Transport for London for any service personnel, military families, veterans or indeed the public in general wishing to visit London to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen during this mourning period…
We understand that many people want to pay their respects and attend ceremonial and commemorative events. This will lead to busy services and station closures especially around the Westminster area.
We are doing everything we can to keep our city moving and ensure that people can travel safely. We ask for your patience during this time and that you:
- Plan ahead and check your travel – use our travel tools (see below)
- Allow more time for journeys in and around London
- Follow the instructions of TfL staff, event stewards and police
For more information on transport status, see our:
For up to date information on road closures, follow @MetPoliceEvents on Twitter.
For information on commemorative and ceremonial events in London, including the Lying in State at the Palace of Westminster, see the GOV.UK website.
For information on floral tributes, see the Royal Parks website.
Transport accessibility
For information on accessibility on Transport for London services, see our accessibility web pages.
Advice for visitors
If you are planning to travel to London in the near future, you may find our Visiting London pages helpful.
Tube and rail will be the best ways to get around central London, although some stations may be busier than usual, particularly at street level.
Check our status updates to see how Tube and rail services are operating, and plan ahead.
Walking is often the quickest option when London is busy. View our map for walking times between Tube stations.
Travelling in London
Allow more time for journeys in and around London.
- There are major road closures in central London (especially Westminster). Avoid driving in central London if you can
- Due to the road closures, some bus services will be diverted or will stop short of their destination, and some may be running a reduced service. See bus status updates
- Tube and rail trains are running normally. Stations near commemorative and ceremonial events will be busy, particularly at street level. They may be operating differently or close temporarily at short notice on the busiest days. See status updates for Tube and rail
- Walking is often the quickest way to get around London. View our map showing walking times between Tube stations
- Some Santander Cycles docking stations may be closed or suspended temporarily
- If you are cycling, you may be asked to dismount on closed roads as they will be busy with people walking. Follow instructions from Police and stewards. Some cycle routes will be affected, for example C3
- Some coaches may be diverted or use different stops. Check with your coach operator
Tube
Tube, rail and walking will be the best way to get around central London at this time.
- Tube trains will run normally
- Some stations will be busier than usual, and some short-term safety measures such as queuing, closures, non-stopping or changes to the way customers enter or exit a station may be necessary
- Stations expected to be busier include: Westminster, Green Park, Charing Cross, Embankment, Victoria, Waterloo, St James’s Park, Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch
- Wednesday 14 September: St James’s Park will close at 10:00 and re-open later in the day
- If you do not need step-free access, avoid Green Park Tube station if possible. Other Tube stations are a short walk from Buckingham Palace – these include Victoria, Piccadilly Circus and St James’ Park
- For the latest information on how Tube and rail services are running, see status updates
- Always plan ahead and keep checking real-time information during your journey
Elizabeth line
- Central section (Paddington-Abbey Wood) will run on Sunday 18 September
- East and West sections will run as normal
Walking
Parts of London will be very busy. The Westminster area will be exceptionally busy from Wednesday 14 September onwards as ceremonial events take place and Lying in State starts.
If you can, walking is likely to be the quickest option for shorter journeys.
View our map for walking times between Tube stations.
Use our Central London walking map (below) to get around.
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Central London map
Bus
Due to road closures, some routes in central London, particularly in the Westminster area, will be diverted or will stop short of their destination and may be running a reduced service. Some night services will be affected.
For the latest information on how buses are running, see our bus status updates.
Cycling
Avoid the roads that are closed to motor traffic and use alternatives if possible. Central London will be very busy. It may be too crowded to cycle in some areas.
Follow the instructions of stewards and police – you may need to dismount and walk at times.
Check our map of cycle routes in London.
Cycleway 3 is suspended between Duke of Wellington Place and Northumberland Avenue. Follow the signed diversion.
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Cycleways 3 and 8 diversion map
Some Santander Cycle Hire docking stations around Green Park, St James’s Park, Whitehall and Westminster will be closed.
Check before you travel using the live Santander Cycle docking station map.
Download the Santander Cycles app from the App Store or Google Play.
Taxis & private hire
Taxi and private hire services will be affected by the road closures and some taxi ranks will be suspended.
For up to date information on road closures, follow @MetPoliceEvents
Temporary ranks
We have opened temporary 24-hour taxi (black cab) ranks in the following locations.
| Berkeley Square – northwest corner |
| 1 Dover Street – a few minutes’ walk north of Piccadilly |
| Park Lane – at the junction with Curzon Street |
| Park Lane – Grosvenor House Hotel ballroom exit |
| 99 – 113 Regent Street – close to junction with Swallow Street |
| Regent Street – at the junction with Heddon Street |
| Gillingham Street – at the junction with Vauxhall Bridge Road |
| 60 Grosvenor Street |
| Strand – outside Royal Courts of Justice |
| Embankment Place – close to the northern exit of Embankment station and Villiers Street |
| Embankment Place |
Coaches
- Coaches may be diverted or using alternative stops
- Tour buses and coaches may use different routes
- Check with your operator for details and allow plenty of time to travel
More about coach travel and operators.
Driving
Avoid driving in central London if you possibly can. There are road closures in place.
- Allow extra time for your journey and consider an alternative route
- Road closures may be changed or extended during the mourning period.
- For up to date information on road closures, follow @MetPoliceEvents
For the latest information on traffic conditions, see our traffic status updates.
National Rail
National Rail services into London are likely to be busier than usual, especially before and after ceremonial events.
Check the National Rail website for more information.
Many destinations in central London are within walking distance of National Rail stations – consider walking the final part of your journey.
Use our travel tools
Check before you travel and plan ahead using our travel tools. Keep up-to-date with the latest service information. See:
- This web page
- The TfL Go app
- Journey Planner, which can help you plan your route by public transport, cycling or walking
- The latest status updates for buses; roads; Tube, rail and trams
- Nearby, which uses your current location or a postcode or address of your choice and places you on a map, showing you Tube, bus, river, rail and Santander Cycles locations around you
- Our email updates
