Tube help!

[User65412]

Hi everyone,
I realise I sound like a complete idiot but I have to get the tube on Sunday and I'm panicking about it. I'm travelling through London on my way home (7 hour journey) from somewhere else - it was my only option. I live very rurally and haven't been on the tube in about 8 years and when I did it was with other people, sightseeing. This time I'll be on my own and just need to not mess it up and miss my train. So it'll be half 8 on Sunday morning and I need to get from London Bridge to Paddington. Questions:
1.) Do I need an oyster card or can I just tap my card?
2.) Do I tap in and out?
3.) I've got an overview of how to do it but I'm worried it won't make sense. Is it really easy? Are there big obvious signs?
4.) Is Paddington tube station the same place as the train station or do I need to walk between?
5.) Anything I need to be careful not to do? Like make sure I'm traveling in the right direction etc?!
Thanks for any help and feel free to hit me up if you need advice on reversing down a country lane with sheep on the road and such 🐑😂

You’re not an idiot you’re planning ahead. You don’t need oyster now, just tap your debit card in and out. At Paddington it’s all so well signposted and very easy so you’ll see the signs seamlessly taking you from the station to the underground. The thought of the trip will be worse than the reality!

It's really really easy, promise.

When you get to paddington train station look out for the tube logo (google it if you aren't sure, it'll say 'underground') follow the signs and then 'go underground' haha. There'll be big escalators.

Do you know which lines to take? Check these, know which to take, when to get off etc.

Walk in the direction of the line you need (it'll be indicated and it's colour coded) and when you arrive, there will be 2 posters, one for each direction. Scan the poster until you spot the station you want to leave at, and follow the arrow until you get to the platform.

You can always ask someone for help. People are generally helpful.

Oh bless you! I grew up rurally so am ok with the sheep reversing situation but now live on the edge of London so can hopefully help.

No, you don’t need an Oyster card you can just tap your own contactless or apple pay on your phone and yes you tap in and out.

It’s honestly pretty simple - there’s a journey finder thing on the tfl website that’s quite handy.

Paddington station and tube are pretty much the same place. When you get off the tube you’ll see signs to way out and Paddington station.

Hope that helps!

Oh and on the escalators please stand on the same side as everyone else! Or walk down the empty side!

If your train ticket is a through one then that will include the tube from LB to P - just feed your ticket through the barrier.

Hi there. Not stupas all. The good news is that this is quite an easy journey. Jubilee to Baker Street and then literally straight across the platform to the bakerloo line to Paddington. Answers below

1.) Do I need an oyster card or can I just tap my card?
You can tap your card in and out

2.) Do I tap in and out?
Yes

3.) I've got an overview of how to do it but I'm worried it won't make sense. Is it really easy? Are there big obvious signs?
Yes and yes. There are also people to ask everywhere.

4.) Is Paddington tube station the same place as the train station or do I need to walk between?
Same place. Come up the escalator from the platform, turn right, then right again to go through barriers. The station is just up the escalator after that.

5.) Anything I need to be careful not to do? Like make sure I'm traveling in the right direction etc?!

Yes re right direction but just look at the list of stops on the platform. These aren't lines that branch off so it really is straight forward.

Good luck

Apologies, Paddington is your final destination. So I put the two stations into Google maps, clicked the train icon. It says:

Get on the Jubilee line (grey) at London Bridge underground station. You need to get off at Baker Street.
When you get off at Baker Street, you need to then get onto the Bakerloo line (brown), and get off at the Paddington underground stop.

Then, when you're on the platform at the Paddington underground station, look up and you'll see up on the wall arrows in each direction, one will say 'railway' or 'train' or something like that, with the national rail logo. Follow the signs, go up the big escalators and keep following signs to train station.

The tapping in and out is simple, you're forced to that direction and the tap is a big yellow circle on the gate, it so no way to mess it up!

Thanks everyone. Good point regarding my ticket - it must include the tube transfer as its outlined on the journey overview. So I can just pop it in the machine?
I love travelling and have ironically used the Rome underground more than the London one! But since covid and having a baby (and I'm pregnant as well) I just get this anxiety out of nowhere about what I used to not think twice about. What's that all about?!
I've got an hour to do it - is that loads of time?

If you can know X line, y-bound, that’s all you need to follow the signs. So Jubilee line westbound, then change at Baker Street to Bakerloo line northbound.

Top tip - look high and ahead, above the heads of people in front of you, and you’ll see the signs without having to stop and look for them. If you do have to stop, find a passing place (aka wider bit) and don’t block the top of an escalator!

It’s definitely plenty of time. Just checked journey planner and the entire journey (including walking from station to tube) is 29 mins. The tube bit itself is just 13 minutes.

1.) Do I need an oyster card or can I just tap my card?- You can just tap your contactless card/phone, obviously if you have an oyster card use that but it's not mandatory and many people just use their bank card

2.) Do I tap in and out?- Yes tap to get through and tap out at the other end, make sure you use the same card :)

3.) I've got an overview of how to do it but I'm worried it won't make sense. Is it really easy? Are there big obvious signs?- There's big signs directing you to the relevant platform and maps of the lines. Paddington is very well signposted

4.) Is Paddington tube station the same place as the train station or do I need to walk between?- Yes, Paddington train station and tube station are the same place. You will come out of the underground into the main train station

5.) Anything I need to be careful not to do? Like make sure I'm traveling in the right direction etc?!

• Don't stand on the left (Stand on the right, walk on the left, people will walk into to you if you're standing on the left)

-Don't be one of those people who gets to the tube barrier THEN decides to get their card out, have it ready before you approach the barrier, even if you need to stand to one side to make sure you have everything -Likewise don't then stop on the other side of the exit gates to put said card away. Step to one side otherwise people will run you down -If you're not 100% sure where to go listen to the announcements, if you go the wrong way just go one stop in the wrong direction, change platforms and go back :) -On the platforms they are usually pretty well signposted if you need to change lines -Download Citymapper, it'll plan your route, tell you of any changes and will also tell you where the tube will stop so you're right by the doors) -Don't panic if you miss a train. If you're going at peak times there will most likely be another train in a few minutes -If travelling via Kings Cross and you need the northern line make sure you get the right branch (For example if you get on say Tottenham Court Road, you'll need to travel north to Euston then change there for the Bank branch to Kings Cross) -TFL have a journey planning tool on their website, put start and end destination and it'll tell you the best route

Finally, don't speak to other people on the tube (Fine if you're super lost and need directions but don't try and strike up a conversation on the tube). It's a golden rule, don't speak on the tube unless you're with your own party

Thanks everyone. You've really reassured me and your advice is great. I'm sure it'll be fine!

Sunday morning will be quiet. London Bridge overground mostly has escalators down to the station so you go through the overground barriers and follow signs to the underground jubilee line. Sometimes the signs take you out and round the base of the shard, sometimes through a covered walkway. Takes about 5 minutes. An hour should be plenty to get to Paddington.

As above but it sounds like your train journey includes your Tube coat so def check before you start tapping your card on the barrier. If in doubt go to a manned barrier at Paddington and ask to be let through.

@ForcingSmiles absolutely love the last bit! I very much want to disappear into the background and appear like I know what I'm doing so won't be sparking up a conversation with anyone!

Can I get mobile data on the underground? Another stupid question!

Depends on your network - Virgin and some others yes, automatically. Others you need to buy a day or week data pass. Not worth it for a quick trip, I think, as you’ll have data as soon as you get out to ground level in Paddington.

I can’t answer any of the practical questions but when you get on the tube do NOT cheerily say hello to everyone and/or make eye contact with people.
They don’t like it

Stand on the right on the escalators, walk on the left 😊

Honestly it's easy as pie, I let my teen daughter work it out on her own and it's very straightforward.

You can say hello to people if you like but naturally they will think you're weird and that will be a lot of hellos. Contrary to a lot of what you read on here, Londoners are a friendly bunch.

Update just to thank you all - I did it and it was absolutely fine! Thanks for all your advice it really helped. My ticket included the underground but wouldn't go through the scanner so I had to show the staff each time but apart from that it was so easy and I feel silly now for thinking it wouldn't be!

Glad to read that it all went OK.

As for the advice re country lanes, perhaps you could make a living for all those who need a large car to face the jungle that is the Kings Road, Chelsea, as most have no clue how to use one!!