I’m a Londoner who always rides the Tube. Here are 10 features of the Underground that would surprise most Americans.

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I’m a Londoner who always rides the Tube. Here are 10 features of the Underground that would surprise most Americans.

While it’s ridiculously busy at rush hour and way too hot in the summer, the Tube is an essential part of life in London.

As a local, I sometimes use the public transit system — formally called the London Underground —more than four or five times on some days, as it’s often the quickest way to get around the city. I can thank the London Tube for saving me from missed flights or arriving late for an interview.

Nonetheless, I can’t count how many times I’ve seen tourists staring at a Tube map, trying to make sense of its seemingly endless tangle of colored lines.

Even as someone who uses the Tube all the time, I have the Citymapper app at the ready when taking an unfamiliar route.

The Tube also has some rules — both official and unwritten — that I would consider necessary for any tourist coming to London. If you have seen what happens when someone stands on the left-hand side of the escalator, you will know what I mean.

Here are 10 surprising things you probably don’t know about the Tube, including some that might be useful to know as a tourist.

1. Most Tube trains have no air conditioning

A commuter holds a portable handheld electric fan during the 2025 heatwave.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Only about 31% of trains on the Tube network have passenger air conditioning, according to Transport for London (TFL). As soon as a heat wave hits, I cannot ride the Tube without carrying blotting paper and a handheld fan.

Some lines are notorious for how hot they get. Having to take the Central Line in the summer will elicit sympathy from any Londoner. The London Standard reported that it reached almost 103 degrees during the recent June heat wave.

With that in mind, you may also be surprised to learn that in 1926, the London Underground was advertised as “cooler below” on a hot day.

2. The seats are covered in fabric

Empty blue patterned bench seats line the interior of a public transit train carriage. — This is the most common moquette on the Tube, known as the Barman moquette.

Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images

Unlike the hard plastic seats in most American public transport, Tube seats are covered in a woolen fabric called moquette.

It’s been used on the Tube since 1920 because it hides wear and tear and dirt, and also because it’s durable.

Admittedly, it does gross me out a bit, even though it gets cleaned. But it’s definitely more comfortable than plastic, at least.

3. The price of your journey depends on how many zones you travel through

London public transport fare poster shows Oyster pay as you go costs, ticket caps, and Travelcard zone prices. — There is also a daily cap on how much you can spend on the Tube.

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While the New York City subway has a flat fare, the cost of a journey on the Tube varies depending on how far you travel.

London’s transport network is split into fare zones, from the most central to the farthest out: Zones 1 to 9. People here often joke that the zone you live in also determines how much of a “true” Londoner you are.

For example, a single journey within Zone 1 will cost you £3 at off-peak hours, and £3.10 at peak hours. However, if you travel from Zone 6 to 1, or vice versa, it will cost you between £4 and £5.90.

4. Traveling at rush hour will usually cost you more

Crowded public transit car seen through a window, with passengers standing, seated, holding rails, and using smartphones. — The Tube during rush hour.

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Rush hour is known as peak time on the Underground and other rail services.

Peak time is Monday to Friday, except public holidays, between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Fares are higher at these times.

In addition to saving a bit of money, I would recommend avoiding these times for travel. Carriages can get crammed, and people can be unforgiving if you’re carrying a large suitcase or walking too slowly.

5. You have to tap both in and out of the Tube

Contactless transit card reader and black ticket barriers stand at a rail station entrance. — Most Tube stations have barriers like these to tap in and out of.

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With all these varying fare prices, you have to tap your card, contactless, Oyster, or physical ticket in and out of the Tube.

Often, there are barriers upon both entry and exit, so you wouldn’t miss this, but sometimes there aren’t. In these stations, you have to look for a yellow card reader to tap out.

If you don’t tap out, you will be charged the maximum fare for that line. I’ve had this happen to me before, but luckily, you can request a refund from TFL if it happens again.

6. Many of the carriages have armrests between passengers

Empty underground train carriage with blue seats, blue poles, route maps, and advertising panels inside. — Armrests are common in Tube carriages.

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If you like your personal space, you might be pleased to know that most Tube carriages have an armrest between seats.

However, despite their name, I see them as more of a separation barrier than an actual armrest. Resting your arms on these is a faux pas (unless you absolutely have to) if there are people sitting on either side of you.

7. More than half of the London Underground is actually above ground

Paddington Underground Station concourse with ticket barriers, wayfinding signs, and face covering notices visible. — Paddington underground station is above ground.

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While you may be expecting to descend deep underground when taking the Tube, this isn’t always the case. Despite its name, most of the London Underground’s stations are above ground. I find this is handy for getting service.

The Waterloo & City and Victoria lines are the only two fully underground tube lines.

8. You should always stand on the right-hand side of the escalator

Commuters ride long escalators through a curved underground transit station tunnel with metallic walls. — Passengers using an escalator at London Bridge Underground station.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

My ultimate word of advice for anyone coming to London is to never stand on the left-hand side of the escalator. The left side is for people walking up or down in a hurry.

It’s an efficient system that has saved me from being late hundreds of times. You will be asked to move aside if you break this rule.

9. You can visit the disused tunnels and abandoned tracks

A disused passageway during a tour at the Piccadilly Circus disused tube station in London. — A disused passageway during a tour at the Piccadilly Circus disused tube station.

Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via Getty Images

If you like all things spooky and historical, I recommend checking out the London Transport Museum, which offers tours of disused Tube stations, passenger corridors, and tunnels.

Some of these spaces have been used as sets for TV shows and films, including Skyfall and Sherlock.

10. There aren’t actually as many 24-hour services in London as you might think

Passengers sit and stand inside a crowded metro train carriage with blue poles and patterned seats. — Passengers sit on the ground on board the Night Tube on the night of its launch in 2016.

Jack Taylor/Getty Images

London is not quite the city that never sleeps. I have rarely taken the Tube past midnight and instead rely on Ubers and night buses to get me home.

Only five Tube lines run 24-hour services: Central, Jubilee, Northern (Charing Cross branch), Piccadilly, and Victoria. The Windrush line, which is part of the London Overground, also has a night service.

The Night Tube is also only open on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sarah Walker 2 hours ago