London by a Londoner

London is a large city, with many things of interest to see and do, many hotels and a huge number of restaurants. The Conference hotels within walking distance to the ExCeL can be found here. However, the system of public transport makes it possible to stay in a hotel in a different location and to enjoy other parts of London and the surrounding area.

The ExCeL Centre is in a part of London which, until about 1970, was the main port for London and the history is interesting. Consequently, there is comparatively little of interest to the visitor close to the Conference Centre itself. A focus of the dockland redevelopment is not far away at Canary Wharf, which is effectively a new town dominated by the finance industries – with these are many hotels and restaurants.

Two key things make the city accessible to the visitor using the public transport system. One is the very good diagram of the system (a distorted map, where the distances get shrunk away from the centre). The other key thing is a simple method of payment. You do not need to buy a ticket, but simply present a contactless credit card (or enabled phone or other device) before going in through the barriers and again on leaving.¹ The system calculates the lowest applicable fare and that is the charge one receives. Good routes between places, and estimate for journey time, can be found using the Transport for London website.

A word of explanation about the train system in central London. The basic system is referred to as the Underground, colloquially referred to as “the Tube.” (Examples of Underground lines are the Bakerloo Line, the Jubilee Line and the District Line). Particularly to the east of London, and around the ExCeL centre, is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), distinguished by driverless trains. Going East- West under London is the new Elizabeth Line. Around London, mostly the outer parts, is the Overground, but few people going to Turbo Expo are likely to use this. The system of payment by credit card works for all the lines and one can change from one to the other without additional presentation of the card. There are also many suburban rail lines, sometimes referred to as “National Rail”, but, with one exception, called Thameslink, visitors are unlikely to use these. Links to the maps of the Underground, the DLR and the Elizabeth Line are attached below.

¹ It is important to present the card on exit or you will be charged the maximum possible fare. On buses one only presents the card on boarding. The payment system can get complicated with non-UK credit cards or payment using phones or other devices. My advice is to try your credit card or device on arrival. Only if there is a problem, would it be worth obtaining an Oyster card at a station and putting money on it.

The Conference hotels within walking distance to the ExCeL can be found here. However, the good transport means that one can choose a hotel in a part of London well away from the ExCeL centre. In choosing a hotel, you should look at the location and compare it with the London Transport map to ensure an easy journey to and from the Conference Centre. You should also view the location of the hotel on a street map to ensure it is only a short walk from a station. Some examples of areas to consider for a hotel:

Tower Gateway would be a simple 18-minute ride on the DLR from Custom House station (the station for the ExCeL Centre). Near Tower Gateway are several hotels. The area is dominated by the Tower of London and by Tower Bridge (the bridge which opens); walk across the Bridge and one is in an area with more hotels and many restaurants.

A couple of stops on the DLR from Custom House would take you to Canning Town, where there is a simple change to the Jubilee Line. This would give you fast travel to Central London (e.g. London Bridge in 10 minutes and Green Park in 16 minutes from Canning Town). Central London has, of course, many hotels and restaurants.

Using the Elizabeth Line from Custom House gives rapid transport to Central London. For example, Tottenham Court Road takes 16 minutes from Custom House and from Tottenham Court Road one can walk to the British Museum in seven minutes.

Canary Wharf offers many hotels and restaurants. Using the Elizabeth Line from Custom House the travel time is around 5 minutes.

Travel from the Airport

From Heathrow Airport, where most people will arrive, the best route now is to take the Elizabeth Line into London. This goes through (under) the centre of London with stops which intersect with most Underground lines. The Elizabeth Line even goes directly to Custom House station for ExCeL. (It is generally best to avoid the “Heathrow Express” from Heathrow because it terminates at Paddington, which is not much use unless that happens to be your destination.)

Gatwick Airport is a major airport south of London with fast rail connections to London. If one's destination is around Victoria Station, take the "Gatwick Express"; otherwise, it is better to take the Thameslink service which goes North-South under London and provides connections to most Underground lines. To get to ExCeL from Gatwick, take the Thameslink to Farringdon and change to the Elizabeth Line (in the direction of Abbey Wood). One would need a regular paper ticket (from a machine) to go from Gatwick to Farringdon, but from Farringdon or any other station, one could just tap in with a credit card.

Stansted Airport is a busy airport to the north-east, particularly for low-cost airlines. The best route into London is using the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street Station, from where there are several Underground lines and the Elizabeth Line. You need to buy a ticket at Stansted for the Stansted Express.

Luton airport is north of London. You take a bus to Luton Parkway and then a southbound Thameslink train to London. Again, you need a paper ticket. Thameslink gives connections to most Underground lines.

City Airport is a tiny airport very close to the ExCeL centre. For travel into central London, take the DLR to Canning Town and change to the Jubilee Line. For ExCeL from City airport, again go to Canning Town, but there take another DLR heading towards Beckton and Alight at Custom House.

Things to see near the ExCeL Centre

Most things to attract visitors are well to the West of the location of Turbo Expo at the ExCeL Center. There are a few exceptions.

London Cable Car: One stop on the DLR from ExCeL, Royal Victoria, is the London Cable Car. This gives an exciting view of the whole river and dock area as one crosses above it. It takes you to Greenwich North, where the O2 venue is located, a large building created out of flexible material. From Greenwich North, one can take the Jubilee Line to central London.

Canary Wharf: This is a new centre built on what was, until recently, docks. There is a very good museum here explaining how the UK went from a small and poor island to a World power through trade, including the deplorable slave trade. There are hotels, bars and lots of places to eat.

Greenwich: The village of Greenwich² is one of the great places to visit in the UK and is quite close to the ExCeL Centre. It is most easily and conveniently reached using the DLR. Greenwich has lots of pubs and other places to eat.

² Greenwich is pronounced here as Grenich; Gren as in fen and ich as in ditch.

There is more than enough for a full day visit in Greenwich, but some key things are:

Greenwich has one of the most beautiful parks in England.
The original Greenwich observatory, straddling the 0° longitude line. In here is the most remarkable collection showing the development of marine chronometers by Harrison.
The Queen's House, which is the first "modern" palace in England, was completed in 1630. Apart from the building and the views from it, there is a fine collection of paintings.
The National Maritime Museum, great for those interested in the sea and ships
The Royal Naval College, built as the Royal Naval Hospital (retirement home) for sailors, was commissioned in 1694. Fine buildings and an amazing dining hall with painted walls and ceiling.
The Cutty Sark, a nineteenth century clipper ship, which one can go on and explore.
A tunnel under the Thames allowing one to walk to the northern side.
From Greenwich, one can take a fast boat up-river to central London for fine views.

The Science Museum

This is a bit further afield in South Kensington but is mentioned here since The Science Museum should be of particular interest to most visitors to Turbo Expo. From the ExCeL Centre, take the DLR to Canning Town, then the Jubilee Line to Westminster, and then the District Line to South Kensington; about 30 minutes total travelling. There is an unrivalled display of early steam engines and a good display of early jet engines (not just British ones).

Some Places Which Are Easy to Visit Outside London

All these suggestions are within about one hour by train from London. I have put the most suitable railway station in brackets after the name.

Cambridge (King's Cross station)
Oxford (Paddington station)
Windsor, for the town and castle (Paddington station)
Brighton, an interesting and historic seaside town (Victoria or London Bridge station)
Chatham Dockyard, for those interested in the wood-and-sail navy (Victoria station)
Bletchley Park, for those interested in code breaking in WW2 (Euston station)
Duxford Air museum (King's Cross station, train to Cambridge and then a taxi)
Stonehenge – a prehistoric site of great interest. This is a bit further off, but a train from Waterloo to Salisbury (about 90 minutes) and then a bus will get you there. Or there are bus trips organised from central London.

It is impossible to do more than give a superficial guide to London, but I hope this will make it easier to learn to get about and enjoy it. We walk about in Central London without anxiety about assault, though we don’t invite trouble, and one is more comfortable in places where there are many other people. To get the most out of London, and to make most use of the public transport system, one needs to be prepared to walk; public transport and walking are complementary ways of getting about.

If you need a taxi, you can hail them in the street. Taxis that are available for hire will display an orange light on their roof. The drivers are highly knowledgeable, but taxi rides are relatively expensive. Uber also works well in London.

I hope that you enjoy your visit.

Nick Cumpsty

Fellow of ASME,
Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ