From Euston station to London's Top Tourist Destinations

London's most iconic tourist attractions are scattered across the city's central area, the museum district in South Kensington in the west is around three miles/four kilometers away from the Tower Of London in the east.

The original Euston was the first long-distance railway station in London and the current station occupies the same location, on the northern edge on the heart of the city.
So it's entirely random that there aren't any of these popular attractions in the Euston area, therefore you will be taking public transport on to an ultimate destination, when arriving at Euston by train.

Hence using my insights from being a Londoner, who frequently has to plan trips around the city centre for someone who prefers to avoid using stairs, to come up with this guide to accessing London’s most popular tourist attractions from Euston.
The focus is on what’s easiest, so where relevant alternative step-free routes have been included; though comparatively few Underground stations in central London have step-free access by lift (elevator) between the trains and the streets.

Accessing the Northern and Victoria lines

The main access down to the Underground station ticket hall is by escalator, but there are also lifts/elevators down to this level.
You'll find them on the right on the main concourse, by the entrance to the mainline ticket office, there also lifts down from the Underground's ticket hall to the trains.

Whether you will be taking the Northern or Victoria Line, there is only one set of escalators which leads down to the trains from the ticket hall in the Underground station.
However at the foot of this escalator, you need to take different routes to the THREE parts of the station that the trains to central London leave from; and they are:

• The Northern Line via Charing Cross - platform (track) 2
• The Northern Line via Bank - platform (track) 6
• The Victoria Line
  So you need to pay particular attention to the signs when you the step off of the escalator which leads down from the ticket hall.
  From this space at the foot of this escalator, go left for the Northern Line which goes to Charing Cross and Waterloo, but go right and then turn left for both the southbound Northern line to London Bridge and the southbound Victoria line to Victoria.

Accessing the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines

Euston Square underground station is is a 3 - 5 min walk away from the main station and the route isn’t particularly obvious.

When you’re on the main concourse use the exit doors on the right hand side of the concourse, those that are over the by the ticket office.
On the other side of the doors you will see a roofed step-free path, which leads down towards the car drop-off area, which will then be over to the right.

The fenced in path through the construction area will bend around to the right and lead to a road junction/intersection.

If you won't mind using stairs to access the trains which use Euston Square station, go straight ahead and walk along the north side of Euston Road

Entering Euston Square station from the north side of Euston Road

The entrance to Euston Square station, will be on the left, before you reach the next road junction.
Though look out for it, as it’s a contender for London’s most anonymous Underground station entrance.

As can be seen above, you will have reached Euston Square when you can see an underground sign on a pole above a staircase, which leads down from the street.
The staircase will take you down to a ticket hall which provides access to both the trains heading east or west.

Though the only access to the eastbound platform at Euston Square is by another staircase within the station

Entering Euston Square station from the south side of Euston Road

Euston Square has its main entrance on the south side of Euston Road and it offers step-free access to westbound trains, so making use of it makes the going easier, if you will be travelling with heavy luggage etc
To reach it, when you get to the road junction at the end of the footpath, you will need to cross Euston Road and walk by the grand building, which houses The Wellecome Collection museum.

You will need to turn the corner into Gower Street to access the glass box, which houses stairs and a lift / elevator down to the lobby level, which gives access to both the eastbound and westbound trains.
So if you will be heading east, you can eliminate the need to take one of the two staircases, which provide the access between street level and eastbound trains.
However, if you will be going west, you can take another lift / elevator down to the westbound platform

The easiest public transport option for travelling to The British Museum from Euston is to take bus route 68.
It leaves from stop E in the bus station in front of the railway station and goes to a stop named Southampton Row/Theobalds Road.

The Natural History Museum and The Science Museum and The Victoria and Albert Museum are all located on the aptly named Exhibition Road in South Kensington.
These museums are a five minute walk north of South Kensington underground station, through a subway which leads off from the ticket hall.

Taking the southbound Victoria line from Euston and connecting there for the westbound District Line to South Kensington seems the logical route, but it’s best avoided due to near permanent overcrowding.
The usually less stressful option is take a southbound Northern Line train on the Charing + branch to Embankment station and then transfer there to any westbound Circle or District line train, as they will all call at South Kensington.

Trafalgar Square is the location of The National Gallery and the separate National Portrait Gallery, plus Horse Guard’s Parade and The Churchill War Rooms, which is just off The Mall, are within a few minutes walk.

Take the southbound Northern line from Euston to Charing Cross station for The Mall and Horse Guard’s Parade, but if you’re heading to the galleries, leave the train at Leicester Square station instead for the short walk down Charing Cross Road.

A clutch of tourist destinations are located on the south bank of the River Thames between Waterloo and Westminster Bridges.
They include The London Eye and The Sea Life London Aquarium and The London Dungeon and The South Bank Centre arts complex including The Hayward Gallery and The Festival Hall.

Waterloo Underground station is within a five minute walk of all these attractions, though the station has multiple exits, so take your time and use the maps and signs, so that you use the exit with the easiest access to where you will be heading.

The fastest option for a Euston to Waterloo transfer is to take a southbound Northern line train via Charing Cross, but if time is on your side, bus routes 59 and 68 go from stop E in the bus station.

Head over to Euston Square station and board an eastbound Circle line train to Tower Hill station, as it is a few minutes walk from the main entrance into the Tower Of London.
Though this route from Euston to The Tower does have some compromises; these trains can only be accessed by staircases in Euston Square and the Circle line trains aren't particularly frequent.
The alternative is to take a southbound Northern line train on the Charing + branch to Embankment and transfer there to an eastbound Circle or District line train to Tower Hill.

A clutch of tourist destinations are located in the London Bridge area including Borough Market (best experienced on a weekend), The Shard and HMS Belfast the south side access to Tower Bridge, plus the attractions in the adjacent Bermondsey Street area such as the Fashion and Textile Museum and The White Cube Gallery, plus on weekends, The Ropewalk.

To access the London Bridge area from Euston taking a southbound Northern line train on the route via Bank is the only logical way to go.
Its a six station journey to London Bridge, but it will typically take less than 15 minutes.
For Borough Market use the exits on to Borough High Street.
For HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge use the exits on to Tooley Street which is where the station's main ticket hall is located.
For The Shard and Bermondsey Street head to the Tooley Street ticket hall, but exit through the right into the passage way under the railway named Joiner Street, which also gives access to the mainline station. At the other end of Joiner Street go to the left.

Madame Tussauds is adjacent to Baker Street Underground station, it is on the next block, but taking the bus is the easiest means of reaching The Zoo.
The only bus route which stops right by London Zoo’s entrance is the 274
and at Baker Street it departs from bus stop C, take the bus heading to Angel, Islington.

To head to Baker Street from Euston station, head over to Euston Square station and board any westbound train,
Though an alternative option for accessing London Zoo from Euston is to take a northbound Northern line train to Camden Town as The Zoo is a 15 – 25 min walk from there.
Head off down the road named Parkway and then turn right on to Prince Albert Road.
Though Camden Town station can be exceptionally busy on Sundays.

When heading to Westminster Abbey and the area around the Houses of Parliament from Euston, making the transfer at Green Park between the southbound Victoria and Jubilee lines seems the way to go.
Though the Victoria line's near permanent crowds result in the typically easier option being to take a southbound Northern line train to Embankment station on the Charing + branch instead.
Then from Embankment it’s a 10 minute walk along the river to Westminster, which also saves the bother of connecting to the District line.

The Covent Garden area, which is where the London Transport Museum is located is most easily accessed from Euston by taking a southbound Northern line train on the Charing + branch to Leicester Square station.
Take the exit from the station on to Cranbourn Street, turn right into Garrick Street and then left into King Street.

The entrance for the viewing of The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace is approximately an equal distance from Green Park and Victoria stations, so from Euston take a southbound Victoria line train to Green Park.

Unusually for a central London underground station, step-free access by a series of lifts (elevators) between train and street is available at Green Park; and Euston underground station is also fully accessible.

The historic center of maritime Greenwich is served by two stations:

1. Greenwich station is served by mainline regular trains and is a 5 – 10 minute walk to the town centre.
2. Cutty Sark station which is in the heart of the historic area and is served by the DLR, which is a hyper people mover system, on which metro style trains travel on routes mainly above ground through the Docklands business area.
   Though Cutty Sark station is below ground with escalators and a lift (elevator) up to street level.

North Greenwich station on the Jubilee line is in an entirely different location.

Hence there being multiple options available for a journey to Greenwich from Euston station:

(1) Take the southbound Northern line train to Bank and connect there for a DLR train heading to Lewisham, though it’s a long transfer within Bank station.
(2) Take the southbound Northern line train to London Bridge station and connect there for one of the typically six trains per hour to Greenwich station, or,
(3) Make the 7 – 12 minute walk over to St Pancras Thameslink station, as it typically has two trains per hour direct to Greenwich station.

Take the southbound Northern line on the Bank branch to London Bridge and transfer there to an eastbound Jubilee line train to North Greenwich.

The railway used by long-distance trains to Euston passes through Wembley, so if you can take a train to Watford Junction, you can transfer there to an Overground train, which will call at Wembley Central station as this station is a 15-25 walk away to the stadium.

Or if that isn’t an option, the two feasible routes from Euston to Wembley Stadium are:
(1) heading over to Euston Square station to take any northbound Metropolitan train to Wembley Park, or
(2) Taking the Overground to Wembley Central in a northbound direction,

The easiest route from Euston station to the Sky Garden is to take a southbound Northern line train to Bank station, use the exit on to Lombard Street and then keep waking ahead for 7 to 10 minutes.

The most direction option for the journey from Euston station to Somerset House is to take bus route/line 68 from stop E in the bus station in front of the railway station and leave the bus at the Aldwych/Drury Lane stop.

Pimlico station is an 8 to 15 walk from Tate Britain, so take the southbound Victoria line
Then on arrival at Pimlico, head to the gallery's side entrance by crossing over Vauxhall Bridge Road on to John Islip Street and turning right into Atterbury Street,

When accessing most of London's tourist attractions from Euston station, the route involves heading on from Euston to another station and then completing the journey on foot from the nearest station.
But the optimum route for a Euston to Tate Modern transfer flips that because the longer walk comes at the beginning of the journey:

• Head to the left hand side of the station concourse and then access Euston Road, which is the main street in front of the station, it's on the other side of the bus station and a small green area.
• When you reach Euston Road turn to the left and four blocks over you will see the entrance to The British Library on the left.
• Take the next street on the left, which is named Midland Road.
  St Pancras station is on the right-hand side of the street, you'll soon come to the entrance on Midland Road pictured below
  
  where the entrance to The Thameslink station is just inside on the left.
• Head down to platform A and then board into the front of any train, and leave it at Blackfriars station, using its southside exit.
• The main entrance to Tate Modern is then within a 3 minute walk.

On Monday to Saturday there are two optimum routes for travelling from Euston to St Paul's cathedral;
(1) Make the 7 – 12 minute walk St Pancras Thameslink station, as per the directions above when heading to Tate Modern, and then take any southbound train to City Thameslink station, board into the front of the train for easy access to the exit on Ludgate Hill.
The advantage of the route is that the walk from Ludgate Hill leads up to the front of the cathedral, where its main entrance is located.
Also lifts (elevators) are available to from the trains at both Thameslink stations.
OR
(2) take a southbound Northern line train to Tottenham Court Road on the Charing + branch and transfer there to an eastbound Central line train to St Paul's station.
This is the only option on Sundays as City Thameslink station is only open from Monday to Saturday.

There are two optimal routes for the journey from Euston station to Kensington Palace:

(1) Take a southbound Victoria line train to Oxford Circus and connect for the westbound Central line to Queensway, or
(2) avoid ‘the tube’ by heading to Euston Square station to take a westbound Circle or Hammersmith and City line train to Edgeware Road, connecting there into a Circle or District line train to Bayswater.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are some distance from Euston station, hence the multiple options for making the journey between them by train:
(1) The quickest, but busiest option is to take a southbound Victoria line and then connect at Victoria for a westbound District line train to Kew Gardens station, though take care to board a train which will be heading to Richmond.
(2) Avoid ‘the tube’ by heading to Euston Square station to take a westbound Circle or Hammersmith and City line train to Edgeware Road.
Transfer there to District line train to Wimbledon which will call at Earl's Court, where a simple as can be cross-platform transfer will be available into a train heading to Richmond; check the indicators.

If you're in luck, a cross-platform transfer will also be available at Edgware Road station.
(3) The simplest route is to take one of the Overground local trains, which leave from the main station building, to Willesden Junction.
At that station a transfer is available to another Overground train, on a separate line, to Kew Gardens; take care to board a train to Richmond.
If an Overground train is due to depart from Euston within 5 minutes, it can be the quickest option too.
Oyster Cards can be used on the Overground trains.

All of the ticket gates at central London stations have 'readers' which enable contactless payment.

Regardless of whether you are resident in the UK, or are visiting, there are three methods of using Contactless:

1. A payment app on a mobile device, including your bank's contactless payment app, or the likes of Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Samsung Pay.
2. A debit / credit card as long as it has the contactless symbol
3. An Oyster card (you touch in and out as you do when using Contactless).

Good to know about using Contactless

• The system works by touching in and out.
• When using bank cards, take care to use the same card when touching out at the end of a journey, as you did when touching in at the start.
• You have to pay with Contactless on the regular red buses, you cannot pay with cash.
• When travelling by the Underground or Elizabeth line, you can save 10 - 20p per journey by paying with a banking app / card instead of an Oyster card.
• Making a Contactless payment is cheaper than buying a ticket from a station counter or machine - the price difference is usually at least 50%!

More info is available on the general London by train guide.

National Rail, which has overall responsibility for how the trains are managed in Britain, has teamed up with a swathe of tourist attractions for a promotion which allows two entry tickets for the price of one when travelling to and from them by train.
How it typically works is:

1. You can look for which attractions and guided tours are members of the scheme on the National Rail website.
2. Having chosen an attraction you can then see how to book the special promotional tickets or voucher; when needed you can find promo codes on the dedicated page for each attraction on the National Rail Website.
3. On the online booking page of the attraction you should see an option which corresponds to 'National Rail - Two for One offer'.
4. Book your attraction tickets or voucher.
5. On arrival at the attraction you present your attraction tickets and rail tickets to gain entry.

The offers are available to visitors to the UK as well as residents, so they can be a great way to save money when on a holiday.

Though what's good to know is:

• You need to present either the outward or return part of a national rail ticket to gain entry, along with your attraction tickets; So Oyster Cards and other Contactless payments, or Travelcards can't be used for the rail journey!
• The ticket machines at stations will retain one-way tickets, hence return tickets are a must - and if possible avoid putting your outward tickets through the machine, by asking the staff to open the gates/barriers.
• The two people entering the attraction on the 2-for-1 offer will both need separate rail tickets.
• The type of rail ticket, how much you paid for it and the distance travelled all don't matter, any pair of return rail tickets will suffice.
• If you have one, you can use Railcards to book the rail tickets.
• Rail tickets are available as an alternative to Oyster cards when travelling between any two National Rail stations in the Greater London area; a National Rail station is any station not solely served by the Underground or DLR, so it includes stations solely served by the Overground or Elizabeth Line trains.
  Therefore you can buy return rail tickets to a central London station, or to a station located by an attraction, from another station in the London area.

However before booking the 2-for-1 offers on the attraction websites, carefully check how much you will be saving by only paying one entrance fee, compared to the costs of booking two rail tickets.
If you look up the journey on the National Rail website you'll get a good idea of the train ticket costs.
It's likely you won't be able to claim a refund on the attraction tickets, if you then decide not to go ahead, because the rail tickets + the 2-for-1 offer won't save you money.
Though it's highly likely you will make a substantial overall saving.

But if you have already booked two return rail tickets and then find an attraction(s) that you want to visit, go ahead and book the 2-for-1 offer, as you'll then be certain of saving money!

Where can you go and what can you see

The full list of tourist attractions participating in the scheme can be found on the National Rail website.

Popular attractions in central London include:

• Westminster Abbey
• St Paul's cathedral
• the London Transport Museum
• The London Eye
• The Tower Of London (certain times of year only)

Attractions in the wider London area, with easy access from local rail stations, include:

• Hampton Court Palace
• The Cutty Sark
• Kew Gardens
• the World Rugby Museum

Attractions which are an easy day trip from London include:

• The Bluebell Railway; very easy connection at East Grinstead station.
• Steam - The Museum of the Great Western Railway
• There's a clutch of attractions in Brighton including:
  the charming Toy and Model Museum and The Royal Pavilion and Sea Life Brighton
• Chessington World Of Adventures which is walkable from Chessington South station, which has trains from London Waterloo.
• Thorpe Park which can be accessed by taking a train from London Waterloo to Staines and then connecting into a bus service.
• Legoland Windsor which can be accessed by taking buses from central Windsor that offer straightforward connections with trains from London Paddington and trains from London Waterloo.
  Though carefully check the full details for the amusement park offers as they exclude certain dates and periods of time, which tend to coincide with school holidays.