Back to blog The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world and attracts thousands of visitors to the Capital. The 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon takes place on Sunday 24 April and will have over 35,000 people taking part as well as thousands of spectators. To accommodate the event, roads will be closed and changes will be made to public transport. So let’s look at the best ways to get around London during the London Marathon.

(Not) Driving

You should completely avoid driving in central London if you can. Roads will start to close at 07:00 and at midday roads will start to reopen in phases (as the race progresses). But it won’t be until about 19:00 that the last roads are expected to open again. TfL’s traffic impact map below shows the route for the race and the areas that will be most affected by extra traffic. marathon-2016-traffic-impact-v7-large

Catch a bus

Naturally, closed roads will affect the buses as well. Routes near to the London Marathon route will either follow a diversion or terminate at an earlier stop. If you’ve got our Bus Times London app for iOS or Android you can check a route for live information. You’ll also be able to see arrival times and any announcements from TfL at the top of the app. TfL has provided a list of routes affected by the closures so make sure you check before you travel: 1, 3, 11, 12, 15, 24, 25, 29, 42, 47, 51, 53, 54, 78, 87, 88, 89, 91, 96, 99, 100, 108, 115, 122, 129, 132, 148, 159, 161, 177, 178, 180, 188, 199, 202, 211, 225, 244, 277, 286, 291, 341, 343, 344, 380, 381, 386, 422, 453, 469, 472, 486, C10, D3, D6, D7, D8, P12, RV1

Take the Tube

The London Underground will be one of the better options for travel during the London Marathon. The stations marked with an orange spot on the map below are those expected to be busier than normal so avoid them when you can. Most of the stops are less than 10 minutes walk from their adjacent stations so you can always get off at a nearby stop and walk the rest of the way. If you’re looking to reach that stretch of affected stations by the Thames, the best places to get off at are Victoria, Leicester Square and St Paul’s. For example St Paul’s to Mansion House is just a 5 minute walk. london-marathon-tube-map-busy-stations If you’ve got our Tube Map app on iOS or Android and an internet connection, the real-time routing results will help you avoid delays and find the quickest route to where you need to go. It includes walking options and a street map to help you get exactly where you want to go.

Jump on the DLR

To help support the London Marathon, the DLR will have a few changes on Sunday 24 April. Trains between Tower Gateway and Lewisham will start earlier at 05:30 and other services will start at 07:00. Be careful though if you’re travelling from Beckton or Woolwich Arsenal as you might have to change at Poplar or Canary Wharf.
  • Trains from Beckton will terminate at Poplar
  • Trains from Woolwich Arsenal will terminate at Poplar before 10:00
  • Trains from Woolwich Arsenal will terminate at Canary Wharf after 10:00
As a part of the Tube Map, the DLR is included in the Tube Map app as well. So you can check the line status for the latest information about changes or delays.

Ride a bike

Cycling will be a great way to get about during the London Marathon, if you can get one on the day. Several Santander docking stations in the Westminster and Tower Hamlets areas will be closed all day Sunday and reopen again on Monday morning. TfL has also warned that because of closed and busy roads they might struggle to redistribute or replace cycles. So you might want to look for a docking station that isn’t too close to the marathon route.

London Marathon participants travel for free

Before 18:30 on the Sunday, all runners, race officials and St John Ambulance volunteers get to travel for free. It’s a really great gesture from TfL and includes travel on the London Underground, DLR, London Overground, London Buses and the trams. Just show your race number, official pass or tabard! Whatever your preferred method of travel on the day is, even if it’s just walking, give yourself plenty of time to get there. Further changes can happen and you never know when something will need to close. So keep an eye on the live Twitter feeds in our apps for the latest news from TfL and National Rail. Or follow us on @TubeMapLondon Think someone might want to know about something in this article? Share it using the buttons below.   Back to blog