The London Underground can be a bit of a maze, with some stations seemingly stacked on top of each other while others are miles apart.
Take for instance the Metropolitan line’s Chalfont and Latimer and Chesham stations, separated by a massive 3.9 miles – the longest distance between any two Tube stations.
On the other hand, Leicester Square and Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line are just 0.2 miles apart. So close in fact, you might wonder why anyone would bother hopping on the Tube to travel between them.
Google Maps estimates the Tube journey between these two stations at around 1 minute, or more accurately, about 50 seconds. But if you were to walk the 260 metres separating the two stations, Google Maps suggests it would take roughly four minutes.
The staircase at Covent Garden is a beast, so you may end up taking longer on the Tube to Leicester Square than you would by just walking
(Image: Getty Images)
At first glance, taking the Tube seems to shave off three minutes from your journey time. But factor in the time it takes to navigate to and from the platforms at each station, and you might find yourself breaking even.
Especially considering the Piccadilly line is the deepest line on the Underground, meaning just reaching the platform could take as long as walking to the next station.
The stations aren’t as far apart as the Tube map may make you believe
(Image: tfl.gov.uk)
There’s also a wait time of up to three minutes at the platform for the next train, so in reality, it might take you around 10 minutes to get between Leicester Square and Covent Garden if you were to take the Tube – six minutes longer than it would if you walked.
It goes without saying that walking is free, but if you were to take the Tube between these two stations for a single pay-as-you-go journey, it would set you back £6.70 if you pay in cash. However, it’s significantly cheaper if you use an Oyster card – £2.80 during peak times and £2.70 off-peak.
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But why would you shell out for a Tube journey that gets you to your destination six minutes late and actually requires roughly the same amount of walking (if not more), when you could simply stroll to the next station and save enough money to treat yourself to a takeaway coffee on the way?
If four minutes still sounds too long of a walk, you could always try jogging, running or cycling.
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