Expert: Bill Cissna - 1/22/2012

Question
This march it will be my husbands and i third visit to london. Having seen most of the most popular spots in london this time we would like to visit brighton by underground and we would like you to guide us cause we are not to familar with the underground. Is it possible to travel from russel square station to brighton by underground and how much will it cost both ways each. We will be staying at Bredford Hotel in london and russel square tube is the nearest. Pls can you help me, i really would appricate it thanking you in advance anna bilocca from malta

Answer
Hello, Anna! I am not a resident of the U.K., but rather an American with enthusiasm for visiting Britain. However, I think I can help at least a little bit.

You mention that you will be staying in downtown London and you would like to visit Brighton by the underground. According to what I know, Brighton is a lovely city well worth visiting, but it is on the southern coast of England, on the English Channel, and a distance from London (due south, if you look at a map).

The London Underground chiefly only serves the city and nearby metropolitan area of London, so strictly speaking, no, you cannot take the Underground to Brighton.

The train system in Britain, however, is quite thorough, and you could certainly take the Underground from Russell Square Station to get to the train station -- and then take a train from London to Brighton. I have taken a quick look at the timetables, and there are quite a few trains each day to Brighton and return. Depending on the train, the trip can take from 52 minutes (one way) to close to 2 hours, probably depending on how many stops it takes.

The two main stations in London that serve Brighton are VICTORIA STATION and LONDON BRIDGE. I think from your hotel, VICTORIA would be the easiest to reach and use.

From the Russell Square UNDERGROUND station, which is on the Piccadilly line, you would go west to the GREEN PARK STATION. At Green Park, you would get off the Piccadilly line and change to the VICTORIA line, heading south one stop to VICTORIA STATION. When you get off the UNDERGROUND, you would then go looking for the trains to Brighton. Coming home, you would simply reverse that pattern.

Depending on how long you wish to visit in Brighton, I would think you could visit Brighton in a day trip, depending on when you leave and return. I'm sure your hotel could help you decide that.

The train service in England is primarily BritRail, which you can learn more about at www.britrail.com. You can also search for "London Underground" to find maps of the underground lines.

There is also a section of southern London called "Brixton," but I don't see a lot about that area that would appeal to tourists. So I am assuming you do mean Brighton.

Best of luck with your travel plans, and enjoy your visit!

Bill