right ok, got you on the map
ok, there are 2 tube stations near you, depending on your route you could go to either one.
Earls Court has 2 tube lines - District Line - Green and Piccadilly Line Blue
West Kensington has 1 tube line - District Line Green
There are two entrances to Earls Court Station, one on Warwick Road and one on Earls Court Road. If you look at the map you will see that the whole station property is the land between these two roads. The Warwick road entrance is the nearest to your hotel, Google maps is saying an 8 minute walk.
Ok, thats your location sorted. The next thing to know is that both tube and buses in London are cashless system. There is a credit card sized plastic card called an Oyster card which is used for all transport in London, buses, tubes and the Docklands Light Railway. You load money onto it and then tap and go. You do not have to specify which transport you are using, just put money on the card and travel any combination you wish.
There are 2 ways to load money - multiple days or pay as you go
The multiple days means you pay for unlimited use for a set amount of days, usually 7 or 30 days.
The pay as you go means you put money on the card and every-time you swipe / use the card it deducts the fare from your balance. There is a maximum of £6 per day which will be detected from the card. You need to work out which is the better option for you. You might only need transport for 1 or 2 days, then pay as you go would be best, or you might need transport for 5 days, then the 7 day unlimited would be the best option.
Next How to get an Oyster Card.
This is the main Oyster card section
https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
If you are flying into Heathrow airport you can get Oyster cards at the ticket desks at the Tube stations in any of the terminals.
You can also get Oyster cards at the ticket desks of either Earls Court or West Kensington.
How to use an Oyster Card.
Once you have your Oyster card, you need to load the money onto it. When you are getting an Oyster card for the first time at a tube station ticket desk, you will need to pay a desposit ontop of whatever amount of money for the fare. They ca load the fare money direct onto the card for you when you buy it.
If you need to add additional money onto the card at any time. you can either use the self service ticket machines or you can go to the ticket desk. Some of the self service ticket machines only accept a chip and pin card, some of the ticket machines will accept cash and card. To use the self service machine, tap the card on the yellow reader. It will display your balance and give you 2 options, to add pay as you go money, or the multiple day fare. Choose which one you want, pay the money and then tap the oyster card on the yellow reader to load the fare onto the card.
To go to the train platforms you need to tap the oyster card on the yellow reader at the entrance turnstiles. This will open the gates. Be aware though that London people walk FAST and holding up the traffic as you fumble for your Oyster card is a no no. Instead, always make sure your Oyster card is either in your hand as you approach the turnstile or is in your pocket and you can pull it out as you walk with purpose to the turnstile.
Once through the turnstile you then need to take the escalator down to platform level. Again London people walk with purpose, so watch out. When using the escalators make sure you stand on the right and walk on the left. People WILL push past you and tut and be annoyed if you stand on the left. So yes this means your party MUST be in single file when using the escalators.
How To Use The Tube System
All the tube lines are colour coded. The easiest way to figure out the tube map is to find the end of a line and then trace it all the way to the other end. Some lines connect at various stations. You do not need to swipe out when switching between lines, only when you reach your final destination.
You need to plan your route. For example, if you wanted to get from Earls Court to Harrods in Knightsbridge.
This is the Piccadilly Line Map
https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/route/piccadilly/
Tube lines either run north / south or east/ west. The Tube trains have the end station of that particular route marked on the front of the train.
To go from Earls Court To Knightsbridge you would need the Piccadilly Line Train to Cockfosters (the last stop)
Walk into Earls Court Tube station on Warwick Road, and follow the signs for Piccadilly Line Tube. Its been a few years since I was in that station so I cant give you exact instructions but it will be easily signposted.
Then once you have found the Piccadilly Line, there will be two platforms. You will need to find the platform which has the train to Cockfosters, not the Heathrow platform.
Tube trains are usually every 5 to 7 minutes so dont worry if you miss one.
When the train arrives on the platform the doors will open automatically. Let the people off first and then board the train. Depending on the time of day, it may be crowed and there may be no seats available.
The doors will close. An automatic announcement will come on, This is a Piccadilly Line train to Cockfosters, the next station will be Gloucester Road, change here for the Circle and District Lines.
There will be an announcement at every station. There is a route map on the wall above the seating area near the doors so you can follow your progress.
It is 3 stops from Earls Court to Knightsbridge. The doors will open automatically. As you approach the station , look out of the windows and at eye on the station walls you will see yellow signs saying WAY OUT. When the doors open, follow the flow of traffic and the yellow signs to the exit.
Not all tube stations have escalators. Most have stairs. When you reach ground level, you will need to swipe your oyster card to open the turnstiles. Again people walk with purpose, so as you are going up the escalators have your oyster card in your hand, and walk directly to the turnstile and swipe. As soon as the gates open, move away from them. If you have to put the oyster card away in a wallet or bag, move to one side to do so. Do not hold up the flow of traffic.
You can get paper tube maps at every station BUT it really marks you as a tourist if you walk around with one. There are route maps all over the station, on the walls and on billboards.