London Drum

Great Portland St ⇄ South Kensington Station

This journey is in zone 1 and you’ll have to use the Circle lines, changing trains at Edgware Road

  1. From Great Portland Street take the Circle Line
  2. Leave the train at South Kensington

Number of stops: 8 · Journey time: Approx 18 mins

Stations on the route: Great Portland Street ➜ Baker Street ➜ Edgware Road [change train] Edgware Road ➜ Paddington ➜ Bayswater ➜ Notting Hill Gate ➜ High Street Kensington ➜ Gloucester Road ➜ South Kensington

Live status and delays

Closures on the Circle line

First and last train times

Circle line timetable

Alternative routes include Great Portland Street to Gloucester Road, Great Portland Street to Knightsbridge and Great Portland Street to Sloane Square

Stairs, lifts and escalators

Great Portland Street is not wheelchair accessible

South Kensington is not wheelchair accessible

Great Portland Street entrance – You must use three flights of stairs between the entrance and the westbound platform (19 steps down +16 steps down +6 steps down), and four flights to the eastbound platform (19 steps down +12 steps down +6 steps down +5 steps down)

South Kensington exit – You must use two flights of stairs down from the Circle/​District line platforms to the booking hall (12 steps up +13 steps up), or use two escalators plus one flight of stairs from the Piccadilly line platforms (17 steps down to the eastbound, or 20 steps up to the westbound platform). After that you must use another two flights of stairs to the Pelham Street/​Thurloe Street exits (3 steps up +13 steps up), or use three flights plus walk through a long subway to the National History Museum exit (8 steps down +16 steps up +15 steps up), or use three flights plus walk through a long subway to the Science Museum exit (8 steps down +14 steps up +10 steps up), or use three flights plus walk through a long subway to the Ismaili Centre exit (8 steps down +2x14 steps up)

This journey is in zone 1 and you’ll have to use the Circle lines, changing trains at Edgware Road

  1. From South Kensington take the Circle Line
  2. Leave the train at Great Portland Street

Number of stops: 8 · Journey time: Approx 18 mins

Stations on the route: South Kensington ➜ Gloucester Road ➜ High Street Kensington ➜ Notting Hill Gate ➜ Bayswater ➜ Paddington ➜ Edgware Road [change train] Edgware Road ➜ Baker Street ➜ Great Portland Street

Live status and delays

Closures on the Circle line

First and last train times

Circle line timetable

Alternative routes include South Kensington to Gloucester Road, South Kensington to Knightsbridge and South Kensington to Sloane Square

Stairs, lifts and escalators

South Kensington is not wheelchair accessible

Great Portland Street is not wheelchair accessible

South Kensington entrance – You must use two flights of stairs from the Pelham Street/​Thurloe Street entrances to the booking hall (13 steps down +3 steps down), or use three flights plus walk through a long subway from the National History Museum entrance (15 steps down +16 steps down +8 steps up), or use three flights plus walk through a long subway from the Science Museum entrance (10 steps down +14 steps down +8 steps up), or use three flights plus walk through a long subway from the Ismaili Centre entrance (2x14 steps down +8 steps up). After that you must use another two flights of stairs down to the Circle/​District line platforms (13 steps down +12 steps down), or use two escalators plus one flight of stairs to the Piccadilly line platforms (17 steps up to the eastbound, or 20 steps down to the westbound platform)

Great Portland Street exit – You must use three flights of stairs between the westbound platform and the exit (6 steps up +16 steps up +19 steps up), and four flights from the eastbound platform (5 steps up +6 steps up +12 steps up +19 steps up)

Cash, Oyster & Travelcard fares

The journey is in zone 1. The cheapest fare is £2.70 off-peak (£2.80 peak) when you pay by Oyster or contactless. There are no return tickets, you just pay the same as two singles

Cost of tube fare from Great Portland St ⇄ South Kensington Station
Fare zone Cash Oyster & Contactless cards
Single fare Single fare Daily cap
Peak Off-peak Peak Off-peak
Zone 1 fare £6.70 £2.80 £2.70 £8.50 £8.50
Travelcard prices from Great Portland St ⇄ South Kensington Station
Fare Zone Travelcards (Train, Bus & Tram)
One day travel­card Week travel­card Month travel­card
Anytime Off-peak
Zone 1-2 travelcard n/a n/a £42.70 £164
Zone 1-4 travelcard £15.90 n/a £61.40 £235.80
Zone 1-6 travelcard £22.60 £15.90 £78 £299
Zone 1-9 travelcard £28.50 £17 £111.30 £427.40
Note: Ticket prices are correct as of

Peak and off-peak times

For Oyster and contactless off-peak is outside the hours of 6.30 AM-9.30 AM and 4 PM-7 PM (Mon-Fri). For travelcards it’s any time after 9.30 AM (Mon-Fri). Weekends are always classed as off-peak.

The fare is based on what time your journey begins. It doesn’t matter when it ends.

Alternative ways to travel

Walking – You could walk the 2½ mile distance in about 47-52 minutes

By bus – A single ticket is £1.75 (you may need more than one bus). The daily cap is £5.25 and a 1-day travelcard is £6 – Bus fares

By taxi – 2½ miles will cost around £14.30 to £24.60 and take about 12-23 minutes

By carParking near Great Portland Street station