London Drum

Royal Oak ⇄ South Kensington Station

This journey is in zones 1&2 and you’ll have to use the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, changing trains at Paddington

  1. From Royal Oak take the Hammersmith & City Line
  2. Change at Paddington to the Circle Line
  3. Leave the train at South Kensington

Number of stops: 6 · Journey time: Approx 24 mins

Stations on the route: Royal Oak ➜ Paddington [change train] Paddington ➜ Bayswater ➜ Notting Hill Gate ➜ High Street Kensington ➜ Gloucester Road ➜ South Kensington

Live status and delays

Closures on the H&C and Circle line

First and last train times

Hammersmith & City line timetable

Alternative routes include Royal Oak to Gloucester Road, Royal Oak to Knightsbridge and Royal Oak to Sloane Square

Stairs, lifts and escalators

Royal Oak is not wheelchair accessible

South Kensington is not wheelchair accessible

Royal Oak entrance – You must use two flights of stairs between the entrance and the platforms (15 steps down +20 steps down)

Changing trains at Paddington – You must use stairs when changing between the Bakerloo, Circle/District and H&C platforms

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 zones 1&2 and you’ll have to use the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, changing trains at Paddington

  1. From South Kensington take the Circle Line
  2. Change at Paddington to the Hammersmith & City Line
  3. Leave the train at Royal Oak

Number of stops: 6 · Journey time: Approx 24 mins

Stations on the route: South Kensington ➜ Gloucester Road ➜ High Street Kensington ➜ Notting Hill Gate ➜ Bayswater ➜ Paddington [change train] Paddington ➜ Royal Oak

Live status and delays

Closures on the Circle and H&C 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

Royal Oak 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)

Changing trains at Paddington – You must use stairs when changing between the Bakerloo, Circle/District and H&C platforms

Royal Oak exit – You must use two flights of stairs between the platforms and the exit (20 steps up +15 steps up)

Cash, Oyster & Travelcard fares

The journey is in zones 1-2. The cheapest fare is £2.80 off-peak (£3.40 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 Royal Oak ⇄ South Kensington Station
Fare zone Cash Oyster & Contactless cards
Single fare Single fare Daily cap
Peak Off-peak Peak Off-peak
Zone 1-2 fare £6.70 £3.40 £2.80 £8.50 £8.50
Travelcard prices from Royal Oak ⇄ 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 – The distance is about two miles on foot, which would take 38-42 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 – A two mile journey should cost between £10.60 and £18.20 and take about 10-20 minutes

By carParking near Royal Oak station