Please leave your car at home! The roads are all closed, the whole of London is clogged up and there’s nowhere to park anyway. Come into town by train or tube (or on your bike!) and you will be delivered to exactly the right spot without a thing to worry about.
Our map of the route is designed to be printed and carried around – it misses out all the unnecessary details in order to concentrate on main streets, tube stations, toilets and other vital bits of information. You can also get a detailed map of the area from streetmap.co.uk but without the route, of course. The map page has more maps and journey planners.
The police have asked us to mention that the Strand area gets very busy at lunchtime, partly due to the three-mile procession that has been folded into its side streets. It’s very hard to get through there, a lot of the roads can’t be crossed, and people coming to see the return leg of the procession are sometimes unable to get through in time. It’s worth avoiding the whole area if you can.
By tube
Several tube stations will bring you out right on the processional route: St Pauls is on the outward leg, Blackfriars and Mansion House on the return leg, and Bank is on both.
Several other stations are within a very easy walk: Cannon Street, Monument and Moorgate are only a minute or two away, and Temple is close to the Royal Courts. They’re all on the map.
All these stations – especially Bank and St Pauls – are likely to be busy: leave a bit more time than usual for your journey, and please be patient leaving the station.
By bike
Bikes are a great way to get to the Show, but please lock them up some way away from the route and walk the last bit. The police will remove any bikes attached to railings on or near the route, and wheeling a bike through the crowds will not win you many friends.
By bus
The buses will get you as far as Liverpool Street, Old Street, Kingsway or the South Bank, any of which are within walking distance of the Show. Buses will not be travelling through the City, and many will be subject to diversions and delays as a result. The map of roads closed will give you a good idea of how close your bus is likely to get.
Information for disabled people
We now have a page for disabled visitors to the Show, and over the next couple of weeks we’ll add to it more information about accessible stations, toilets and other essentials. If you can’t use public transport or you’re worried about the crowds, you should find something helpful there.