London - Getting Around - Road

Traffic drives on the left in the UK and drivers must be at least 17 years old. Speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Overseas driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid for up to one year. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should bring registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed.

Emergency breakdown services
AA (tel: 0800 887 766); Green Flag (tel: 0800 051 0636); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282).

Routes to the city
The M25 encircles Greater London. The M1, M11, M20, M23, M3, M4 and M40 radiate from London to the rest of Britain. The M1 goes north to Leeds, the M11 northeast to Cambridge and East Anglia, the M20 southeast to Folkestone (from where the A20 continues to Dover), the M23 goes south to Gatwick airport (and continues as the A23 to Brighton), the M3 southwest to Southampton, the M4 west to Heathrow airport and Bristol, and the M40 northwest to Oxford and Birmingham. Motorists can travel by train through the Channel Tunnel from Calais, France to Folkestone in southeast England, with Eurotunnel (tel: 0844 335 3535, in the UK only; www.eurotunnel.com).

Driving times to the city
From Cambridge - 1 hour 30 minutes; Oxford - 1 hour 30 minutes; Folkestone - 1 hour 45 minutes; Birmingham - 2 hours 15 minutes; Bristol - 2 hours 45 minutes.

Coach services
National and international services use Victoria coach station, a short walk from Victoria train station, at 164 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1. National Express (tel: 0871 781 8181; www.nationalexpress.com) operates services throughout the UK. Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8181; www.eurolines.com) has departures to over 500 European destinations.