Let’s cut to the chase: the closest tube station is Holborn on the Central Line. It’s not a secret, but it feels like one when you’re staring at a map the size of a bedsheet. Holborn spits you out about a 10-minute walk away, which in London weather is either a pleasant stroll or a baptism by sideways rain.
Your second-best friend is Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern Lines). It’s also a 10-minute walk, but with more phone shops and the wafting scent of fried chicken. Pro tip: if you exit at Holborn, you’ll walk past a pub called the Princess Louise—it’s a Victorian marvel with tiny cubicles for private drinking. Invented long before Zoom meetings.
A Tale of Two Stations
There’s Russell Square (Piccadilly Line), which sounds fancy and is, but it’s actually an 18-minute walk. In London, that extra eight minutes is the difference between feeling like an explorer and feeling like a damp pigeon. Don’t be fooled by the name “Square”—it’s not a square, it’s a trap for tourists with weak ankles.
And then there’s Goodge Street (Northern Line). Oh, Goodge Street. It’s closer to the back entrance of the museum, but only if you’re a ghost who walks through buildings. Mortals will face a maze of side streets and a surprising number of opticians. It’s a 12-minute walk that feels like 40 if you’re hungry.
London Tube Map With Elizabeth Line at Pamela Allis blog
