Sign up to FREE email alerts from MyLondon - London Underground News Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The Tube is great, helping us whizz across the whole of London in a fraction of the time it would take to drive, but it makes us forget that sometimes we should just walk.

To encourage commuters to do just that, TfL have published tube maps detailing the number of steps and time it will take to walk between stations, proving that some journeys are actually quicker to walk - especially if you have to wait four minutes for a tube to arrive.

A brisk 10-minute walk is good for your health , can help you discover hidden gems, and is definitely a lot more pleasant than squashing onto a packed carriage - though we don't suggest you walk the hour and a half between Canary Wharf and Canada Water!

Here are the stations that MyLondon thinks you should walk between - are there any you think we've missed?

(Image: Deanne Blaylock)

1. Charing Cross and Embankment

The walk between these two stations is just three minutes so there is no excuse not to - it's probably actually quicker to walk overground than it is to take the Tube.

2. Leicester Square and Covent Garden

Not only is it just a four minute walk, but you're walking right through the heart of London's Theatreland and get the chance to soak up the atmosphere rather than the smell of someone's armpit.

3. Canary Wharf and Heron Quays

There are only 200 steps between these stations, so it is officially the quickest walk on the whole of the tube map.

4. Monument and Tower Hill

(Image: Matthew Cattell 2017 ©)

It may take 10 minutes but it's without a doubt worth it. You get to walk through the City, along the Thames and look right onto some of the true spectacles of London - Tower Bridge, the Shard, the Tower of London, and the Walkie Talkie.

5. St James's Park and Westminster

Another great walk to stretch your legs and take in beautiful London landmarks, and save the £2.40 tube fare. Stroll past Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster all in just 11 minutes.

6. Bayswater and Queensway

To get between them by tube means taking the District and Circle line to Notting Hill Gate and changing onto the Central line, which no doubt takes a while and isn't very enjoyable. Instead walk straight down a main road in just 5 minutes.

7. Bank and Cannon Street or Mansion House

Bank is infamously a maze, only for the most seasoned of commuters. You will definitely save yourself some stress if you walk overground between the stations, four and five minutes respectively, plus you get to experience the great buzz and grand architecture in the heart of The City.

8. Knightsbridge and Hyde Park Corner

(Image: Getty Images/Oli Scarff)

Okay, the tube ride is only one minute, depending on how long you have to wait for a tube, while it's a seven minute walk. But you'd be daft to travel underground when you could instead be window shopping at Harrods and Harvey Nichols, plus pretending you're rich and actually belong there.

9. Poplar and West India Quay

It's only 400 steps, literally across the road. You would be paying £2.40 to save 180 seconds.

10. Mile End and Bow Road

It's only seven minutes, and also is a straight line so you can't get lost. And if you're willing to add a couple of extra minutes onto your journey you could take a detour that takes you through the lovely Cemetery Park.

11. Stratford and Stratford High Street

Only 700 steps away from each other, it makes sense to walk - especially as you get to wander past Westfield and the surrounding shops and restaurants (although it is rather tempting).

Click on the map below to see all the walking times!

Here is more information from TfL's website about route ideas, a walking app and maps of London.