The journey from South Kensington to Waterloo is in fare zone 1 and you’ll have to use the District and Jubilee tube lines, changing trains at Westminster
- From South Kensington take the District Line
- Change at Westminster to the Jubilee Line
- Leave the train at Waterloo
Number of tube stops: 5 · Journey time: Approx 20 mins
Stations on the route: South Kensington ➜ Sloane Square ➜ Victoria ➜ St. James’s Park ➜ Westminster [change train] Westminster ➜ Waterloo
London Underground tube delays
Strikes and closures on the District and Jubilee
First and last train times on the District line
Tube times for the District line
Alternative routes include South Kensington to Southwark, South Kensington to Embankment and South Kensington to Lambeth North
Stairs, lifts and escalators to the station platforms
South Kensington tube station is not wheelchair accessible
The Jubilee line at Waterloo station is wheelchair accessible, and has step-free access from the street to the train. The Bakerloo and Northern line are not wheelchair accessible
South Kensington station 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 tube line at Westminster – There are two lifts when changing between the Circle/District and Jubilee eastbound line platforms (or two escalators and 2x14 stairs), or three lifts when changing between the Circle/District and Jubilee westbound line platforms (or three escalators and 2x14 stairs)
Waterloo station exit – There’s a lift from the Jubilee line platforms to the booking hall (or two escalators), and a lift from the W&C platforms (or two escalators and one flight of 6 stairs), and a lift from the Bakerloo southbound platform (or one escalator and a flight of 9 stairs), and an escalator (or 5x17 steps up +3 steps down) plus one flight of 11 stairs from the Bakerloo northbound platform, and one escalator (or 11 steps up +5x17 steps up +3 steps up) plus one flight of 20 stairs from the Northern platforms. After that there’s another two flights of stairs to the York Road northside exit (2x13 steps down), or four flights of stairs to the Waterloo Road exit (6 steps down +2x13 steps down +10 steps down), but the York Road southside exit is on the level
The journey from Waterloo to South Kensington is in fare zone 1 and you’ll have to use the Jubilee and District tube lines, changing trains at Westminster
- From Waterloo take the Jubilee Line
- Change at Westminster to the District Line
- Leave the train at South Kensington
Number of tube stops: 5 · Journey time: Approx 20 mins
Stations on the route: Waterloo ➜ Westminster [change train] Westminster ➜ St. James’s Park ➜ Victoria ➜ Sloane Square ➜ South Kensington
London Underground tube delays
Strikes and closures on the Jubilee and District
First and last train times on the Jubilee line
Tube times for the Jubilee line
Alternative routes include Waterloo to Southwark, Waterloo to Embankment and Waterloo to Lambeth North
Stairs, lifts and escalators to the station platforms
The Jubilee line at Waterloo tube station is wheelchair accessible, and has step-free access from the street to the train. The Bakerloo and Northern line are not wheelchair accessible
South Kensington station is not wheelchair accessible
Waterloo station entrance – The York Road southside entrance and the booking hall are on the level, but you must use two flights of stairs from the York Road northside entrance (2x13 steps up), or four flights of stairs from the Waterloo Road entrance (10 steps up +2x13 steps up +6 steps up). After that there’s a lift down to the Jubilee line platforms (or two escalators), and a lift to the W&C platforms (or two escalators and one flight of 6 stairs), or a lift to the Bakerloo southbound platform (or one escalator and a flight of 9 stairs), or an escalator (or 3 steps down +5x17 steps down) plus one flight of 11 stairs to the Bakerloo northbound platform, or one escalator (or 3 steps down +5x17 steps down +11 steps down) plus one flight of 20 stairs to the Northern platforms
Changing tube line at Westminster – There are two lifts when changing between the Circle/District and Jubilee eastbound line platforms (or two escalators and 2x14 stairs), or three lifts when changing between the Circle/District and Jubilee westbound line platforms (or three escalators and 2x14 stairs)
South Kensington station 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)
Tube fare between South Kensington and Waterloo
This tube journey is in Oyster zone 1. The cheapest fare is £2.70 off-peak (£2.80 peak) when you pay by Oyster or contactless. There’s no return fare, you just pay the same as two single tickets
| Fare zone | Cash | Oyster & Contactless cards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single fare | Single fare | Daily cap | |||
| Peak | Off-peak | Peak | Off-peak | ||
| Zone 1 fare | £6.70 | £2.80 | £2.70 | £8.50 | £8.50 |
| 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 |
| See our complete list of Tube fares, Tube fares for senior citizens, Tube fares for children, Oyster tube fares, Contactless tube fares and Travelcard tube fares Note: Tube journey prices are correct as of | ||||
Peak and off-peak journey 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. Note: Between the 8th March and 31st May 2024 TFL are running a trial called ‘Off-Peak Friday Fares’, where Fridays will be classed as off-peak all day.
The fare is based on what time your journey begins. It doesn’t matter what time your journey ends.
Other ways to make this journey
Travel on foot – The distance is roughly 2¾ miles, which will probably take around 52-58 minutes on foot
Travel by bus – Single fare: £1.75 (you may need more than one bus); Daily cap: £5.25; Weekly cap: £24.70; 1-day travelcard: £6; Weekly travelcard: £24.70 – Adult bus fares · Senior bus fares · Child bus fares
Travel by taxi – A 2¾ mile ride between Waterloo train station and South Kensington in a black cab should cost you about £14.30 to £24.60 and take anything from 12 to 24 mins
Travel by car – Car parks near South Kensington station and Waterloo