Which zone every Kensington and Chelsea Tube station is in, journey times to the West End and the City, and 2026 fares: £3.10 peak single, £8.90 daily cap.
Kensington and Chelsea does not commute into London. It is London, and that changes what you need to know. There is no season ticket to work out and no fast train to catch. What matters here is which zone your nearest station sits in, which line it puts you on, and where the daily cap lands, because in zone 1 the cap is what most people actually pay.
The short version: most of the borough is zone 1, a single hop costs £3.10 at peak and £3.00 off-peak, and once you have made three journeys in a day you have hit the £8.90 cap and everything after that is free. All fares on this page are the 2026 adult rates published by Transport for London.
Every station in the borough, and its zone
Two things follow from that layout. First, if you live south of Holland Park Avenue you are almost certainly starting in zone 1, and the zone 1 daily cap applies whatever you do. Second, the borough is unusually well served for its size: five Underground lines run through it, plus the Overground and Southern services through West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia).
Journey times to where people actually go
These are typical door-to-door platform times from the TfL journey planner, checked on 9 August 2026. They are direct runs unless a change is noted.
| From | To | Time | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sloane Square | Victoria | 2 min | District, direct |
| High Street Kensington | Paddington | 5 min | Circle, direct |
| Notting Hill Gate | Oxford Circus | 8 min | Central, direct |
| Notting Hill Gate | Bank | 17 min | Central, direct |
| South Kensington | King's Cross St Pancras | 17 min | Piccadilly, direct |
| South Kensington | Bank | 31 min | Piccadilly to Holborn, then Central |
| Earl's Court | Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 | 37 min | Piccadilly, direct |
The pattern is worth reading properly. The West End is close from everywhere in the borough. The City is not. From the northern half of the borough the Central line gets you to Bank in 17 minutes; from South Kensington the same trip takes about half an hour and needs a change, because the Circle and District lines take the long way round. If you work in the City, which side of the borough you live on makes a real difference to your day.
The other standout is Heathrow. Earl’s Court to Terminals 2 and 3 is 37 minutes on a single Piccadilly line train, and it costs less than a trip into town.
What it costs in 2026
| Journey | Peak | Off-peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sloane Square to Victoria | £3.10 | £3.00 |
| High Street Kensington to Paddington | £3.10 | £3.00 |
| Notting Hill Gate to Oxford Circus | £3.10 | £3.00 |
| South Kensington to Bank | £3.10 | £3.00 |
| Earl's Court to Heathrow T2 and T3 | £3.80 | £2.60 |
Peak means Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 09:30 and 16:00 to 19:00. Everything else, including weekends and public holidays, is off-peak.
Note the Heathrow line. Off-peak it costs £2.60 to travel from Earl’s Court to the airport, which is 40p less than a single stop from Sloane Square to Victoria in the same hour. Zone-based pricing produces that, and it is the cheapest way to the airport from this borough by a wide margin.
Caps and Travelcards
If you make more than two journeys in a day you will not pay the single fares above, because the cap takes over.
| Zones | Daily cap | Weekly cap | Monthly Travelcard | Annual Travelcard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 only | £8.90 | £44.70 | £171.70 | £1,788 |
| Zones 1 to 2 | £8.90 | £44.70 | £171.70 | £1,788 |
| Zone 2 only | £8.90 | £33.50 | £128.70 | £1,340 |
| Zones 1 to 6 | £16.30 | £81.60 | £313.40 | £3,264 |
Three points that save money here:
- The zone 1 and the zone 1 to 2 prices are identical. There is no premium for adding zone 2 to a zone 1 Travelcard, so nobody in this borough should buy a zone 1 only ticket.
- The daily cap does not change between peak and off-peak. It is £8.90 either way in zones 1 to 2, so travelling early costs you nothing extra once you are capping.
- The weekly cap and the 7 day Travelcard cost the same, £44.70. Contactless capping does the work automatically, so a paper or Oyster Travelcard only makes sense if you need one for another reason.
At £8.90 a day, the cap pays for itself on the third journey. Over a five-day week of commuting plus normal weekend travel, contactless capping will land close to the £44.70 weekly figure without you having to buy anything in advance.
Getting further out
To Heathrow: the Piccadilly line runs direct from Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Gloucester Road and Earl’s Court. Off-peak it is £2.60.
To Clapham Junction and the south: Overground and Southern services call at West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia), which is the quickest way south without going through central London.
To the mainline terminals: Paddington is 5 minutes from High Street Kensington on the Circle line. King’s Cross St Pancras is 17 minutes from South Kensington on the Piccadilly. Victoria is 2 minutes from Sloane Square.
If you are driving rather than taking the Tube, the roadworks and parking page covers permit costs, the Albert Bridge closure and what is dug up this month.
Frequently asked questions
What zone is Kensington in?
Most of it is zone 1: Knightsbridge, Sloane Square, South Kensington, Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington are all zone 1. Notting Hill Gate and Earl’s Court sit on the zone 1 and 2 boundary, and Holland Park, Ladbroke Grove, Latimer Road, West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia) are zone 2.
How much is a Tube journey from Kensington?
A single within zones 1 and 2 costs £3.10 at peak times and £3.00 off-peak on contactless or Oyster. The daily cap is £8.90, so you will never pay more than that in a day within those zones.
What is the daily cap in zone 1?
£8.90, and it is the same peak or off-peak. The Monday to Sunday cap is £44.70.
How long does it take to get to the City from South Kensington?
About 31 minutes to Bank, changing from the Piccadilly line to the Central line at Holborn. From Notting Hill Gate, on the Central line the whole way, the same journey is 17 minutes.
What is the cheapest way to Heathrow from Kensington?
The Piccadilly line, direct from Earl’s Court, Gloucester Road, South Kensington or Knightsbridge. It takes about 37 minutes from Earl’s Court and costs £2.60 off-peak or £3.80 at peak.
Sources
- Transport for London fares and the adult rate fares document for caps and Travelcard prices.
- TfL single fare finder for the individual journey fares.
- TfL journey planner for journey times, and the TfL StopPoint API for station zones and lines.
Fares checked on 9 August 2026. TfL revises fares in March each year, so confirm before you buy an annual ticket.
Have your say
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