Fare zone 1 is the central zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used by the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and National Rail. For most tickets, travel through Zone 1 is more expensive than journeys of similar length not crossing this zone. The zone contains all the central London districts, most of the major tourist attractions, the major rail terminals, the City of London, and the West End. It is about from west to east and from north to south, approximately .
London is split into six approximately concentric zones. Zone 1 covers the West End, the Holborn district, Kensington, Paddington and the City of London, as well as Old Street, Angel, Pimlico, Tower Gateway, Aldgate East, Euston, Vauxhall, Elephant & Castle, Borough, London Bridge, Earl's Court, Marylebone, Edgware Road, Lambeth North and Waterloo. Every London Underground line has stations in zone 1. Underground stations within this zone are typically close together; for instance Covent Garden and Leicester Square are only apart, the shortest distance between any two stations in the network. The zone originates from two central London zones that were created on 4 October 1981 named City and West End, in which flat fares applied, replaced in 1983 by Zone 1.
The following stations are in zone 1, and were in the 1981âÂÂ1983 City and West End zones as shown: