There is no single opening and closing time that applies to every station on every day. The first train depends on line, branch, direction and starting station. Check a journey for its actual date: reaching an open station does not guarantee that the train you need is still running from that platform.
For the return, find the last service that lets you complete every interchange, not simply the last train leaving central London. Missing a connection can leave you far from your hotel. Allow time to walk from dinner, locate the platform and enter without rushing with children or heavy luggage.
TfL's current page lists Friday and Saturday night services on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria and Windrush lines. Windrush is part of London Overground, not one of the eleven Underground lines. This list does not mean that every branch and station on those lines has continuous overnight service.
Night Tube is not a complete network operating every night of the week. If your hotel relies on the District, Metropolitan or another line outside the advertised night service, you need an alternative. Even on a participating line, check the precise section and that night's disruption notices before leaving for the evening.
Plan your journey
Use the official planner with your approximate return time and consult the current night-service map. On branching lines, the train's destination matters as much as its line name. Engineering work can change routes, and night frequencies should not be confused with daytime intervals. Save a backup using a night bus or licensed transport, including the location of the correct stop. A sensible night journey may involve fewer interchanges even if you walk a little farther at the beginning or end of the route.
- Check the exact journey in the official planner before travelling.
Decisions that matter
TfL states that night-service fares are off-peak and relevant capping applies. The travel day ends at 04:29, which matters if you continue travelling into the early morning. Day Travelcards allow journeys starting before 04:30 on the day after their printed validity date. Keep the same payment medium throughout the trip and touch in and out as during daytime travel. Do not turn a rule about night services into an assumed general airport fare: check the specific journey if travelling to a terminal.
- Check the exact journey in the official planner before travelling.
Before setting off
Accessibility at Night Tube stations is the same as during daytime services, but a lift failure can change which route is usable. Review notices before heading back and ask staff if the alternative is unclear. Wait in well-lit areas and keep belongings close. Call 999 in an emergency; for a non-emergency railway incident, British Transport Police can be contacted by text on 61016. Keep enough phone battery for the return journey, particularly when your phone is also your payment device, and avoid relying on the final possible connection.
- Check the exact journey in the official planner before travelling.
