With the London Marathon fast approaching, we thought we'd provide you with a look at the official Virgin Money London Marathon course route map, as well as all the transport information and road closure information you'll need to get there AND enjoy watching the event with lots of time to spare.
There are lots of inspirational runners taking part this year, including some celebrities to watch out for.
The race begins at 10am on Sunday April 24 for standard mass runners, and roads around central and east London will be closed; luckily there are plenty of other ways to get around, just keep this information in mind!
The Route
The Marathon route first goes through east London - including Greenwich and Woolwich, doubles back on itself, then winds through central London, and finishes in Westminster , near Buckingham Palace.
Click here for the official route map.
The last three miles of the race passes along the Embankment, turning right at Big Ben into Birdcage Walk and then past Buckingham Palace into The Mall to finish.
Transport Information and Getting There
Driving: Road closures and extra traffic will make central, south east and east London busier between 7am and 7pm; if you can, avoid driving in central London during this time.
Bus: Between 6.30am to 7.30pm, buses near the Marathon route will either be diverted or terminate early.
This affects the following routes: 1, 3, 11, 12, 15, 24, 25, 29, 42, 47, 51, 53, 54, 78, 87, 88, 89, 91, 96, 99, 100, 108, 115, 122, 129, 132, 148, 159, 161, 177, 178, 180, 188, 199, 202, 211, 225, 244, 277, 286, 291, 341, 343, 344, 380, 381, 386, 422, 453, 469, 472, 486, C10, D3, D6, D7, D8, P12, RV1
DLR: To support the event there will be changes to DLR services on Sunday April 24 until 5pm.
Before 10am, The service between Tower Gateway and Lewisham will start earlier at 5.30am, with all other services starting at 7am. Services from Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal will terminate at Poplar - to continue to Bank or Tower Gateway, change at Poplar and Canary Wharf
From 10am to 5pm, trains will run between: Tower Gateway and Lewisham, Bank and Lewisham, Stratford International and Canning Town, Beckton and Poplar, Woolwich Arsenal and Canary Wharf, and Stratford and Canary Wharf.
On Sunday April 24, the following stations will be extremely busy: Stations west of Canning Town, Canary Wharf, Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich, Greenwich, Limehouse, Shadwell, and Westferry.
Cycling: The following Santander Cycles docking stations will be suspended from midnight on Sunday April 24 until 8am on Monday April 25: Curlew Street in Bermondsey, Lower Thames Street, Jubilee Plaza in Tower Hamlets, Nesham Street in Tower Hamlets, Tower Gardens in Tower Hamlets, Embankment, Horse Guards Avenue, Northumberland Avenue, Somerset House, and Whitehall Place.
River: MBNA Thames Clippers will be running special River Bus Marathon services from central London to Greenwich Pier, where it's just a short walk to the start at Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
Tube: Due to planned engineering work, on Saturday April 23 and Sunday April 24, there will be no Northern line service between Archway and High Barnet/Mill Hill East. Replacement buses will run instead.
On Sunday April 24, the following Tube stations are likely to be busier than usual: Blackfriars, Canada Water, Canary Wharf, Charing Cross, Embankment, Green Park, London Bridge, Mansion House, St James's Park, Tower Hill/Tower Gateway, Temple, and Westminster .
On Sunday April 24 until 6.30pm, all runners, race officials and on-duty St John Ambulance volunteers will be able to travel for free on London Underground, London Buses, London Overground, DLR and Tram by showing their race number, officials' course pass or tabard.
For up-to-date information, and to check your journey before you travel, check TfL's Journey Planner tool .
Road Closures
Road closures for Saturday April 23
Road | Closure Time | Anticipated Road Re-Opening |
The Mall | 6am | - |
Marlborough Road | 6am | - |
Horse Guards Road | 6am | - |
Constitution Hill | 12.30pm | - |
Spur Road | 12.30pm | - |
Link Road | 12.30pm | - |
Birdcage Walk (Eastbound) | 12.30pm | - |
Road closures for Sunday April 24
Road | Closure Time | Anticipated Road Re-Opening |
Birdcage Walk (Westbound) | 7am | 7pm |
Charlton Way | 7am | 12pm |
Shooters Hill Road | 7am | 12pm |
Charlton Road | 7am | 12pm |
Little Heath | 7am | 12pm |
Charlton Park Lane | 7am | 12pm |
Artillery Place | 7am | 12pm |
John Wilson Street | 7am | 12pm |
Woolwich Church Street | 7am | 2pm |
Woolwich Road | 7am | 2pm |
Trafalgar Road | 7am | 2pm |
Creek Road | 7am | 2pm |
Evelyn Street | 8am | 2pm |
Surrey Quays Road | 8am | 4pm |
Salter Road | 8am | 4pm |
Brunel Road | 8am | 4pm |
Jamaica Road | 8am | 4pm |
Tower Bridge | 8am | 7pm |
The Highway (South Side) | 8am | 7pm |
Narrow Street | 8am | 7pm |
Westferry Road | 8am | 7pm |
East Ferry Road | 8am | 7pm |
Marsh Wall | 8am | 7pm |
North Colonnade | 8am | 7pm |
Poplar High Street | 8am | 7pm |
Commercial Road | 8am | 7pm |
The Highway (North Side) | 8am | 7pm |
Byward Street | 7am | 7pm |
Upper Thames Street | 7am | 7pm |
Victoria Embankment | 7am | 7pm |
Have a look at our great photos of last year's London Marathon and the people who took part!