Everything you need to know about travelling to London to see the Queen lying in state or for her funeral on Monday

HUNDREDS of thousands of people are expected to descend on the capital every day to pay their respects to the Queen ahead of her funeral on Monday.

Westminster Hall will be the centre of the nation's attention over the coming days as her coffin spends four days lying-in-state, where it is expected to be visited by people from across the UK and around the world.

The public will be able to visit from 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday) until 6.30am on Monday– just hours before the start of Her Majesty's State Funeral and the beginning of one of the biggest events the country is likely to ever witness.

With a bank holiday having been declared, and schools, shops, businesses, supermarkets and attractions across the country closing, those planning on travelling to the capital are being told to plan ahead, leave plenty of time for their journey and to expect large crowds on most major routes.

If you're considering venturing to the capital in the next few days here's some of the things you might need to know.

Lying in state

Large crowds are expected to line the streets on Wednesday to see the Queen's coffin leave Buckingham Palace for the final time as it is moved to spend four days on view to the public ahead of her funeral.

The procession from her official London residence to the Palace of Westminster will include the King and members of the Royal Family– while guns will be fired at Hyde Park and Big Ben will toll.

The cortege is expected to leave Buckingham Palace at 2.22pm on Wednesday afternoon and make its way along Queen's Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, into Whitehall, Parliament Street and Parliament Square before arriving at its Westminster resting place.

It's a journey which is expected to take 38 minutes and her coffin should reach Westminster Hall at 3pm before the Hall is opened to the public at 5pm on Wednesday evening. It will remain open 24-hours a day to enable as many people as possible to file past, before closing early on Monday morning.

Those wishing to take part in this historic occasion and pay their respects to the Queen are being warned they may need to wait for many hours or even overnight in queues expected to stretch back for miles. People also will face very strict airport-style security systems before being allowed to enter the Palace of Westminster itself.

It is expected that the queue might wind its way some distance away from Westminster Hall and back again to accommodate the numbers of people anticipated– most likely starting in Victoria Tower Gardens, before crossing Lambeth Bridge ahead of going to Westminster Bridge, down Belvedere Road, through Jubilee Gardens and back to the South Bank and along to the Tate before tracking back to Westminster itself.

There is also not expected to be many opportunities for those waiting in line to be able to sit down once in the queue, but the Prime Minister's official spokesman said 'everything possible' was being done to help those who may not be able to wait for long periods.

He added: "A lot of people understandably will want to see the lying-in-state and we will do everything possible to facilitate as many people as possible, including those who may not be physically able to wait that long, because of disabilities, for example."

Anyone wanting to join the queue should bring clothes or waterproofs suitable for the weather, an additional phone battery charger, any essential medication or medical equipment and food and drink that will have to be disposed of before passing through the security point.

Small bags are also only permitted and while there is a bag drop facility, capacity say organisers will be limited, and there is no guarantee of space with anyone waiting for bag storage likely to also face longer queueing times.

A number of items are also not allowed to be brought into Westminster Hall through the security check points. These include:

• Bags larger than 40cm x 30cm x 20cm in size, bags or rucksacks with expandable compartments, bags or rucksacks with multiple pockets or complex openings, solid-sided bags, or bags on wheels.
• Flasks or water bottles, except clear water bottles, which must be emptied before entering security.
• Food and liquid of any kind
• Flowers or other tribute items, including candles, soft toys, and photographs. Anyone with floral tributes will be directed to take them to dedicated areas in Green Park or Hyde Park.
• Sharp items, including knives, Swiss Army knives, scissors or cutlery
• Banners, placards or flags
• Coolers, hampers, sleeping bags, blankets, folding chairs, or any camping equipment.
• Non-foldable pushchairs.

Visitors are also being asked to dress appropriately for the occasion and to not wear any clothing with 'offensive slogans'. Full admission details can be found here.

The Queen's funeral

The State Funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday at 11am.

On the morning of the funeral itself, the lying-in-state will end and the Queen's coffin will be taken, on the State Gun Carriage, on the relatively short journey from the Palace of Westminster to nearby Westminster Abbey, where the service will take place.

Senior members of the royal family are expected to follow behind, just as they did during Princess Diana's funeral 25 years ago.

Following Her Majesty's funeral, the coffin will be drawn in a walking procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch– near Hyde Park Corner– where it will be transferred to a waiting hearse and driven to Windsor.

Once there, the State Hearse will travel in another procession to St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle via the Long Walk before a Committal Service takes place.

While there are a number of points at which people may be able to see the cortege and its processions, the streets are expected to be packed with people, many having queued for days before to find a spot in which to watch from and so police are asking any visitors to be prepared for large crowds.

Travelling by train

Anyone attempting to make their way into London over the mourning period and on the day of the funeral should expect both the city and transport services to be "extremely busy" say planners.

On its website, South Western Railway said: "Many people from across the country will wish to travel in the coming days to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen and the rail industry is working hard to enable people to do that.

"However, we would urge people to check service details before travelling and to be prepared for very busy trains and stations, particularly in the Windsor area."

Anytime, Off-Peak, and Super Off-Peak ticket holders will be able to get a refund on tickets bought prior to the official announcement of the passing of Her Majesty by contacting the ticket retailer. No administration fee will be charged. This supports an existing policy where customers can claim a fee free refund on walk up tickets if the ticket is submitted for a refund before the first date of validity.

Advance tickets can be surrendered or changed in line with the existing Book with Confidence policy.

There are no special arrangements being put in place for season ticket holders.

As the day of the funeral is a bank holiday, ticket restrictions will not apply. However, on all other weekdays during the mourning period, normal restrictions will apply.

Coach travel

National Express says its services are currently running as normal but there will be changes to coaches going to and from the capital as the date of the Queen's funeral gets closer and road closures in London are put in place.

In particular, says the company, London Victoria Coach Station will be out of use on Monday, September 19 because of its close proximity to events.

All services due to depart and arrive into London Victoria Coach Station will instead move to Wembley Stadium in most cases, where passengers who still wish to travel on this date will then need to use alternative arrangements to reach Central London.

Using public transport in London

Travellers are being told to rely on rail services and the London Underground to get around the centre of the city this week.

The Elizabeth line will run a special service with 12 trains per hour on the central section from Paddington to Abbey Wood on Sunday to provide further transport options for travellers, while the east and west sections will operate as normal.

London Underground will run as normal, says Transport for London, but some stations will be busier than usual and travellers should expect some short-term safety measures to be brought in such as queuing, closures, non-stopping trains or changes to the way customers enter or exit underground stations.

People are also being asked to avoid Green Park tube station to allow it to keep capacity for customers who need step-free access. Other tube stations such as Victoria, Piccadilly Circus and St James' Park are all within a short walk of Buckingham Palace.

Due to road closures, some bus services will also have to be diverted or will stop short of their destination and some may be forced to operate a reduced service.

Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: "Roads and public transport in central London will be very busy, so we advise everyone to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys and to avoid driving where possible.

"All Londoners and visitors to the capital over the coming days should check before they travel using the latest real-time travel information, which is available on our TfL Go app and on tfl.gov.uk. Additional TfL Travel Ambassadors will be on hand across our network to answer questions and to provide travel advice to anyone who needs it."