Baker Street tube station, London, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Baker Street tube station in London is one of the oldest stations on the Underground, opened in 1863 on the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground line. It is also the Tube's tribute to Sherlock Holmes, whose fictional address, 221B Baker Street, is a short walk away.

The story behind it

Baker Street was among the original stations of the Metropolitan Railway, which opened in January 1863 and ran steam trains between Paddington and Farringdon. Over the following decades the station grew into a major junction, and today five lines pass through it: Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee and Metropolitan.

The name most people connect with it, though, is Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle placed his detective at 221B Baker Street, and the character grew bigger than the stories. In 2012 Guinness World Records recognised Holmes as the most portrayed human literary character in film and TV, with more than 250 screen appearances at that point. The Royal Society of Chemistry also made him an Honorary Fellow, a nod to the chemistry he uses in his investigations.

What to look for

• The Holmes silhouette motif in the tiling on the Bakerloo line platforms, a small tribute to the detective's famous profile.
• The bronze statue of Sherlock Holmes outside the station, a popular spot for photographs.
• The mix of Victorian railway origins and later additions, which shows how this station has been rebuilt and expanded over time.
• The names of the five lines on the signs and maps, a reminder of how many routes meet here.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes if you only want to see the station and the statue outside. Allow longer if you plan to continue to the nearby sights.
• The station is busy at rush hour, so mid-morning or early afternoon is calmer for photographs.
• It is a working station, so go through the ticket gates only if you have a valid fare for travel. Check current Transport for London information for any station changes.
• Close by are the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street, Madame Tussauds and the edge of Regent's Park, so it is easy to build a longer walk around it.

See it on a quest

Playing Sherlock Holmes London: Crack the Case Walking Tour & Escape Game is a good way to see Baker Street tube station. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer Sherlock Holmes route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot rather than just taking a photo and moving on. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.