I will be going to London with my son (29) and Husband in Nov. I would like to go on two day trips. One to Windsor and a second Salisbury/Stonehenge. I don't mind scheduling the time that we leave, but I would rather not have a specific return time. What is the best way to plan this? Are the Train Tickets specific for the time of the day or are they specific for the day and you can take the train at any time of the day? Thank you!
Posted by
Los Angeles
4871 posts
I was looking at this the other day and there are several tour companies that can handle all this for you, if you'd rather just sit and enjoy the ride.
For train questions, the Man in Seat 61 is your guy.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
For Windsor you can buy a ticket on the day at the station and get on the next train.
Salisbury is a longer journey and you can make savings by buying an Advance ticket - though that commits you to a particular train.
You can price out tickets here https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
Posted by
OP
Edina, MN
75 posts
Thank you both!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17562 posts
For November travel, you can save a lot on the Salisbury daytrip by buying Advance tickets for the outbound travel. For the date I looked at, the price for an Advance ticket on the 9:20 direct train from Waterloo (no changes) is £23.30, a nice saving over the Anytime price of £47. The Advance ticket is only good on that specific train.
Whichever morning train you choose, you can combine it with an Off-Peak ticket back from Salisbury, costing £28? This is good on any train during the Off-Peak period, which includes all of the afternoon and early evening,as far as I can tell.
Posted by
UK
140 posts
For train journey to Windsor, you can now pay with contactless, but not oyster.
Tfl website indicates the off peak hours.
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/single-fare-finder
Posted by
Freedonia
16413 posts
For Salisbury there are two basic types of tickets:
Advanced--limits you to a specific train and time.
Anytime--you can take any train that day. More expensive than Advanced.
You can also buy an off-peak anytime ticket meaning you can take any train between certain hours. Which hours depends on the day and route.
The journey is about 90 minutes with no changes.
Posted by
Stratford upon Avon
470 posts
There are discounts of a third off tickets for three people on certain journeys and times
You need to check if this applies to your trips
Check on National Rail website
Posted by
OP
Edina, MN
75 posts
Thank you all! Is there an app that you can buy and show your ticket at the station or do you always have to print the tickets?