London In Sept. for 2 70 yr. olds , Any general help is appreciated....

If you do not already have Oyster cards, most recommend using “tap and go” enabled credit cards for payment. The daily capping works just as on an Oyster card.

For things to do in London, check out the array of offerings on Thamesfest, a monthlong celebration of the River Thames.

https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/whats-on/

Not too far in Chelsea is https://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/about/mission/

We have also enjoyed the Chelsea walk by London Walks https://www.walks.com/our-walks/chelsea-londons-ancient-riverside-village/

and this pub https://butcombe.com/the-admiral-codrington-pub-chelsea/food-drink/

Enjoy the planning!

Definitely go with a contactless credit card rather than Oyster. Or, ApplePay can also be used although I find that more awkward to manipulate than the CC.

Gardens within London - Kew, of course. Easy access via Tube. Incredible and very large. I spent an entire day in September 2022.

Another closer in town that is pleasant is Holland Park. Quite a nice Japanese Garden, although small. The surrounding area is quite pleasant.

Another pleasant place is Hampstead Heath. Some old growth trees, views across London from the top of the Heath, swimming lake (fun to observe even if not a swimmer). Again that was a September visit for me. I took a taxi to Kenwood House - a stately home with incredible art collection - free! Then, walked down the Heath. Also in the area Keats home, and a bit farther, Freud's house. It ws a full day for me with lots of walking, but not challenging other than the amount of time I choose to stay on my feet.

Check the prices of day of vs advanced purchase for your train trips. There can be quite a difference.

Enjoy your trip!

Additional thoughts on the above:

I should note that some people still prefer Oysters to their contactless credit cards reasoning that if the transit card is lost, the Oyster is easier to replace than the CC. I travel with 2 credit cards and am very aware of my CC usage when on public transit, so prefer that to an Oyster that needs to be monitored for balance.

Hampstead Heath is reachable by bus or walks from several Tube stations, but I found taxi easier to use to start my day of explorations.

I combined Holland Park with a visit to Leighton House - quite stunning.

Kenwood House, Leighton House, Keats House, and Freud's House were "off the beaten path" despite high tourist numbers elsewhere when I visited. I was one of a very few visitors.

Adding to the above post, check out London Walks. They have a walking tour of Hampstead Heath. Also, Rick Steves has audio guided walks via his app. You have phones, yes?

The reason we were thinking Oyster card is that I believe we get clipped for 2.5 % + exchange ever time we use a CC.

The reason we were thinking Oyster card is that I believe we get clipped for 2.5 % + exchange ever time we use a CC.

I would suggest getting a credit card that does not charge a foreign transaction fee. Capital One does not, my Chase Sapphire Preferred also does not, and there are quite a few more. Here is one random site that lists some of the credit cards that do not charge those fees. But if you cannot, for some reason, get a new cc, then yes, go for the Oyster card.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/credit-cards/no-foreign-transaction-fee

Definitely check on your cards t see if there is a fee and get one of the many non-foreign transaction fee cards if you don't hold one at present. It is possible that your CC company changed its policies since last time you visited. I know that my Visa used to have a foreign usage fee, but they got rid of that years ago.

The exchange rate by the credit card companies is generally about the best you can get as an individual consumer. Don't accept a bill denominated in your home currency - CAD in your case? That will cost more in the end. You're undoubtedly aware of that, but I noticed this last June/July trip that it popped up more and more commonly as an option than I recall from the recent past.

I like my oyster card. I like using it much better than a credit card.
My suggestion is to schedule no more than 2 major sites a day. Anything else will be pushing it. Have some "back up" ideas in case you find extra time or energy in a day and want to add something.

Almost everything that you will pay for in the UK is paid by credit card. It is getting pretty close to a cashless society. You have time to get a new credit card (if needed) if you act now. There is no reason to pay foreign transaction fees, just have a card that does not charge them.

Site off the Beaten Path: Bletchley Park. Easy to get to my rail. Very interesting if you have interest in WW II history or computers.

We still use cash, and I planned in bring cash with us , is cash not excepted in most places ???

Whatever you decide to do, don'y buy the Visitor Oyster online before you come. It will cost more and be less inflexible than just buying cards when you arrive.

Bear in mind that you will only be charged once a day for your travel inside London. If you stay central that will be a maximum of £8.10, which will generate a charge on a credit card of 20p, hardly a fortune. And you will of course have charges every time you load money on to your Oyster card, either doing that by card or when you change money to £s to pay it.

It’s been 10+ years since we stayed at Nell Gwynn, but we liked the location. It looks like Sainsbury small market across the street is still open which was handy. There is a bus stop in front of either the complex or school next door. We used either the South Kensington tube stop or the Sloane Square one, depending on which met our needs. My husband is retired military, so we enjoyed the National Army Museum which is nearby and close to the Chelsea Physic Garden.

I was in London about 5 months ago. I didn't use any cash at all. All credit card. I didn't notice any anti-cash sentiment such as I've recently found in Norway, but certainly cards were accepted even for cups of coffee. I had thought I'd hit an ATM at some point during my week there, but never needed any cash.

I am like you in that I prefer bringing cash (rather than using an ATM) to countries that still prefer that type of payment. I discovered I had no British pounds just before leaving last trip, but as I noted, I didn't need any. I did bring cash to Japan earlier this year despite all the advice to just use an ATM. Some habits die hard........ (and I like the comfort of not "needing" to find an ATM - my insurance against mechanical failures and compromised ATM cards)

Each of us have their preferences. If you want to bring cash to London, I'm sure there will be no difficulties.

Strongly seconding Carol's recommendation of Bletchley Park - easy day trip by train.

I am 70 and go to London almost every year. I have an Oyster card that I bought at least 12 years ago. I continue to use it every time I go. Upon arrival I check to see how much money I still have credited to the card from my previous trip and then top up 20£ or more as needed during the rest of my trip. I was in London for about six weeks in April and May and used the Oyster card almost daily on busses and the tube. On my trips I like to have some cash and pay in cash if possible especially for minor purchases under 10£. This past trip I noticed that more and more places were going to card only, particularly smaller coffee shops, bakeries, etc. If you like gardens then Kew Gardens is not to be missed. My son, who lives in London, rarely uses cash for anything.

We were in England for 3 weeks in May/June and spent one of the weeks in London (first -timers). While I don't see a cash payment being refused in most places be prepared for wait staff, vendors, etc. to be unprepared for a cash payment. Tap and go credit cards are the norm nearly everywhere. Most of the churches we visited had contactless credit card stations just as you entered, so you could make a donation if you wished to. The only place we used cash was at the laundromat.

I also second the suggestion for getting a Capital One card. The money we spend on any transaction adds up and can be redeemed on travel purchases (airfare, hotels, trains, car rental, parking, etc). And no foreign transaction fees.

And do check out the London Walks website. We went on two walks and loved both of them.

I found all of the previous replies about cashless to be spot on when we went a month ago. I will say while I used my tap and pay for almost everything, (like Claudia we all did get the Oyster cards- I worried about losing my CC)
Additionally, I took 100 pounds over and used it during our for minor purchases like a bottle of water, snacks, monetary museum donations, street musicians hats, etc. I also suggest having some coin change handy at all times in the event you need a WC that is pay to go.

Have fun!!

From braidrich’s posting history it appears that they are Canadian. Unfortunately many of the no foreign transaction fee options available to us the the US are not an option for them. Perhaps some Canadians will share what they have found.

As far as the 2.5% fee does it matter? If you have one charge of £50 our multiple charges that total £50 wouldn’t the fee be the same? Or are you saying there’s a per transaction charge too?