Questions about 7 day travel card / "zones"

Since the price difference is about 22 GBP ($35 US), and it costs 5.70 GBP for a single tube ticket to Heathrow, why? If you want to pay that much, get a single 21 GBP ticket on the Heathrow Express from Paddington. And you can save 6 GBP by buying online 7 days in advance.

I see your point but I was wondering if it's worth it to spring for the pricier one to be able to have access to more places, or if zones 1-2 are enough to fill up a weeks stay of sight seeing.

Zones 1&2 were plenty for me. Only you know what sights you want to see!

The only places outside zones 1 and 2 that some tourists consider are Kew Gardens (on the border of 3 and 4), Hampton Court (6), Wembley (4), RAF Museum Hendon (4), Wimbledon (3), Croydon (5), and maybe Stratford in East London, for the Olympic Park (Queen Elizabeth Park) (3).

Do you intend to visit most of these less popular places?

Also possibly Greenwich - you can get to Cutty Sark Docklands Light Rail station with a Zone 1-2 card, but Maze Hill station which is more convenient for the Maritime Museum is in Zone 3.

But rather than getting a Travelcard with more zones, you can put your Travelcard on an Oyster card with some extra pay-as-you-go cash, and use that for occasional journeys further out.

Hi!

I'm with Philip on this one, zones 1&2 should be enough, you can get an Oyster card for any destinations outside of their reach. If you register it online you'll also be able to check how much credit you've got left and top it up. I think Liverpool St tube station even has an Info centre, they should be able to help you out.

I also agree with Phillip; put a 7-Day travelcard for Zones 1 & 2 on an Oyster card, plus some Pay-As-You-Go money (£5 or £10) to cover any sites outside of zones 1 & 2. FYI, the fare to Heathrow from Liverpool Street Station using an Oyster Card is £5 during peak hours and £3 off-peak.

Since you mentioned you are looking for a place to stay in zone 1 or 2, may I recommend the London Lodge Hotel. It is about a 10 minute walk from the Earl's Court tube station, and a straight shot to Heathrow using the Piccadilly line (tube fare using Oyster card £2.70 peak or £1.50 off-peak). My husband and I have stayed there many times, just last week as a matter of fact, and have always been pleased.

Have a great trip,
Mary

I'm just going to respond to your question about whether zones 1 and 2 would allow you to see most of the sights. We were in London for five nights and did a ton: Tower of London, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, toured Anfield (home to Arsenal FC), British Museum, National Gallery, Covent Garden, National Portrait Gallery, went to the theater, Trafalgar Square, etc. We only had Zone 1 and we were within the Zone. The only time we needed a supplement was our trip from Heathrow in to the city center and then Hampton Court Palace. I don't know why you would even need Zone 2... Unless I missed something about your itinerary... Save yourself the money so you have more to spend on fun and food! Enjoy! We loved London so much we're going again at Christmas. Twice in one year!!!

Oops! I have Anfield on the brain because we're going there in December. I meant Emirates Stadium. (All those "A"'s....) So pretty much all the information I gave was WRONG. Please disregard my stupidity. I just went back to the 7 day travelcard chart and saw that your'e right, there is only a Zone 1-2 pass. So that must be what we had. But I guess the only useful information I gave was that, yes, with Zone 1-2 we were able to do just about everything! And it dawned on me, if we'd only had Zone 1, we would have had to pay a supplement to go to Arsenal!

Nope, zones 1 and 2 are the best of friends, they always go out together.

The only time there is a separation is for single tickets.

LOL!!!! I'm actually glad this got pointed out today. Now I know that Zone 2 will be included in my Travelcard!

Thanks everyone!