Transport for 3 weeks in London

Are you likely to go into London to visit tourist attractions on most days? If so, I'd probably get weekly season Travelcards on an Oyster.

What confuses you about the different types of transport? Are you speaking of tubes, trains, buses, trams and boats? Which ones confuse you? How?

Thanks so much for your helpful reply. My confusion has been how the Travel card plus Oyster card seems to be together but operates for a different purpose. I don't quite get that bit!!
Thanks again

As clear as I can - but if it is clear as mud say so and I'll try again.

Oyster is nothing more than a device for holding funds that can be read by the readers on buses, trams, tube (London Underground) ticket gates, and DLR (Docklands Light Railway) readers, and on some trains. You load it with money at a machine and then when you take a trip and tap in and tap out it deducts the cost of the fare. The Oyster system also understands the daily and weekly caps on spending so won't overcharge you or charge more than the daily or weekly maximum. It is valid in all zones so doesn't care which zones you are in, just calculates the correct fare.

A Travelcard is a daily or weekly pass in or between certain zones,

• EDIT: Fulham is in Zone 2

. A Travelcard is not valid outside the zones for which it has been issued, which will be printed on a paper Travelcard.

Travelcards can be issued either on card stock, either by a TfL (Transport for London, responsible for buses, tubes, some trains, DLR, and trams) outlet either in a Tube station or at corner stores and many other places, or by a National Rail (mainline trains) station booking office, or they can be stored in the Oyster card.

Only tickets or Travelcards issued on card by a National Rail station or rail company on line (with the crows feet logo) are valid for the Days Out 2 for 1 promotions. Travelcards on card with the TfL roundel logo (circle with bar across) which are issued through TfL outlets are not valid for that promotion, nor are Travelcards stored on Oyster cards.

To try to clarify, you can put both pay as you go money and a Travelcard (daily or weekly) on an Oyster card.

There are good explanations on the TfL website.

One last thing - until you come back with more questions - if you have a weekly season ticket Travelcard from a National Rail train company station you will need a photo for the photo ID which must accompany it. If you put a weekly Travelcard on Oyster or a paper Travelcard from a TfL outlet you don't need a photo.

Confused yet? Yes, it is confusing. To me too, and I work in the industry.

To add to Nigel's excellent explanation: if you are traveling with someone else and want to enjoy 2-4-1 admission to various London attractions, a 7-day Travelcard issued on paper by a rail station ( Waterloo, Paddington, etc.) may be useful to you, but make sure it includes the zone Fulham is in.

If traveling solo, an Oyster will be simpler---but you still have to decide between "pay as you go" with the daily cap, and travelcard on the Oyster.

We spent three weeks in London last May and bought one 7-day Travelcard on paper to use at the 2-4-1 attractions. We grouped those all within that week, in the middle of our stay. The rest of the time we used Oyster cards. That plan worked out well for us.

Another subtle but important thing to note is that the weekly Oyster PAYG cap works only for a Monday to Sunday calendar week, while the weekly Travelcard can be purchased for any seven consecutive days. Hence if you are arriving and leaving mid-week the weekly Travelcard might be significantly cheaper.

And don't over think all of this. Oyster, Travelcard, etc., are conveniences that offer a bit of a discount. With or without them, London's transport infrastructure remains the same.

Check out the tfl.gov.uk site, if you haven't.

not exactly.

There used to be - a couple of years back - the ability to get daily and weekly Travelcards in the following flavours:

• Zones 1 and 2

• Zones 1,2,3,4

• Zones 1,2,3,4,5,6

Since the change, the Zones 1 and 2 is no longer available as a daily Travelcard. Everybody has to have, and pay for, at least Zones 1,2,3,4 which is of no use to most people. The Zones 1 and 2 is available as a Weekly.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to help me think my way through my best options. Fellow travellers are always generously helpful and this I value. I know I will love London. Thank you again. Margaret

The Oyster cards work fantastic for London travel. You load with whatever amount you like and if you run out, just add to it. It was super easy.

Just remember to check IN and especially OUT with the Oyster card. Sometimes there are gates that force/remind you to do that BUT not always.