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Transportation Advice London and Day trips

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My daughter and I are going to London Sept 11-23. Like regular tourists, planning on seeing and doing the amazing sites such as London Tower, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Thames River cruise, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey etc..you get the point. We also have planned day trips to Warner Brothers Studio-Harry Potter Tour, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. We have also thrown in a day to Ireland to see the Belfast Titanic Museum.

We are also considering purchasing a London pass (2-3days)Yes, I've read the feedback and it depends on what you do. We are not planning on any of the Free Museums, at this time, so calculating if the savings are feasible. The London Pass also includes a one day HOHO.

So I'm putting this out there for the TA expert community to help clarify what type(s) of transportation cards would be the most efficient and least expensive way to get around London and area. I have been reading several posts but it's still not clear in my mind, I'm missing something... or having a brain freeze.
Here's what I understand: when we arrive we'll purchase an Oyster card each -what amount would you recommend to start off with?
-is the Oyster card used for underground tube and buses only?
-there are peak/off peak times and prices to travel (Mon-Fri) and their are daily caps
-Do I have to register my Oyster card, if so why? what dos that mean/do?
-I keep reading about a Travel card- not sure on it's purpose or how/when to use? is this a separate card?

-the train system-is it separate from the Oyster card?
Day trips:
Warner Bros.Harry Potter- take the tube to Euston station then train to Watford Junction - Warner Bros shuttle
Windsor Castle- from Paddington tube station -take train to Windsor & Eton Central
Stonehenge- tube to Waterloo station- train to Salisbury Station- shuttle to Stonehenge tour
-(Stonehenge has not been finalized to take a train or go with a Tour bus package-thoughts?)
Would we be using the same train company for all 3 day trips? I've seen several train company names?

Airport:
We will be landing at Heathrow and also have to consider traveling back to Heathrow (Term #5) to go to Ireland and then again when we depart for home
Our flight to Ireland is a 710am departure- what would be the best transportation to take so early. I assume we need to be at airport by 5:45am- HELP

As you can see we have a lot of traveling to do and would appreciate your suggestions with understanding how and what to do Between tube, trains, Oyster cards, travel cards and the London pass
Everyone says that the London transportation system is one of the best and easiest to use. Once I understand it I'm sure I'll agree with them too!
Thanks in advance

Posted by
192 posts

There are two types of Oyster card--a regular and a visitor Oyster card. The visitor Oyster card can be used for the tube (a.k.a London Underground), buses, boats, and rail travel within London. It costs 5 pounds to purchase and you can add money as you go. By registering the card, I assume you mean setting up an account online. Visitor Oyster cards cannot be registered and protected. Visitors should therefore be protective of their cards and treat them like cash. The advantage of both cards is that the fares are reduced by half and the cost is capped so that the most you will be charged per day is 7 pounds no matter how often you use it. The cost for a single ride is 2.40 pounds compared 4.90 with a single ticket purchase.

A standard Oyster Card can be registered with a U. K. address. By setting up your account you don't need to complete an online form with every purchase and it is protected against loss or theft. You will also receive email updates on service disruptions. It isn't required to set up an account, however.

You can find more info here: https://loveandlondon.com/which-oyster-card-the-best-oyster-card-for-visitors/

Posted by
8688 posts

Get the Oyster ( regular Oyster ) Card when you arrive in London. Each of you will need one. Put 20 pounds on each. If you need to top up ( put more pounds on them) it’s easy to do at the machines that you’ll find at every station. Use a credit or debit card.

Rush hours 7-9am Monday -Friday on the tube can be daunting. Until you get the hang of the easy to use tube avoid those hours if possible.

FYI at any tube station look for and get the small pockets sized tube maps. Often by the manned ticket window. Very helpful with public transport planning as is the tfl.gov.uk website.

London Walks www.walks.com does a trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. Review and see if it fits into your schedule. London Walks are great. I’d also consider taking their Westminster Abbey walk.

Yes there are different train companies so no I don’t believe you will be using the same train company for your trips to Windsor, WB Harry Potter and Stonehenge.

The Oyster card is not used for travel on trains as they are not part of the London Underground. However, there are exceptions. If you went to Hampton Court you would take a train AND you’d get to use the Oyster Card.

Where are you staying? If close to Paddington Station you could take the Heathrow Express to and from Heathrow. It’s expensive so book tickets now BUT if not close to Paddington that early in the morning you should consider using Just Airports for your flight to Belfast Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Ireland is not.

Lastly, this weekend head out to your closest bookstore and buy the Rick Steve’s London guidebook. A VERY helpful read that will answer many of your questions as well as provide pertinent intel to aide your daily planning.

Posted by
1069 posts

"amazing sites such as London Tower,"

Has the Tower of London been renamed?😀

Posted by
4684 posts

You can use the Oyster card on trains within the London area, and on a few lines outside it for shorter distances. So you can use the Oyster card to Watford Junction, but not to Windsor or Paddington.

Posted by
21 posts

Appreciate all the suggestions and informative links.
My daughter is 27 (adult fee) I'm 63 are there senior rates? We are flying to Ireland on a Wednesday if that makes a difference or not? We're staying at Seymour Place assume all connections the same as previously stated. Still not sure, if I need a Travel card??
If I use a contactless credit card instead of an Oyster card, do the rates and caps still apply?Or just make it easy to use an Oyster card, heaven forbid my card doesn't work.
Sorry for my ignorance Tower of London. Yes I just bought RS book and will filter through and also check the links from all suggestions.

Posted by
32821 posts

You could buy a Senior Railcard but would have to pay £30 for it (good for a year) which means you don't start to make savings until you have spent £100 in a year.

Or if both of you will be together on each trip you could instead buy a Two Together Railcard for £30 for the two of you plus a passport sized photo of each of you.

With both there are rush hour restrictions and you save about 1/3 off most tickets.

Official information at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/46540.aspx

Posted by
739 posts

Just a warning. As much as I love HoHo busses just about everywhere the one in London is horrendously slow. And personally I would avoid it.

If you must have a bus tour (because they can be fun) I recommend the night bus tour (bring a jacket) as it is non stop. Travels when traffic is less, hits the highlights and has a real guide.

So other then using the same bus it is pretty much the opposite of the standard HoHo

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