I have been reading at length about the choices of cards for transportation in London, and am still very confused. Since we are a family of 2 adults & 3 children, ages 12, 14, & 15, I've read that the Travel card is the best option instead of the Oyster Card, since children are half price on the Travel card. The issue that has me so baffled is the fact that you only have 2 choices in buying these cards - either 1 day or 7 days, and nothing in between. We will only be in London for 2 nights, with basically 2 & 1/2 days to spend sightseeing. We are staying at Premier Inn in the city center, within easy walking distance of many of the attractions (Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Thames river walk, etc.), so for our 1st day, the only time we will need public transportation is to get from Paddington Station to our hotel, and maybe the London Eye if we decide to do this. On our 2nd day, we only need transportation to Buckingham Palace and will be walking to the other attractions (Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, St. James's Park, and Trafalgar Square). On our 3rd and last day, we plan to use public transportation to visit Whitehall for the Horse Guard Parade, then to St. Paul's Cathedral, then back to our hotel, and finally to St Pancras Station. My question is, if we buy a 1 day travel card for the 5 of us, how do we get around for the few times we'll need public transportation on the other 2 days? The 7 day travel card is very expensive and would be such a waste of money. Does anyone have any ideas for us - other than just buying a 1 day travel card and using Uber or Taxi for the other 2 days, which will also be so expensive. Thank you for any help anyone can give us with this issue.
Posted by
Central Indiana, USA
357 posts
There is the option of Pay As You Go (PAYG) where you load a number of pounds onto an Oyster card and each trip is debited. For 2.5 days, I would load £20 per adult and have the Young Visitor's Discount added for the kids and they will pay half fares, so £10-15 for them. You can get a refund in the same form as original payment for any balance that is less than £10 plus the £5 deposit for the Oyster card.
Posted by
Houston
3522 posts
You get Oyster cards for everyone due to the short time of use. When purchasing, you will have to buy from a staffed ticket window at any Tube station and ask for the discounted cards for the children. Other than the rate the children are charged, all Oysters work the same.
One thing was not clear from your posting you need to be aware of: Each person has his or her own Oyster or travel card and must use it each time they enter or exit the Tube. There is no group or family option.
Posted by
Hampshire, England.
1075 posts
Just to add that that you only tap in with an oyster card on buses, not in and out like you do on the tube.
Don't bother with travelcards.
Posted by
Washington DC
28371 posts
The Oyster Card is very easy to use, and the daily cap on what you are charged will keep the cost very reasonable. I want to be sure you realize, though, that your sightseeing targets may be a bit farther apart than you realize. With only one full day and some extra hours in the city, you probably will want to hop on the Tube and buses more than would be the case if you were spending a week in London. For example, Tower Bridge is almost 3 miles from Westminster Abbey.
I've found Google Maps to be quite accurate about walking distances. I have never used it for routing information via public transportation and cannot vouch for its accuracy there. I believe a lot of people recommend the Transport for London website for planning trips by bus an Tube.
Posted by
OP
new orleans
237 posts
This information has really been invaluable for me. Thank you all very much!