A friend and I are going to spend a week in London in March. Both being first-timers, we will be seeing all the primary palaces, museums, etc. It looks like the way to go is a 7-day Travelcard purchased at a railway station is the way to go to get the 2 for 1 discount for several of the places we intend to visit.
We will fly in to Heathrow. Is there a place at the airport to get a railway station Travelcard? If not, what is the closest one we could go to?
Thanks in advance.
There is no where to get the Travelcards at Heathrow Airport. Where to get them basically depends on where you are going once you leave the airport. If you are using the Heathrow Express (or Connect) you could get your cards at the Paddington rail station. If you are using the Tube, it just depends. There are many Rail Stations in London. If you let us know where you are staying, someone here will probably know which Rail Station is close to you.
Be sure to bring Passport sized (but not necessarily Passport quality) head shot photos with you so they can make the required free ID card. There are some photo booths in some of the stations, but not all. You can even print them out on your computer at home if you want.
As said, travelcards bought at Heathrow are not valid for the 2 for 1's, Heathrow is not a National Rail station, it is run by the Airport Authority.
What you will need is valid rail tickets into your destination - and this does not include the Heathrow trains. Try this - go into ANY National Rail station (not underground) and buy a ticket from Clapham Junction to London Waterloo. This will cost you £3.20. Now, just put it in your pocket (as you will not actually make the journey) and produce it with the 2 For 1 deals at attractions. (You may need 2 of the tickets - 1 for each person to be on the 'safe' side). You can pick up leaflets at British Rail stations which show who on on the deal. If you go to somewhere like Bath, DO NOT put your rail ticket in the exit gate but show it to a member of staff (at gate) and say that you need to keep the ticket for the 2 for 1 deals at attractions. (The exit barrier will take the outbound ticket & you will have lost your proof of rail travel).
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
The nearest stations to Heathrow where you could get a paper Travelcard are Feltham or Hayes and Harlington, but both are outside the free travel area around Heathrow, so would mean a paid-for bus journey anyway.
You can get away with purchasing any rail ticket for the day you are using the offer, but in your circumstances you probably would get value out of the 7-day travelcard anyway and this would become an additional cost. This is one are where arriving / departing at Gatwick or Stansted pays off as a return ticket from there would cover an entire visit.
Incidentally there hasn't been an 'Airports Authority' for almost 3 decades.
Where are you staying? Look at Google maps and find out if Paddington, Victoria, Kings Cross, Waterloo train hubs are nearby.
I was in London last week and took advantage of the 2-For-1 discount. Fortunately our hotel was in the Bloomsbury area so I took a nice walk to the Euston station to purchase travelcards for the next day. The rail station reps are very helpful and are well aware of the 2-for-1 discount. Have a fabulous time in London, marksil1!
If we don't want the 2 for 1 thing, can we just buy travel cards at the airport? And do we need photos for that too, or just the 2 for 1 thing?
Thanks!
You could buy an Oyster card with whatever zones you need for your travel around London plus some add it additional for pay as you go to cover the trips to and from Heathrow, plus any one off trips outside the travelcard zones. No photo. If you have a contactless credit card you may be able to use it directly.
Travelcards: there are 2 different products from two different organisations with slightly different rules, and the same name.
If you want to forget about the two for one program, you can get any Travelcard from anywhere. If you want to get the 2 for 1 discounts you have to have a valid train ticket into London (or around London) because the scheme is operated by the railway companies as a way to encourage railway use.
If you use the scheme for a couple of days any ticket issued by the railway will do. If you decide that you want to have a one week Travelcard - a good idea - the only ones which will work with the scheme are one week season ticket Travelcards issued by a railway station, and all railway season tickets require a photocard to go with them, and you need to provide a photo.
Clear?
