Getting Around London

You will be fine just buying two Oysters then loading 10-15 pounds on them. Go to a ticket window to get set up. There is a daily max charge depending on times of use and bunches of other info that is explained on leaflets available at the Tube stations. If your Oyster runs low on money, it is easy to top-it-up........I've been using my Oyster for several years now on short visits to London and it has been very easy, economical, etc. Don't overthink this one. It can make you crazy......If you plan to use public transit a lot, it might be cheaper to spring for the one-week option; then you probably won't need to top-up at all.

Swan is correct. I would only add that the Oyster card covers zones 1 and 2 in greater London. Most sites that you would like to see there are in these zones. Heathrow is not in these zones. Since we were planning to be in London for 6 days, we purchased the one-week card at the Heathrow tube station. They added on an extra charge for the ride from Heatrow into zones 1 and 2. Overall, most handy. It worked on all tubes and buses in the two zones. I don't think the Oyster card works on the trains.

Short of walking, the Tube and the bus are the cheapest and almost always the most convenient way of getting around London. Odds are you, like most folks, will use the Tube to the exclusion of buses. (Buses get stuck in traffic. The subway doesn't.) The options for Oyster cards and Travelcards, etc., that are explained on the Transport for London site are plentiful and can be confusing. Don't let that worry you. For a 5-day stay, the differences in cost are not worth fussing about. As others have said, just get an Oyster Card and put 15-20 pounds on it. You can always put more money on it in the unlikely event you use it up. The cards are easy to use. Just slap them on the yellow spot on the turnstiles, coming and going. Take 30 seconds and watch how other people do it (almost everyone in London uses an Oyster card) and you're good to go. Taking the Piccadilly Tube line from Heathrow is the cheapest way to get into London from Heathrow. The downside is that it can be awkward if you have a lot of luggage, it makes a lot of stops, and, it's the slowest way. It stops, but does not terminate, at Paddington Station, from which you can grab a cab or another Tube line to get you where you want to go.. (Paddington, like other London rail stations, is also a major Tube station.) You can also take one of two trains from Heathrow to Paddington. One is the Heathrow Connect which makes a few stops on the way. The other, more expensive, is the Heathrow Express, which makes no stops.

Also, be aware that a discounted off peak day pass is only valid for travel after 9.30 am, if you are buying a one week pass there are no restrictions about travelling before 9.30 am. You really need to do the math and determine which works best.

Oyster cards now DO work on National Rail within the London travel area as well.

Thanks Thomas. That is good news.

We just went with the 3 day Travelcard since our stay in London was 3 nights. We chose the Heathrow Connect for getting to and from Heathrow. It was very convenient and fast since our hotel was in the Paddington Station area. I was a little worried about getting the hang of traveling on the Tube, but found it very easy. People in London walk very fast - get out of their way and stay to the right and you'll be ok!

There is no longer a 3 day travel card, one week is the minimum.

Oh, i didn't know that! We were there in october 2009.

I don't understand Larry's post. He said: "Swan is correct. I would only add that the Oyster card covers zones 1 and 2 in greater London." I was in London a couple years ago and bought my Oyster card at Heathrow and added money when I needed to. I had no trouble at all using it to get from London to Heathrow either.

There is a complex fee system for London Transport. The good news is that you don't have to figure it out or even understand it. The computerized Oyster Card system does all that for you. Generally, travel after 9:30 am costs less than earlier travel. Little monitors at the turnstiles in the Underground give you the balance on your card as you exit the system.

Soooo, does the Oyster card NOT work to and from Heathrow? Does one purchase an Oyster card for Tube travel, and then an additional ticket for to/from Heathrow?

Whether or not the Oyster card works to/from Heathrow depends on whether you have it loaded with cash (pay per use) or a pass. If you have a pass on it, it needs to be a pass that includes Zone 6.

The simplest advice, and the best for your sanity, is just to buy a one-off ticket to get you from Heathrow into the city, then buy an Oyster card. I buy mine the next morning, when some of the fog has left my brain. We're not talking about big bucks here, even comparing the Heathrow Express to the Tube.

I agree with the previous posters in using the Oyster Card, this summer I used the same card I had last summer, just get it activated again. To answer the question as to whether the card may be used to get to Heathrow, the answer is yes, if you are using the Tube to reach LHR. Use an American credit card or cash to add to the total amount, ie., load up your card to 18 GBP or whatever amount you want...that's topping it up. You can use the remainder the next time you're in London.

I havent been in London for a while. In approx 2004 there was one daily tube ticket that also allowed transport on certain Rail lines- we got to Hamton Court that way, and also on City buses. Does anyione know whether something like that still applies. It was handy

Or when you are done with the Oyster card you can turn it back in and reclaim any money left on it.

Martha: if you are in Notting hill, you will probably be easy walking distance to the Central tube line which goes roughly East West, and can connect to any other place on the tube system. Central line is one of the main lines with frequent trains (it gets business people to and from the City). tube lines go until at least 11 pm every night, so you arent going to be stuck anywhere. You can also connect to Circle line after just a few stations- Circle (and others) get you to Victoria. If the weather is good, you can also bus, or walk along the top of (or through Hyde park) to get to the shopping areas of Oxford Street. Hyde Park is a great place to walk and unwind

Lisa, no "e" in Gatwick.... The Oyster Card only works within the 6 main zones of Transport for London, therefor No the Oyster Card does not work in and out of Gatwick... This is an old thread, you might get a more precise response if you start a new thread with a precise question for your circumstances...

I am flying into Gatewick Airport next week. Will I be able to purchase the Oyster Card at Gatewick, and can I use it for the Gatewick Express to get me to Victoria Station?

One small correction in J.C.'s post. While he is correct that the Heathrow express and Heathrow connect trains run into Paddington, the Piccadilly Line of the tube does not. To get to Paddington using the Tube, one would have to change at some station in central London to the Bakerloo, Circle, or District lines.

One small adjustment to Roe's correction to j.c.'s post > also the Hammersmith and City Line goes to Paddington. Also also, note that if you have been to London before and expect the Circle Line to describe a (bottle shaped) circle, it has been reworked and is now sort of a bottle shaped circle with a tail because it now starts in Hammersmith, loops around (through Paddingington twice) and winds up in Edgware Road (Circle, Hammersmith & City and District station, not Edgware Road Bakerloo Line station).

To sum up...The Oyster Card is probably your best bet as it will figure out the cheapest route. You can use it on the tube, the buses, the DLR, and trains within the nine London zones. You can use it on the tube from Heathrow but you cannot use it on the Heathrow Express or Connect....And whatever you do, don't forget to mind the gap.

Yes, the Oyster card with zones 1-2 can work from Heathrow into central London. It just costs a bit more to come in and go out to zone 6 (Heathrows zone). It is about 2 pounds extra each way to and from Heathrow.

We were in London in May, 2009 and May of this year. We had no trouble with our shuttle service a year ago. This year there aren't any shuttle services left. We booked a terrible service OTS. Absolutely awful. Next time we will arrange in advance for a taxi to pick us up. We would never take luggage on the tube. The tube is fabulous. We went all over by tube for the three weeks (between the two trips). We also took full advantage of the Gray Line Tours. We booked them here in the U.S. They are U.S. based. Some tours we booked after we got to London and Paris. We were picked up right across the street from our hotel (Crowne Plaza Kensington) at a Holiday Inn. Gray Line is quite reputable. Enjoy. Elaine

Elaine, there are shuttle services.....http://www.heathrowshuttle.com/.........http://www.hotelbybus.com/........and if there is more than one of you, it might even be cheaper with......http://www.justairports.com/

We took the Heathrow Connect to get to Paddington station last month. We each got an oyster card and got back and forth easily on the tube. We found buses to be a bit more challenging....trying to find the right bus stop. People in London were so friendly and willing to help us confused Americans.