Oyster Card

The Oyster is definitely your best deal. One way on the tube is now £4 cash fare, but only £1.50 with Oyster. You will each need your own Oyster card that you can get at the TFL booth at Heathrow, or any tube station ticket window.

You'll pay £3/each as a deposit for the card and then you can put on as much money as you'll need for the week. Will you be in central London most of the time? If so, I'd go with the 7-day Travelcard for zones 1-2 for £23.20. This entitles you to unlimited travel on the tube, buses, and trams within Zones 1-2. You can also get them from extended zones for more money. You can find more info about the card and fares on www.tfl.gov.uk

If you're still confused (it can get very confusing!) ask anyone dressed in a London Transport vest at any of the tube stations. They'll be more than happy to help you out.

Buying a travelcard qualifies you for 1/3 off on scheduled Thames River services and for various 2-for-1 offers (www.daysoutguide.co.uk). If you load a seven-day travelcard on an Oyster card, you don't have to pay the deposit for the Oyster card. I suggest you load a seven-day travelcard for zones 1-2 plus enough extra pounds to cover your trips outside zone 2 (like the tube from Heathrow to London) and for your 8th day. The Oyster computer will automatically figure the best deal for you and charge your account accordingly.

Search "Oyster Card" in the little search box. It's been discussed in greater detail on previous threads.

Cheers,

F/A

Both of you need to have your own cards, but the £3 that you put as a deposit will be refunded if you return the cards at the end of your stay.

As always, Tim has great advice! We loved! the Oyster card as it was easy and fast. Each person needs a card. Just FYI, when we went to trade it in at the end of our trip and on the way to the airport the lines were longer than we had time for, so we still have ours. I didn't know they kind of expire (if you don't use them for I think 3 years) so I may be sending mine back with someone else. Other than that, they were great conveniences.

Is there a map somewhere with the zones?

Tube map is at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/lon_con.pdf. All you need to know about buses, tube, Oyster, etc, can be found at http://www.tfl.gov.uk. The vast majority of tourist attractions are in zones 1-2.

The Oyster Cards don't exactly expire. They simply become inactive after 3 years of non-use. You can reactivate a card at a Transport window.

The Oyster Card is one of the easiest ways to get about on the Tube, and I believe it covers the Docklands Light Railway and Buses as well. I just got back from London and still have mine, and hopefully I'll be back in London within 3 years.

You might want to check Rick's "England" guide book, as there's a good analysis there regarding which London transport options are best for different circumstances (ie: one or two day visits vs. longer visits).

Happy travels!

Buy a one-week pass for each of you; you can begin use on any day of the week. Load it on your Oyster Card for greatest convenience. It works on the Tube and buses in London. The Docklands Light Rail (DLR) is a new system that is also in the same system. If there is no yellow pad for reading the pass, I was told to just get on the train with my pass and I'd be ok (I didn't try that, but a station agent told me this). I was able to use the one-week pass/Oyster Card on buses in the Heathrow area, much to my surprise. So just keep using it as much as you can. A message flashes on a little screen when you use the pass, telling you what's on your card and how much is left. Get a Tube map in London and study it, ask questions. Their website is www.tfl.gov.uk/oyster. There are other deals/discounts for using the Oyster if you go to the website and find them. In one of the later Harry Potter movies (something "Phoenix") there is a demo of people using Oyster cards in a Tube station.