We will be travelling to London via the Chunnel from Paris. We will need transportation in London for 3 days, including one day to Wimbledon (zone 6, I think). What transport card should we buy to accommodate mostly zone 1,2 and transport to/from our hotel and finally to Heathrow? Sounds complicated to me!
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
First- the Brits and the French don't like the term Chunnel (it was 'tried' when the tunnel was first built, but many felt it was derogatory). It's called the Eurostar. As to your travel needs in London- it depends. How many are in your group and what are their ages. It really is not that complex. Do you want to use the 2-for-1 deals offered by the National Rail service? If so, buy single day travel cards FROM A NATIONAL RAIL STATION (not from an underground station) such as King's Cross (near where you arrive), Victoria, Paddington, etc. for the adults and older teens in your group (young children can travel free- do a search on this board for the exact age or check the Transport for London site). You will want 1 card for each person for each day. Tell the ticket agent the days you want them for.
You also need to check out the DAYS OUT website and print off the vouchers for the attractions/restaurants you are interested in (there are supposed to be pamphlets at the stations, but sometimes they are out). If you are NOT interested in the 2-for-1 deals, then purchase an Oyster card for each person and either load it with some pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) cash or load it with daily travel cards. The Oyster Card is simply a way to pre-pay for travel. You can get any leftover PAYGO cash as well as your deposit for the card refuned when you leave if you want. The tube is a great way to get around- easy to read maps, and quick travel. Some people like the buses, too- and your travel cards or Oyster stuff are good on buses in all zones. We ususally just go ahead and get zones 1-6 because we like felxibility, but if you know which day you will be going to Wimbleton, just get zones 1-2 for the days you aren't going there, and zones 1-6 for that day.
Posted by
OP
JACKSONVILLE, Florida
2 posts
Awesome ideas, thanks so much for your time! Debbie
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
You can load a seven-day travelcard on an Oyster card, but not a one-day travelcard. One-day travelcards are paper only. However, with pay-as-you-go money loaded on an Oystercard, the Oyster computer will automatically calculate the best fare and you will never pay more than the price of a one-day travelcard for the zones in which you travel that day.