My wife and I will be traveling to London in a couple of monthes. Right now we are looking to purchase the London Pass with the travel option. However, there still are a few days that we will need to pay for our own transporatation. We are staying in Ealing and will have to travel into London. Which is better? The Oyster Pay as you go or Travel card? We don't plan on making more than 4 trips a day. I've researched the difference between the two but still am a little confused about which optiin is best. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
We were in London in January, and opted for the Oyster Card. It worked extremely well, was super easy to top up, and was cheaper than buying single fares whenever we hopped on the bus or a tube. That being said, I have never had a Travel Card, mainly because I couldn't figure out the difference either! Here are two web pages that go into a lot of detail and explain all the minute variations: http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/travelcard_oyster.htm & http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/information/travelcard-oyster-card.htm What I was able to glean was that a very few stations still don't take the Oyster Card (we only day tripped to Windsor/Eaton, so not a problem for us - we just bought train tickets) and the Travel Card gives you discounts on attractions. So you would want to know if you wanted to go to any of those that carry a discount. For your sake, I am hoping Nigel and Ed know WAY more about this. :-)
Posted by
OP
Indian Trail, NC, USA
3 posts
Thanks...just looked at the calander and it's actually 5 days we'll need to pay for transportation, but 2 of those days are getting to the train staion for a trip into Paris and then another just for getting back to Heathrow. Is that still the best option considering we'll be going from Zone 6 to Zone 1 each day?
Posted by
Central Indiana, USA
357 posts
If you're in Ealing, Zone 3, then I think buying the transport option from London Pass is overkill. It covers 6 zones, and if they supply you with 3 1-day travel cards (I don't know if it's peak or off-peak) it's way more than you need, coverage and price wise - 16.80 GBP peak/8.90 GBP off-peak per day. For just 3 days and then going to Heathrow and St. Pancras, get an Oyster card with 25GBP and top up if needed.
Posted by
OP
Indian Trail, NC, USA
3 posts
Thanks for all the help! I guess that I'll need to plan where all we'll be going and then see what the best option is!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33554 posts
Ryan, another thing to note is that most museums in London are free. Several places -non museums - do charge but they are often participating in the 2 for 1 plan. Special rules apply but the hoops aren't too bad.