I'll be in town for a couple weeks and mainly sticking around Zones 1 & 2. However, I'm planning a few side trips which may include: Kew Gardens Hampton Court Cambridge Brighton York
Rye I'm thinking I should go with either a multi-day TravelCard or the PAYG Oyster Card but I'm not sure which. I'm also unsure if either of these cards applies to the side trips listed above. Any tips or tricks you can recommend is appreciated. Thanks for your assistance!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Kew and Hampton Court yes, but the others are way outside the London fare area.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33848 posts
Kew Gardens is in zones 3 and 4 - Oyster Card OK, all zones 1-6 Travelcard ok, zone 1-2 not OK Hampton Court is in zone 6 - Oyster Card OK, all zones 1-6 Travelcard ok, zone 1-2 not OK Cambridge is 49 or 53 minutes on the train from Kings Cross Station - neither OK Brighton is just over an hour from Victoria Station - neither OK York is around 2 hours from Kings Cross Station - neither OK Rye is around 1:15 from St Pancras International using the extra fare High Speed train, change at Ashford; over 2 hours from Charing Cross with a change at St Leonards Warrior Square - neither OK.
Posted by
OP
Kirkland, WA, USA
2 posts
Appreciate the replies. For the outlying areas like Cambridge & Rye, is there another rail/bus pass I should consider? Or is it more cost effective to just buy as I go? Thanks!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33848 posts
If you are just taking a day trip to Rye or Cambridge I don't see any reason to have a pass. Passes come into their own when you do lots of long distance trains in a short period of time. You may save by buying Advance tickets ahead of time but they will restrict you to specific trains at specific times on specific days and are unchangable and non-refundable.