i_am_kane

My husband and I will be in London on Thursday, November 17th for four nights which includes two weekend nights.

We prefer to walk, mingle with the locals and not include a lot of regimented sightseeing. Because of our preference to stay "above ground," I am leaning toward not purchasing a Travel/Oyster card. If I did purchase one, it would be for Zones 1 & 2.

However, searching this forum, I came across an old thread (2002)that seems to be a good fit for us, but I don't know if this option is available at this point in time. I copied and pasted the following information:

"And if your four days includes a weekend, there's a weekend pass that costs £6.10 for zones 1 and 2."

Does anyone know if the above option is still available? I've been all over the Internet, and can't find any reference to a weekday/weekend pass combo.

cassius

The weekend travel cards are no longer available.
Your best option is to buy an Oyster card i.e. ask for a pay as you go card and load £12 onto it (plus £3 deposit).
You can then use it to pay for bus fares; £1.50 if you pay cash versus 80p if you use oyster. If you take four or more bus trips it caps at £3 a day and you can use it to pay for the odd tube ride if you need to.

PalenqueBob

www.tfl.gov.uk the Transport for London web site will have all Travel Cards that are available on it.

For short hops you may consider a week bus pass, one of the great travel bargains in Europe and take the bus rather than plunge down into an often mobbed tube - buses go everywhere and you can actually see something - neatly see from the top deck of the mainly doubledecker buses.

xyz123

It's a no brainer...get an oyster card....bus fares cash currently £1.50 (will be going up to £2 in January)...oyster card 80p except between 0700 and 0900 weekdays when it is £1...will be going up to £1 in January)...tube cash £3 per trip (although if you were doing a return trip as long as it is after 0930 on a weekday and all weekend you would certain go for a £4.90 travelcard)...oyster card £1.50 but the key thing about the oyster card are the caps...£3 for buses and £4.40 for any combination of tube and bus as long as the first ride is after 0930 weekdays but any time on a weekend)....any unused time as well as the £3 deposit is refundable upon departure if you so desire...I can't believe you won't use public transportaton at least once or twice each day...the only way to go in this day and age is oyster.

Robespierre

If your preference of staying above ground is absolute, I would suggest you consider a 7-day Bus Pass for £13.50 (five days of Oyster caps for bus only is £15).

This will give you the run of the Greater London area (no zone restrictions) day or night, peak or off.

If you will need a Tube ride from time to time (LHR transfers, perhaps?), then Oyster PAYG is probably the best choice in your situation.

i_am_kane

I guess bad weather could send us underground. I don't want to be standing in ticket lines to get on the Tube.

After reading everyone's suggestions, my thinking is to purchase an Oyster PAYG for £10 - £12 (plus a £3 deposit).

When we arrive in Gatwick, we will take either the Southern Train or the Gatwick Express, then a taxi to our hotel, so no need for the Oyster Card until we start moving around town.

Do I have this right?

PalenqueBob

Yup

i_am_kane

Many thanks, PalenqueBob!

Robespierre

"I don't want to be standing in ticket lines to get on the Tube."

There are no ticket lines for Oyster holders, whether Tube or bus (which is what I think you meant).

But if you mean queuing for a bus, let me ask you this: if you're waterproof enough to come out of a Tube station and walk around, why aren't you equipped to hang around a bus shelter for a few minutes?

You're welcome.

alanRow

Where's your hotel?

As getting the GEX or Southern train to victoria may not be your best choice

PatrickLondon

As alan suggests, there are trains from Gatwick that run further east in London than Victoria - some to London Bridge, some via Blackfriars and through the City to Kings Cross. Onward connections may be easier/cheaper from one of those, depending on where your hotel is.

alanRow

As a example

You can also get off a train at London Bridge, wait a couple of minutes & get on the train to Charing Cross - which is spitting distance from Trafalgar Square / Covent Garden.

i_am_kane

Our hotel is the Thistle Bloomsbury on Bloomsbury Way.

PalenqueBob

Closest train station with direct service from Gatwick may be Thameslink City-St Paul, about a mile or so from your hotel i believe.

janisj

Bloomsbury Way is really close to the Holborn tube station. So probably the best route is train to Kings X and then the tube two stops to Holborn. Only down side is it is a bit of a hike from King's X Thameslink to King's X tube.

Or even easier but more expensive - train to King's Cross, then a fairly short taxi ride to your hotel.

janisj

Oh that last bit should have said &quot;Or even easier but more expensive - train to King's Cross <u>or City</u>, then a fairly short taxi ride to your hotel.&quot;

i_am_kane

Everyone's been very helpful, but I must be dense with this London transportation system. (I swear I could drive a taxi around Rome, but this place is confusing to me.)

I'm looking at a Tube map right now, and if I were solely on my own trying to figure this out, this is what I would do:

From Victoria Station, I would take the (light) Blue Line to Green Park, then from Green Park I would take the (dark) Blue Line to Holborn.

What do you guys think about that? (I'm probably way off base, but how else am I going to learn?)

cassius

You could do that route if you wanted to but if you've got luggage it will be a real hassle. I've not used the gatwick - kingsx train for a year or two but I'm sure its cheaper than the Gatwick - victoria service; kings cross thameslink is really close to Bloomsbury and the taxi fare from the station to your hotel would probably work out the same or cheaper than two tube fares from victoria. This would be the easiest and least stressful option in my opinion.

i_am_kane

Cassius,

We are both in agreement about less stress (FYI my husband works a huge amount of hours) on this short trip.

We'll train it to Victoria Station, and cab it to the hotel, and vice versa on the return trip.

Thank you to everyone for your input, it made my decision easy.

PalenqueBob

That's the most seamless way and the Gatwick Express is reliably more comfy than potentially more crowded Southern Trains, which do not originate in the airport i believe whereas the Gatwick Express will nearly always be waiting there when you descend the escalators/lifts.