bobnwa

We are arriving in Hrwich on May 18 and plan on taking the train into London. On May 19 we wanr to take the train to Windsor We pan on using the undergroud in london on May 18 and May 19 to get around. On May 20 we plan taking the train to Heathrow dor our departure home. Will the Oyster pass on a travel card be the best bargain? If so what value pass should we buy? Thanks for any info.

texasbookworm

The Oyster isn't a pass; it's a plastic device. You either "load" cash onto it, or you "load" a travel-pass value onto it.

For specific advice: You can either sort through info on the TFL website, or you can read through a bunch of threads here, or you could just present your questions to an agent when you first purchase the Oyster; we found agents to be helpful and of course knowledgeable for what the best thing to do for a particular situation.

I don't know anything about trains from Harwich; if they're not within certain zones, fares cannot be put on the Oyster card.

For your transport from London to Heathrow, a "train" is not the cheapest or even best or easiest, depending on where you are staying. From some places, the best thing (and the cheapest) is to take the Tube (the underground--not called a train). This might not work well if you aren't close to a Picadilly line station. Probably the easiest, and cheaper than a train, would be to get a car service, like justairports, to pick you up at the door of your hotel/rooms/whatever.

janisj

The Oyster is for travel in London (and to/from LHR on the <u>tube</u. Neither Windsor nor Harwich are in London.

You don't want to take a train to LHR. Either take the tube if you can handle your bags -- or -- pre-book a car service.

alanRow

Unless you are interested in the 2-4-1 offers from daysoutguide.com then just get an Oystercard each when you reach Liverpool Street from Harwich, add £15 to it and use it to travel within London. At Heathrow return it to get a
refund of unused cash and the £5 deposit. If you are taking a car service to Heathrow then only load £10 onto the card

GeoffHamer

The "tube" is a term used for the London Underground, which is a railway system with trains. If you take the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow, you travel on a train - not a bus or a boat. Confusingly, there is a bus company running from London to Oxford which calls itself the Oxford Tube, though these are buses.
The Oyster card can be used to travel in Greater London (which includes Heathrow) on buses and trains (though not Heathrow Express trains).
Windsor and Harwich are outside Greater London.
Trains from Harwich are generally every hour, with a change at Manningtree. The station at the port is called Harwich International. The total journey time to London Liverpool Street is about an hour and a half. Some trains also stop at Stratford where you can also catch Underground trains.