Hello,

I am traveling to London in early March 2006. I will be in the city for two nights. I will be flying into Gatwick, with my party of 6 adults and one child. We are planning on staying in a hotel in the city of London.

Should I rent a vehicle for the two days. Or should I get into London via the train and use the train for all travel while in London.

If renting, how hard will it be to adjust driving from the right side.

If using the train, is a there a train ticket available that will allow us unlimited train rides from airport and for all other local transit, with in London.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

I do not recommend driving in London. The traffic is so bad that the city levies a Congestion Charge to even enter the city center, and parking (if you can find any) is ruinously expensive.

Much better to get to town via Southern Trains (they will take you to Victoria Station) and use public transport during your stay. Southern offers a 4-for-2 ticket that will minimize your outlay.

The train company is separate from Transport for London (buses and Underground), but TfL does offer transport passes. The child plus two adults can buy &quot;Family Travelcards&quot; and the others can use &quot;Day Travelcards&quot; (off-peak are more economical) for unlimited use of the buses and Tube. They are tariffed by zones, and all of the most popular sights are within Zones 1 &amp; 2. There is much information at <b>thetube.com</b>

If you're adventurous, you might want to take a crack at the bus system. It's a little more complicated than the simple Tube navigation, but not a lot more so. Under 16 year olds ride free, and adults for &pound;3 per day. Here's some help:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34685947

You do not even want to think about renting a car to drive in London...ever !! Seriously, it is not a good plan, one-way streets, congestion, vehicle tax, to name a few.

You can take the Gatwick Express into London Victoria Station and then a cas) to your hotel. With 6 people you will need 2 cabs,

However .. It actually might be cheaper to hire a car service to pick you up at Gatwick. We have always flown into Heathrow and have used Ray Skinner (www.londontransfers.com) but he also picks up at Gatwick. Prices are on his website (tips extra)

If you use a service you should specify how many people you have and approx. amount of luggage so they can have a large enough van.

By the time you have paid for Gatwick Express for 6 people and cabs a car service is cheaper. Another one people on this board recommend is www.justforairports.com.

In London you can use the Tube and/or Bus -- it's the quickest and most convenient way to get around.

Not sure what happened to my third para. It should read ... and then a cab to your hotel.

What happened to your third paragraph is that you wrote &quot;...and then a ca<b>b(</b>s) to your hotel...&quot;

and Fodor's Automatic Smiley Generator transformed the <b>b(</b> to .

I would agree in checking into a car service with that many people as the train tickets plus two taxis will start getting expensive. And while I know everyone raves about Ray Skinner's service, if it is a question of money, Just Airports is something like half the cost of Ray Skinner, who really is very expensive compared to most of the other services. I'm not knocking him and if money is no issue, go for it. But if money is the issue I'd check with www.justairports.com

Thanks for your comments. I guess I won't be renting a car.

What about purchasing a BritRail London Plus Pass. They have discounts for teenagers and childeren. We have 5 adults one 15 yr and one 4 yr.
They have discount for persons after 3rd person. Does anyone have experience using this BritRail London Plus Pass. Will this include the Gatwick Transfers and the London City Transit (inlcuding buses)

Thanks.

Although the train might seem expensive, remember that with the Gatwick Express you can get discounts, such as &quot;4 for 2.&quot; Four people can travel round-trip on the train for 48 gbp or about $12 per person each way. A car service might still be cheaper, but the train will probably be a lot faster. Make sure you price the car service both ways.

Andrew

&quot;Will this include the Gatwick Transfers and the London City Transit (inlcuding buses)&quot;

No. The train company is separate from Transport for London (buses and Underground), but TfL does offer transport passes. The child plus two adults can buy &quot;Family Travelcards&quot; and the others can use &quot;Day Travelcards&quot; (off-peak are more economical) for unlimited use of the buses and Tube. They are tariffed by zones, and all of the most popular sights are within Zones 1 &amp; 2. There is much information at <b>thetube.com</b>

A Southern Trains DaySave Group Ticket costs &pound;20 for 4 adults or children, so &pound;40 will get the 7 of you from Gatwick to London Victoria. See restrictions:

<b>http://go-ahead-ecommerce.com/sndaysave/TicketDetails.do</b>

Another thing to consider is that Gatwick to central London by car is a long miserable journey through the suburbs, could take a very long time, depending on the time of day.
Use the train unless cost is the over-riding factor.