Planning a 5-day getaway to London between Christmas and New Years. Great rates on flights and hotels. Now I need assistance on London Transport.

I usually get a 7-day pass, andhave my photo card from previous trips, although I understand it's no longer necessary. In my current situation, for zones 1 & 2, a weekend pass will cost me £6.10 and three day-passes, at £5.10 each will add up to a total of £21.40. A seven day pass, meanwhile is £19.60. I'll have to buy an extension, of course, to get to and from Heathrow.

I'm thinking that I should just get a seven day pass for my five day visit. Or am I missing something here?

Usually a 7-day pass is indeed the best buy for trips of 4 days or more. Yet another factor is that the weekday passes cost less after 9:30 AM, but you're still probably better-off with the 7-day pass, and it's certainly less trouble to buy just one.

In fact, you might want to check on whether you really need Zone 2 which includes farther-out places like Greenwich or the zoo. IIRC, a 7-day travelcard for just Zone 1 is about £16.

Checked the fare zones, and you're right; I don't think that I'll need Zone 2 at all. Thanks.

It is cheaper to get the 7-day pass if you are in London 5 or more days.

(For 4 days it depends on if you want to travel before 9:30 AM. If not - single daily tickets are OK. But if one expects a few early AM trips, a 7-day pass is the best way to go)

You fail to say where you're staying. After many stays in London, I have learned not to buy any passes. I stay central (Covent Garden) and find that a number of days I never use the tube at all. I was wasting money by using a long term pass. Now I just buy a single day pass on any days when I'll be making three or more trips on the tube, usually less than half the days. Overall I save money that way. On the other hand if you are staying where you must use the tube to get anywhere, then I suppose a pass is good option.

A single fare within Zone 1 is £1.60, so a 7-day travelcard will pay for itself in 10 rides.

Another alternative, especially for walkers like Patrick, would be Carnet tickets, which are good only in Zone 1, cost £11.50 for a book of 10 tickets, and are transferrable (i.e., two or 3 people can share a book). IIRC, they expire a year after purchase.

As noted above, just 3 all-day weekday travelcards for Zones 1 and 2 (they're not available for just zone 1) would cost £15.30.

I'm a big fan of good old buses as I much prefer to be above ground for short journeys - which most zone 1 trips are. The traffic should be quite light too when you are here.

As well as seeing more of London between the sights, you'll save money as well since a 1 day buss pass only cost 2 pounds.

Thanks for input. I can appreciate Patrick's opinion on passes, but I've been spoiled by the Metrocard in New York, and similar transit passes in other cities, even such seemingly unlikely ones as San Diego and New Orleans - oops, Europe board.

Perhaps even more than the cost factor, the passes really simplify the process - no fumbling for change, no queues at ticket counters or machines. And toward the end of a long day, it's a pleasure to hop on for only one or two stops to get where you're going.

Besides, I'm spending two nights in outer Kensington, and two in outer Bloomsbury, so I know I'll be using the tube a lot. The Priceline gods were kind on price ($60/night for 4*), but the locations are somewhat out of the way.

IIRC, the NYC Metrocard has to be inserted into a machine just once per trip because NYC's subways are unzoned. In London, as in DC, you have to run the pass thru the machine upon exiting too. Hence the handy card-holder, so you can just keep the card in your pocket and aren't taking out your real wallet so often.

I should have mentioned that in both London and Paris I do take advantage of buying a carnet of tickets (10). It does simplify things so you're not always having to buy tickets, and you get a bonus of a free ride or two.
In New York I just did the Metro Card for 12 rides for the price of 10 ($20), and in four weeks I used one and about half of another of these (the remainder will still be good on my next trip there). So my $30 was still a whole lot cheaper than a month unlimited card would have been -- $80. I just didn't use it that much.

Isn't it great that these major cities have so many options, seemingly to suit every possible personal transit style?

As long as we're already talking about NYC and the thread is near the top, I guess it's OK for me to mention that NYC has a one-week unlimited-use pass, for $20. Unlike Patrick, I've been known to use my transit pass 8 or ten times in one day!

Anonymous, what does IIRC mean? I've seen it a couple of times and cannot figure it out from context.

If I Recall Correctly..

Just remember to be prepared for tube trains falling off the rails. This is one of the richest countries in the world and yet it cannot run an adequate transportation system. It is pathetic.

I agree with Jacqui. Long live the Routemaster bus.