Getting Around London
 

We will be in London from the morning of 16 September to the morning of 19 September and I need to know what is the best method of getting around London.
We will be taking the train to Cardiff on the 19th.
Please advise me on travel cards and how they can be used. Are they my best option?

Thanks,

Larry

check out this thread for options

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-211201-2.cfm

The main options in central London are buses and the tube. And walking of course! Buses are good for seeing things and getting your bearings but the tube is quicker (no traffic).

The cheapest way to pay is via an Oyster card which you can load up with various ticket options, such as Pay as You Go or a Travelcard. You swipe the card each time you travel, you will need one each. There is a 3 pound deposit on each Oyster but you get that back when you hand it in on leaving. If you plan to come back, just hang on to it and use it next time. You can keep topping up the card whenever you need to.

Have a look at the Transport for London website www.tfl.gov.uk

You will not be able to use the Oyster Card for your trip to Cardiff, you need to check on either www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.trainline.co.uk for train tickets.

Kay

Done't use trainline for serveal reasons - not the least of which is that you can't book from abroad through it.

www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com allows foreign card holders to book trains & pick up the tickets in the UK and, unlike trainline, doesn't charge for booking or using a CC. National Rail will only show times & prices but won't allow you to book them.

As for London, as there are 2 of you, it might be cheaper to go into the centre of London and buy travelcards from a train (not tube) station as this allows you to use the offers on www.daysoutguide.com

A couple of information options:

The "official" interactive map:

http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/im/SI-T.html

Bus routes in relation to main attractions:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...al_bus_map.pdf

An unofficial overlay of bus routes on to Google maps (move the map to see what routes run near where you are, and where those routes go):

http://whatbus.com/

Thanks PatrickLondon for putting a link to these wonderful resources. We'll be in London mid January and I've been trying to work out the best way to get from Gatwick to Marble Arch seeing we'll be arriving around 7:30pm and taking public transport. You've been a great help.

What happens if I've pre-bought a ticket on, say, a 10am Great Western train between London and Cardiff, but miss the train and show up for the 11am train?

Check the terms and conditions when you buy, tahl. Some prices may be non-transferable: as with airlines, the more flexibility you want, the more you have to pay.

And four_maccas, the obvious way would be train from Gatwick to Victoria, but any route by tube would involve a change. It might make sense, especially if there's more than one of you, to take a taxi from Victoria. But if you don't have a lot of luggage, you could also take any one of half a dozen buses from there:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...toria-2277.pdf