london travel card
 

hello, i am going to london soon and i was wondering if the travel card was worth it? i will be traveling mostly by bus and metro because i will not be renting a car. where would be the cheapest place to get it? from usa or should i wait until i go to london? i am finding a rate of $25 per person here. please let me know. thanks!

also i was wondering, if i end up getting the passes at london---where would i find them at the heathrow airport?

Buy them before you leave home they are cheaper, especially as the Pound is now worth more. Cathy

No, you do not need to buy them ahead of time. You only need a zone 1 transport pass and they are available in every tube station - including heathrow. Even with the stronger £ they are slightly cheaper in London. Most of your journeys will be within zone 1 and for others (including the trip in from LHR) you simply pay a supplement.

Just returned from London. The price of a 7 day travelcard (for zones 1&2)is about the same here vs. there, but if you buy them here you must pay a mandatory $15 fed-ex delivery charge, so it is cheaper to buy one there in the long run. You will need to supply as passport size photo for the card. We brought one along, but there are photo machines available there as well (but often a long line). We bought our cards at Victoria station after taking the train from Gatwick (travelcard does not cover train ride from Gatwick to Victoria Station). The card was a great savings and I highly recommend getting one, as you will use the tube constantly.

There are travel cards for one day, for a weekend and for seven days or a month. The zones are concentric circles, with central London in zone 1, Greenwich in zone 2 and places like Heathrow and Hampton Court in zone 6. You can buy them at any underground or railway station, so you can get one at Heathrow. The travelcard also gives a discount of 33% on most boat trips on the Thames. If you need exact prices, they're on www.tfl.gov.uk.

Couple of points<BR><BR>1. You can now buy the London Visitors Travelcard on the web with no shipping costs for only a few pence more than the card bought in London. When you buy the Visitor's Travelcard, you don't need a photo card. The only disadvantages I can think of is you have to specify the starting date in advance and it is one more thing to remember to pack.<BR><BR>2. There is no zone 1 visitor's travelcard while you can buy a regular London 7 day travelcard for zone 1 in London. It is about &pound;3 cheaper for the zone 1 than for the zone 1 & 2. The two tourist attractions found in zone 2 are the zoo and Greenwich. If you are going to both, it is best to buy the 1 & 2 card otherwise the zone 1 will suffice. Remember on all travelcards for 7 days or more bought in London you will need a photo card.