Hi- My 3 kids under 12 and another adult and I plan on taking the tube daily and a few day train trips( hHmpton Court, Cambridge, Harry Potter) on my upcoming 7 day London trip. Do I need to get an oyster card for them ? I appreciate any help or advice. Thanks

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14554.aspx

If they are under 10 they can travel free without Oyster Card, if with an adult.

Don't neglect London's iconic double-decker buses - kids love sitting up top right over the driver - trees branches swishing often over the front - and you can see a lot more of course than being Underground.

Buses may even be quicker on some short routes and you need not descend into the bowels of the Tube to get a train - often walking up and down flights of stairs - shcoking few of London Tube stations in the city center have lifts!

<Buses may even be quicker on some short routes>

That would be REALLY short routes - traffic in London is terrible on a good day. The Tube is not subject to surface traffic laws. If a bus would be faster than the Tube, then in that rare situation, walking may be faster than waiting for the bus. (Here's a map which shows stations that are within 500m of each other [less than 1/3 of a mile]: http://rodcorp.typepad.com/rodcorp/i..._final_lm.html).

Now, as for you and your adult friend:

Go to www.daysoutguide.co.uk. Print vouchers to everything that looks interesting (no limit). Bring passport sized headshots of self and friend to London.

Upon arrival in London, go to the manned ticket booth at a National Rail station (Paddington, Marylebone, Euston, St Pancras, Kings X, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Blackfriars, Charing X, Waterloo, Victoria) and purchase a seven-day zone 1-2 travel card (credit card sized, orange borders, flimsy unlike a credit card) for everyone. Use the travel card on buses and Tube. Present the travel card with vouchers.

Vouchers get 2 admissions for price of one at The Tower, Hampton Court Palace, Churchill War Rooms, various London Walks, etc. May also work for St. Pauls.

Do not buy the London Pass (about 15 of London’s best museums are free admission). Do not buy Oystercards (these are blue, credit card sized and stiff like a credit card) for anyone for whom you buy the travelcard.

The 2 for 1 vouchers do work for St. Pauls.

buses to me are also more relaxing than joining the mobs on Tube platforms - it can take 10 minutes sometimes just to get to the right platform in a maze-like station like Bank, Trafalgar Square and at Victoria the crowds can be so daunting you may have to wait for another train after all possible crowd in.

I am not in a hurry when I'm on the top deck of a bus - sitting up front over the driver - every ride is an adventure. Tube is utilitarian yes for any long trips but even then if not in a hurry and if on a weekend and especially Sunday when traffic is calmed hop the bus - also cheaper if you don't have an Oyster Card capping off a day Travel Card.

You all are the best! Thanks so much-

If you want to travel on one of the iconic old fashion Double Deckers with no doors on the front these still ply one bus line along the Thames north bank (I believe) - Route Masters I believe they are called - looking like something out of the 1930s!

https://www.google.com/search?q=Lond...=1600&bih=1075

the images are of RouteMasters including new ones but you can see the old ones that still run on one route for preservation purposes.

St. Paul's availability on the two-fers varies. The Tower, HCP, that I mentioned are steady participants in the scheme.

The Routemasters are on the 9 and 15 lines.

Seriously PalQ, you don't have to cut and paste the google query URL - that gets long because the Fodors overlords don't allow easy and shorter links in the comments.