maryarnoult

I understand there are several types of "metro" and/or bus passes that I can buy for my 10 day stay in London. I understand I need to provide a Passport Photo. Can anyone give me more details about the various types, where to buy, how much they cost, are they a good deal for only 7-10 days? Thanks. 1xmasgirl

janisj

You can just buy a Oyster card in any tube station. No photo required. For 10 days you'd want a 7 day travel card and some pay-as-you-go money loaded on the Oyster,

It will cover you for the tube (Underground -- no 'Metro' in London) and buses.

PatrickLondon

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14825.aspx

First rule for tube and buses in London is: NEVER pay cash-per-ride - they don't want to handle all that cash, and set prices to make it worth your while to prepay using travelcards or pay-as-you-go on Oyster. For a 7-10 day stay for a single traveller, get an Oystercard and put a 7-day travelcard for zones 1-2 on it, and some pay-as-you-go money for any additional days and/or travel outside the central zones.

pmlharris

I'd just buy the Oyster Card and load it with cash. The "daily price capping " fare structure means that you're never charged more than a one day travelcard anyway.
(You don't need a photo for a Adult Visitor Oyster Card - only for a student card for kids aged 11 - 16. (Children 10 years and under travel free with an adult. ) For the student Oyster Card, you need a photo and you have to order 4 weeks in advance. It costs about £10 for processing - so not likely to be good value for a visitor).
I've pre-ordered 1 adult Oyster Card with £ 30 credit, plus 2 x 7 Day Child (11 - 15 year old) Zone 1/2 Travelcards. https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
The cards arrived at my home address in Australia within 5 days.

janisj

>>I'd just buy the Oyster Card and load it with cash. The "daily price capping " fare structure means that you're never charged more than a one day travelcard anyway. <<

Actually - for 7 days (or even 5 days) a 7-day travel card is cheaper than PAYG. That's why I suggested a week travel card plus PAYG for a 10 day stay.

I personally see no benefit pre-ordering a visitor's travel card - but no biggie one way or the other.

maryarnoult

Thank you all! Oyster Card it is. No photo. How much "cash" should I load onto it? What is PAYG?

to janisj: Yes..I knew it was tube and not Metro. But having recently been in Paris, I have "metro" on the brain. sorry for the "faux pas".

Speaking of the tube and transportation, how do you suggest we get into London proper from Heathrow? we arrive at about 1:30 on a Tuesday afternoon and our B & B is located near Bayswater Rd. The closest tube is Paddington Main Line.

Oh..just reviewing my notes I see there is a Heathrow Express located in Paddington Station. I assume we'll be able to find some kind of guideline at Heathrow. Maybe I'll look at the map of Heathrow to get my bearings.

Sorry for being such a stupid tourist..and in an English speaking country no less.

again, thanks all for your handy hints.

gh21

PAYG=pay as you go

propita

I was given advice to get a 7-day from a TRAIN station, on paper, if I wanted to take advantage of 2-for-1 at various sites.

That meant, for me, getting a paper 7-day, but getting a PAYG plastic Oyster card at Heathrow to get into London, for days beyond the 7, and towards a number of day trips. From what I've read online, the Hetahrow Express is much faster but more expensive. If you have a lot of luggage, it may be worth it. If you only have carry-ons, the Tube may be okay.

Note: This is only from online info. I have yet to test it out for myself, but I trust the info on these fora.

janisj

OK -- your first post was all "I" . . . And now it is "we". I answered based on "I" -- solo.

"We" does make a difference. If you want to use the days out 2for1 discounts (meaning there are two or more of you) you will need PAPER travel cards bought from a train station. So assuming you take the tube into London, buy a PAYG Oyster at Heathrow and then go to a <u>train</u> station in London to buy a 7-day paper travel card. But this travel car DOES require a passport sized photo.

But if you don't want to schlepp into London on the Tube - you could pre-book a car service like justairports.com which will cost more than the tube but a LOT less than the Heathrow Express and is a LOT less hassle. Where are you staying? If you do use a car service - then you'd buy both your Oyster PAYG and paper travel cards after you are in London.

>><i>just reviewing my notes I see there is a Heathrow Express located in Paddington Station. I assume we'll be able to find some kind of guideline at Heathrow</i><<

The ONLY time the Heathrow Express makes any sense is IF you are staying right AT LHR. It is very expensive and only gets one to Paddington which isn't near any of the sights and isn't really the best area to stay. But the time you pay for the HEX and a taxi to get to your final destination it will be a fortune.

Markaphx

The whole Oyster vs Travel Card question has gotten muddier recently, hopefully this helps:

If you want to use the awesome 2-for-1 offers available you must buy a Travel Card from a National Rail station - not an Underground station. Google for a list of National Rail Stations, but Kings Cross, Charing Cross, Waterloo, Victoria are a few where you can buy. See this Wiki page (see stations Managed by "Network Rail" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ilway_stations

Now the confusing part: As of just recently, longer limit Travel Cards (7 days+) are no longer issued as paper cards, they are loaded onto Oyster Cards. When you buy a Travel Card you will be issued an ID card, that you will need to provide a passport style photo for, and you use this ID to use the 2-for-1 deals.

7 day Travel Cards for zones 1-2 are 30.40 GBP. If you use the 2-for-1 deal on just 2 sites it pays for your entire 7 day Travel Card.

Heathrow Express is expensive (20GBP)and goes to Paddington Station. I didn't see where you are staying in London, but what I would suggest:
At Heathrow, buy a one way cash ticket on the Piccadilly line to get into London (approx 5GBP and ride takes approx 1 hour), then in London find a National Rail Sation and buy your 7-day Travel Card. Then for any days over 7 I would get a PAYG card.
Hope that helps!

alanRow

<i>As of just recently, longer limit Travel Cards (7 days+) are no longer issued as paper cards, they are loaded onto Oyster Cards. When you buy a Travel Card you will be issued an ID card, that you will need to provide a passport style photo for, and you use this ID to use the 2-for-1 deals.</i>

That must be very new - can you give a link to that. Certainly the daysoutguide FAQs do not mention it.

It would also mean that once you had the ID card then that alone would give you the eligibility - even if it was issued several years ago.

jamikins

I haven't heard that paper cards aren't still available. The London Overground stations (the double orange line on the tube map NOT the national rail stations) have stopped selling paper versions, but that is the only change I have heard of. As far as I know the national rail stations still sell them and they now require a small passport size photo for the 7 day travel card.

Markaphx can you please advise where you heard the paper cards are no longer offered?

flanneruk

The poster is probably referring to http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/19799.aspx where it says:

"From Sunday 15 September 2013, 7 Day or longer period Travelcards will only be available on Oyster at TfL operated London Overground ticket offices."

This is poorly written, but is not intended to carry the meaning the poster is attributing to it.

Without going into the complications of who else operates ticket offices, it's about how people using London Overground ticket offices can get 7+ day Travelcards. The poster is very unlikely to encounter such a place in a normal tourist's experience of London.

jamikins

I thought so too flanner...thanks for posting the link!

texasbookworm

Having stayed in a B&B near Bayswater, and having arrived about when you did, I would suggest, as janisj, that you get a carservice (not a taxi) like Justairports. Pre-book. They will pick you up and take you directly to the door (even if it involves very narrow little mews and lanes and crazy parking!). It's worth it, no matter how much or little luggage, to not have to figure out the Tube upon arrival, since you'd have to change lines at least once. (On my second trip to London, when I had a little Tube experience, and our B&B was not far from a Tube stop on the line direct from LHR, we rode the Tube and it was fine. But when our rooms were near Bayswater, we used Justairports--and glad we did.)

And from what you describe, then yes, you will get an Oyster card, loaded with some amount of PAYG, AND a paper 7-day-card. I found agents helpful when estimating how much to put on the Oyster, and the cards are easily topped up if you run low (and can be turned in for a refund, with some stipulations I think--haven't done that lately but I think it's still possible.) You could get your Oyster card at your first Tube ride and then asap make a stop at some National Rail station to get your 7-day-card. You COULD get the Oyster at LHR but there's no need to as I read your plans, unless you opt to take the Tube (which I don't suggest you do--not this trip, not first time in London, it sounds like). The Tube I think is easier than the Metro, so you will not have a problem. But after a flight and first time in London I think a car-service from LHR to rooms will be so much easier.

alanRow

<i>The poster is very unlikely to encounter such a place in a normal tourist's experience of London.</i>

London Olympia is one they'll encounter if staying in Kensington.

Of the following stations on the London OVERGROUND network the ones that DON'T have the double red arrows will issue Oystercards only

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...etwork-map.pdf

annhig

if I'm just going from A N Other station in Surrey into Victoria, and then to Sloane Square and returning in the same day, can I just buy a return through to Sloane Square? and if DH wants to come with me but wants to travel round zone one while I'm rehearsing near Sloan Square, what ticket does he need to buy?

[sorry to highjack the thread but it is sort of connected].

flanneruk

"if I'm just going from A N Other station in Surrey into Victoria, and then to Sloane Square and returning in the same day, can I just buy a return through to Sloane Square?"

Yes. You get the appropriate return to "any zone 1 station"

"and if DH wants to come with me but wants to travel round zone one while I'm rehearsing near Sloan Square, what ticket does he need to buy?"

This will cause endless confusion. You tell the person at the AN Other ticket counter (I can't remember if it's available on machines, but it's best to consult a human as we'll see) you want the appropriate return "including travelcard". In this context "travelcard" refers to an open one-day Z1/2 ticket, and usually the add-on costs a bit less than buying a one day Z1/2 travelcard separately. BUT...

It's priced on the basis of the train you take from AN Other station (remember one-day Z1/2 travelcard prices depend on on the time of day you start using them). So it's sometimes cheaper to buy the appropriate return just to Victoria, then buy the travelcard when you arrive there. Most ticket sellers within 100 miles of London know far better than you or me what's best, when, so you just ask their advice.

Because that can be antisocial at a weekday rush hour, most of us living near such stations keep a topped up Oyster in our wallet. Just be concise in your question.

annhig

Because that can be antisocial at a weekday rush hour, most of us living near such stations keep a topped up Oyster in our wallet. Just be concise in your question.>>

it'll be a saturday at about 11am.

A N Other station in Surrey is Oxted.

not living anywhere near these sorts of stations, neither of us has an oyster.

Thanks Flanner. succinct as ever.

maryarnoult

Janisj and texasbookwrom...thank you for some handy hints. Yes, there will be two of us and we are staying in a B & B near Paddington station Bayswater area. The B & B website says 3 minutes to Paddington.

That said, I do like the encouragement from you all to take a car service, and will investigate justairports. We will be jet lagged having come from Los Angeles with no stops. A nice car and friendly driver sounds good.

annhig...I was a bit confused at first ,but then I saw your "sorry to highjack..". No worries. Tube travel is all connected. Hope you got some answers.

I am saving all the advice from this post and I assume the host at our B & B will be able to help us sort it out. We'll bring passport photos just in case. Thanks again everyone.