Oyster card
Nov 19th, 2013, 06:23 AM
#1
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Oyster card
I have read many of the threads explaining the Oyster card and am still a little confused. I will be in London with my husband and teen age son for 3 days. Do I need to buy a Oyster card for each of us or do we use the same one and the money is just depleted as we use it? We will be staying near the Tower of London. Are most of the typical attractions in walking distance. When we travel in cities we usually do alot of walking. Any other info on the Oyster card would be helpful.
Nov 19th, 2013, 06:34 AM
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Assuming you are all travelling at the same time, you will need one each. This is because the Oyster is expecting a 'touch in' at the entrance barrier and a 'touch out' at the exit. It can't compute for 'touch in, touch in, touch in, touch out, touch out touch out'. Theoretically you can share if only one person at a time is travelling and everyone else is home for the day as the PAYG ones don't need a photo.
Nov 19th, 2013, 06:52 AM
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Yes, everyone needs a card IF YOU USE OYSTERs. But see below.
<<Are most of the typical attractions in walking distance. >>
Look at a map and understand this: <b>London is the largest city in Western Europe</b> and #2 isn't close to its size. So no, the "typical" attractions (whatever they are) are not necessarily close. The Tower is close, as is St. Paul's.
You should get three one-day travelcards each from London Bridge station (closest national rail station to you) and obtain as many vouchers as you can from www.daysoutguide.co.uk. Saves $32 on the Tower alone . . .
<<Are most of the typical attractions in walking distance. >>
Look at a map and understand this: <b>London is the largest city in Western Europe</b> and #2 isn't close to its size. So no, the "typical" attractions (whatever they are) are not necessarily close. The Tower is close, as is St. Paul's.
You should get three one-day travelcards each from London Bridge station (closest national rail station to you) and obtain as many vouchers as you can from www.daysoutguide.co.uk. Saves $32 on the Tower alone . . .
Nov 19th, 2013, 07:01 AM
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Good point BigRuss, I missed that bit.
London is vast - you will still do a lot of walking, but the Tube is essential for locals and visitors alike. What's more, The Tower is east of The City (which is the eastern part of central London). A lot of what you will want to see will be way west of you.
London is vast - you will still do a lot of walking, but the Tube is essential for locals and visitors alike. What's more, The Tower is east of The City (which is the eastern part of central London). A lot of what you will want to see will be way west of you.
Nov 19th, 2013, 10:40 AM
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What they said above.
Also there is a website walkit.com which is really good to see how far apart via foot sites are (googlemaps has pedestrian option, of course, but walkit.com is more accurate). No way you can walk to all the "typical" attractions from one base. Do look carefully at a map and group your sites by geography and don't plan more than 2-3 major sites per day. Some "typical" sites are sorta just walk by and admire and take photos (Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace) but some require several hours (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's).
Also there is a website walkit.com which is really good to see how far apart via foot sites are (googlemaps has pedestrian option, of course, but walkit.com is more accurate). No way you can walk to all the "typical" attractions from one base. Do look carefully at a map and group your sites by geography and don't plan more than 2-3 major sites per day. Some "typical" sites are sorta just walk by and admire and take photos (Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace) but some require several hours (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's).
Nov 19th, 2013, 02:26 PM
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And don't forget the buses. Though they're obvioualy slower than the tube, there are routes all over and can sometimes be more direct (and give you something to look at on the journey).
If you're staying near the Tower, for example, you'll find the 15 and RV1 routes particularly useful:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/...-a4-130713.pdf
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...itor-guide.pdf
If you're staying near the Tower, for example, you'll find the 15 and RV1 routes particularly useful:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/...-a4-130713.pdf
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...itor-guide.pdf
