london underground

jackiegibbo

Hi, im off to london on sat with my family 2 adults and 3 kids for the day and we would like to hop on and off the underground and bus.Ive looked on the website but found it very confusing.can anyone advise me please of the cheapest tickets to get so we can hop on and off round the sites
many thanks

Aiadi

Apply for a Pay-as-you go Oyster card online and out some money on it (you can easily top it up whenever you need in most tube stations). It is as far as I know the cheapest and easiest way to get on the tube or buses.
Here is the website:
https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do

Hope this helps.

bap98189

We bought day travelcards when we were last in London. Worked out the cheapest way to get around, although do make sure you know which zones you need to go to. You can buy Travelcards from any tube station.

Adult prices are here:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/1055.aspx

If you have a Travelcard you can buy them for your kids (up to 15y/o) for just £1 as long as they travel with you. Also accompanied children under the age of 11 can now travel free on the tube and DLR.

jackiegibbo

Aiadi wrote: »

Apply for a Pay-as-you go Oyster card online and out some money on it (you can easily top it up whenever you need in most tube stations). It is as far as I know the cheapest and easiest way to get on the tube or buses.
Here is the website:
https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/entry.do

Hope this helps.

Hi thankyou for your advice but im finding the website a bit gobbldygook!!

quickstepqueen

HI jackiegibbo

I also found it very confusing about the oyster card thingy. When we go down to London we buy, each day, a one day travelcard (for some reason a 3 day travelcard was more expensive than buying a travelcard for each day!) Anyway, we went to London 2 weeks ago, and for zones 1-2 (which cover most sightseeing places) it's £5.10 and for zones 1-4 it was £5.70 per day.

We always make sure we've got loads of change and go to one of the ticket machines (saves queuing up, though the assistants there can be very helpful there.) I also noticed that some of the ticket machines now take credit cards (but do be very careful.)

Also, I think all children under 11 accompanied by an adult go on the tube for free but there may be restrictions. I would therefore suggest that for the first day you go to a counter and ask there. You can then use the ticket machines after that.

As for buses we've never used them. I saw ticket machines on the street which I think you use to buy your bus ticket before you board. TBH we find the tube and just plain old walking the best way to get around. Surprising how close things are really.

Anyway enjoy, and if you get the oyster card thing sussed I'd love to know!! lol

richardw

It looks like it will be warmish on Saturday and the tube does get very warm, I'd just stick to buses and walking with one-day bus travelcards from the machines at bus stops.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/images/thumbnail/centlond.pdf

Aiadi

jackiegibbo wrote: »

Hi thankyou for your advice but im finding the website a bit gobbldygook!!

Well just ignore the details and get yourself a pay as you go one. Top it up when you are in London. I forgot mine at home today and paid six pounds for a return journey that would normally cost me three pounds using oyster. If you are looking for the cheapest way to get around then this is it (was all over the news a short while ago on how ticket prices have increased but oyster ones were capped.

Aiadi

From their website you can see some explanation and the savings you could be making:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/tickets/Why_switch_to_Oyster.pdf

scbk

The last time I was down in London on public transport I had one of the day travelcards, I think it went all the way to like zone 8 or w/e it is, basically the whole underground! And you could use it to go on busses, trams, ferries, ground level trains, docklands railway etc etc! Was great as you could just hop on and hop off the whole day.

simongregson

You can get an oyster card from the tube ticket office. No need to bring any ID or anything. There is a 3 pound deposit, which you can get back if you return the card. This would probably be the best option if you think you will be in london again at some point, as the price for 1 day of travel is capped at less than the daily travelcard rate, but it is a hassle to get the deposit back so I would say its worth keeping the cards.

Otherwise just get a zone 1-2 travel card from a ticket machine.

Note if you are arriving by coach there is a TFL office in victoria coach station arrivals which always has a shorter queue than the tube ticket offices. There are also offices at some mainline rail stations.

Simon.

Lemmy_Caution

You do have to fill in a form for the Oyster Card, its a short form but never the less, it still takes a little bit of time. It is the best option for central London; if you get one, always touch in and touch out. It is easy to use credit or debit cards at the machines, or ticket offices at the stations.