Cheapest way to travel around London

reese

Hi, I'm going to be visiting London for 2 days and would like to know the cheapest way to get around. We are a group of 2 adults and one child (aged 13) and are travelling to London by train and have a family railcard. We will be staying in Russell Square and plan to visit Madame Tussauds and the London Eye plus the usual tourist attractions of Covent Garden, Leicester Square etc etc. We will therefore not be travelling too far and thought we could do all these by bus.I've checked the TFL website but it's not too clear on there.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.

Altarf

Cheapest for the adults, an Oyster card (one each), which you can get from any tube station. If you are not planning on coming back to London soon, hand the cards in to a tube ticket office to get a refund of any balance left on the card.

Oyster charges per journey, but has a cap so you don't pay more than a travelcard - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx

However easiest for the adults is a Travecard if you are not familiar with the nuances of tapping in and out on tubes, buses, etc. £8.80 per day for a zone 1, so an Oyster would only save you if you were doing 4 tube journeys or less. If you are only using buses, it would be 6 journeys (Oyster - tube zone 1 £2.20 per journey, bus £1.40).

Do not pay cash fares, they are massively overpriced to stop people paying cash (£4.50 tube, £2.40 bus),

For the child you can get a child Oystercard, but you need to plan in advance as it is a photocard, otherwise get a child Travelcard - http://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/help-centre/travelling-with-children.html

You can do all your planned journeys by bus, but central London is actually surprisingly small. Russell Square to Covent Garden is 10 minutes walk or less.

If you want to do something different, also have a look at the Barclays Bikes. £2 per day provided that you don't keep the bike for more than 30 minutes at any one time.

And if you want some free attractions, don't forget the museums, Science, Natural History, V&A, and right on your doorstep at Russell Square, the British Museum, as well as lots of other smaller ones.

dzug1

As the child oyster costs £10 - non-refundable - it's not worth getting unless you are planning future visits as it won't save its cost over a couple of days. Child one day travel cards are what you want

You might well be interested in

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

Your rail tickets to/from London will qualify you for this

dacouch

Altarf wrote: »

You can do all your planned journeys by bus, but central London is actually surprisingly small. Russell Square to Covent Garden is 10 minutes walk or less.

Leicester Square and Covent Gardens are a fairly short walk with lots to see on the way

stevie11

I am in a similar position and have done a littlle research for a planned trip.

As you already have a friends and family card I think this may be a good deal. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/18343.aspx

'If you buy a Family & Friends Railcard you can buy discounted Off-Peak Day Travelcards to travel at anytime on weekends, Public Holidays and after 09:30 on Monday to Friday.

If you are travelling with children aged under 16 at anytime on weekends, Public Holidays and after 09:30 on Monday to Friday, you can get discounts for them too:

• On Tube, DLR, London Overground and some National Rail services you can take four children aged under 11 for free
• You can buy an Off-Peak Zone 1-9 Day Travelcard for £2 for up to four children aged 11-15 travelling with you (if they do not have an Oyster photocard). You must also have a valid ticket to travel'