Hi,

I am going to London early april...


During my former visits I bought some kind of London Visitor pass for
unlimited tube/bus travel.

It looks like that card is replaced by an Oyster card?

Can someone tell me how this works for tourists now?

And what about the changes to the zone system? Last time there were 3
zones, there are more now... What zone is Kensington (Hotel area) and
Heathrow (point of arrival).


Thanks,
Fred

wrote:
Hi,

I am going to London early april...

During my former visits I bought some kind of London Visitor pass for
unlimited tube/bus travel.

It looks like that card is replaced by an Oyster card?


You don't need an Oyster card; you can still buy paper Travelcards,
which give the unlimited tube & bus travel you describe (as well as DLR
and rail travel, and a 1/3 discount off boat travel). They last for 1, 3
or 7 days.

A 1-day travelcard for the central area (Zones 1&2) costs £4.70 after
0930 Mon-Fri, all day at weekends (£6 is you need to travel before 0930
Mon-Fri).

A 3-day travelcard (£15) is only cheaper than separate day cards if you
need to travel before 0930 Mon-Fri on one of the three days.

A 7-day travelcard costs £18.50 for just Zone 1 (the very centre;
includes Kensington, the West End and most major attractions but not
Greenwich or Docklands) or £21.40 for Zones 1 & 2 (which includes
Greenwich & Docklands). They are valid at any time of day.

And what about the changes to the zone system? Last time there were 3
zones, there are more now... What zone is Kensington (Hotel area) and
Heathrow (point of arrival).

Kensington is in Zone 1, the central zone. Heathrow is in Zone 6. A
single ticket between the two costs £3.80, or a 1-day travelcard for
zones 1 to 6 costs £6.00.

If you do any travelling on the days of your flights other than the
journey between your airport and the hotel, then a 1-6 travelcard will
probably be cheaper.

Hope that helps!

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

Great info.

Thanks ! ! !

wrote:

During my former visits I bought some kind of London Visitor pass for
unlimited tube/bus travel.

It looks like that card is replaced by an Oyster card?


Not unless you plan to be in London for 7 days or more.

Can someone tell me how this works for tourists now?


http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/faq/t...troduction.asp

should more than answer your questions.

And what about the changes to the zone system? Last time there were 3
zones, there are more now...

Actually, there were and are 6 Underground zones.

What zone is Kensington (Hotel area)

Zone 1

and Heathrow (point of arrival).

Zone 6.

Most tourists will find Zone 1 single day travel cards sufficient, with one off
tickets for trips to and from Heathrow, but you may wish to think twice about
using the Tube from Heathrow. The Terminal 4 station is closed right now and
dragging luggage around on the Tube is difficult at best. Consider taking the
hotel bus or the train to Paddington.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 13:41:36 -0700, Clark W. Griswold, Jr.
wrote:

Most tourists will find Zone 1 single day travel cards sufficient, with
one off tickets for trips to and from Heathrow, but you may wish tothink
twice about using the Tube from Heathrow. The Terminal 4 stationis
closed right now and dragging luggage around on the Tube is difficultat
best. Consider taking the hotel bus or the train to Paddington.

I was at Heathrow today. I'd definitely advise visitors arriving at
Terminal 4 to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. I admit, it's
expensive, but it's worth it.

James Farrar wrote:
On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 13:41:36 -0700, Clark W. Griswold, Jr.
wrote:

Most tourists will find Zone 1 single day travel cards sufficient,
with
one off tickets for trips to and from Heathrow, but you may wish
tothink
twice about using the Tube from Heathrow. The Terminal 4 stationis

closed right now and dragging luggage around on the Tube is
difficultat
best. Consider taking the hotel bus or the train to Paddington.

I was at Heathrow today. I'd definitely advise visitors arriving at
Terminal 4 to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington. I admit, it's

expensive, but it's worth it.

The Pic. line goes direct from Heathrow (1,2,3) to the following
Kensington stations:
* South Kensington (zone 1)
* Gloucster Road (zone 1)
* Knightsbridge (zone 1)
or you can change at Earls Court for:
* High St Ken (zone 1)
* Kensington Olympia (zone 2)
* Sloane square (zone 1)

If you take the Heathrow Express to Paddington, you still have to get
to your destination from there. You can take the circle line (during
the week and occasionaly at weekends) to:
* High St Ken (zone 1)
* Gloucster Road (zone 1)
* South Kensington (zone 1)
* Sloane Square
or the District line to:
* High St Ken (zone 1)
* Olympia (changing at Earls Court) (zone 2)


IMHO there is not much point in getting the Heathrow Express because it
costs more and you still have to negotiate the tube system.

wrote:

IMHO there is not much point in getting the Heathrow Express because it
costs more and you still have to negotiate the tube system.

The HE will certainly cost more than the tube, but it depends on how much
luggage you have and with Terminal 4 tube station closed, what terminal you
arrive at.

I'd much rather take the HE to Paddington and then a cab to the hotel if I had
anything more than a carry-on. Its not that far to the other side of
Hyde/Kensington Park from the train station. Beats trying to drag a bunch of
bags on the Tube. Faster as well.

Clark W. Griswold, Jr. wrote:

wrote:

IMHO there is not much point in getting the Heathrow Express because it
costs more and you still have to negotiate the tube system.

The HE will certainly cost more than the tube, but it depends on how much
luggage you have and with Terminal 4 tube station closed, what terminal you
arrive at.

I'd much rather take the HE to Paddington and then a cab to the hotel if I had
anything more than a carry-on. Its not that far to the other side of
Hyde/Kensington Park from the train station. Beats trying to drag a bunch of
bags on the Tube. Faster as well.

Depends where you're going - The Heathrow Express is faster to some
destinations, while the Piccadilly is faster to many others. Bus to
Feltham then train from there is also worth considering, particularly
for destinations S of the river.

I'd much rather take the HE to Paddington and then a cab to the hotel if I had
anything more than a carry-on. Its not that far to the other side of
Hyde/Kensington Park from the train station. Beats trying to drag a bunch of
bags on the Tube. Faster as well.

Obviously here speaks someone who has lots of money (or an expense
account). HE is about 3 times the price of a tube ticket and the tube
ticket (if a travel card is bought) can then be used to travel around
using public transport the rest of the day, unlike the HE ticket.

*And* then the traveller is also queuing up for, and paying through
the nose for a cab, dragging their "bunch of bags" all the while. I
would contend that travelling on the Piccadilly Line outside the rush
hour will take about the same time as HE+cab to many destinations -
including expensive hotels in Hyde Park and/or Kensington Park

On 20 Feb 2005 16:25:34 -0800, wrote:

IMHO there is not much point in getting the Heathrow Express because it
costs more and you still have to negotiate the tube system.

Have you ever tried taking suitcases on the Piccadilly line? As another
poster has said, HEX and taxi is the way to go.