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What is the cheapest way to travel through London?

How to travel cheap in London
  • Get an Oyster card. ...
  • Go contactless. ...
  • Know where you're travelling to. ...
  • Avoid travelling during peak hours. ...
  • Take the bus for long distances. ...
  • Take advantage of the Hopper fare. ...
  • Rent a bike when it's sunny. ...
  • Walk wherever possible.




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The best way to get around London is the rapid-transit London Underground, or what locals call the Tube. You can even take the Tube from Heathrow Airport (LHR) – one of the world's busiest airports – into the city center.

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It's more than 50% cheaper than buying a paper Travelcard or single tickets with cash. Oyster cards have a daily price cap – once you reach this limit, you won't pay for any additional journeys (excluding Thames Clippers River Bus where there is no capping).

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Travelcard prices start at £15.20 for a central London 1 day Travelcard (zones 1-4). Child Travelcards prices start at £7.60 (zonnes 1-4).

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As a general rule a Travelcard is more expensive than an Oyster card or Contactless payment card. The exception is if you make 3 or more journeys for 6 days or more within a 7 day period. In this case a 7 day Travelcard works out cheaper than an Oyster or Contactless payment card.

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A London Travelcard is the ideal accompaniment to travelling around London, as it allows unlimited travel within the fare zones it's applicable to. London is split into different fare zones, so the cost of a Travelcard depends on the number of zones you are looking to travel within.

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However, the average visitor will use public transportation multiple times each day and the Oyster card can save both time and money. As an example, traveling offpeak from Zone 1 to Zone 2 on the Tube will cost you (as of April 2023) £2.70 using an Oyster card versus £6.70 if you buy a single ticket.

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If you're travelling somewhere within the Transport for London zones, the cost will be the same whether you take the train or the tube.

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Barking and Dagenham – Zones 4/5 Barking and Dagenham is the cheapest area to live in the Greater London area.

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Is it cheaper to use Oyster or contactless? As both cards use the same Pay As You Go system and are compatible with the TfL Oyster & Contactless app, the costs are comparable. As a tourist in London, it can be worth getting an Oyster Card as part of the London Pass.

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How much does an Oyster card cost? The Oyster card costs £7. You then add money to the card to pay for your travel. The £7 fee is not a deposit.

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Understanding your Visitor Oyster card credit Visitor Oyster card packages have been designed to save you money as they are the cheapest way of travelling around the city. Each Visitor Oyster card comes with a pre-loaded credit/value for your journeys across central London for the duration of your London Pass.

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A Visitor Oyster card* is one of the cheapest ways to pay for single journeys on the bus, Tube, DLR, tram, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus service, London Overground, TfL Rail and most National Rail services in London.

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The Travelcard is a paper ticket valid 24 hours that allows you unlimited travel on all London Transport services.

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Within London, all London Underground, National Rail, London Overground, TfL Rail and Docklands Light Railway stations are assigned to six fare zones. Fare zone 1 covers the central area and fare zones 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 form concentric rings around it.

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