1. From my review of other comments, the plastic London Pass & Travel card are a waste of money since it is hard to see all the main sights & no need for unlimited access zone 1 to 6. S
1. From my review of other comments, the plastic London Pass & Travel card are a waste of money since it is hard to see all the main sights & no need for unlimited access zone 1 to 6. Should we get an Oyster card to travel from Heathrow to our hotel downtown. Just get a paper travel pass that allows unlimited transportation in Zones 1 & 2. Do you have to print off 2 for 1 vouchers or simple place to get vouchers already printed?
2. Can we just buy one Oyster card to use for 2 people at the same time (swipe twice)? Just want to save some money from paying initial start fee.
2. What is the simplest way to travel to Windsor & anything else in the area to make it worth heading out of town?
3. We will be staying near Science Museum? Any tips for nightlife or places to eat?
4. Current Cell service provider has way high fees for using International. Any suggestions for simple prepay phone? We will also be heading to Ireland the following week so would like to be able to use it throughout Ireland as well.
1. I've never done 2 for 1, so won't try to answer. But please don't call it a paper travel pass, that will only confuse people. You want a travelcard issued at a train, not underground, station, which is a magnetic stripe card that happens to be issued on paper stock.
first 2. No, each person needs their own Oyster card second 2. Train from London Paddington, with a change at Slough or direct train from London Waterloo. The former route is a bit faster, which you choose would depend on which train station is easier for you to get to. And no, your travelcard or Oyster card will not be valid for such a journey.
3. I think we are going to need more information here. Nightlife could range from strip clubs, theatre, cosy pubs, casinos, folk, blues, various forms of rock clubs, classical music concerts, etc. When I visit London, I see no reason to limit my choices to places near my lodgings, Same with dining, what do you want - fast food, casual dining, fine dining, scores of different ethnic foods, ordinary pub food, gastro pub?
4. Find the nearest The Carphone Warehouse and let them advise you on the most suitable option.
Re tips for nightlife and restaurants--this is where the excellent onine guides (like Frommer's) are useful. Music? Theater? Walks? Pubs? London is an amazing city and there is a great deal to choose from. You might find Time Out London useful as print or e-zine. I'll be in London in and around the same time and what I most look forward to is just using my A to Z and wandering,
We found the simplest method was to purchase a 1 day travelcard which has a couple of restrictions. It is good M-F after 9:30 A.M. and S-S all day. It covers zone 1-2 but nearly everything you want to se is within these zones, at least we found our interests in these zones. You can catch teh tube from Heathrow but it is not in the zones 1-2. We also found our laptop to be of use in communicating back to USA and most places you stay in London have Wi_fi. We found no need for a phone. There are something like 1500 pubs in London so about one on every corner. Most having fairly good food at a reasonable price but there are also many very fine restaurants. We found Blego's Restaurant to be nice and interesting. We found the White Swan Pub on Bayswater to be very nice and good food. I think they have a website if you care to check and so does Belgo's. The Science Museum is very nice to see, take it in since you are so close....go and enjoy a fine city.
Oyster Cards are usually always the way to go. They are generally a lot cheaper especially if you will be there a few days or longer. Yes you can get the Oyster Card right at the terminal where the Picadilly Line is at Heathrow. There are a few booths that will have someone there. It's best to travel after the morning peak hour (which I think is 5-8:30) or you'll incure the Osyter Card peak cap for the day. After (I think it's 8:30) you won't activate it and you will save a lot more money. Just do this each day and try and avoid travelling during the morning peak so you don't activate the peak cap on your card.
