London Transport

The London Underground is the oldest underground railway in the world.

Chances are if you are visiting or taking up residence in London, you will be relying on The Underground as your main means of transport. The London Underground (also known as the Tube or The Underground) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.

Tube Map

 

 

Which ticket do I need?

The Oyster

Oyster is a 'smartcard' storing credit to pay for journeys. It is valid across all travel zones and automatically calculates the cheapest fare for all the journeys you make in a single day.

The Travelcard

Travelcards are paper tickets available for 1 or 7 days of travel in London, and in various combinations of travel zones

 

 

 

 

Where can I use?

Visitor Oyster card	Travelcard
Tube, DLR and London Overground - yes	Tube, DLR and London Overground - yes
Bus - yes	Bus - yes (Any service within Greater London regardless of the zone(s) the Travelcard covers)
Trams - yes	Trams - yes (If your Travelcard includes Zone 3, 4, 5 or 6.)
National Rail services in London - yes (Excluding Heathrow Connect services between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, on Heathrow Express and on Southeastern High speed services between St Pancras International and Stratford International)	National Rail services in London - yes (Excluding Heathrow Connect services between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, on Heathrow Express and on Southeastern High speed services between St Pancras International and Stratford International)
Riverboat - yes Get 10 per cent off single tickets on Thames Clippers services. Use your pay as you go credit to purchase a paper ticket.	Scheduled Riverboat services at 1/3 off - yes (Show your Travelcard at the time of travel)

 

Who Can Use It?

Visitor Oyster card	Travelcard
Adults - yes	Adults - yes
(Accompanied under 11's travel free on Tube, DLR and London Overground services.) More about travelling with children	Children - yes (Accompanied under 11's travel free on Tube, DLR and London Overground services.) More about travelling with children

 

How Much? 

Visitor Oyster card	Travelcard
Sample single Tube journey prices Zones 1 to 2 – Oyster £2.40 peak, £1.90 off-peak, Cash fare £4.00 Zones 1 to 6 - Oyster £4.50 (peak) £2.70 (off-peak), Cash fare £5.00 Multiple journeys within the same zone(s) are capped at the equivalent Day Travelcard rate. You can top up your Oyster card at Tube stations, at over 3,700 Oyster Ticket Stops throughout London and at London Travel Information Centres.	Zones 1 - 2 adult Day off-peak Travelcard: £6.60 Zones 1 - 6 child Day off-peak Travelcard: £3.00 Zones 1 - 6 adult 7 Day Travelcard: £50.40 Zones 1 - 6 child 7 Day Travelcard: £25.20
More about travel zones

 

 Who Should Buy?

Visitor Oyster card	Travelcard
You're making many journeys in a small area You're only making a few journeys or not travelling every day in London You're travelling to Zones 7, 8 or 9	- Under-16s unless they get an Oyster photo card.

Buy Your Oyster Card