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Off-Peak Day Travelcard

The best way to enjoy a day out in London is to take the train and buy an Off-Peak Day Travelcard. There are bus services from the Coachway but the off-peak traveller will find that rail offers a better deal and is more convenient in most cases.  

 

How Does it Work?

An Off-Peak Day Travelcard covers a return trip to London plus unlimited travel within London on the Underground, buses, trains and even trams. There are 6 Travelcard zones and an Off-Peak Travelcard purchased in Milton Keynes covers them all. The area covered is quite extensive (most of the tube map) including Heathrow via the Piccadilly line, Croydon in south London, the whole of the new Docklands area and out east as far as Epping in Essex. Maps showing the Travelcard zones are available free from stations or try downloading a copy from the London Transport site.

The Britain Express site includes details of London attractions and places to visit - click here.

An Off-Peak Travelcard also entitles the holder to a one third discount on most London riverboat fares - see below for details. 

A standard Off-Peak Travelcard is valid on any train from Milton Keynes (subject to a few time restrictions). Travel into London Euston on Virgin or LondonMidland. Alternatively take the Southern train to Kensington, Clapham Junction or East Croydon - all of which are in the Travelcard zones. The Southern route may be more convenient for destinations in south London.   See diagram of rail routes

Time Restrictions

On Mondays to Fridays there are morning time restrictions on the use of off-peak tickets. Any ticket purchased with a Network railcard cannot be used before 10:00. Without the railcard discount most tickets can be used a little earlier.

Virgin also impose a Mondays to Fridays evening restriction on off-peak tickets. Cheap day returns & One Day Travelcards cannot be used on Virgin trains returning from London between 16:00 and 18:15. But it is ok to use LondonMidland or Southern at these times.

 

What Does it Cost?

A standard Off-Peak Day Travelcard purchased with a Network railcard costs £16.85.  Anyone can have a Network railcard  For details of child fares and fares without the railcard see the rail routes and fares page (Travelcards are listed under London).

A Family Travelcard offers savings for a group travelling together - there must be at least one adult and one child in the group. Sometimes a Family Travelcard can work out cheaper than using a railcard. Compare the fares on the  rail routes and fares page to find which is best for you.

 

LondonMidland-only Travelcard

LondonMidland are currently offering a cheaper Travelcard ticket which is only valid on their trains for the journey into London and the return journey back from London. Note that it can be used on any train for journeys within London - inside London it works just like a standard Travelcard. 

The LondonMidland-only Travelcard from Milton Keynes Central can be purchased with a Network Railcard for just £12.85  which is a good deal considering that a single tube journey in central London costs £4.

If you only need to travel to Euston and do not intend to use any public transport within London then a LondonMidland-only day return can be purchased with a railcard for just £9.25.

Note: There is a £13 minimum fare for adult tickets purchased with a Network Railcard on a weekday. There is no minimum fare at the weekend.

 Groupsave Now Available for LondonMidland-only Travelcards

The price of a LondonMidland-only Travelcard without a railcard is £19.50. However, 3 or 4 adults travelling together can buy a Groupsave ticket for twice the adult fare. Therefore, a group of 4 adults can buy a LondonMidland-only Travelcard for 2x£19.50 = £39.00 = £9.75 each! 

Note that Groupsave is not available on Virgin trains.


River Boat Services

If you plan a day in London based around the Thames then you might consider using the boat services.

Many different passenger services operate along the Thames ranging from fast catamaran services to leisurely dining cruises.

Most of the boat operators give a one third discount if you show a valid Travelcard. some companies offer an all-day ticket and in some cases this is the same price or only a little more than a return ticket.

Worth knowing about is the Tate to Tate service. This impressive, fast Catamaran links the old Tate (Tate Britain at Millbank) with the new Tate (Tate Modern at Bankside - adjacent to the Millennium Bridge). An all-day ticket for use on this service costs £7.30 (£4.90 if you show your Travelcard).

Check  London Transport's River Services page for more information on London riverboat services including maps and fares. Alternatively, you can download river maps and the complete Riverboat Services Guide.

2-for-1 Offer

The rail companies have arranged discounts for rail passengers visiting various London attractions. 2 rail passengers can buy admission tickets for the price of 1.

The attractions include the London Dungeon, the Tower of London, London Zoo & Madame Tussauds. In addition, there are discounts at selected restaurants, theatres and hotels.

To take advantage of the discounts, it is necessary to show a valid rail ticket to London and a discount voucher. Download a voucher from the 2-for-1 website.

The offer is valid until 31st March 2009.

 

Docklands train

Docklands Light Railway

An Off-Peak Day Travelcard from Milton Keynes is valid for unlimited travel on the whole of the Docklands Light Railway and the Croydon Tram system.

Croydon tram

Croydon Tramlink

 

London Routemaster - traditional conductor buses still operate on two routes

Routemaster

London Buses

It is natural when arriving at London Euston to head straight for the tube. It is quick, easy to understand and convenient. But anyone who is not in a hurry ought to consider the London bus. Buses are slower but you do get an excellent view. 

Leave Euston by the main exit and cross the busy Euston road to pick up service 73. Route 73 is now operated by new articulated buses. The route serves Oxford Street, Hyde Park & Green Park (convenient for Buckingham Palace). 

Service 30 can also be picked up opposite Euston Station and serves the Planetarium & Madame Tussaud's at Baker Street plus Regent's Park for London Zoo. For further details ask for a free bus map at Euston station or download a map from the London Transport site.

Central London buses are often at their best on Sundays when the traffic is light. This is in marked contrast to the rest of the country where traffic might be free flowing but bus services are sparse or non-existent. 

Note that Travelcards are valid on some bus routes beyond the Travelcard boundaries. For example, bus 96 to Bluewater shopping centre. Use the Travelcard from Charing Cross to Crayford (which is in zone 6) and then catch the frequent 96 from Crayford to Bluewater. For more details of buses which will accept Travelcards outside the normal Travecard boundaries, download a guide from the Transport for London website.

  

End for the Routemaster

The traditional conductor operated London bus is now over 40 years old and has been phased out from normal service. 

However, Routemasters can still be found on a few special heritage routes. These are route 15 (Tower Hill - Trafalgar Square) and route 9 (Aldwych - Royal Albert Hall). Modern buses also operate on these routes but a vintage bus is scheduled every 15 minutes.

 

Travelcards purchased in Milton Keynes are valid on nearly all London buses including the vintage buses on routes 9 & 15. 
 

Extending a Travelcard

Although it is not advertised, it is often possible to extend a Off-Peak Travelcard beyond the London Travelcard zones. 

Suppose you wish to combine some shopping in London with a sightseeing visit to Windsor. 

You would buy an Off-Peak Travelcard for the journey to London. You could also buy a separate day return ticket from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside for £9. However, this is not necessary. Instead it is possible to pay an excess fare to extend the Travelcard from the Travelcard boundary to Windsor & Eton Riverside. This would cost only £5.70 and is valid for a return trip. This excess ticket can be bought in Milton Keynes at the same time as the Off-Peak Travelcard or alternatively it can be bought in London before travelling to Windsor. Both the standard Travelcard and the LondonMidland-only Travelcard can be extended in this way.

A few rail companies do not accept these special excess tickets but most do. Companies which do not accept these tickets include: Gatwick Express, East Midlands Train & National Express East Coast.

Breaking Your Journey

For the journey between Milton Keynes and London, an Off-Peak Travelcard works like a Day Return ticket and you are allowed to break your journey. 

So it is quite acceptable to break either the outward or return trip at Berkhamsted and look around the castle - should you wish to. 

 

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NOTICE

The information contained here is believed to be correct and there is no intention to mislead but times, fares and special offers often change and so it is always worth checking with the operators for the latest information. Click here for useful links and phone numbers.

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