Author: Bob Handford
One of the best long running promotions for visitors to London is the 2 for 1 admissions discount when you have a rail ticket.
The promotion is fundamentally targeted at the British to encourage them to take the train on days out instead of perhaps taking the car. Just by printing out a free voucher from the promotion web site and showing a valid train ticket people can effectively get half price admission with these 2 for 1 offers.
The beauty of this promotion is that its not just the second tier places you often find on discount promotions but the most popular, including in London the Tower of London and London Eye.
Use By Overseas Visitors Staying In London Without A Train Ticket
It wasn’t long before visitors staying in London started exploiting this scheme, even if they had no intention of using a train. The big loophole most visitors exploit are that the rail stations in Central London sell Travelcards as well as train tickets. Travelcards are the fixed length travel pass for as little as one day that gives unlimited travel for that period on London’s buses, Underground and trains. Travelcards issued at these stations thus qualified for the 2 for 1 promotion. An off peak 1 day Travelcard costs £7.30 in 2013, adult admission to the Tower of London are over £20 per person - so you can see why it became so popular for canny visitors.
There are over 150 attractions in the London area on the 2 for 1 scheme.
Some Favourite Places To Use 2 for 1 In London
Tower of London
London Eye (note the London Eye tends to drop out of the scheme in peak summer months)
Hampton Court Palace
London Zoo
Madame Tussauds
St Paul’s Cathedral
Churchill’s War Rooms
What 2 for 1 Means
The standard deal with 2 for 1 is that one person pays full adult standard admission, another gets in free.
This is irrespective of age, whether the people are children or seniors.
The deal is normally for standard tickets, not fast-track or any other promotional ticket.
You have to check out each attraction’s individual rules and regulations when you print out the voucher from the web site, the above is the general rule but individual attractions may have other restrictions.
Travelcard Prices 2013
Travelcards give unlimited travel on London’s buses, underground and railways. You buy Travelcards to cover the zones you want to travel in. The central zones 1 and 2 is where most visitors will have their accommodation and where all the major sights are.
An adult 1 day Travelcard in 2013 is £7.30 for zones 1 & 2, (£8.80 if you want to travel before 9:30 a.m. Monday to friday).
A 7 day Travelcard is £30.40, you can travel at any time with this product.
Qualification For The 2 for 1 Scheme
You must have a valid return rail ticket or Travelcard with the rail logo on for the day of your visit. You must also have the relevant 2 for 1 voucher.
The only places that sell Travelcards with the rail logo on are railway ticket offices at Central London mainline rail stations, (Paddington, Marylebone, Euston, Kings Cross, St Pancras, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo and Victoria). All these also have Underground ticket offices and some have information centres which sell Travelcards as well as rail ticket offices, purchasing from anywhere other than the train ticket offices do not qualify. Travelcards bought on-line in advance do not qualify for 2 for 1.
Confusingly return tickets on the Gatwick Express and Stansted Express airport trains bought from the railways do qualify but tickets on the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect do not.
There are railways stations in the suburbs of London away from where most visitors stay which may sell tickets valid for 2 for 1. If a railway station is in one of the London public transport zonal areas it will sell both Travelcards and return rail tickets that are valid for 2 for 1. However, the ticket office at such stations must be operated by the railways for tickets to be valid for 2 for 1.
Many stations are dual railways and underground stations but unlike the mainline railway stations in Central London listed above do not have separate ticket offices. Some stations like Heathrow Airport and West Brompton as a result do not sell tickets valid for 2 for 1 whilst Ealing Broadway does.
Photo ID Cards For 7 Day Travelcards
In 2012 the railways brought in a requirement that when you buy a 7 Day Travelcard you require a photo id card. This is issued free when you buy a 7 Day Travelcard, but you must bring along your own passport size photo. This rule only applies to 7 Day Travelcards bought from railway stations.
(7 Day Travelcards bought anywhere else than the railways ticket offices come loaded on an Oyster Card and do not require a photo but are not valid for the 2 for 1 promotion.)
You do not need photo id for 1 day Travelcards
Key Points
Vouchers have expiry dates, do check vouchers you print are valid for the day you plan to visit.
Attractions on the scheme. come and go – the promotion has been running many years now.
Oyster Card and Underground tickets are not valid, nor are Travelcards without the rail logo only available from Central London railway stations.
By way of recognition most ‘paper’ rail travel tickets show the Double-Arrow (or ‘crows-foot’) National Rail logo, this also applies to Travelcards. If your ticket hasn’t this logo its not valid.
Where Do I Print The Vouchers / Get List Of Promotions
Travelcards Explained – How they work, costs and conditions
Oyster Cards – How they work, costs and conditions
354 Comments
I will travel to London in July with my wife and two kids 9 and 15 years.
We will stay 10 days, we are arriving to Gatwick airport but leaving from Heatrow airport
Our hotel is near Ealing Broadway train station ( third tube zone)
I have several questions
1. If I buy
one way ( National Rail) Gatwick to Victoria ticket on day of arrival
and
one way ticket (National Rail) from Ealing Broadway to Heatrow on day of departure
( I will buy this in advance do I will have both electronic rail tickets with me during the stay)
can I use 2 for 1 vouchers for all 10 days since from and to on both tickets are not the same stations
2. I understand that I need to buy London Oyster cards for 2 adults, 9 year child is free, but
I am confused for 15 year child.
There is Oyster 11-15 option but I need to apply online with digital photo and 10 pounds fee.
What confuses me is – can I buy 7 day travelcard for 15 year child ?
What is the best options for 10 days 15 year old child ?
We will visit Harry Potter Studio, Winsdor and Hampton court, so won’t be limited on 1/3 zone only ?
3. If I have correctly understand 2 for 1 option, I need to pay on-day price, there are no online discounts, fast queues etc so
I take in account that I need to wait in sometimes long queues.
Thanks in advance, your help is appreciate
The problem with your exotic option (1) is that different attractions interpret the 2 for 1 scheme in different ways and some more vigilent ones may reject your solution.
Based on what you have laid out as your itinerary I would suggest.
a) Buying tickets on the Gatwick Express or Southern Trains between Gatwick and Victoria taking advantage of any 4 travel for the price of 2 deals or similar available. (Your 9 year old doesn’t travel free on the railways)
b) At Victoria RAILWAY Station ticket office buy 2 adult zone 1-3 Travelcard and 1 child zone 1-3 Travelcard for your 15 year old.
You will need to bring passport size photo’s for all 3 so an id card can be issued free of charge enabling purchase of these.
The Travelcards issued by the railways qualify you for 2 for 1 for that week in the zone 1-3 area.
Your 15 year old probably won’t use 2 for 1 but its still worthwhile as you get around the Oyster ID Card hurdles if you bought anywhere else but a railway station.
Your 9 year old travels free on the Underground and Buses without a ticket, so you’ll have to go through the manned barriers, not the automatic barriers.
c) On the 8th Day the Adults get Oyster Cards and the 15 year old buys 1 day Travelcards from the Underground ticket office each day for the remaining days having made sure all the 2 for 1 places in Central London you want were visited in the first 3 days.
d) To get to Harry Potter, Windsor and Hampton Court you’ll have to buy return rail tickets. I don’t think there is any 2 for 1 at Windsor castle and it is outside the London Travel zones. Hampton Court has 2 for 1 so an extention day return ticket on the railways for the zones 4 and 5 outside the scope of a Travelcard zone 1-3 would work. The Oyster cards will get you out to Watford.
e) The deal with the 2 for 1 for most attractions is one person pays full adult standard admission the other goes in free, irrespective of age – so it makes no sense for kids that are normally half price.
It doesn’t apply to fast track or any other promotional tickets that may be available.
Fast Track is my opinion only worthwhile at Madame Tussaud’s, London Dungeon, London Eye and to a lesser degree the Tower of London if you go in the morning (though you won’t avoid the longer queue normally inside the Tower to view the Crown Jewels)
Hi,
I’ve read all the commentaries, but I have another question.
I will travel to London with my husband and my kids, 12 and 9 – we’ll staying 7 days. Following your recomendation I’m thinking of buying a 7 travelcard (zone 1-3) in London Brigde station for the 2 adults and a child. I suppose that I don’t have to buy a travel card to the 9 yrs old, as he’s allowed to travel for free. Correct?
In one of these days we’re planning to travel by train from Paddinton to Windson to visit Legoland – and we probably can travel with a gruposave ticket.
My question is: considering that the child rates in Legoland are expensive, with the 2 for 1 can we buy two adults tickets and get the 2 children for free? But, as the youngest child won’t have a travelcard, can he still enter for free, not holding a railway ticket? Or the groupsave ticket will be accepted?
I have to get this answered, otherwise I’ll buy the tickets online and save some money.
Thanks a lot
Ana
Legoland is the other side of Windsor outside London so Travelcards and Oyster are not valid for transport out there.
Return tickets by rail to Windsor from London would be fine, groupsave or not. On the railways there is no free travel for under 11′s.
South West Trains from Waterloo Station do a special ticket combining Legoland and the train if you don’t go for 2 for 1.
Hello Bob,
Thanks for this post. I have a question regarding having a RETURN ticket. On the Days Out website, they say the following:
2FOR1 and special offers/admission vouchers are available with almost ANY type of train tickets issued to London (or to the Attraction Destination) on normal ‘paper’ ticket stock (i.e. not electronic or ‘smartcard’ but for exceptions see below) and valid on the day you wish to the visit the attraction, theatre, or restaurant, e.g. National Rail issued tickets include Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak, Travelcard, Advance, Anytime, Season Tickets, GroupSave and various promotional travel tickets that may be issued from time to time, etc…
It doesn’t specify that you need a return ticket. I have read in other forums, that you can get the 2 for 1 offer with a single ticket, is this correct? It is very confusing
The formal requirement is you need a rail issued ticket that gets you to and from the attraction.
How the regulations of this promotion are implemented seems to differ a lot from attraction to attraction, even sales atendant to sales attendant, some zealously study in fine detail that you have conformed in every way, others don’t even bother asking for the rail tickets.
If you have been reading the forums you will probably have come across people who have purchased return train tickets but have been refused entry on the basis that their outward ticket was swallowed up by the automatic barriers at the train stations and only have the return ticket to show. (You should go through the manned exits to retain your ticket)
Others may brag they didn’t have any rail ticket just the voucher and got through because they were not asked to show their rail ticket.
Its not particularly satisfactory or “fair” but thats the way it is.
To make sure you get in using 2 for 1 get a return train ticket from a participating train company or a Travelcard in London issued by the railways.
HELLO BOB
i just need a clarification (my english is not very good)
concerning the special deal of 2 for one
is ONE train ticket per person will be ok for all entrance (will be doing 3 on this day) that offer 2 for 1 ?
thanks for your help
There is no limit to the number of 2 for 1 vouchers in a day you can use on one valid rail issued ticket.
Hi Bob,
My question is, having read various posts and the terms and conditions, if it needs to be a RETURN tiecket?
On the Days Out website they say the following, which doesn’t specify whether you need a return, or with a single would be fine:
2FOR1 and special offers/admission vouchers are available with almost ANY type of train tickets issued to London (or to the Attraction Destination) on normal ‘paper’ ticket stock (i.e. not electronic or ‘smartcard’ but for exceptions see below) and valid on the day you wish to the visit the attraction, theatre, or restaurant, e.g. National Rail issued tickets include Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak, Travelcard, Advance, Anytime, Season Tickets, GroupSave and various promotional travel tickets that may be issued from time to time, etc…
Other websites say that you can get the offer with a single cheap train ticket. What is the real answer? It is very confusing
Thanks a lot
Hello Bob,
Thanks a lot for your information..I just got two questions (sorry if there questions have been asked before),
1. My friend and I are planing to go to London Zoo on the weekends. My friend is not living in London but I am, so we will only have one train ticket. Is it possible to use only one train ticket with 2-for-1 voucher to get access for two people?
2. If my friend is using a return ticket (the ticket is valid for a month, so the day he use the ticket won’t be shown on the ticket) to London, is that ticket still valid for 2-for-1?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Both people using the 2 for 1 voucher need a ticket issued by the railways that will get them to and from the attraction on the day you visit.
As long as your friend has a valid return ticket issued by the railways with the rail logo on it they should be OK.
The only ‘problem’ is yourself that needs something similar.
Thanks Bob!
Very impressed with your knowledge.
My story:
Family of 5: 2 Adults, 16, 14, 8 year old children. We arrive at Gatwick and need to get to Notting Hill Gate tube stop. In london for 6 days and then rail to Scotland and back (4 days in Edinburgh-already purchased train tickets on line for this portion). In london for the night and fly out of Heathrow.
Question: If I take the Southern Train service into London, can I purchase Travel cards for 2 for 1 there? Should I just incur the added expense of the Gatwick express?
I appreciate any insight on this.
Assuming you are flying out of Gatwick as well, both Southern Trains and the Gatwick Express will qualify you for 2 for 1 in London if you buy return train tickets from the railways. You will be covered for 2 for 1 betwwen the outward and return leg.
Although Gatwick Express looks expensive they always have offers, a longstanding one is 5 travel for the price of 3.
Southern Trains also do similar deals and sometimes on-line fares as low as 5 GBP. However their deals tend to be restricted to off-peak and week ends as they are basically commuter trains.
If you arriving at Gatwick beteen 5 and 9 a.m. It may be worth paying a premium for Gatwick Express as commuter trains may be standing only, a real pain if you have luggage as well.
Just look up the respective web sites to see what deals are available for your dates and times.
Make sure you don’t go through the automatic exit barriers as they will swallow up your outward ticket. You will need them to show the attraction for 2 for 1. Go through the manned exit.
In London get Oyster Cards for the adults including your 16 year old at Victoria, don’t buy the ones available at Gatwick or on the Gatwick Express, they are visitors Oyster Cards, not as good as the ones bought in London.
For your 14 get a 1 day child Travelcard every day. You can buy up to 7 days in advance from Underground Station ticket offices.
Your 8 year old travels free without a ticket on the Underground and buses in London, but not the railways.
We get into Gatwick at 11 am. We are flying out of Heathrow.
Oyster cards and not 7 day Travel cards for the 6 days in London? Getting more confused rather than less. Sorry, I thought I had a handle on this and just wanted to know where to purchase Travel cards. Anyway you could meet me off the plane and guide me around london for 6 days? (Kidding).
I’m assuming you will be taking the train into London from Gatwick which will be a separate purchase to your London transport.
Assuming you are staying in London for the 6 days and want to use 2 for 1 you need to buy a 7 day Travelcard zone 1-2 from the railway station you arrive at in London from Gatwick, probably Victoria?
For Heathrow, it depends a lot on where your hotel is and your attitude towards the cost / comfort compromise.
If you choose the London Underground you can buy an extention fare on your zone 1-2 Travelcard, Heathrow is in zone 6
Hello Bob, great thaks for the job you are doing! this is so much help to all the visitors
I have an oyster card purchased last year at Heathrow, and to my big surprise I found the National Rail logo on it (right next to underground logo) though everywhere on internet i can see images of Oyster without this logo. Can this possibly mean that this oyster card is valid for 2-4-1?
Apart from this I’m also a bit confused about the territory of validity of 2-4-1. Does it mean that if i buy a travel card for 1-2 zones that i will be able to get the use of 2-4-1 attractions only located in 1-2 zones of London or it is possible to use 2-4-1 elsewhere in London too when? Thanks a lot!
Oyster cards are not valid I’m afraid, the logo just means you can use them on the trains.
Regards the validity. To qualify for 2 for 1 you need a railway issued ticket that would get you to and from the attraction on the day of entry. The promotion is sponsored by the railways and the whole idea is that you buy tickets from the railways to go anywhere.
Strictly speaking therefore a zone 1-2 Travelcard is only valid for 2 for 1 attractions in those zones.
Having said that attractions are very variable how they apply the rules. Some pursue the rules and regulations zealously, some hardly even bother looking at the tickets and are only interested in the voucher.
Bob, thanks for the expalnation! and for a quick reply
Have one more question. Have you ever seen the map which would combine real layout of the sites and mark the metro zones at the same time? where can it be found if exists? or only by reffering to 2 maps at a time will provide this information?
Thanks!
If you are looking for a map of 2 for 1 attractions overlaid on a London tube map with zones I am not aware of one.
Most effecient method is to consult the attractions own web site.
Hello Bob
I am travaling to london in June and staying at near this address
3 Leisure Way, High Road, London, EN, GB, N12 0QZ
Planning on using 2 for1 – so which train station is near to this address – where I can buy Daily Traval Card which is elegible for this promotion ?
Thanks for your help
VK
There is no convenient station within easy distance of your North Finchley address.
I suspect you will need to adapt your itinerary to stop by a Central London station.
Dear Sir,
Please assist at your convenience:
Will be spending 2 days in London (July 25-27, 2013) prior to transferring to Dover for Cruise. Staying a Burns Kensington. I will have my Mother with me, and reading through a few posts stairs could pose an issue for her.She is fit for her age but I would hate to induce an infarct on said vacation by making her drag luggage up and down mountains of stairs. I seek your advice on best transfer option from Heathrow to BurnsKensington. Bearing in mind we will try to access to 2-4-1 special while visiting attractions like The original bus tour & The London Eye. To which I ask, Do they participate in July or should we go ahead and purchase them online to save some money. If they do participate where would be the most accessible location for us to acquire a day travel card to qualify.
There are lifts at Earls Court Underground Station and escalators if you prefer.
As long as you havn’t got more than one case each you should be alright.
Earls Court is the closest hotel district to Heathrow, a prebooked car should be about 40 GBP.
It sounds like you need an Oyster Card each and just buy a 1 Day Travelcard if you need 2 for 1 for any day.
The nearest rail station to Earls Court that has a railway ticket office is Victoria.
You will need to check out the 2 for 1 web site before you travel to see what attractions have vouchers, they do change. Then print the vouchers you might use before travelling.
My wife and I together with two kids ( age 10 & 12 ) are coming to London for holiday in juli for 9 days. We will buy return tickets from Gatwick, and live in Camden and travel around in central London with the Tube every day, including one trip to Watford Junction. We would like to take advantage of the 2for1offer as well.
1: Do we need to buy 4 return tickets instead of the 4for2 package from Gatwick to get 2 free vouchers for visiting attractions ?
2: Will the cheapest thing for us regarding the 9 days of transport in London be 3 Oystercards (one with picture for the oldest boy) bought in Gatwick ?
3: Do you have some other proposals ?
Thanks in advance
My understanding is that the 4 for 2 tickets on the Gatwick Express qualify you for 2 for 1 for all people.
However for the children it doesn’t really matter as there is no advantage using it for the children. The deal is one person pays full adult admission another gets in free irrespective of age.
You print the vouchers for individual attractions for 2 for 1 from the promotion web-site. You just need to show the tickets outward and return when handing the vouchers in at the attraction. (so don’t put your outward tickets in the automatic barrier at Victoria as it won’t give them back)
Its not a good move buying Oyster Cards at Gatwick as they will be Visitor Oyster Cards, where you don’t get your deposit back and are much less flexible than the standard Oyster bought in London in other ways.
Buy them at Victoria Station where you get a “proper” Oyster Card..
Your 12 year old will not be able to get a child Oyster Card without an Oyster ID Card which isn’t really viable for short term visitors. Either buy 1 Day Child Travelcards from any Underground Station or you can buy 7 day child Travelcards from any mainline railway station in London like Victoria if you bring along a passport size photo. 1 day Travelcards do not require id, nor do single child cash fares
Your 10 year old travels free on the Underground, DLR and buses but not trains in the London area.
Thanks very much for the fine answers. I have two more I hope you will answer.
1: We will then buy two oystercards at Victorya for the adults. And for the 12 year old we will buy 1 day travelcards the first two days (we travel to Watford Junction the second day), and then the third day buy a 1 week travelcard were we provid a picture. Does that seem right ?
2: We will visit a lot of attractions. If we go to a musical or a another atraction the 4 of us, are there a way (If we for exampel buy certain train tickets from Gatwick) that we can get 2 vouchers from the 2for1 offer so the kids are free ? Thanks!
With regards the Watford Expedition its worth noting that a return family ticket on the train between Euston and Watford Junction is £29.40 for all 4 if you travel after 8:30 a.m.
A 1 Day Off Peak Travelcard that includes Watford for just one adult is £15.70
You can print as many vouchers as you like from the promotion web site. The enabling feature is not that you have the vouchesr but that everybody claiming on the voucher has a vaild transport ticket issued by the railways that would enable the person to viist the attraction on the day of entrance. There is no limit to the number of vouchers you can print and use on the back of return Gatwick rail tickets
Normally it doesn’t really makes sense to use 2 for 1 on kids as the deal is buy one at full adult price, another goes in free irrespective of age.
For the theatre check out the TKTS kiosk in Leicester Square where they sell last minute excess seats at half price, but don’t expect the top selling shows to be available.
Also lastminute.com and Groupon are worth checking.
One very last question, sorry
As mentioned we are going to visit many atractions and would like to save money for entrances.
If we buy the family-ticket from Gatwick-Victoria, I understand that we can print out one voucher and have one adult entreance for free. But if its cheaper for us (depends on the entrance prices on kids and adults) to print out 2 vouchers and and use them on the both kids instead – is that possible ? Does the kids train tickets count as well for this 2for1 offer ?
The underlying point I am trying to make is that the 2 for 1 offer is one pays adult admission the other goes in free even if they are children.
Given that most child admissions are half adult admission you are gaining nothing by having 2 for 1 when one child has to pay double they otherwise would.
I’m afraid its a matter of doing your homework attraction by attractions to see what other family deals or discounts are available and weighing that up against the 2 for 1 option.
If you have a Gatwick return ticket for all your family then all you family are eligible for 2 for 1, though as there are 4 of you, you would require to print out 2 vouchers per entrance.
Dear Bob,
Thanks for all this wonderful information. However I find what type of card I should be buying so confusing. We arrive in Heathrow and will take the tube to Glouster Rd station to our hotel. I plan on using the tube and buses while touring central London. There are 2 of us and we will be there for 6 days with the 6th day flying back out of Heathrow. I will be hiring a car service to take us from hotel to the airport. It seems to me that buying the 7 day travelcard would be the best option for us. There are at least 4-5 attractions that are offered for the 2 for 1 deals that I would like to take advantage of but certainly cannot do them all in 1 day. We are arriving in London in late June. What do you recommend? If your recommendation is to buy a 7 day travelcard where would I buy it? Your help is appreciated. Thank you.
You basically have 2 available strategies
I am assuming you will be using the London Underground between Heathrow and Gloucester Road.
The main hurdle for your situation is that you cannot buy anything that qualifies you for 2 for 1 either at Heathrow or around Gloucester Road (the nearest main train station is Victoria)
a) Buy an Oyster Card at Heathrow and use that. On days you want to use 2 for 1 buy a 1 day Travelcard the day before from a mainline train station ticket office in London and use that in its place on the day you wnat 2 for 1.
b) Buy a cash fare Heathrow – Gloucester Road, and Gloucester Road to Victoria then buy a 7 day Travelcard zone 1-2 from Victoria Station ticket office. You will need a passport photo for this option when you buy the 7 day Travelcard.
Thank you!!
Dear Bob,
Me and my boyfriend will go to London in 4th June during 5 days and we don’t know what is the best way to buy the Travelcard (the most economic way). We will stay in The Cumberland Hotel (I think the near underground station is Marble Arc). What can we do? We go in underground to Victoria station and then go to the train station and buy the travel card? What you can advise us? Thank you for your help
I can’t be confident i can get this right first time as you do not say where you are travelling and how/where you will arriving.
The safe bet without this detail is to advise buying an Oyster Card at the first Underground station you come to, either Marble Arch, Heathrow Airport or the train station you arrive in London at.
On days you want 2 for 1 get and use a 1 day Travelcard from a railway station and use that instead of the Oyster. Paddington is the closest mainline train station to your hotel about a 10-15 minute walk.
Thank you for your help. I’m sorry, I Forget to mention, we stop in Heathrow Airport. So, your advice is to buy na Oyster Card in Heathrow station underground for 5 days and then when I want to use the 2 for 1 promotion buy in Paddington station a 1 day Travelcard? Many thanks for your quick answer
Yes, the Oyster Card is very flexible. You do not pay for a number of days. You just load the card with money and the ticketing systems do all the fare calculations and deductions.
Given your travel pattern the Oyster works out cheaper than Travelcard, except when you use it to get the savings from the 2 for 1 promotion, so buy an Oyster and use that except for the days you want to use 2 for 1.
Bob, your help is amazing. I am trying to figure out if it is worth getting the 7 day passes for my family, or doing an oyster card / couple of 1 day travel card splits. Here’s our story and if you can help me decide that would be great. Family of four, 2 adults, an 18 year old and a 14 year old. I understand the 18 will be treated as an adult and 14 as a half price kid. We arrive at Heathrow on Thursday mid day. We will be buying an underground ticket and will eventually need to be at either Great Portland or Euston (both about the same distance from where we are staying.) Not sure the plans that afternoon, maybe walk over to Abbey Rd, maybe tube bus to Harrods, maybe just walk and explore. Friday we will be going to Hampton Court and will use 2-1 either with the 7 or buying one day tickets. Saturday we are going to walk, maybe tube, to Trooping the Coulor and then do some exploring around the city. Sunday we are off to WB Studios to do the Harry Potter thing. (does the 7 day pass work for that segment?). Monday will be Tower of London and St Pauls, and who knows? We’ll work in the London Eye one day, keeping an eye out for the weather. Sat would be great for that since we’re in the general area, but we’ll let the weather dictate that. So again, 7 day pass or oyster p.a.g. with one day tickets on Hampton Court day and Tower of London day?
Thanks
What I would suggest you do is buy Oyster Cards at Heathrow and use that on all days except the days you want to use 2 for 1.
On the days you want to use 2 for 1 then walk to Euston Station and buy a 1 Day Travelcard for the zones required from the RAILWAY station ticket office. This comes with the rail logo that qualifies you for 2 for 1, so you the Travelcards instead of the Oyster that day.
The only problem is your 14 year old who needs an Oyster ID Card to get a child Oyster and the hoops and expense you have to go through to get that makes it impractical for the short term visitor.
Probably best to buy a 1 Day Child Travelcard for the zones you require each day, your outlined planning means you’ll be travelling wildly different zones each day so it soulnds like a 7 Day Travelcard is too rigid a product.
You’ll just have to make a call every day on whether a Childs Travelcard is worthwhile or buying single tickets. A Childrens 1 Day Off Peak Travelcard is £3.40 for all zones between zones 1 and 6. Peak 1 Day Child Travelcards are half the price of the adult rate. A one way child fare cash is between £2.20 and £2.70 on the Underground.
Watford Junction has a special zone so will work with Oyster
Thanks Bob
I think I am getting this, but want to double check. Arrival Day at Heathrow, buy an Oyster Card for each of us. Put enough on there to get to Great Portland / Euston and some more for travel that day and a few others. On the day we are traveling to Hampton Court Palace (and adding Churchill war rooms): walk to Euston and buy 3 adult and one kid one day railcards through zone 6. We would then tube to Waterloo and then take the train from there to HCP using our one day passes. Use 2-1 to get into HCP. Then train from there back to Waterloo, tube to Westminster, walk to Churchill War Rooms, use our 2-1 there. Probably walk over to 10 Downing St afterwards. Use one day pass to get home eventually. On the day we are seeing the Tower of London, do the same thing buying a one day rail pass for each of us but just through Zone 2. Use 2-1 to see Tower and St Pauls Cathedral. Use railpass that day for any other travel. On the other days, use the oyster card. Sound right?
Thanks
Dan
Yes, I think you have it.
Make sure you print the vouchers before you leave home.
I would advise setting out for Hampton Court early. A lot of people take all day there so if you want to get back in London for the War Rooms …
If you find the War Rooms attractive I would recommend also the Imperial War Museum which is free. Its very good covering the whole spectrum of warfare and is not just aimed at big boys.
Hi, We are a family of 4 that will be using a Wimbledon hotel. Do you know if it is possible to buy the appropriate Travelcards with the rail logo from Wimbledon Station ?
I cannot be 100% sure as I’ve only ever travelled through Wimbledon Station on a train.
The station is obviously both a rail and Underground station, but is managed by South west Trains so on paper at least you should be OK.
Bob, my husband and 2 grandchildren (ages 11 and 13) are coming from Heathrow to Novotel London Tower Bridge by car hire. We plan to be in London Thursday till Tuesday taking the car hire from the hotel back to Heathrow. We would like to take advantage of the 7 day Travelcard that has 2 for 1 but am now confused as to where to buy the cards so we can get the 2 for 1. Will we need a picture for this? THank you so much!
The nearest railway stations that sell Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 are Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street.
Fenchurch Street is immediately behind your hotel. I’ve got something in the back of my mind where someone may have said they had a problem at Fenchurch Street, but I may be mistaken so best ask the person in the ticket office that the Travelcards you are getting have the rail logo on and are valid for 2 for 1.
If not Liverpool Street Station about 10 minutes walk is definitely OK.
You will need passport size photo’s for all of you and you must all turn up on purchase.
Hi Bob,
I have recently travelled to London and would like to use this offer for myself, my wife and an infant son (7 months).
If I buy a travel card for my wife, will it allow both me and my wife to enter the attractions. Or we would be required to buy 2 travel cards, one for each of us ?
Thanks
Both people on the 2 for 1 offer need a valid rail issued ticket
I am traveling to london in a few weeks and have already bought my travelcards from my local station. Can I use these in the 2 for 1 offers as they have the rail logo on the bottom.
Thanks
If you have Travelcards with the rail logo they are valid for 2 for 1 within the zones covered by the Travelcard
Hi Bob
Great site, please can you assist me I am staying near the tube station Prince Regent for the long weekend.
Which would be the nearest Railway station I could possibly buy the underground travelcard which has the Railway logo on and would be valid for the 2-1? Does the station need to be in the centre of London?
In addition I am travelling in the car on the first day, coming via central and was thinking of stopping at Euston to purchase the ticket. Where would I need to buy the ticket from?
Thanks
Railway managed stations (but not Overground or Underground) in all of London can sell you valid 2 for 1 Travelcards with the rail logo.
If you look on a map of your route you are coming into London and spot likely convenient stations you can then check them out at the Narional Rail Enquiries web site.
For each station it will say who manages the station and if they are in a London transport zone. If they are in a London transport zone they will see Travelcards.
Lastly its worth checking out ticket office opening hours as the smaller stations often have restricted opening hours at the weekend.
Thanks as West Ham station appears to be closed at the weekend, from the map I think Barking or Forest Gate is the closest.
Sorry another quick question if I did buy from Euston would i need to purchase the ticket from the Underground or Overground station or from the main train ticket office?
You would have to buy from the railways ticket office, anywhere else and the Travelcard will not be valid for 2 for 1
Hello Bob, great work and patience to answer all! Here is my query about printing the vouchers. When I fill in all that information and then print the vouchers, I see that there is no date listed on them and the station is not listed either. Is this right or I’m missing smth.? Why asking for the date and station if they do not appear on the printed form? Thank you.
There should be an expiry date somewhere on the voucher, but don’t worry about the info about railway stations etc entered when creating not being printed on the voucher – that is not relevent to you using the vouchers just helps keeps the marketing people off the streets for a while.
Many thanks, kind regards!
Hi Bob,
Wow some fantastic advice, you are super answering all these questions in your own time!
I was wondering if you could just clear this up for me.
I am going to London for 5 days on the 20th May and was going to buy a 7 day zones 1-2 travel card, I was hoping after reading this that I would be able to use that to use a 241 voucher at the medieval banquet if I purchase it at Victoria railway station?
Is this possible or do I need a day one for that day to have the correct date on the ticket?
Thanks
Tessa
If you each bought a 7 Day Travelcard from Victoria RAILWAY Station ticket office on 20th May and had a railway 2 for 1 voucher valid for the Mediebal Banquet date of entry you could use both between 20th and 26th May
Hi,
I purchased 2 train tickets online (one adult/on child -13-) for the Gatwick Express. Is this ticket valid for the 2for1 offer (we stay in London for 3 nights next week )? Or would you recommend the London pass?
If they are return tickets and purchased from the Gatwick Express web-site they should be OK for 2 for 1
Thank you very much for your helpful reply! My only query now is about the fact that the selected date does not appear on the printed voucher ! (just The name of the attraction/ My name/ Address/ E-mail/ TOC ref (what is this?)/ Offer) Is it right form? Where is the date I selected?
Hi, Bob! Excellent information you are so kind to offer here. We are a group of 5 people planning to stay between 19-24 May in the Earl’s Court area. We shall arrive in Luton Airport and we booked tickets on-line in advance for the Easybus to take us to Earl’s Court (unfortunately, I’m afraid as I’ve found out they cannot be trusted!). They’ve changed the route to Baker’s Street after May 1st. So, now we need to get to Earl’s Court from Baker Street, and my question is: how can we manage it considering that we want to buy 7-day Travelcards from the railway and benefit of the 2for1 promotion? Thank you for your advice.
What it looks like is that the main airport bus service from Luton was operated by Green Line and easyBus using Green Line full size buses.
Green Line lost their licence to operate into the airport at the end of April and so had to withdraw from this service.
easyBus have switched their vehicles from the Earls Court service to a new Luton – Baker Street service
National Express who won the access contract at Luton Airport now operate the former Green Line service between Victoria and Luton Airport.
You have bought a ticket in good faith to transport you between Luton Airport and Earls Court. Legally speaking I’m sure you can insist on them just refunding your ticket price as they cannot provide the service contracted. Whether that is something you want to do both from a budgetary and time basis is really up to you.
I think you have three options.
1) You go to Baker Street with esayBus, then catch a local bus to Paddington Station where you can get 7 day Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 from Paddington railway station. Then go onto Earls Court by Underground using your Travelcard.
2) Get a refund and use the National Express airport bus to London Victoria where again you can get your 7 Day Travelcard valid for 2 for 1 from Victoria Station, and again you can use it straight away direct to Earls Court.
3) As (2) but get the train to St Pancras, where agin you can get 7 day Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 and again tehre is a direct Underground to Earls Court.
Hello, Bob, just returned from London where my family and I stayed for 7 wonderful days. Thanks to your advise, we were able to take advantage of the 2X1 scheme to many attractions (except the London Eye). We used the buses rather than the tube because we wanted to see more of London. We even used the 2X1 scheme at a couple of restaurants. It was very easy to go to our hotel from Heathrow (we bought a separate tube ticket for this) and back to the airport. Easy commute even with luggage. We used a hotel very close to Waterloo. Again, many thanks for your good advise.
Hi there, I have added some of the attractions into the basket from the daysoutguide.co.uk and tried to download the vouchers. But its showing some technical error. Its the same happening for the last 2 days and I am planning to visit those attractions tomorrow! Is there any other alternative thing that I can do? Don’t they have 2 for 1 option for 11th and 12th of May? Please help me out!
You might try contacting the National railway Helpline the sponsors of the promotion
08457 484950
Hi Bob,
I will be in London next week, we will fly to Gatwick and want to go to London by Southern trains. Is the return ticket suitable for 2in1?
Yes, but you will get two single tickets, be sure to keep the outward ticket you will need it at the attractions.
Hi Bob
I plan to purchase the 7 day Travelcard Zone 1-3 at Ealing Broadway Rail Station. Can I use the 2 for 1 offer at Windsor Castle which happens to be outside London normal zones.
Also you quoted above ” A little known fact is that for the buses only you can use a zone 1-2 Travelcard to travel right out to zone 6.”
Is this valid on all kind of buses or a few special buses
Strictly speaking the qualifying rail issued ticket needs to be able to get you to and from the attraction, so no, a zone 1-3 Travelcard is not valid as it won’t get you to Windsor.
The 2 for 1 vouchesr for Windsor Castle has been withdrawn for the last few weeks though I havn’t checked for a little.
Hi, great site!
After reading through a lot of the site, I was wondering if you could look at my plan.
Staying in London a week, therefore want to buy a 7-day travel card and take advantage of 2 for 1 stuff. Since I am arriving overseas, will need to buy a photo 7-day card at a particular rail/underground stn.
Will be arriving in Heathrow Terminal 4. Final destination is Pimlico stn on light blue line.
- Plan is to take the Heathrow express shuttle train to Terminal 3.
- From Terminal 3 take underground paying 5.5 pounds for a one-way ticket. (Don’t want the oyster card here since I will be purchasing a 7-day travel card later).
- Take Piccadilly line to Green Park (it will be 11 to 12 in the afternoon on a Saturday so hopefully not to crowded).
- Change at Green Park to light blue line and go south one stn to Victoria.
- Get off at Victoria and buy a 7-day travel card from the rail stn in Victoria (I hope they don’t notice my luggage?? Where exactly is the rail stn here? One level above the underground?).
- Now get back on the light blue line and use my 7-day travelcard for the final leg – one stop south to Pimlico.
Do I have it right? I suppose one concern might be paying the 5.50 one way ticket, not sure if that’s the best option.
p.s. For the 2 for 1 voucher site, it says to select a starting stn, what should I put for that?
Thank you.
The only note I would make is that you should change train at Hammermith then get District Line to Victoria, not Green Park.
Its a long, long walk interchanging at Green Park, at Hammersmith both trains leave from the same platform.
You do not need to get the Heathrow Express to Heathrow Central, Terminal 4 has its own Underground Station.
The Underground is crowded at all times.
The rail station is above the Underground Station.
With regards starting station just pick anything, nobody takes any notice.
Thank you for the prompt response. Yes of course Hammersmith makes much more sense. Will do that!
One more thing, I suppose it makes sense to pay 11 pounds at Heathrow and buy the return ticket as well, since it appears I cannot use the 7-Travel card on the last day to go back to the airport from Pimlico, even though it is still active on the last day?
You can buy an extention ticket on your zone 1-2 Travelcard to cover zones 3 to 6 to Heathrow.
There are no return tickets on the Underground.
Hey we are a family of 6 (2 adults, 2 13 yr olds, 11 yr and 7) and we will arrive at Heathrow around noon on June 29th and stay through the 4th flying out of heathrow at about 10 am. We are staying by the British Museum and are planning a day trip to the WB Harry Potter place. Other than that we will be using the tube to travel around zones 1 and 2. We do want to go to the Tower of London and the Churchill War Rooms so we would like to use the 2 for 1 for those. What ticket do you suggest for us to get to London from Heathrow? The 30th we will go to the Harry Potter studios–would a travelcard work to get there? Do we just buy our own ticket for that day? Should my husband and I get the Oyster card or individual travel cards? What is best for our kids as well. Thanks so much. shannon
For the Heathrow transfers it depends on you attitude towards cost verses comfort.
The cheapest option is to get the London Underground between Heathrow and either Russell Square or Holborn depending exactly where your hotel is.
See : http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/lhr_underground.htm
The most convenient option would be a small private bus that will meet you as you exit customs and take you direct to your hotel door:
See: http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_taxi.htm
Your 7 year old travels free on the London Underground, DLR and London buses without a ticket but not the railways (Eutson to Watford Junction for Harry Potter)
For the adults I would buy an Oyster Card at either Heathrow or the Underground station nearest your hotel and on the days you require 2 for 1 buy a 1 day Travelcard from Euston Railway Station about 10 minutes walk from Russell Square / British Museum and not use Oysters that day. The Oysters would cover the Heathrow journey by Underground and the train from Euston to Watford Junction
For your 13 and 11 year olds you get no advantage from 2 for 1 the issue is getting child fares that requires id cards for many options that are costly and take weeks to process.
The simplest option would be to buy 7 day child Travelcards for zones 1 and 2 from the TFL on-line shop and have them delivered to your home and buy single child fares or extention fares when travelling outside zone 2
Or you can walk to Euston Station with a passport photo each to Euston railway Station where they will issue a 7 day child Travelcard zones 1 and 2 after making up teir own railway id card free of charge on the spot.
The other alternative would be buying 1 day child Travelcards each day from an Underground every day, you can buy up to 7 days in advance from an Underground ticket office.
For Harry Potter by public transport the most direct option is by train from Euston to Watford Junction then get the special shuttle bus.
There are also buses from Central London that bundle direct transport with tickets
See: http://www.londontoolkit.com/tours/harry_potter_tours.htm
Hi Bob
I am travelling from the Midlands into London by car and then will park the car at my hotel over the bank holiday weekend. Which station would you suggest to buy the Travelcard from, do the central stations have parking for my to purchase the tickets quickly or can i visit a station outside central London before visiting the attractions
Please advise
Where is your hotel?
Near the 02 in docklands
Hi Bob
I am staying at a hotel in the docklands, i think this is not too far from the O2 arena.
Sounds like you will be in zone 3.
Railway stations not in the centre that wouldn’t be too much of a detour include Forest Gate and Marylands.
Check on National Rail web site, some ticket offices close lunchtime on Saturadys.
Hi, Bob,
I am travelling to London for just 1 day from Guildford in July with a large group of Russian kids and teens, who will be having a language course in Guildford. We are planning to visit London Dungeons, Madam Tussauds and a RIB Thames cruise. Do you think this 2 for1 offer may be useful for me? Would be grateful for any tips and hints regarding using it for a group of 20+ kids.
Thank you, Arcady
I don’t think 2 for 1 will be particularly advantageous, particularly if the kids are under 16.
Madame Tussauds and London Dungeon are infamous for their long queues so I would suggest skip the line tickets, not the standard tickets would be appropiate.
Both these attractions are run by the same company and if you approach them direct they should be able to offer a combo deal.
I must say all three attractions are very full priced and you should be able to negociate a good discount.
I’m sure you have your good reasons but Madame Tussaud’s and the London Dungeon have very similar aspects.
Similarly with South West Trains if you approach their groups department at the number below they should be able to offer a good train deal between Guildford and London Waterloo and may be able to bundle tickets to some or all of the attractions.
023 8072 8162 (0830-1730, Monday to Friday)
Failing that send me an e-mail with your dates, age-bands of group etc and I’ll pass it onto a company that specialises in student groups and will put a package together with a private bus pick from and back to Guildford.
Thank you for your prompt reply. We are travelling on 28 July, Sunday (not the best day for London, I know): 9 around 16, 5 between 13-15 , 11 are 9-12.
We have 3 teachers. This is not a very easy combination: their interests are different. I am now thinking about splitting them in two. Anyway, 2 for 1 offer doesn’t cover fast track either to LD or MT so it is no good for us. RIB cruise? If I book in advance, can I use this offer? Besides, we will have to feed them in London, maybe this is where 2-4-1 can come handy? And of course you are right, there is no point taking them to MT AND LD. Too much of the same thing. As for your kind offer, I still prefer trains to coaches between Guildford and London.
I think you need to contact the group bookings dept of both attractions and South West Trains that operate the trains between Guildford and London.
Once in London it sounds a Group Day Ticket will be the best option to get around.
HI. what’s the prevent 2 adults from purchasing a single 7-day travelcard and both using the same card?
The ticket barriers and the police looking for fare evasion.
Hi Bob,
I’m planning on going to the zoo today! (rather last minute I know)
I’m a London resident and was planning on travelling from Bowes Park to Highbury & Islington (which is National Rail?) and then get the tube to Camden Town & walk.
Would this be eligible? Would I have to buy a return from Highbury & Islington back to Bowes Park or is a single ticket, on the day of going to the zoo, OK?
Bowes Park is down as being run by First Capital Trains so return tickets from there should be valid for 2 for 1
Brilliant! Would it have to be a return though? I’m actually not going back to Bowes Park today…I’m going to Brixton after the zoo…
Thanks so much for the speedy reply
You should be able to buy a 1 day Travelcard from the station which I assume will have the rail logo that will be qualify you for 2 for 1
Train tickets have to be return.
Hi Bob!
The more I read about 2-for-1 offers and eligibility, the more confusing it all gets. I’ve only recently come to understand that this is an offer aimed at British residents outside London. However, we’re visiting from overseas and would still like to take advantage of it. A 7-day travelcard is our best option (staying an entire week), the only thing that worries me at this point is the photocard required to purchase one. Does it matter that we’re non-residents, can anyone have that photocard made on the spot?
We’re arriving at Heathrow, taking Piccadilly line to King’s Cross, if that helps at all.
The photocard requirement is nothing to get stressed out about.
There is certainly no bar on non-residents using the promotion although as you say the commercial logic of the promotion is the railways encouraging the locals to use the train leaving their car on the drive.
The railways treat the 7 Day Travelcard as a season ticket for some reason, the Id card itself is separate from the Travelcard and you can subsequently use it for long term products of all kinds from the railways.
Just bring along a standard passport size photo of each person and they very quickly make up the Id card free which then enables them to sell you a 7 Day Travelcard.
There are also automated photo machines on the station.
If you go to Paris, the Navigo public transport pass runs on exactly the same process of separate id card and ticket.
That’s the answer I was hoping for. Thank you!
I plan to buy 7 day Travelcards from a train station for myself, wife, and 17 year-old daughter. Do all three of us have to be present to buy the cards, or can I buy all three as long as I have the photos without all three persons there?
You all need to be present.
17 year olds are classified as adults.
We are going to London next week (May 7-13).
We will land in Heathrow, getting off at Northfields station for our BnB. Next day, we want to go into town to begin our site-seeing.
I would like to know the best course of action to take for transportation to/from Heathrow — and to/from town— to take advantage of the 2-4-1 vouchers.
Does the Victoria Train Station carry paper booklets of the vouchers??
Thank you.
Might be worth looking at Google Maps or something to see where your B&B is in relation to Northfields Tube and West Ealing railway Station.
It looks like the core of your transport needs will be a 7 day Travelcard zone 1-3.
I’m assuming you haven’t children …
If you buy it from Northfields then it will come on an Oyster and not be valid for 2 for 1 and you do not need any id.
If you buy it from West Ealing then it will come as a card ticket with the rail logo which qualifies you for 2 for 1. You will need a passport size photo for the railways to make up an id card for you free on the spot.
The London Underground runs every 5 minutes from Heathrow to Northfields.
The Heathrow Connect train runs every 30 minutes (60 minutes Sundays) to West Ealing.
Some stations may have 2 for 1 vouchers, but its never a full range and they are normally on self serve leaflet dispensers which are often empty.
Much better to print your vouchers on-line from home before you depart.
Hello, and thank you.
I am looking a government tube map online and I see “SOUTH” Ealing as the next stop past Northfields Station. But did not find one named “WEST” Ealing. Is this the one you mean??? We can just as easily get to our B&B from that station– I have checked it with Google Maps.
1) So are you recommending that we ride to SOUTH Ealing and get off, and buy the Travel Card there, for the 2-4-1 vouchers.??
2) Does the passport picture have to be “Official” kind (which cost more $) or will a COPY/PRINT of our passport pictures suffice???
Thank you again—!
South Ealing is another tube station.
West Ealing is to the north of Northfields
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=West+ealing+station+london&hl=en-gb&sll=40.623788,14.375191&sspn=0.017785,0.025706&ui=maps&hnear=West+Ealing&t=m&z=16
You’re probably looking at a tube map.
The map below gives you all the rail and tube lines which you may as well use as Travelcard can be used on both.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf
We have no way to get all the way to West Ealing station – it is out of the way from where we are.
Also…. what about the passport picture? “Official” made by a photographer, or a “Copy / Print”?
Thank you.
West Ealing is only 25 minutes walk from Northfields and you need only do it once
Otherwise if you want 2 for 1 just get an Oyster at Heathrow and buy a 1 day Travelcard in London on days you want 2 for 1. For 1 day Travelcards you don’t need id.
If you do get the 7 day Travelcard the image needs to be passport size and recognisable as the person applying.
There are automatic photo machines at All the main stations in England
Hi Bob,
My Girlfriend and I are arriving at LHR T4 on June/2. We’re staying near Turnpike Lane , off the Piccadilly Line and will be in London intermittently (2 days here and there) over the following 6 weeks.
We arrive early in the morning and hope to cover some key sites i.e. Tower, London Eye on that first day. Would our best plan of attack be:
LHR –> Turnpike Lane via Piccadilly Line (Oyster Card??)
Turnpike Lane –> Charing Cross to get a Zone 3 Travel Card (using Oyster Card again?)
Remainder of the day using the Travel Card
For the remainder of our trip, I suppose we will use the Oyster Card unless there are other 241 sites we would like to check out.
Can you let me know if the above plan would be the most efficient way of doing things?
Thanks very much,
Andrew
Broadly speaking use an Oyster Card all the time.
If any 7 day period you will be travelling for 5 days or more in the same zones for 3 or more journeys a day get a 7 day Travelcard.
On days you want to use 2 for 1 then purchase Travelcards from a railway station, perhaps Hornsey near Turnpike Lane
Hi Bob,
I’m traveling to England May 5-12 with 2 college age kids. We are staying in Windsor and mostly day-tripping to other sites outside London but planned to spend 2 days in London and would like to take advantage of the 2-4-1 (too bad there are 3 of us!). After reading this excellent blog, I think I should buy Windsor Central to Paddington round trip tickets and then buy and use and Oyster card for travel around inside London. Also I have to make sure to have an attendant let us through so the machine doesn’t eat our tickets. Am I right? Do those Windsor to Paddington Rail tickets qualify for 2-4-1? Is Oyster the way to go or is a travel card better? Or should I buy travel cards at the Paddington Rail station although as I understand it, the travel cards don’t get you to Windsor. Thanks, Jean
Windsor Central to Paddington return tickets should do the trick for your needs.
It will be convenient for you if you bundle a Travelcard in with the return tickets as part of the ticket.
In the UK, college kids can mean anything in terms of age. The railways are more stricter with child age concessions, anything over 15 is adult.
The tickets will be much more expensive if you travel before 9:30 a.m. Monday to Friday
Hello Bob
I am planning for a day tip to Madam Taussad and London Eye (on the same day) with my sister who is visiting me. I have a TFL spouse (priv card) pass. If my sister purchases a return rail ticket for her journey , will she be entitled to claim 2 for 1 offer and I go free or do I also need to buy a rail card? Also can we use a same day rail ticket to see two or more sights on that day
TFL tickets are not valid for 2 for 1 as the promotion is paid for by the railways.
A Travelcard sold by the railways or a return train ticket into Central London are fine, although a few train companies, notably Heathrow Express / Heathrow Connect do not participate.
You can use as many of the 2 for 1 vouchers as you like in one day as long as you have valid rail tickets.
We staying at docklands london, and travelling in from Royal Albert Train station which is the DLR Line, will they sell travelcards with the national rail logo valid for 2 for 1 offer??
Can you buy one day travelcards in advance once in london which will be valid for 2 for 1 offer?
The Docklands Light Railway you can think of as part of the London Underground, tickets issued are certainly not national railway tickets so are not valid for 2 for 1.
Railway stations in that part of London that sell railway Travelcards include Liverpool Street and London Bridge.
Hi there. If I have a 241 rail ticket am I able to take somebody as my free entry who is not in possession of a rail ticket, i.e a friend I am meeting in London? Thank you!
Both people using a 2 for 1 voucher need valid train tickets or Travelcards
HI,
If I buy a cheapest standard single ticket from Poole to London on the 20th June and a cheapest standard single ticket from London to Poole on the 30th June with Southwest trains, will they be eligible for the 2 for 1 offer and if so can I use them for the offer for the whole time or just one day.
Thank you
The answer is Yes to both questions.
We will be arriving at Heathrow early on Friday 31-May-2013. Does the National Rail “Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3X (HXX)” railway station not have a separate rail operated ticket office where I can buy a 1-day Travelcard with a National Rail Logo?.
Our second option appears to be to buy single rail tickets (£5.60 each) from HXX to Hayes & Harlington (HAY), then buy 1-Day Travelcards (£16.40 each) at that station. Can you confirm that I will be able to buy 1-Day Travelcards at Hayes & Harlington?
You cannot buy Travelcards at Heathrow that are valid for 2 for 1.
You can at Hayes and Harlington.
I must say I’m struggling with why you might think this is a good idea?
Hi Bob,
We have prepurchased travelcards from Groundline, but they have been issued as a rail travel warrant which needs to be exchanged for a 7day travel pass at a National Rail Travel Centre in London. If I exchange these at Paddington National Rail Service/ Travel Centre for paper tickets will these be eligible for 2for1 discounts?
You will need to ask Groundline that question.
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the info. I just want to confirm that me and my wife are going to london next month. we are travelling from Manchester. so, we’ll have rail tickets. Are these offers still valid? I am not sure if the attractions will accept these vouchers?
your help appreciated.
Thanks,
If you have return train tickets between Manchester and London issued by the railways and you have 2 for 1 vouchers that are valid then you should be OK
hi bob,i will be arriving to London on may 1st. i’m traveling with my 6 yr son and was thinking of buying the 7 days travelcard.since he doesn’t have to pay he wont qualify for the 2 for 1.. can i buy a ticket for him anyway ? its going to be cheaper for me since we r going to c many of the attractions. rgrds amit
There is nothing stopping you buy a 7 Day child Travelcard for your son from the railways who do not have free travel, its just the Underground and buses that have free travel.
Hi Bob.
I am a little bit confused. I bought 7-day travelcard on the website http://www.tfl.gov.uk/. So here is a picture of it.
Image
Now I am wondering if I can use them for 2-4-1 ?
Regards,
Rok.
You need to have a ticket sold by the railways who sponsor the promotion.
TFL are not part of the railways
What is the cheapest way to get this kind of tickets ?
Maybe I should buy ticket from one station to next station ticket ?
It depends where you are staying and where you want to use 2 for 1.
For most people it will be zone 1-2 Travelcard from a rail station.
If you are staying a little out from the centre then there may be a railway station close by where a return train ticket into Central London is cheaper than a Travelcard.
I have already bought travel card for seven days… So is the cheapest way for me to buy return ticket for two nearest stations ?
Where are you staying?
Bob,
Your blog is brilliant. As much as I’ve learned, I’m still quite confused about travel and 2 for 1 with children. We arrive at Heathrow on June 18th and are staying near Notting Hill. 5 of us, 3 children (16,14,8) . Was going to try to travel by bus to a rail station to purchase travel cards for 7 days and get the 2 for 1 promotion vouchers. We will do a day trip to Stonehenge.
My 8 year old will travel free and won’t require anything as long as she travels with an adult?
My 14 year old and 16 year old need oyster id cards and photos for the oyster id card? That is to get the child rate on travel card?
My wife and I would get a 7 day travel card. no photo or photo
We will leave on 6/24?
Have I made this more confusing than it needs be?
Do you have a blog on the London Pass?
No just this London Pass page on the main web site
http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/london_pass.html
The Tripadvisor London Forum will get you lots of discussion if you make a post about the London Pass, though it tends to be the majority being quite hostile towards it and some people who have used it and managed to get value out of the pass.
OK I think you’ve got a few crosswires, understandable given the complexity.
As you say you need to buy a Travelcard bought from the railways for it to be valid for the 2 for 1 vouchers.
Oyster cards are not sold by the railways so you cannot use them for the 2 for 1 offer and you cannot use Oyster ID Cards for the kids to buy products from a railway ticket office, they have their own id card system.
The good news on the railways ID Card is that it is free unlike the Oyster ID Card that costs 10 GBP and weeks to process, you just need to bring a long a passport size photo and they will make it up for you on the spot.
The bad news is that on the railways a 16 year old is an adult, not a child. So your 16 year old can only get 2 for 1 travelling on an adult ticket.
Your 8 year old travels free without a ticket on the Underground, buses and DLR but not the trains. As there is no ticket being used the 8 year old doesn’t qualify for 2 for 1.
Your 14 year old just needs to bring along a passport size photo to the railways ticket office for the railways id card to be made up and the child Travelcard issued.
The adults also need to bring passport photos for id cards to be issued at the railways ticket office. They would not have needed any id buying 7 Day Travelcards from anywhere else though, but then they wouldn’t qualify for 2 for 1
16 year olds are generally considered as adults in most tings in the UK. Most of the attraction places you enter will also classify a 16 year old as adult.
In order for your 16 year to get child fares on the Underground and Buses you need to apply for an Oyster 16-17 ID Card on-line. This costs 10 GBP and takes a few weeks to process, (you can pick it up at visitor centres like at Heathrow). For most visitors its not worth it, and you can only use it at TFL ticket outlets which sell tickets that are not valid for 2 for 1.
The 27 bus goes from Notting Hill to Paddington Station or you can walk it in 15 minutes.
Bob,
I am taking a group of 20 (including myself) of whom 18 are university students to London in May. Am I better served getting 7 day Travelcards at Euston (our hotel’s next door) or pre-ordering it from the tfl site? We leave May 8 out of the US. If I do purchase them at Euston, is it an ordeal or an easy process – and I can presumably get a 2-4-1 deal then too right? Any thoughts on what is easier?
If you want to use 2 for 1 you need to buy the Travelcards from Euston Station ticket office and each person needs to bring along a passport photo. Buying from the TFL web site won’t do.
All 20 need to show up so its going to be a tedious session for some lucky ticket clerk making up 20 ID cards.
If you don’t use 2 for 1, you might look at group day tickets
http://www.londontoolkit.com/blog/transport/group-day-tickets-travelcards-for-10-or-more/
Many thanks for the prompt reply.
Hi Bob. We are from South Africa, and visiting London in July. The 2 for 1 deals are a really great money saver. I was wondering, if we travel on the family and friends railcard, is this still valid for the 2 for 1 deal? Thanks, Denise
Return train tickets bought with railcards are eually as valid for 2 for 1 as return train tickets bought without a railcard.
Thanks, that’s a great help xxx
My question is apart from the 2-for-1 promotion. I’m interested in a 7-day tube/bus travelcard within zones 1-2. Does the purchase of such a travelcard at Paddington Station require a passport-size passport size photo or does it require the 5-pound “deposit” that is required with purchase of a plastic Oyster card? Is the choice either presenting a photo to get a paper travelcard or paying the deposit to get a plastic Oyster card? If the best choice is the Oyster card, does one buy the Oyster Card first with 5 pounds of “deposit” value and then load the value of the 7-day travelcard on top of that? When one is finished traveling where/how does get the refund for the 5-pound Oyster card “deposit”?
Oysters do not qualify you for 2 for 1 as its not a railway product.
To qualify for 2 for 1 you must have a 7 Day Travelcard bought from the railway ticket office at Paddington Station. The railways require a passport size photo as they treat it as a railway season ticket.
If you buy anywhere else at Paddington Station like the Underground Station the 7 day Travelacrd will come on an Oyster Card. You won’t require photo id, but it won’t qualify for 2 for 1.
Is Hampton Palace or Windsor Castle supported by the Travel Pass— or is it rail only?
If so, what would be the fare? Thank you again.
Windsor is outside London, Hampton Court is in zone 6.
Return train tickets to either would qualify you for 2 for 1 to these places (though Windsor Castle are not currently offering a 2 for 1 voucher)
A Travlecard that covers zone 6 and issued by the railways would also qualify you for 2 for 1 at Hampyon Court.
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.
First of all, let me express my thanks to this great website I happened upon!
I have spent at least 6 weeks studying about London for our trip next month – what attractions to see, how to get around, etc…. and still I am confused and need your help understanding. Please advise me in detail step-by-step what to do.
A. We arrive Heathrow, Terminal 4
B. Need to exit Northfield Station to walk to B&B where we are staying.
C. Question: How / What do we purchase to get from A – B??
(This is $$$ spent and it isn’t even the Travelcard ticket we really want (YET) to use with our 2-4-1 vouchers.
D. To get the Travelcard we REALLY want / need for the week what is our next step to do -? (more $$ spent not yet for the Travelcard we really need)
E. On last morning, when we go back to Northfield to head back to heathrow, are we still using our Travelcard, or are we purchasing a new ticket to Heathrow (to get to the car rental place)?
Your advice please.
Thank you for this helpful website.
How long are you staying in London, and how many of those days when you are in London will you be using the 2 for 1 vouchers?
Hi…
We will be staying in London for 6 days – Arrive May 7, Depart May 13.
If I rearrange our itinerary I “could” possible put everything into 3 days,zig-zagging into different areas.
And then, what about getting a ticket from Heathrow –>Northfield, and back again?
Your advice? Thank you.
I think your best bet is to buy an Oyster Card at Terminal 4 Underground Station and use that for all your public transport.
On days you want to use 2 for 1 vouchers buy a zone 1-3 1 Day Travelcard the day before from a mainline train station in London and use that instead of the Oyster.
One more question, please….
I was reading your webpage and it said that there was a 2-4-1 voucher for Windsor Castle offered. However, the only one that I found on the 2-4-1 Voucher homepage was was associated with a Bike Tour – only. Not a casual stroll walk-through tour.
Is that the one that you were referring to on your webpage when it mentions Windsor Castle?
Thank you.
I’m afraid Windsor Castle did not renew their vouchers when the last wave expired
Strange as Hampton Court and Tower of London vouchers were renewed. It remains to be seen if they do make available a voucher later in the year.
Hello
Bit of a strange question but I wonder if you could help, I’ve tried to find the information in the T&C’s but to no avail. We actually live in London, but for my partner’s work we do have 1 return train ticket Euston-Edinburgh that would work. However we only have 1. Do both persons need a train ticket, or can we get away with just one person having the train ticket?
Thanks for your help. Great Post.
Bot people need a return train ticket that is valid to get them to the attraction on the day of entry
If I understand your reply correctly, one needs TWO Travelcards with specific logo to use a 2-for-1 voucher? Will be in London in September to visit a friend residing there who surely has his own Oyster card. Thought the 2-for-1 vouchers would be great way to save on admission fees. If TWO Travelcards are needed then maybe not. Please advise.
You are right in your understanding, each person using the 2 for 1 voucher needs their own rail ticket or rail issued Travelcard.
Oyster Cards are not valid for the promotion.
Hi Bob. Very popular page – and thanks for providing the info. So, I’m going to be taking the tube to Waterloo where I will then buy a 1 day travelcard at the rail station so I can visit Hampton Court on the 2 for 1 offer. 1st question, does the travelcard itself allow me on the train or do I need a ticket as well? 2nd question, when I return to central London after Hampton Court will I still be able to use 2 for 1 offers in London? 3rd question, if I had bought a multi day travelcard would the 2 for 1 offers be valid for the entire time, despite me having made only the one return journey to and from HCP? Thanks again…
The Travelcard is a transport pass and acts as your ticket. It is the Travelcard that you put into the entrance and exit barriers at the stations.
The Travelcard covers all public transport in London so presuming you will be travelling to Waterloo it makes sense to buy it before that and use it on the Underground or Buses getting to Waterloo.
If you are just travelling Waterloo – Hampton Court return you may as well just get a return train ticket, that will qualify you for 2 for 1 too.
There is no limit on the number of 2 for 1 vouchers you can use. As long as you have a valid railways sold ticket that will have got you to the attraction on the day of entry and have a 2 for 1 voucher that all they are interested in.
For Travelcards you must buy them from a railway ticket office, nowhere else to qualify for 2 for 1 .
Hampton Court is in zone 6 of London’s transport system so you need a Travelcard that is valid for zones 1 to 6.
If I bought a one day travelcard from Victoria or Paddington station ( with the logo), is this valid on the buses too? Thank you.
On the red London buses yes, not the hop on, hop off sightseeing buses.
Hi Bob i’m so glad that i found your web site, because understanding all these terms is totally confusing. I’m visiting London with a child (12) from Slovenia. I have already bought a return railway ticket ( online,self printed) from Gatwick airport to London so i qualify for 2for1, but I’m also going to buy 7 day travelcards at railstation Victoria ( following your advice in the article – no cost for issuing them and cheaper if we stay for 5 days). My question is are travelcards bought from Railway or bought from Underground equal. I mean if I will be getting a disccount for Thames Clippers and London cable with them like I would with Oyster? Thank you
There is no difference between a Travelcard bought from a train station and that bought from an Underground Station in terms of what you can use them for.
Do the 7 day Travelcard Ticket Windows at the Rail stations stay open 24/7? Won’t be arriving at London Euston till 22:30.
The Euston ticket office is open until midnight ( 11 p.m. Saturdays) but only for rail tickets that cover travel on that same day.
Would you happen to know the hours to purchase the 7 day Travelcards at Euston? I am confused about the details because It sounds like you do purchase Travelcards from the Ticket window at the Rail Station, but do they only sell them certain hours? Thanks for your help, just confused about the details and timing, since we arrive late.
The issue with the railways is if you can purchase Travelcards ahead of the day you buy them.
Strictly speaking according to their published rules you can only buy them on the first day of travel of the 7 Day Travelcard, except for Mondays when you can buy them on Sundays.
At Underground ticket offices you can buy 7 Day Travelcards up to 7 days ahead of travel, but these Travelcards are not valid for 2 for 1.
Hi Bob,
We are 2 adults staying near Greenwich, I am wondering how can we avail the 2for1 offer.
Is it by just buying a single national rail ticket between any stations within London or from a return ticket is must. Please guide us.
Regards ,
Prasad
The promotion is aimed at the English so when they go out for the day somewhere they use the train rather than take their car.
You need return tickets issued by the railways that would enable you to get to the attraction you are visiting and back again afterwards.
From Greenwich that means return train tickets to and from a Central London train station or a Travelcard bought from the railways with a rail logo on that covers zones 1and or perhaps 3 depending on where in Greenwich you are travelling from.
Ok. So a train ticket from Greenwich to London Charing cross and back to Greenwich will help. As Charing cross is nearest to Madam tussuads museum, if we go there.
A return train ticket to Charing X will qualify you for all 2 for 1 attractions in the centre of London.
We are a party of 5 arriving in London on May 31st by train from Glascow to London Euston. Only one way tickets, as we fly out of London Heathrow back to the states. Can we use our one way tickets to see attractions over the next 5 days? If not should we buy Travelcards at Euston? Hate to have actually used the Train system as the offer intends, and not be able to get the 2 for 1. Many thanks for answers.
The promotion requires return tickets, so if you want to use 2 for 1 it will need to be the Travelcards from Euston option.
Hi,
Stensted Express currently has a WebDuo promotion on theit web page. Are these tickets valid for 2FOR1 vouchers?
Thanks
I don’t see why not, but for an authorative answer you need to contact Stansted Express
Hi,
I was just wondering if 2For1 offer is valid for Combination-tickets?
I am intending to visit london from Bangladesh with my family (4 total members, all adult), and I’d like to visit Madame Tussauds and London dungeon. There are combination tickets with discounted price. Can 2For1 work on them too?
And also, I was just wondering that I need to print 2 copies of the voucher, right? with the same person’s name on it….
Sorry, but I’m struggling to understand what you mean by “Combination tickets”
Combination tickets are like tickets which cover 2,3 or even 4 attraction sites with a reduced aggregate price. Here is a link:
Hit the tab “combination tickets”
I am assuming this sort of tickets are also available from queue other than from online booking.
No you can not use 2 for 1 with these tickets.
Individual attractions have the right to vary but the vast majority you use 2 for 1 on the standard on the day ticket you buy at the attraction gates.
Hi
Would 2 for 1 attractions accept a travelcard bought at Vauxhall Rail Station. I wanted to check as it wasn´t included in your central London station list.
Thanks, great blog!
I do not know who runs the ticket office at Vauxhall Train Station.
The web suggests it might be South West Trains in which case it sounds as if they might issue Travelcards with the rail logo on which would qualify for 2 for 1, but I personally do not know for sure.
Bob would the 2 for 1 still apply if you purchased the travel card from overseas? Using the VisitBritain website for instance?
Thanks,
No, 2 for 1 is a railways promotion, you need to buy from the railways.
If a Travelcard has the railways logo on it then its valid, otherwise not.
Hi Bob,
Thank you for taking the time to write all this useful information… My wife and I are heading to London this weekend from Nottingham. I will be driving down tomorrow to stay with my wife’s parents who live in Park Royal…. We’re planning a trip to London Zoo with my wife’s niece on Sunday and I was wondering what the cheapest way of doing it would be? There will be 2 adults + a 6 year old child) – We usually get the tube into central London from Park Royal…and then the tube everywhere else.
If we wanted to take advantage of this 2 for 1 deal… What would we need to buy? Someone told us that we could just buy one single ticket; say from Kings Cross to Euston, and that would be enough to present along with the voucher. They said that we would only need one ticket for all three of us… and we don’t even need to use it…This sounds a bit odd to me, if not, immoral.
Can you confirm what is the best / cheapest method for us, please?
You need to have a ticket sold by the railways for each person that gets you to London and return on the day of visit, not per party.
I suspect the nearest train station to Park Royal will be Acton Mainline.
A Travelcard is £8.90 for the day whilst a return train ticket to Paddington is £8.00 so you might as well get the Travelcard and use the bus/underground as well to the zoo.
Bob – Your site is just great. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I am planning to buy the 7 day Travelcard for myself (to get the 2 for 1 promo when sightseeing). My daughter is my travel partner and she is 9, so she travels on the tube and buses for free, correct? Your site states that each person using the voucher must have a valid Travelcard purchased from a train station. Does that mean that my daughter would need a Travelcard even though she travels for free with a paying adult IF we want to use a 2 for 1 voucher? If so, I’d have to do the math and see if it really pays to use the 2 for 1 vs. buying her a Travelcard she really doesn’t need. Thanks in advance for the reply!
To qualify you must have a valid ticket issued by the railways that wiould get you to the attraction and back again on the day of your visit.
The railways do not offer free travel for kids, thats just for the London Underground and London buses.
You will have to do the maths whether buying a child Travelcard and getting 2 for 1 is better than using free ticketless travel for your child and not using 2 for 1
Hi Bob- Just wanted to thank you for putting together this great information! Following your instructions, I printed out vouchers from the London 2-for1 website and traveled to London last year around this time with my husband. We picked up our Travelcard with the National Railways logo at Paddington station after getting off the Heathrow Express. We were able to see so much of London using the vouchers, including the London Eye, London Dungeon, Tower Bridge and a couple of shows. We loved London so much we are returning in 2 days for another week! I just finished printing a fresh set of vouchers for our upcoming visit. Thanks again!
Hi, I will arrive in London on March, 30th, by Heathrow and will leave on April, 2nd, from Gatwick. So, a single Gatwick express ticket for the leaving date (April, 2nd) would qualify me and my wife for the 2-for-1 scheme during my staying or should we buy 1-day Travelcards ?
No single tickets are not valid, you would need 1 day Travelcards bought from a railway station in London to qualify for 2 for 1
HI! Your site is great. I need some guidance reagrding whether to buy a 7 day travel card or daily travel cards with oyser cards. 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 11 and 13) traveling to London next week. Staying at Park Plaza County Hall near Waterloo. Itinerary
- 3/29 – arrive 7 am Heathrow. Thinking about taxi to hotel near Waterloo.Plan to buy travelcard for 2for1 at Waterloo. This day we plan to visit sites in zone 1/2 including Churchill Rooms so think travelcard with 2for1 will would a good choice
- 3/30 – all siteseeing in zones 1/2 including Tower and London Bridge which offer 2for1
- 3/31 – traveling withing zone 1 and going to zone 6 – Hampton Court
- 4/1 – planning day trip with tour company to Bath/Stonehenge/Windsor – advice for tour company?
- 4/2 – Euston station to Watford for Harry Potter Studio Tour
- 4/3 -depart from Heathrow at 5/4 – 8am to return to states.
My question is what card to buy and for how many days – travelcard or oyster card? I thought I would get a 7 day Travelcard with 2for1 (and buy individual tickets when going outside of zone 1/2) but not sure if that is the best deal. Should I get daily travelcards for days seeking 2for1 and get oyster card for other days? Much appreciate any help! Kindly, Karen
From what I can make out you only need the 2 for 1 for 1 day so that day it looks like a 1 day Travelcard zone 1-2 for everyone from Waterloo Train Station.
For the rest of the time for the adults at least its worth getting an Oyster Card for all your London public transport.
Kids of that age are normally a problem with regards id and child fares however the fact its Easter help you a little.
The Friday and the Monday are national holidays so are off peak all day, so you can buy 1 Day Travelcards zone 1-6 for £3.40 each day for your kids which covers Hampton Court too.
By buying return train tickets Waterloo to Hampton Court for the adults that qualifies you for 2 for 1 there.
You might want to think about moving your Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath tour to the Tuesday fom this perspective
As its Easter the train companies will be doing all their major track maintenance while its relatively quiet. You might want to check out track closures to see if they conflict at all.
THe tube maintence page is: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/tube/default.html
There is a similar page for the railways
The Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath tours are long days – about 12 hours.
Of the big bus tours its really a straight choice between Premium and Evan Evans and Premium Tours. Both have near identical buses and the guides are independent and can and do switch between opeartors so its a bit of a pot luck with guides.
I would point you in the direction of te Premium tour through us, (below) partly as its got a hotel pick-up from your hotel but also its probably a lot cheaper than buying direct or from your concierge. If you can find either tour cheaper, I’d like to know!
https://www.premiumtours.co.uk/psite/partnersite/londontoolkit/best-selling-windsorstonehenge-and-bath-day-out.id214.php
The best quality tour would be the International Friends Tour that runs in a mini-bus with a mximum of 16 passengers.
It quite a premium on the big bus tour in terms of price but its a more personalised tour with a much closer relationship with the driver/guide.
Other downside apart from cost is that it doesn’t come near County Hall for pick-ups so you’d have a tedious transfer, probably to Knightsbridge.
http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/white/londontk/a-harvest-of-history-windsor-bath-stonehenge.html
Thank you so much! Your price for the Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath tours are definitely the best I have found. The others are much more expensive. We will book through you. Any suggestions for what to do/see while in Bath – only a little time there and we want to make the best of it! Thanks
Yes, what to do in such a short time in Bath is a hard decision and really comes down to your interets and how “cultured out” you are.
If you don’t visit the Roman Baths, I’d recommend going in the front door and turn right into the Pump Rooms and at least take in the atmosphere or if you’re brave a glass of the Bath Spa water. Continue throgh the tea room and out the other side and there is a small balcony where you can look down on the hot baths without paying entrance.
Bath normally has a great atmosphere and its also a major shopping centre as well as being interesting from history, architecture and literature perspectives.
You might just want to chill out and take in the atmosphere if you’re tpp worn out to do the classic tourists attractions which are all well documented.
Bath is largely pedestrianised, everything is within 10 minutes walk of each otehr.
Bob
Do you have a link for a similar good pricing for Stratford upon Avon ,& surrounding area (exclude Oxford)equally long tour with pub lunch & pickup at Kings Cross station .we are staying near Arnos Grove station
We hope to go in late July
If Stratford Upon Avon is of special interest to you I would suggest taking the train to Stratford from Marylebone Station . There is a HOHO bus at Stratford that links all the Shakespeare properties there in and around town.
The day tours to Stratford at most spend 90 minutes there.
can you use the 2 for 1 if you are already in London? Could you go by National rail from Victoria to Kings Cross, would that work if they are national rail tickets???
It depends where you are staying in London.
If you are in Central London you can qualify by buying a Travelcard Zone 1/2 ticket from one of the mainline stations ticket offices
If you are in the suburbs of London and can get to a railway run station buying return tickets into Cenral London or a Travelcard will also qualify.
So if we bought a day’s travel card zone 1-2 each that would qualify? we live in Lambeth, but want to try and get the 2 for 1 as London Zoo is so expensive… many thanks for your help
Yes, if you buy it from a train ticket office like Waterloo Station.
We are arriving at Stansted airport on Saturday, 23rd March.
I bought two tickets for the Standsted Express train online – valid for one month.
Does this ticket qualify for the 2for1.
If you bought from the Stansted Express web site yes
Hi Bob
Myself and my partner are going to london on Sunday the 24th of March for a three day break. We are flying into London Luton and planning on getting the easybus into the centre of london. Our hotel is in the docklands with the nearest stop being royal Albert, we are planning on getting 1 day travel cards for the 25th and 26th as we arrive around 6pm on Sunday. Do you know where the nearest station is to get the qualifying travel cards when we get the easy bus into london on Sunday the 24th? And if it would be possible to collect travel cards for our length of stay at that station or just for the current day?
Many thanks,
Jamie
Victoria Railway Station near the terminus of easyBus would be the logical place to get your Travelcards.
Hello, Bob.
My mother and I planned a one-week visit to London. We think that a 7-day Travelcard (zones 1-3) is the choice for us, as we will be traveling all over the place during our stay. 2 for 1 option won our attention, of course. We will be visiting Kew gardens, Wetland centre, museums, galleries, Greenwich and so on.
We’re taking Easyjet to Stansted and EasybBus to Baker Street. We will be staying at a budget hotel in Kensington near Gloucester tube station. Does the Marylebone rail station (which appears to be nearest our bus stop at Baker Street) really sell the right kind of 7-day travelcard that will be valid for 2for1 offers? If not, where do you suggest we get them? I’m only asking because traveltoolkit.com does not mention Marylebone ticket office and this site does. Obviously, it would be great if it was true.
Plus, double-checking: It does not matter which zones I am buying my Travelcard for if I’m traveling by red bus, correct? So if I would buy, say, 1-2 zones 7-day travelcard, I could still travel by bus in zone 3 (to Kew, for example)?
Thanks in advance, Bob.
Have a nice day.
Tanja
The reason Marylebone was left out of the list was because we received some reports that Travelcards that qualify for 2 for 1 were not available there. Until someone confirms otherwise we thought it prudent to leave Marylebone out from the list.
For Gloucester Road you would find it easier to get the Terravision Bus from Stansted to Victoria where there is a direct Underground link to Gloucester Road and you can get 2 for 1 valid Travelcards at Victoria Station.
You are right about London’s red buses being zoneless
Thank you for this blog, I think I have decided the best way for us to travel around and make use of the 2 for 1 deals with the least amount of stress. I was hoping you would have a look at my ideas and let me know if my thinking is on the right track…
We (4 adults) arrive at St Pancras on the Eurostar on Sunday June 23. We are staying at Earls Court. If while at St Pancras we buy an Off Peak travel card for the rest of that day (to get us to Earls Court and any exploring we choose to do on the 23rd) and at the same time purchase two postdated Anytime Travel cards for the 24th and the 25th. We depart early on the 26th from a depot close to the London Eye so I thought a taxi might be used for that trip.
Any words of advice would be gratefully received.
Look fine to me.
awesome thanks
Will land at Heathrow June 25 – 2 adults, 2 14-yr-olds. I’m planning to order online 2 photo oyster cards for the 14 year olds ahead of time. Heading to Bayswater. We want to purchase 7-day 2-for-1 Travel for each of us. Easiest way to get to Bayswater in your opinion? I am nervous about finding the correct connections on the underground. Where to buy the travelcards to start using most quickly?
The Oyster Photocards only work for Transport For London ticketing which is basically everywhere but tickets bough from railway stations.
If you want to use the 2 for 1 promotion this is sponsored by the railways so anything bought from a TFL ticketing agent is not valid for this.
In short if you want to use 7 Day Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 you need to purchase from the railways.
The good news is that the railways do not require Oyster ID Cards for kids, they issue their own photocardsfree of charge, you just need to bring your own passport size photo’s, they will make them up on the spot.
The bad news is that adults also need photocards at the railways so you need photo’s for the adults too and you cannot get Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 at Heathrow railway station.
If you don’t want to use the Underground first day then get the Heathrow Connect or Heathrow Express trains to paddington where you can also pick-up your Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 .
Bayswater is adjacent to Paddington about half a mile away.
You might also want to check out the cost of a private car direct to your hotel, for 4 people someone like Just Airports or Simply Airports won’t be much different in price to using the train.
Hullo Bob,
Me and my friend are traveling to London and will be there for 6 nights from 1st My 2013, I need advise on the 2 for 1 offer whether we need to buy two separate rail cards or just one each for both of us and how much does each rail card cost for 6 days. Secondly do we need to do an advance booking to go the attraction or just go there directly. Would appreciate your kind advice. Thanks and kind regards, Karima
By rail cards I am assuming you are referring to Travelcards bought from the railways. (The other qualifier are return train tickets by most train companies into London)
There is no 6 day Travelcard, you would need to get a 7 Day Travelcard zone 1-2 each from a railway station in London
You would also need to bring a passport size for both of you when purchasing
Hello Bob,
First of all, many thanks for your tremendously helpful site and patience with answering our questions! Second, as I am coming to London from abroad, could you please tell me which of the following options is acceptable for the “bring-your-own” photo?
1. A home-made photo cut to fit the 45mmx35mm size requirement
2. A professional photo of the required size taken at a photo place in a home country
3. An official passport photo taken at a photo place in London
4. Can one wear glasses and/or smile in the photo?
Thank you very much in advance.
45mm x 35mm is the standard UK passport photo size and is the size the photo machines in the station issue as standard.
Anything much nore than that and they would have to get the scissors out which would be no good if they had to trim part of your face off.
I don’t think thy are particularly fussy they just stick it onto a photo card and laminate over the top.
As long as the face is not obscured in any way and is recognisable as you there should not be a problem.
We are a family of 4 (kids aged 9 and 13) who will be arriving in London on June 29th and departing on July 4th. We will arrive and depart from Gatwick and will take the train to Victoria both ways. I understand that my husband and I can use our return Gatwick Express tickets to purchase the Travel Card with the 2 for 1 deal from the national Rail kiosk at Victoria station (provided we do let the machine take our rail tickets as we enter the station). May question is…can we purchase our Gatwick Express tickets on line (ie: the family package for 69 pounds)? Will these tickets still be valid for the Travel Card/2 for 1 deal?
OR do I need to buy the Gatwick Express tickets at the airport before boarding the train on our arrival date.
Thanks in advance for the clarification.
The promotion is a railways promotion, the Travelcard purchased from the railways is one option and buying return rail tickets from a sponsoring rail company is another.
The Gatwick Express supports the promotion so buying from the Gatwick Express web-site qualifies you for 2 for 1 including 4 travel for the price of 2 return tickets.
The key thing is that you must buy from the Gatwick Express web site not a third party web site selling Gatwick Express tickets.
1. I am looking at the map of Victoria station and I can’t find the National Railway office which I would need to get the 7 day Travelcard with proper insignia and picture. Do you see it on the map from their website?
2. I know you mentioned we would require passport size photos. If we bring our passports, does that count? or do we need photos that are not part of the passport?
Thank you.
Rich
The railway ticket office is very large, not something you can miss.
The video on another blog page here shows the exit of the Gatwick Express trains and the ticket office almost opposite by the entrance to the Grosvenor Hotel
http://www.londontoolkit.com/blog/transport/victoria-railway-station/
You need to give a passport size photo to the ticket attendant, not just show a passport.
They use the photo to make up a photocard that is separate to the Travelcard.
There are passport photo machines in the station.
I will be traveling with a friend from March 25 until April 2 in London, from the USA.
1. If we take the Gatwick Express into London and buy return tickets for the Gatwick express, at the same time, can we show those to get the 2 for one at every location for our whole trip? From what you wrote it seemed like we would need 2 tickets for each day we would use the coupon.
2. If we decide to purchase 2 7 day Travel cards, and we are coming into Gatwick airport and then traveling to a hotel in Knightbridge, do you have a location recommendation that will be on the way for us or nearby where we can purchase the 7 day travelcard which will have the insignia and qualify for the promotion?
3. I know you mentioned we would require passport size photos. If we bring our passports, does that count? or do we need photos that are not part of the passport?
Thank you very much. I appreciate your guidance.
-Rich
If you buy return Gatwick Express tickets then you are covered for 2 for 1 for the period between outward and return legs for 2 for 1 in Central London.
Presumably this means you can just get normal 7 day Travelcards at Victoria from the Underground Station which do not need photos.
You will probably get separate tickets for the Gatwick Express for the outward and return legs.
At Victoria do not go through the automatic barriers as they will gobble up your ticket and you will need it to show at the atractions for 2 for 1 , go though a manned exit.
Hello Bob!
I am travelling to London with a friend by bus on the 19th of March until the 21st.
We are wanting to go sightseeing on the 20th, and we are staying near Paddington Station. Would we be better off buying a 1 day travelcard each from Paddington to enable us to be eligible for the 2 for 1 sightseeing offers?
Thank you!
Dan
Almost certainly yes assuming you would need to buy a Travelcard or Oyster anyway to get around and Oyster is only 40p a day cheaper than Travelcard for travelling around the centre.
Travelcarsd are for calendar days so you would need to buy one all 3 days if you wanted use 2 for 1 on every day in London.
Hi Bob,
I am travelling on 21st march from gatwick and return on 5th april. If I buy a return tickets on Gatwick express, will I qualify for 2-4-1 throught those days in between?
regards,
ankit
Yes.
Thank you so much for your article that has managed to clear up the confusion surrounding the 7 day travelcard and using the 2-4-1 vouchers for so many of us!
Two questions that I still have :
1. We are 4 people travelling together. Can one person print out two sets of vouchers or do two different people have to register on the daysout site to be able to use them for the 4 of us?
2. I’m not clear where we have to be sure NOT to go through a ticket barrier at the end of a journey to avoid getting my ticket swallowed. All stations? Some stations?
Thanks for your efforts!
For 4 people you would need 2 vouchers, 4 train issued tickets
With a 7 day Travelcard you do not need to worry about ticket barriers swallowing up tickets they will return them to you all the time.
This is just train tickets where return tickets are often distributed as a separate outward and return ticket. The ticket barrier will swallow each ticket once you have completed each journey
We are finishing a cruise in Harwich in May. Can I buy two single tickets to London and then 2 single tickets back to Harwich in order to qualify for the 2 for 1 offers? I would like to buy the advance tickets online before leaving home. Would that work?
Thank you for all the valuable information.
You would have to buy the tickets at Harwich International Station next to the cruise terminal
Hi Bob, we fly to London Stansted Airport in April and i would like to know if i can use our Stansted Express Rail Ticket Return to get the London 2for1 Attraction Discount!??? Please answer! Thank you very much!
Yes you can
Hi, I`m planning to buy tickets from Feltham station to go to London Zoo. Can I get the 2 for 1 voucher from Feltham? Thank you in advance!
You can get the tickets that qualify you for 2 for 1 at Feltham but with regards vouchers you are best advised to print the vouchers out from the promotion web site as they may or may not be available at Feltham depending on what stock of leaflets they have at the time of your visit.
Hi Bob,
Very informative post. Thanks for that.
My question is if the Windsor castle is still a option for 2-1. I ask because when I go to the days guide website and search for Windsor castle, there is just a informative page but no option to download the voucher.
Many thanks for your help in advance.
Ankit
Windsor Castle doesn’t seem to be offering a 2 for 1 voucher at the moment, which is strange as the other royal palaces in and around London, Hampton Court, Tower of London and Kensington Palace are
Hi Bob,
My wife and I are coming to London from Glasgow with
Virgin train. We both have first class return tickets.
We are going to buy 7 day travel cards at Euston station and
Will have passport pictures.
My question is. How do we use a travelcards? For example on the tube
Do we need to use a machine to validate the card as in the case of
Oyster cards or do we just carry the card and show it when asked?
This applies also on the buses etc.
Many thanks for your anticipated reply.
Kind regards,
Rev. Archibald Robertson
You use it much like an Oyster Card.
On the automatic ticket barriers you insert the Travelcard in the slot, the barrier will open and the Travelcard pops out for you to take.
Same at destination station to get through the exit ticket barriers.
On buses where there are no ticket barriers so just be prepared to show the Travelcard if requested to.
Thanks, Bob, for your prompt reply.
Much appreciated.
Arcibald Robertson
Hi, two of us are going to London by train from 8th-12th April using return rail tickets. Trouble is we don’t get there until late on the 8th and have to leave early on the 12th, can we use the 2 -1 vouchers on the 9th and the 10th?
If you have return tickets they cover you the whole time you are in London.
On arrival don’t go through an automatic ticket barrier as it may swallow up you outward ticket which you will require at the attraction.
Hi Bob. I will be purchasing the 7days Travelcard as i would like to qualify for the 2-for-1 scheme. However, i am kind of confuse with the scheme. I understand that the travelcard allows me to purchase 2 adult tickets at a price of 1 full adult ticket. I will be going to London with another friend, so there is just 2 of us. How many travelcard must we get? One travelcard each or just one travelcard for both of us? Thanks!
Each person needs to have a ticket issued by the railways that would enable them to visit the attraction in question that day.
This means if you are using Travelcards they must be purchased from a train station, not Underground or anywhere else.
Hi I wanted to get the 2 for 1 deal this weekend for the london eye do you know if I buy a one day travel card from cockfosters station if this will qualify me as I know it has a manned ticket office and is on the outskirts of main london lines? Does national rail cover this station?
Cockfosters is an Underground Station so doesn’t sell Travelcarsd valid for 2 for 1
I’m not sure if I have got this right. My 17 year old daughter and I will be flying into Heathrow from NY on 3/22. We plan on taking the heathrow connect to paddington sta. We already purchased online round trip tickets to Cardiff. We return back to london on 3/25. We spend 8 days in london and then take the heathrow connect back to Heathrow Airport on 4/2. What is the most cost effective way to get the 2for1.
Unfortunately the Heathrow Connect train service doesn’t support the 2 for 1 promotion.
The most cost effective solution will be for both of you to buy a 7 Day Travelcard zones 1 and 2 at Paddington railway station ticket office on your return from cardiff.
Your 17 year old counts as an adult.
You will need passport size photo’s to buy the 7 day Tickets from the rail ticket office.
Hello, we are two adults who will be arriving in London early morning, Thursday, May 16. Below is our itinerary:
May 16 Arrive Heathrow airport @ 6:25 am: transport to St Pancras station; transport to tourist sites from St Pancras area hotel for one day
May 17: Depart Eurostar in am to Paris for one week
May 24: Return to London via Eurostar in am; transport to Lambeth North station hotel
May 25: Transport from/to Lambeth North station to tourist sites
May 26: Transport from/to Lambeth North station to tourist sites
May 27: Transport from/to Lambeth North station to tourist sites
May 28: Transport early morning from Lambeth North station to Heathrow airport
We would like to take in the main tourist sites around London. We will only have one day when we first arrive in London, and would like to travel around town by bus on this day to get an overview of the city. On our return to London on May 24, we will have 4 full days in London to see the sights. We are wondering what our best options would be for public transporation during these time frames. Thanks!
Assuming you are travelling to and from Heathrow by London Underground just get an Oyster Card each at Heathrow Airport Underground Station on arrival.
Thanks Bob. We are wondering if it would be worthwhile to get the paper tickets with the 2-4-1 admission deals, rather than the oyster card.
Thee is no real universal answer to that.
You’d have to write down on paper where you want to go, work out how much on admissions you’d save on 2 for 1 and compare that saving against the additional cost of buying the Travelcards.
We arrive in London (2adults and5year old boy)on April 1 and depart on April 9, if I go to Waterloo station on the morning of April 2 and buy two adult 7 day travel cards to last us through April 8 do we both have to go to station to buy travel cards or can I take my wife’s picture and purchase both cards? Also should the pic be a 2 inch square head shot like passport?
The reply to your question from TFL (Transport for London) was that each person needs to go in person.
In the UK, a standard passport photo is 45×35 mm
Hi Bob,
I’m staying in London from 15th to 20th march. We are a family of 4 including 2 children aged 12 and 15. We are arriving at Heathrow from Italy.
I could either buy one week travelcards on line (6 zones)
or get from Heathrow to Victoria station and buy there travelcards valid for 2X1.
How much would it cost going from Heathrow to Victoria Station by tube considering we should change line from Piccadilly to District?
Thanks a lot for yr help. Kind regards. Rosalia
If you buy the Travelcards on-line they will not be valid for 2 for 1.
If you are just staying in the centre of London its a waste of money buying a zone 1-6 Travelcard just to cover the airport trips.
A single journey on the Underground from Heathrow to Victoria is £5.50, £2.70 the kids.
You can buy Travelcards zone 1-2 at the RAILWAY ticket office at Victoria Station. Bring along some passport photos of each person.
On the way back to Heathrow you can buy an extention fare for zones 3 to 6 to Heathrow
Tks a lot.
One last thing. I was thinking of buying zone 1-6 travelcards to include both Heathrow and Hampton Court. Do you still suggest extension fares?
We would need them both for the day we go to Hampton Court and for the day we go back to Heathrow. And how can I get those extension fares? Many tks. Rosalia
The difference between a zone 1-2 and 1-6 Travelcard is £25.20
A return train ticket Vauxhall to Hampton Court is £8.40
I am travelling to london on 24rd March and returning on evening of 26th and wish to attend the ideal home exhibition on 26th. I have purchased 2 rail tickets from newcastle to london so will i qualify for the 2 for 1 offer?
If its a return ticket and bought from the railways, yes.
Hello, if I’m coming from Eastbourne to Victoria with a return ticket, then onto London zoo either by tube or bus, dose my Eastbourne to Victoria ticket qualify for the 2 4 1?
Many thanks
If its a return ticket and bought from the railways, yes.
Make sure you go through the manned barrier at Victoria, if you go through the automatic barrier it will gobble up your outward ticket which you need at the attraction.
Hi Bob,
Your website is very informative, Is it possible to buy 2 4 1 1 day travelcard at Clapham junction?
Cheers,
Abhay
I’ve never used the ticket office at Clapham Junction but its managed by South West Trains so should have a ticket office be selling Travelcards eleigible for 2 for 1
hi there, i am travelling from colchester to london liverpool street on the 6th of march, i have purchased two single tickets for my journey as it was much cheaper, will i be able to use both parts of my ticket to get the 2 for 1 deal, or will i need to buy a travel card from liverpool street? Thanks!
If you show both outward and return tickets that should be OK – just be sure not to go through the automatic barriers on the outward leg to avoid the barrier retaining your ticket.
Is the London Pass eligible for British rail travel and the 2 for 1 voucher for London eye?
Many thanks for your help, Bob.
The London Pass is an attraction pass, no public transport.
You can buy a Travelcard as an optional extras that includes trains in the London area, but not the airport trains.
I cannot see the London Eye as an attraction covered by the London Pass
The 2 for 1 promotion is entirely different to the London Pass and requires a ticket issued by the railways to qualify.
This promotion currently includes the London Eye.
Hi Bob
- If I purchase a Southall-Windsor-Southall same day return rail ticket from Southall will I be eligible for 2FOR1 discount at Windsor Castle ticket counter? If I buy this return rail ticket from an automated machine at Southall rail station, will it still be eligible for 2FOR1 discount (because I don’t know whether Southall has a manned ticket office or not ! ) ?
- If I’m eligible for 2FOR1 discount at Windor Castle, do I have to go to the same ticket counter where from regular (non-discounted) tickets are sold? Is the queue at the Windsor Castle generally too long during summer months?
Thanks & Best Regards
Paul
I don’t know Southall station personally but on paper its managed by Great Western Railways and the ticket office is open 6:30 a.m. to 8:20 p.m. so you should have no problems
There are queues to get into Windsor Castle during the summer but they are not outrageous like some of the places in London, its not really an issue
There are only 2 queues at Windsor Castle, one for groups/coach parties the other for everyone else. Just present your 2 for 1 voucher and supporting train tickets at the desk, otherwise its no different to just walking up and asking for 2 entrance tickets.
I have visitors coming from abroad in May 2013. They will have 7 day Travelcards and I was hoping that they will benefit from the 2FOR1 offers however most of the 2FOR1 attractions listed by Network Rail in their brochure end in April 2013. As far as I can remember, the offer is on all year round. Is this just a matter of the booklet being re-issued with added attractions in May?
When you get closer to April a new set of vouchers will appear with an extended expiry date.
A few attractions may drop out, a few new ones may join.
The London Eye sometimes takes a break from the programme over the peak summer months.
Hi I’m just asking about the 2 for 1 vouchers, I’m debating weather or not to buy the multi attraction ticket for £44 or just use vouchers, the only thing I’m worried with the vouchers is being fully booked and missing out on an attraction, or will I be better buying the attraction ticket, thanks in advance.
If by the multi-attraction ticket you mean the London Pass then I’m afraid its a matter of sitting down one evening writing down where you want to go over how many days before checking out how many places you want to visit are covered by either scheme.
Unless you are staying a decent period I think you’ll struggle to make the London Pass work at all financially, so 2 for 1 should score on the financial front but it really depends on what you want to see over what timesacle.
The London Pass has fast track tickets for some places if they are on your list of must see attractions, the only attraction that might conceivably sell out is the London Eye.
I was planning on doing the London eye, wax works and sea life centre, I’m coming next Friday till Sunday.
You’ll need to look up these web sites get the admission prices plus family tickets and work it out yourself.
If you have kids the 2 for 1 works on the principle that one person pays adult admission the other goes in free irrespective of age.
Also if your kids are under 11 they travel free on the buses and Underground.
Looking at the London pass current list of attractions covered I can’t find any of the places you want to go listed.
If the attraction is free for kids and I’m travelling with my husband can one of us go in free (we have 2 adults and 2 kids and all 4 of us will get 7 day travel cards)..also, when I travel to zone 6 for attractions, can I upgrade my 7 day travel cards for the day or do we have to purchase new ones (to see Windsor Castle for example). Thanks for all your great information!
The deal is for every 2 for 1 voucher, 2 people with valid train issued tickets that would enable travel to and from the attraction can use the 2 for 1 scheme.
One person pays full standard adult admission, one goes in free, irrespective of age.
For places like Windsor which are outside London you would need a train ticket to and from Windsor on the day you are visiting.
Using a Travelcard zones 1 and 2 bought from the railways covers the attractions in the centre of London
Hi,
we a group of people are planning to come to London on Saturday 23rd Feb by train and our flight is on sunday night to India.So could you please suggest whether if we get a one way train ticket will it be valid for 2 for 1 offer or do we need a return train ticket?
I’m afraid you need to show return tickets – single tickets are no good
Thanks for your reply.. Will the travel card would help us?
If your group is 10 or more then a Group Day Ticket will save you money.
Otherwise the cheapest way to get around is to get an Oyster card each, which will also get you out to Heathrow, but not Gatwick Airport.
The above do not qualify you for 2 for 1.
You could buy a 1 day Travelcard zone 1&2 at the railway ticket office of the station you arrive at in London which would qualify you for 2 for 1. Whether the extra expense of the Travelcard is worhwhile really depends on the savings you make on 2 for 1.
hi i am traveling from reading tomorrow to London zoo. i am going to get a return ticket. me, my partner and his daughter. can we use the 2 4 1 offer?
my sister lives in london and also is coming to the zoo with 2 adults and 5 children
how can they take advantage of the 241 promotion?
If your party of three travel to Paddington using a return rail ticket from Reading you have a 2 for 1 voucher for the London Zoo and the rail tickets for 2 people when you get to the zoo then one gets in free, if the other pays adult admission.
Your sister could do the same but would need tickets issued by the railway which enables her to get to the London Zoo. If she lives in London this invariably mean a Travelcard bought from a railway station.
The 2 for 1 voucher entitles one person to pay standard adult admission and another to get in free irrespective of age.
With family groups like your sisters it may be cheapper to buy a family ticket from London Zoo.
The 2 for 1 Internet side requires a date when I want to visit the attractions. But can I use the vouchers on another day?
As long as you have a valid rail ticket that day. yes.
You can print the 2 for 1 voucher at any time
Greetings from snowy Finland and thank you for a great information!
1. If I buy tickets online for e.g. London Eye, can I just buy 1 ticket and my wife can go free with 2FOR1 voucher? There seems to be quite a queue sometimes, so booking in advance might be a good idea.
2. There are 6 adults and 3 children in our group. Can I print vouchers for all of them, with my name in every paper?
3. Usually children under 3-4 can go for free, do I have to do something for them, if adults are using 2FOR1 vouchers?
We’ve planned to buy 7-day Travelcards from Victoria station, on our way from Gatwick to Earl’s Court on saturday morning. That sould be OK? Gatwick Express doesn’t seems to be valid for Travelcard.
Regards,
Simo
If you book on-line with the London Eye you cannot use 2 for 1. You need to tuen up at the ticket dest with vouchers and railway tickets in hand.
For 9 people you need 4 vouchers and 8 railway issued return train tickets or Travelcards for 2 for 1 , you really need to put a different name on each voucher.
7 Day Travelcards bought at Victoria Station railway ticket office is fine for 2 for 1, but note children under 11 travel free on the Underground and red buses without a ticket.
If your children ride free without tickets and don’t get a child Travelcard they don’t qualify for 2 for 1.
The deal is one voucher entitles one person to pay standard admission and the other goes in free irrespecive of age.
Please also note that if you are getting return train tickets from Gatwick to Victoria issued by Gatwick Express then these alone qualify you for 2 for 1 as they are rail tickets.
Don’t let the tickets be gobbled up by the exit barrier at Victoria as you need them when claiming 2 for 1, go though a manned barrier.
Does 2 for 1 valid for online booking for the place we will go?
Do we need to buy at the place travelling?
Travelcards bought on-line are not valid for 2 for 1
Hi Bob,
I will be traveling to London and planing to buy the paper 7-day travelcard (2-for-1 discount). Does the passport sized photo that I bring to get the photo card has to be actual passport photo or it can be photo that I take myself and cut into passport size? According to the “Transport for London” website my 15 year old child that qualifies for child’s rate (15.2 GBP) requires a 11-15 Oyster Photocard with a non-refundable application fee. Do I need to do that before our trip or can she get a photo card at the railway station when I have mine? Would you suggest I just get her an adult travelcard without applying for the 11-15 Oyster Photocard? Thanks.
Sincerely,
oso mom
The question about photo’s and using substitutes to “official” passport size photo’s has ben asked on various forums quite a few times.
I don’t think there is a legal strict definition anywhere beyond it must be recognisable as the person with the result that as of for anything that is liable to personal discretion you can get inconsistant actions.
They will certainly take the DIY passport photo machines around the station so that is always a fallback.
With regards your 15 year old you are getting confused by the fact that the TFL web site rules are different to the Railways rules both sell 7 Day Travelcards.
If you buy from a TFL outlet (anywhere but a railway station in London) you indeed need a 11-15 Oyster ID card that costs £10 and takes a few weeks to process, These Travelcards also do not qualify for 2 for 1 as the promotion is only for Travelcards sold by the railways. Adults do not need any photo id with Travelcards bought from TFL.
With the Railways they have their own Photocard which they make up on the spot free. Any ticket 7 days or longer sold by the railways is classed as a season ticket which requires Photo ID, adult or child.
Hope this makes sense?
Hello Bob,
I am bringing a group of 27 people from Italy to London in May for 4 nights, we will be staying in zones 1 and 2 and I wanted to take advantage of the 2 for 1 offer to enter Westminster Abbey and St. Pauls Cathedral. If I have understood well, the National Rail travelcard can also be used on the underground or do we have to also buy the daily group tickets too? Also to make sure they avoid losing their tickets in the exit machines and show their tickets to the station officer at the gate may be complicated with a big group. What if there isn’t anyone at the gates? I am thinking of just getting them to buy group tickets and pay normally at the attractions entrance.
Regards, Lucia
The group ticket is a TFL (Transport for London) pass and doesn’t qualify 2 for 1.
A Travelcard bought from the railways does qualify for 2 for 1 but works out much more expensive per person as you would have to buy 27 Travelcards and split the group up into pairs each with a 2 for 1 voucher.
I think you probably would be best advised to go for the group tickets and contact each attraction for a group rate for entrance.
Thanks very much for your help – that’s a good idea I will go for group discounts at each attractions.
Hi bob. I just bought a promotion RETURN ticket for the Stansted Express (DuoL). It is a webpage offer where you need to print out the ticket yourself. Do I because it is a promotion offer still qualify for the 2 for 1 offers?
If the ticket has the rail logo on it, it should be OK.
If not best contact the Stansted Express.
Bob – ALL the information I have read on the website has been very informative and helpful. Plan on buying the 7 day travel card from the Victoria Station RR. However, I do believe from information on another part of the website it states that the 7 day travel card is 55.60 now and not the 30 whatever indicated at the top of this HUGE comment section in the article portion. You may want to confirm and correct if so. (I would sure be happy if it is the lower price when I get there in April!)
Hi Karen, both pages are actually correct but perhaps could be worded better.
Travelcard prices are based on which of London’s travel zones you want to travel through. Zones 1 and 2 where all the central hotels are and nearly all the sights are all in zone 1 and 2. A Travelcard for zones 1 and 2 is £30.40 for the rest of the year.
A Travelcard for zones 1 to 6 (Heathrow Airport is in zone 6) is £55.60.
(It doesn’t make sense to buy a Travelcard for zones 1-6 just to cover a couple of Underground journeys to Heathrow at the start and end of a trip because of this price differential.)
Bob
Hello Bob.
We are two adults and our 14 year old Thai son ,visiting London by car and sightseeing on the Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of Feb. We live in Somerset but will be staying with friends in Aylesbury on both nights and our son will be flying home to Thailand from Heathrow on the 17th.
I was wondering if there is a way of taking advantage of the 2 for 1 scheme from say Wembley train station? They have a car park there but if I buy my Saturday travelcards will they not be vallid for 2-1 ?
The alternative question is how you get into London Central to buy your Travelcards ?
Can we buy Sundays travelcards on Saturday from central London railway stations?
I was thinking of parking at Hounslow West (free weekend parking) on the Sunday and buying travel cards 1-6 zones for the day then going back to the car for his cases and back onto the tube to Heathrow for his flight home.
Thanks or any help.
As long as you buy your Travelcard from a railway station ticket office it will qualify for 2 for 1.
Honslow West although free has a car boot sale that takes place on the car park many weekends.
At the weekend you can park free opposite Turnham Green Underground along the northern border of the green.
You should be able to get your Travelcards a day in advance.
Hi, dont know if you know the answer to this, my friend and I will be meeting in London at the weekend – we will both have return rail tickets but mine is from Loughborough and hers will be from Gatwick – will we still be eligible for the offer as we are travelling seperatly?
If you both have return rail tickets bought from the railways that enable you to get to the attraction, personally i can’t see what the problem is.
At the end of the day its the individual attractions that interpret the rules, and feedback suggests some interpretations are different from one to another.
Hello,
I am planning to come to London in two weeks time and was only planning on buying a single train ticket to London as i will not be returning home for a few weeks as im visiting a friend. Can i use a single train ticket to London to claim the 2for1 offer?
I’m afraid not
We travel to London using a staff rail card do we qualify for the 2 for 1 promotions
Staff rail cards I am not familar with and are not mentioned as a valid ticket for 2 for 1.
You are best advised to ask whoever administers staff Rail cards for a definitive answer.
Hi Bob. Our family of 4 is traveling to London this coming this summer. Here’s some info: We’re flying in to Lancaster. Then the next day we want to take a rail (we were thinking Britrail but we can’t get 241 passes) to Glasgow. On the 4th day or so we want to take a 1 way to London and stayinv in Londo 3 days. From there we’ll traveling to Paris on the Eurostar. Are there rails to take us from Lancaster to Glasgow back @ forth and then from Lancaster to London and still be able to get the 241 passes? Thank you!
There is a town in England called Lancaster but it has no airport, nor is it anywhere near a major airport with commercial flights, do you mean Manchester which has a major airport.
Myself and son are travelling on the Gatwick express on Friday (return Sunday)
Do we qualify for the Two for One anf if so how do I get the vouchers?
Are there restrictions on the number of attractions you can visit.
Thankyou
Gerry
Gatwick Express return tickets qualify you for 2 for 1.
If you get two separate tickets outward and return go through the manned exit gate at Victoria, the automatic tivcket barrier will gobble up your ticket which is be needed at the attraction.
You can print out the vouchers from the 2 for 1 web site – link on icon at the top of the page:
http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/london_travelcard_2for1.html
Hi This information is very help full Thanks but i just wondered could i use a rail card purchased from kings lynn station to london kings cross as a open return ticket? And does this mean i could use the 2 for 1 anytime in the 1 month iv’e got to return?? Thanks
The standard railcards just enable you to purchase normal rail tickets at a discount. An open return is valid for 1 month so if you have a return train ticket issued by the railways then you can use it for 2 for 1 for the month the ticket is valid for.
Do be careful at the London terminus, don’t put your outward rail ticket into the ticket barrier as it will swallow it up and you need to show it with the return ticket at the attractions, so go through the manned barrier and retain your ticket.
Hi Bob,
I am coming to London on 16th Feb 2013 and wish to get the best value for money regarding travelling around london and visitor attraction.
I would say that 17th and 18th we will do the attractions as we arrive later in day on 16th.
There are three of us so my query is : which would be the best option for us to take 1: a London Pass or 2: the 2 for 1 options
Noting that only 2 of us would benefit from the 2 for 1 deals or would the london pass be better for 3 persons.
Any advice would be very helpful
I’m afraid there is no absolute rule on which is best, it all depends on where you want to go exactly and your transport plans
In general few people can make the London Pass work for them financially, especially for 2 days, but some apprecaire the convenience of a single ticket and the limited fast track aspects.
You really have to sit down decide where exactly you want to go in what timeframe and first check if they are covered by London Pass and/or 2 for 1 and do the maths.
Without London Pass or 2 for 1 an Oyster Card each wiould be your best bet for getting around London, rather than a Travelcard.
Hi Bob.
We are four friends from Denmark, who are visiting London in the end of this month. We would like to buy a travelcard for 7 days, so that we could use the 2for1 offer.
Did I understand this right, if I say, that we can buy the travelcard in Victoria station if we only bring a foot? (This i where we arrive with the bus from Stansted airport)
Regards Mia
If you are getting the National express or Terravision buses from Stansted to Victoria you can buy 7 day Travelcards from the railways at Victoria Rail Station ticket office, the buses go to the bus stations about 500m from the rail station. The Underground is below the rail sttaion.
You need to have passport size photo’s with you at the ticket office. At Victoia Railway Station you must purchase from the railways ticket office, not the Visitor Centre or the Underground ticket office.
Terravision also do a service from Stansted to Liverpool Street Station which is a shorter ride and the bus stops immediately outside the station where you can buy 7 day Travelcards valid for 2 for 1 from the railway ticket office before going downstairs to the Underground.
Pre-print the 2 for 1 vouchers you want before you leave.
Thank you so much!
I have a few more questions though
We are planning to go visiting Wembley stadium and the WB Harry Potter tour. When going to these attractions we will go to zone 4 and 9 which our travelcard does not cover. (the other days we are only visiting attractions inside zone 1 and 2)
What would be the best solution for us?
Is it possible to book in advance on the attractions, or do we have to buy the tickets when we get there and show the voucher?
I think you have a problem with the Wembley Tour as a Travelcard for zones 1 & 2 doesn’t cover Wembley Stadium which is in zone 4. You could get a return train ticket from Euston or get a zone 1 to 4 Travelcard to qualify for 2 for 1.
As I understand it the 2 for 1 promotion is for a Harry Potter Tour in Central London, not the Harry Potter Studio Tour out in Watford.
Hi, Bob– Your site has the clearest, most concise information on the London travelcard and the 2-4-1 offer I could find. Thank you!
However, being the worrier I am, I want to make sure that I am correct before I arrive in London empty-handed.
Mom and I are traveling via Heathrow. We are staying at the Royal Horseguards so we will take our passport size photos to the Charing Cross station to purchase our 7 day travelcards from the Railway office. Am I correct that these Travelcards should have the Railway Logo (crows feet) to take advantage of the 2-4-1 offers?
Thanks again.
Also, we will be traveling onto Paris using Eurostar so no train tickets at all on our journey. Does this affect validity of the 2-4-1 offer?
The promotion is sponsored by the railways, which is why you have to buy something from the railways.
The Travelcard bought from a railway ticket office is an anonmaly taht the railways seem surprisingly relaxed about. They sell Travelcards as the railways run a dense network of commuter trains in the London area (not the Underground) which are covered by the Travelcard to ride on.
Yes, you understand correct – only the railways issue 7 day Travelcards on card tickets with the rail logo on.
Anywhere other than the railways issues 7 day Travelcards loaded on an Oyster magnetc card so its quite easy to spot if you’ve gone to the wrong place.
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the reply. The attraction was the Churchill War Rooms. We were able to redeem the promotion at several other attractions over the week we were in London, and some friends also used 2 for 1 at the war rooms later that week, so I guess it was just the staff member being difficult for us.
Hi, my wife and I are coming to London in March and have each purchased 2 advance singles (to / from London 6 days apart) rather than return tickets as these worked out cheaper. Is this acceptable or do you have to have an actual return ticket.
The rules say you need return tickets
Looking closely at the small print, it actually says that if you have two singles in and out of London you can still use the pro,otion providing you can show both tickets. They even emphasise the fact that you should ask a guard to let you through the station gates on arrival to make sure your ticket isn’t captured automatically.
Try it out, I’m sure it will be OK unless you get a jobsworth or an attraction that implements rules to the letter.
Final say is with the attraction and they do have different interpretations of the rules
With return train tickets you get 2 tickets from a train station ticket office outward and return. If you go through a ticket barrier at the end of a journey the barrier swallows up the outward ticket which is why they say go through a manned barrier as you need both the outward and return ticket to show at the attraction.
The spirit of the promotion is that you are using the promotion from your home train station and returning to the same place which infers a return ticket, but this is not specifically stated.
Some attractions are very lenient and don’t even ask to see your train tickets some enforce them to the letter, how they interpret them is up to the individual attraction.
just done a little digging around and noticed there is not a ticket office at wembley stadium and tickets are done by macheane..
can you get travel cards at macheanes and will thay be the ones acepted for the 2 for 1 offers
thanks
Wembley Stadium Station is run by Chiltern Railways whose tickets are valid for 2 for 1
If the machines in the station are owned and run by Chiltern Railways then the tickets dispensed should also be valid but as I’ve personally never been there I can’t confirm this.
The next station up the line Sudbury and Harrow Road is excatly the same status.
Unfortunately this part of London is dominated by the London Underground with sparse railway stations.
Hi
We are staying at the ibis in Wembley next month.
am i right in assuming that if i got a travel card from the train station there i could use it for the 2 for 1 offer. and also use it on the tube station.
can you tell me if there is a ticket office at wembley station and dose this station operate when there is no event on at the stadium
thanks in advance
my wife and i are come to london on 10 jan from derby by train. can we get 2-1 underground tickets
If you have a return rail ticket from Derby purchased from the railways that should qualify you for 2 4 1, otherwise Travelcards with the rail logo on bought from the railway ticket office at St Pancras will also do.
Hi Bob,
If I am to get the 2 for 1 deal do both people need a valid rail ticket?
Yes
Hello Bob, you are the best!
Just looking for confirmation….
I am a visitor, I will arrive on Luton Airport, I intend to use Easy Bus to come to London, and then use only the tube (maybe buses sometimes). So, even if I will never travel by train, I still can buy and use a paper travel card 2for1 from one of the location you’ve mentioned. Am I correct?
Thank you
If you get of the easyBus/Green Line bus at Victoria, then walk into Victoria Rail Station and get your Travelcards from the rail station ticket office (not the Underground or Visitor Centre) they will come with the rail logo on and be valid for the 2 for 1 promotion.
Travelcards are a flat fee pass. You can ride as many journeys as you want on the Underground, London red buses, Dockland Light Railway and any commuter trains within the zones you purchase the Travelcard for. for the duration of the pass.
It is because the Travelcards are valid on the commuter trains that the rail stations sell Travelcards to their customers.
Can I buy a Travelcard for 1 month in paper? I mean not as a Oyster. And do I need to provide a photo? right?, thanks in advance.
You can buy 1 month Travelcards from railway station ticket offices. These are card with the rail logo on.
You need a railways id card which they will issue on the spot if you bring along a passport size photo.
Anywhere else the 1 Month Travelcard comes loaded on an Oyster.
Flying into Gatwick and then getting a return train ticket (Fri to sun) does this cover me for 2 4 1 offers?
Thanks
Yes, buy it from the Gatwick Express ticket office or mormal ticket office at Gatwick to a Central London sttaion like Victoria or London Bridge
can I get a travel card at stone bridge park station?
Thank you
You can buy a Travelcard at Stonebridge Park but as its a station managed by the London Underground it will not be valid for the 2 for 1 promotion.
Thanks bob,
Can I get one anywhere in that area or just central London?
Thanks again!
You might actually be OK at Stonebridge Park railway station, (not Undeground) there seems to be conflicting informationan available about the nature of the ticket office there, but the Natioanl rail web site would seem to suggest there is a railway ticket office there although at weekends it has restricted opening hours.
Hello Bob,
I had book my train ticket but it from Grain Central railway not national rail, this is ok to use or not ?
Kind regards,
sorry I mean ” Grand Central railway” from darlington to London
I’m not sure I understand your question.
If you have bought a return ticket to London from Darlington and it was purchased rom the railways and has the rail logo on, then it should be valid for the promotion for the duration of your visit.
Thank you very much Bob , yes it had a logo on the ticket
I plan to use my Edinburgh-London return tickets by Eastcoast for “2 for 1″ voucher. My question is, my tickets are print-at-home type of tickets, would it have any problem(particularly with St Paul cathedral)?
Print @ Home tickets are fine but MUST have the rail logo on them depicting purchase from the railways, the promotion sponsors.
My sister and I are arriving at Gatwick airport and staying in London for one month, I’m thinking of buying a return ticket from first capital connect from Gatwick to East Croydon, I’m going to collect the tickets on the ticket machines at Gatwick Airport, would this tickets be valid for the 2for1 discounts?
I’m not 100% sure the machines will dispense rail tickets with the rail logo on.
I’m not sure of the reasoning in buying a return rail ticket to East Croydon for 2 for 1, it wouldn’t be valid for 2 for 1 at any attractions in Central London, just any that may be close to East Croydon Station.
You need a return ticket to Central London to qualify for 2 for 1 in Central London.
Thanks, now I understand, but if I have a return ticket to central london this wouldn’t be valid for 2for1 discount on the Hampton Court for example, since is not in Central london?
You are right in saying that Hampton Court is on the outskirts of London in zone 6 of London’s public transport system.
Most people staying in the centre of London will be taking the train to Hampton Court from Waterloo Station. The return train ticket to Hampton Court from Waterloo would qualify you for the 2 for 1 promotion.
Windsor Castle, just outside London is similar, most people getting the train from Paddington or Waterloo to Windsor for their visit qualify for the 2 for 1 promotion as well.
I plan to visit to St Paul Cathedral with another friend. Is it possible for me to use the 2FOR1 discount if i buy 1 ticket online(from stpauls website)? Or it can only be bought on-the-spot?
You need to bring the 2 for 1 Voucher together with rail issued tickets that would enable you to get to St Paul’s that day to the admission desk on the day of the visit.
We are going to London for 9 days from the USA on May 1 and it looks like the 2 for 1 offers are over April 30. Will they be extended? Thank you.
I suspect you are looking at the expiry dates on the vouchers.
The promotion is a rolling programme and when you get closer the date new vouchers will be put up on the web-site with longer expiry dates.
Every cycle a few attractions leave the promotion, a few join.