Longtime lurker, first time poster. I'm heading to London 1 Nov to try find work, fun, etc for the next 6 months and would like some advice if possible. I plan on hitting the ground running trying to find a job. I've been applying while on holiday right now so hopefully have something when I get in. What would you guys suggest for this logistical stuff: 1) using the tube: what pass would be best value for my money? I expect i'll be running around the city quite a lot doing interviews and putting in CVs for the next couple weeks so what would be best if I plan on using the tube at least a couple times a day for that time period (1 wk/2 wks). 2) getting knowledge: would it be wise to get a street atlas of some sort? google maps is useful but I don't expect to be spending all my time and money in an internet cafe looking up and printing maps. which would you recommend? 3) internet: for the first week i'll be staying at the astor victoria, near pimlico and victoria stations. they're charging a pound/15 min which i think is a bit extortionate as i'm sure there's cheaper cafes around the corner. any suggestions? i will be spending a bit of time applying for jobs online so the cheaper the better. thanks for any suggestions. if there's other useful stuff i should know please inform me. I've read the tube rules, so at least i'm up on that. thanks vagabond
1) Oystercard 2) An A-to-Z 3) Easier to just look around and find one. Easyeverything is dirt cheap at 1 in the morning...
1. Get a weekly travelcard... you'll probably only need zones 1&2. 2. Buy an A-Z.. they sell them everywhere.... in newsagents, bookshops.. all over the place in a range of sizes. 3. You should definitely be able to find a cheaper internet cafe. You will probably have to just ask around and there's definitely one of these by Victoria station - they're supposed to be quite cheap. A really helpful website is upmystreet.com You type in the postcode of where you are and what you're looking for (ie a swimming pool) and it will give you a list of swimming pools with distances from your location.
are the oyster and the travelcard the same thing? sounds like it from the tube website but not sure. i arrive (and bunk down for a few hrs) in stansted, should i get the oyster/travelcard there or wait til i get further into town? thanks for the responses! -vagabond
Basically the oystercard looks like a credit card and you can "credit" your travelcard to it. You can also credit extra money which is useful sometimes. For example, if you buy a 1 week travelcard for zones 1&2, but you need to travel to somewhere in zone 3, if you have credited some extra money (say £5) to your oystercard, it will just charge your oystercard the appropriate surplus. Take the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street and buy your oystercard/travelcard there.
the oyster card is a travel card. more hi tech, all-on-line and that, i think the oyster is a slightly cheaper way of getting around, they are trying to get us all to get oyster cards
Sounds convenient, will have to do that when I get in. Thanks for the tips, will definitely make the first day/week a bit easier. -V
Have you got a laptop with wi-fi capabilities? There's various services you can subscribe to and get wi-fi for about £15 a month if that. Then you can connect anywhere you like
I've lost my A to Z. It was a really cool pocket sized one just for zones 1 and 2. I grew quite attached to it over the past 3 years (it was always with me when I was out having fun, getting pissed and wandering around London), and now I'm going to have to buy another one
Yeah, it sounds useful. No laptop, no money. Anyway, hopping on the ferry in an hour, London in two days if all goes well. Thanks for the responses -V
Welcome to London! Use the buses and walk a lot as well as using the tube. Will really help you get to know the how place fits together and often will save you time too Come on one of the London Walks whydontcha? Or even get outta town on a Country Walk?
Just get a bicycle. London is the perfect size for cycling. Within 6 months you'll have a better knowledge of the roads than your average bus/tube user. A pair of bicycle clips or even an elastic band around the ankle will see you good. I even have a bicycle "briefcase" and have managed to attend all my i/vs by bike (I have been lucky with the weather on those occasions though!
I don't think it's clear from these posts what an oystercard is. It's basically a smartcard -- an alternative to a paper ticket. You can either do Pay As You Go, which means that you charge it up and pay for every journey (but it's capped so you don't pay more than the cost of a daily travelcard). If you're going to use the tube a lot, you'll be better off getting them to put a weekly or monthly travelcard onto your Oystercard.
Get an A to Z I personally didn't find the oyster card much cheaper Pay for your fares You'll feel a bit off colour for the first week or two, I felt like I had hayfever with the pollution Get used to sirens Get used to having your personal space invaded on public transport You'll see and meet the biggest cliches and the the most unique people. ever. The food from butchers, grocers et al. isn't quite as nice, (but maybe I didn't find good places) Don't look like a vicitim! Scout out your local area for landmarks that you can see from afar when wrecked Bus stops are your friend, they tell you what direction you're facing and where you are Get used to it never getting truely dark and not seeing stars I loved london, and I will be back after xmas Gluck!
The two secrets to navigation in London: almost all bus-stops have maps of the local area, and maps of the routes. You can usually work out a lot from these. 0207 222 1234 - the London Transport number. You phone them up, and go "hi, I'm here now, I want to get here, how do I do it?" - they poke their website, check what's actually running, and tell you (on a good night) which direction to start walking in...
