Para Olympics with 3 children travel options?

[KazyLou]

We are visiting London with 3 dds 11,7& 4 and have tickets for para Olympics on Sat 1st. What is the best way to travel around London? Do we need one Oyster card or 1 each?

Have you not been given all zone travelcards with your tickets? I think you should have. In which case, no need for oysters, but it would be one each. but I'm sure you will have travelcards in your pack.

Thx think we've got travel cards with the tickets- picking them in London so not sure if we get them at the same time? We'll be in London the day before & after So will need travel.I'm usually comfortable with tube travel but never done it with the kids!

If you've got a buggy with you, the journey planner on the transport for london website is marvelous for giving you step free routes.

Having said that, tube travel is expensive.My uncle, with three kids and aunt, and staying in kings cross, found it more economical to get black taxis! It does depend where and how many times you travel in a day though.

Can I recommend getting one of the routemasters from trafalgar square or st paul's if you do buy travelcards? Just a short trip up fleet street, but lovely.

Whaaaaat? Your uncle found black taxis cheaper than the tube? The under 10s are free when travelling with an adult (so don't need an oyster card) see here. And if you get oyster pay as you go a single journey is about 3 quid to zone 3, and you'll never pay more than a day's travelcard. You can also get buses at 1.20(ish) a pop.

plantsitter, how does that work with the under 10s? Do you just ask to be scanned through together at each end of the journey? I paid 10 quid this week for a zone 1 return for me and ds (worked out cheaper as two one-day travelcards).

My kids are under 5 so we just go to the manned ticket barrier. When I've travelled with my sister's kids (5+) we've done the same thing. Probably best to ask at the ticket office though because the website implies they need an oyster card. It's ALWAYS worth getting an Oystercard - here are the fare differences

Found the answer - yes, just go to the barrier to be let through visitor oystercard

Yes, I'll definitely be getting one for our return in October. Because children pay on mainline services when they're over 5, I just assumed they did on the Tube too (and possibly didn't read the screen properly when buying the tickets at Mansion House - was exhausted!). Ironically when we do go back to London we'll have DH with us and experience demonstrates that even the wheelchair accessible stations on the Underground frankly aren't, despite the best efforts of TfL to make getting to the platform itself possible.

I think the website would happily sell you an Oyster card for a child aged 5-10 even though it does say (in small writing) that they don't need one if they're not travelling unaccompanied.

Children age ten and under travel free in London :)

When we were there in August, we found it very easy. They have wider gates for people going through with children. You just put your ticket in and you all walk through. Even when my nephew 11, lost his ticket, we just put him through with his mum and nobody batted an eyelid.

Yeah, to be fair, I'm sure my uncle was comparing non oyster tube prices and had a pile of teenagers, not small ones. And maybe had the family love for the little black buses...< Sighs.>

I was horrified at the amount it cost us (me, 1 x 18 yr old, 1 x 13 and 1 x 14 yr olds) to travel in London for the day. I looked at it before though, and it's Not worth getting an Oyster Card as there is a £10 admin fee to apply. Obviously if you are in and out of London this will be recovered in savings, but if it's a one off trip, it's very expensive.

Thx everyone still as confused as ever.

Kazy - I think the answer is:

• you need an Oyster card (3 quid fee)
• your 7 and 4 year olds do not (and you should go through the barrier together with them at the bigger barrier intended for pushchairs and such like)
• your 11 year old could get an Oyster card for his/her age group but it's probably not worth it just for the day.

I think if that's correct, the only question outstanding is what you do with the 11 year old, I think buy a travelcard for the day.

i was in london recenlty with my 12 yr old, i went to buy a ticket for him and the guy at the ticket office told me to pretend he was 11 as he said they were free up to age 12!

so i think your children may all be free and yes you just go through the manned barrier and get an oyster card or an all day ticket foryourself that coveres the zones you need :)

It's under 11, rather than 12, 5madthings - good job your ticket guy was out of date with his info :)

Paper travel card info - definitely worth hanging on til 09:30 if you can travel off-peak.

Kazy we didn't bother with oyster cards. The days we had Olympic tickets for, we had free travel cards which came with our tickets.

On the other days we asked at the ticket office for the cheapest tickets. We would say where we planned on going and they would give us a dayticket for the zones we were traveling in only.

can you get a child ticket then for an 11 yr old, i would get the one day travel card that covers the zones you way and i guess you should get a ticket for yoru 11 yr old, but i have never been asked for a ticket for my 12yr old and gone on the tube a lot, maybe i just got lucky?

i agree re the off peak prices, much better, so a ticket for you and one for your 11 yr old unless he is short and looks younger

Ok, if you get travelcards free but print your tickets at home... what happens then? Just got Paralympic tickets today and went for print at home option as recommended. Am I buggered?

From what appears to be FAQs

I have chosen the print at home option for tickets I have purchased, how do I receive my Games travelcards?
We are not able to send out Games travelcards for print at home tickets. You are able to collect these from your Venue Box Office on the day of your event.

Nice ... so you have to travel to the Venue to pick up your ticket for travel to the Venue.

Children age 10-15 do travel half price. That's a bit stupid, that you have to travel to you venue to get free travelcards.

Brilliant thx everyone this is so helpful . Think I'll opt for travel cards for husband myself and eldest.

Thanks tribpot. Hmm - I guess it's still cheaper to collect the card there as presumably it only counts as one Oystercard journey to get there if you use tube all the way (??). Bit bonkers - why can't you just show a ticket with some ID too and pick one up anywhere? Feel a bit discriminated against now!

annoying that if you print at home you have pay for your travel - I'm going tomorrow and got the tickets last night but googled for info about the travelcard bit and as usual MN came up trumps!

Does 'print at home' save the £6 postage / delivery fee for tickets?

yep