Which is the best card for you to buy
There are 3 questions that lots of visitors to London keep asking so I thought I’d put the answers and some advice in this article to help future visitors.
Should I get an Oyster PAYG card or Travelcard?
How do I get the Days Out offers?
Where can I get the best Fish and Chips?
Oyster PAYG card or Travelcard?
This is easily the most asked question and the answer often depends on individual circumstances. However generally speaking for people who are going to be travelling mainly in central London, I’d advise the following.
For people here for 5 days or more the 7 day Travelcard bought at one of the railway stations is best because you can use it at peak times, before 9.30am, plus you can use it for the 2 for 1 discounts at some attractions.
For people here for less than 5 days the PAYG Oyster card is better. You pay a small refundable deposit for the card then you add cash onto it to pay as you go.
People often get obsessed about which card they should get, worried that they’ll spend more than they have to. The reality of the situation is the difference in savings between the cards is not huge.
The major saving you’re getting is by not using cash to buy tickets each day. The thing to remember is, as long as you get one of the cards and do not pay cash each time for your journeys you’ll be doing fine.
How do I get the Days Out offers?
Just in case you don’t know what the Days Out Guide is, it’s an offer that gives you 2 for 1 offers at some of the major London attractions such as Madame Tussauds, London Zoo etc.
To get the offers you visit the Days Out site and download vouchers for the attractions you want to visit. You can download as many vouchers as you want so it’s a good idea to download several vouchers for different days so that you are not tied down to going somewhere on a particular day.
Now this is the part that seems to confuse many tourists. To get the offers you have to have a valid train ticket and the ticket must have this sign. 
What this means for you is that you need to buy a 1,3 or 7 day Travelcard from a railway station or a railway and underground combined station, then you’ll be able to get the 2 for 1 offers.
Some of the popular stations to get your Travelcard from are Victoria, Kings Cross, Paddington and Euston. Just go to the ticket window and ask for one of the cards and you’ll be fine. You could even take this article to make sure the ticket has the above sign on it.
Where can I get the best Fish and Chips?
Most tourists that come to London want to try fish and chips. This is why in central London so many places have signs saying “traditional fish and chips served here.”
What tradition they’re talking about I have no idea, because what they’re serving is generally a very poor imitation of proper fish and chips.
Even the fish and chips restaurants that I’m going to mention, although they’re the best in central London, are still nowhere near as good as the chip shops on the coast.
So in answer to the question, you’ll find the best fish and chips on the coast, but I’ll tell you where in central London you should go to get the best fish and chips.
Fish Central – Near Old Street station, EC1. For details of the restaurant click Fish Central
Golden Hind – Near Bond Street, W1. For details of the restaurant click Golden Hind
Seafresh restaurant – Near Victoria station, SW1. For details of the restaurant click Seafresh restaurant
Masters Super Fish – Near Waterloo station, SE1. For details of the restaurant click Masters Super Fish
Fryer’s Delight – Near Holborn station, WC1. For details of Fryer’s Delight restaurant
Also as a side point if you want to have a drink at a traditional London pub click 6 Traditional London pubs to try.
Hope that helps you and keep the questions coming. You might also want to look at our London travel guide book review if you’re thinking of getting a guidebook.
If you’re coming to London getting our EPok London Pack will definitely help you while you’re here. It will save you a stack of cash on eating out and you get a what’s on in London leaflet for during your stay. Visit epok.com for more details.
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