London, with its well-developed public transport network, can feel intimidating for first-time visitors. The city is served by many types of transport, including the famous Underground, the Tube, double-decker buses, trams, the DLR, the Overground, the Elizabeth line and several suburban rail services. Once you understand contactless payment and daily caps, getting around becomes much easier and often cheaper than expected.
2026 update: prices have changed since the first version of this article. The Visitor Oyster Card now costs £10.50, Tube fares in zone 1 start at around £3.00 to £3.10 with Oyster or contactless payment, the bus still costs £1.75, and the daily cap for zones 1-2 is £8.90. For most travellers, a contactless bank card or a phone with contactless payment is now the simplest option. Oyster is still useful if your bank card is not compatible, if you want to control your budget more easily, or if you prefer to avoid foreign transaction fees on your card.
Essential options for tourists
Contactless payment
If you have a contactless bank card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or another compatible mobile wallet, you can simply tap the yellow reader when entering and leaving the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line and accepted train services. On buses and trams, you only tap when boarding. The fares are the same as Oyster, and daily or weekly caps apply automatically, as long as you always use the same card or device.
Visitor Oyster Card
The Visitor Oyster Card can be convenient if you want a card ready to use when you arrive in London. However, it now costs £10.50, plus delivery fees if you buy it before your trip. This amount is a non-refundable activation fee; you then need to add transport credit. So it is no longer automatically the best choice if you already have a good contactless card.
Travelcard
The Travelcard still exists for 1 day, 7 days or longer. In 2026, a 7 Day Travelcard for zones 1-2 costs £44.70. It can be worthwhile if you are staying several days and know you will be moving around a lot, but for a short stay, contactless payment with daily capping is often simpler.
Prices to know
- Tube / Underground in zone 1: £3.10 during peak hours and £3.00 off-peak with Oyster or contactless payment.
- Daily cap for zones 1-2: £8.90 with Oyster or contactless payment.
- Weekly cap for zones 1-2: £44.70, calculated from Monday to Sunday with contactless payment.
- 1 Day Travelcard zones 1-2: £16.60.
- 7 Day Travelcard zones 1-2: £44.70.
- Bus and tram: £1.75 per journey with Oyster or contactless payment.
- Hopper fare: unlimited bus and tram journeys within 1 hour for £1.75, as long as you use the same card or device.
- Daily bus and tram cap: £5.25.
- 7 Day Bus & Tram Pass: £24.70.
- Single paper ticket zones 1-6: £7.00 when the TfL fare applies. Avoid it if you have Oyster or contactless payment.
- Black cab: minimum fare of £4.40. For a trip from Heathrow to central London, expect closer to £70 to £120 depending on traffic, time of day and destination.
The famous double-decker buses
London’s double-decker buses are not only practical, they are also an attraction in themselves. Sit upstairs, ideally at the front, and you get a great view of the city for the price of a bus fare. It is often slower than the Tube, but much more enjoyable if you are not in a hurry.
Another advantage: the bus is very economical. The fare is £1.75, and with the Hopper fare, you can make as many bus or tram connections as needed within one hour without paying again, as long as you use the same card or device.
The yellow line: Circle Line
The Circle Line, easy to recognize by its yellow colour on Tube maps, is useful for tourists, but be careful: it is not a perfect loop in the way many visitors imagine. It still serves several very useful areas, including Westminster, Embankment, Tower Hill, Liverpool Street, King’s Cross St Pancras, Paddington, South Kensington and Victoria.
It can therefore be very convenient for connecting several tourist areas, but it is always better to check your route in Citymapper, Google Maps or the official TfL app before leaving. London is big, connections are numerous, and the most obvious line on the map is not always the fastest.
Getting from Heathrow Airport to central London
- Heathrow Express: the fastest option between Heathrow and Paddington. The standard single fare is around £26, but it can drop to £10 if you book an Advance ticket far enough ahead. The journey takes about 15 minutes to Heathrow Central.
- Elizabeth line: slower than Heathrow Express, but very convenient for reaching several parts of London directly. Since March 2026, the pay as you go fare between Heathrow and zone 1 is £15.50.
- Tube / Piccadilly Line: the budget option. Heathrow lists prices from £5.50 to reach London by Underground. Expect generally less than an hour to central London, depending on your final station.
- Coach / National Express: useful if you are going to Victoria Coach Station or another served destination. Prices from Heathrow start at around £10 according to Heathrow.
- Taxi / black cab: comfortable, but expensive. Heathrow to central London often takes at least one hour by car, and TfL indicates a range of around £70 to £120.
Oyster or contactless card?
In 2026, if your contactless bank card works well abroad and the currency conversion fees are reasonable, it is often the simplest option. You do not need to buy a transport card, you do not have to recover unused credit, and spending caps apply automatically.
The Visitor Oyster Card is still useful in some cases: if you are travelling with a card that does not work well abroad, if you want to load a specific amount to control your spending, or if you prefer not to use your main bank card on public transport. But remember that the £10.50 activation fee is not transport credit.
How to buy or use your tickets
- Contactless bank card: no transport card to buy. Simply tap the yellow reader with the same card or phone for every trip.
- Oyster Card: available in many stations, machines and shops. It works with pay as you go credit.
- Visitor Oyster Card: mainly bought before your trip through official tourist channels. It comes with a £10.50 activation fee, plus preloaded credit.
- Travelcard: available for certain durations and zones, useful if you know you will travel a lot during a specific period.
Useful links
- Transport for London (TfL)
- TfL fares
- Visitor Oyster Card
- Heathrow Express
- Transport from Heathrow to London
- National Express
Practical tips
- Always use the same card or device to benefit properly from daily and weekly caps.
- On the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line and trains, tap in and tap out. On buses and trams, only tap when boarding.
- Avoid single paper tickets: they are much more expensive than contactless payment or Oyster.
- Allow extra time during rush hour. The Tube is efficient, but connections can be long.
- Citymapper, Google Maps and the TfL app are very useful for comparing the Tube, bus, walking routes and trains.
- Taxis are practical with luggage or in a group, but they quickly become expensive in London traffic.
Whether you choose to discover London by bus, Tube or on foot, the simplest thing to remember is this: for most visitors, contactless payment is now the easiest solution. Oyster remains a good backup option, but it is no longer automatically essential as it used to be.