CONTACTLESS PAYMENT CARDS /
OYSTER CARDS
Until recently getting around London almost always required using an irritating piece of plastic called an Oyster Card. This is a pre-payment card which can be purchased at virtually any newsagent and certainly any train station. However you can now also use a normal, contactless payment (debit) card - but please experiment with this because if you have a foreign-issued card then it may not work as you expect. Contactless-card journeys cost exactly the same as using an Oyster card: the system works out when you travelled and how far you travelled and charges you accordingly.
Please note: you can only use a contactless card to pay for yourself. This means you cannot pay for someone else on the same journey. If you are travelling with children, for example, they will need their own Oyster Card.
You should plan ahead and buy Oyster cards if you plan to travel with children by Bus or Underground.
More information on Oyster cards can be found here.
TAXI
OYSTER CARDS
Until recently getting around London almost always required using an irritating piece of plastic called an Oyster Card. This is a pre-payment card which can be purchased at virtually any newsagent and certainly any train station. However you can now also use a normal, contactless payment (debit) card - but please experiment with this because if you have a foreign-issued card then it may not work as you expect. Contactless-card journeys cost exactly the same as using an Oyster card: the system works out when you travelled and how far you travelled and charges you accordingly.
Please note: you can only use a contactless card to pay for yourself. This means you cannot pay for someone else on the same journey. If you are travelling with children, for example, they will need their own Oyster Card.
You should plan ahead and buy Oyster cards if you plan to travel with children by Bus or Underground.
More information on Oyster cards can be found here.
TAXI
London taxis are easily identifiable and are available for hire when their hire lights are illuminated. London taxis are obliged to take you 6 miles in any direction without question, and the fare must be displayed on the meter.
MINICABS
The Porters will advise you regarding reputable minicab firms. It is best to call in advance to book one and to ask for a quote in advance. Do not get into a car purporting to be a minicab in the street that you haven’t already booked.
Generally, it is better to use a taxi for travel in the London area but for longer journeys - trips to the airport, for example - it is cheaper to use a mini cab.
LOCAL BUSES
Number 9 - Hammersmith to Aldwych
Number 10 - Hammersmith, Hyde Park Corner, Oxford Street and Euston
Number 52 - Notting Hill to Hyde Park Corner and Victoria Station
Number 452- Wandsworth to Notting Hill
To catch a bus going further into Central London stand at the bus stop on the Hyde Park side of the road outside (across the road from the flat); for buses going west, out of town, stand on the Kingston House East side of the road. Generally buses do not accept cash and you should obtain an Oyster Card before using any bus. Buses do accept contactless payment (debit) cards but do please see the note about these above, as non-UK cards may not be accepted. Oyster Cards can be purchased at Newsagents and at Tube and Train Stations.
For comprehensive bus maps of London, please click here.
For comprehensive bus maps of London, please click here.
UNDERGROUND TRAINS
Knightsbridge tube station is closest being 10 minutes walk away. You could also walk to South Kensington station or Gloucester Road station, 15 minutes walk from the flat. High Street Kensington Station is a longer walk or short bus ride away, depending on traffic.
To travel on the Underground you will need an Oyster Card.
To travel on the Underground you will need an Oyster Card.
