London Pass and public transport: how to get around London for less
Many people look for a London Pass that includes the Tube and buses. It does not exist. No sightseeing pass includes public transport. That is not as bad as it sounds: with a credit card or phone you never pay more than a fixed daily amount in London, and that is usually cheaper than any ticket bundled with a pass.
No London pass includes the Tube or regular buses
Neither The London Pass® nor the Explorer Pass, the Turbopass, the Headout Pass or the Merlin combo tickets include journeys on the Tube, regular buses, the Overground or trains. You always pay extra for public transport, most easily contactless with your bank card or phone.
There used to be a London Pass with a Travelcard. That combination has been discontinued. Today you pay for entry and travel separately, and for most visitors that is cheaper: London’s public transport has a daily cap. However often you travel, you are charged no more than a fixed amount per day.
The bus and boat in the pass are sightseeing
Two things in the passes are often mistaken for public transport. The London Pass includes a hop-on hop-off bus tour and the Thames boats, with the Explorer Pass you can choose both as attractions, and the Turbopass City also includes a bus and boat. But the buses only run their loop between the sights, and the boats only serve their own piers. On the day you use them you might save a few Tube journeys. They will not take you to your hotel, the station or the airport.
Four ways to pay for public transport
All prices are Transport for London adult fares, as of 2026.
Nothing to buy in advance
Pay contactless
No feejust the fares
- Credit card, debit card or phone
- Daily and weekly caps
- Watch out for your bank’s foreign transaction fees
For tourists
Visitor Oyster Card
£10.50card fee plus credit
- Order before you travel
- Same fares as contactless
- Needed for the discount for ages 11 and up
Paper ticket
Day Travelcard
£16.60zones 1 to 4, per day
- Unlimited travel in the zones you choose
- Almost twice the price of the daily cap
From 10 people
Group Day Travelcard
Group fareper person
- Only for groups of 10 or more travelling together
- Cheaper than individual Travelcards
Contactless with a card or phone
You touch your credit or debit card, or your phone with Apple Pay or Google Pay, on the yellow reader. On the Tube and trains when you enter and leave, on buses only when you board. You do not need a separate ticket.
The fares are the same as with Oyster. A bus journey costs £1.75, and bus and tram travel is capped at £5.25 a day. For the Tube and rail in zones 1 and 2 you pay no more than £8.90 a day. There is also a weekly cap.
Use the same card or phone for every journey, otherwise the cap does not apply. If you are travelling as a couple, you need two cards. Check beforehand if your bank charges fees abroad.
If you travel a lot in zones 1 and 2 on four days, you pay no more than 4 × £8.90 = £35.60 contactless. With the Visitor Oyster Card, the card fee of £10.50 comes on top. There is no Day Travelcard for zones 1 and 2 only. Four Day Travelcards in the smallest version, zones 1 to 4, cost £66.40.
Visitor Oyster Card
A top-up card from Transport for London for tourists. Same fares and same cap as contactless.
The card costs a one-off £10.50 plus postage. You do not get the fee back. When you buy, you load credit of between £10 and £50. Transport for London says £30 covers three days in zones 1 and 2, not counting airport journeys. Remaining credit can be refunded.
You order the card before your trip and have it sent to your home. The Visitor Oyster Card comes with discounts at some restaurants, shops and attractions.
It makes sense in three cases: your bank card charges fees abroad, you want to travel on a fixed budget, or you are travelling with children aged 11 to 15. The child discount is only available on the Oyster Card.
Paper Travelcard
The Day Travelcard gives you unlimited travel for one day on buses, the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line and trains in the zones you choose. It is only sold for zones 1 to 4 or 1 to 6, and for zones 1 to 4 it costs £16.60. Most visitors only travel in zones 1 and 2, where contactless or Oyster never charges more than the daily cap. The Travelcard costs almost twice that.
It is only worth it if you specifically want a paper ticket. For groups of ten or more who spend the whole day together, there is the cheaper Group Day Travelcard. Transport for London sells both in its own Visitor Shop.
The tickets in one table
Scroll the table sideways.
| Contactless | Visitor Oyster Card | Day Travelcard | Group Day Travelcard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | your own bank card or phone | top-up card | paper ticket | paper ticket per person |
| One-off cost | none | £10.50 fee | none | none |
| A day in zones 1 and 2 | £8.90 at most | £8.90 at most | £16.60 (zones 1 to 4) | group fare |
| Bus journey | £1.75, capped at £5.25 | £1.75, capped at £5.25 | included | included |
| Buy in advance | no | yes, before you travel | yes | yes |
| Discount for ages 11 to 15 | no | yes, half price | – | – |
| Minimum number of people | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Transport for London adult fares, as of 2026. Children under 11 travel free on buses and trams at all times, and on the Tube and trains with a paying adult.
Which option suits whom
On your own or as a couple, card with no foreign fees
Pay contactless. Nothing to order, no fee, same cap.
Family with children aged 11 to 15
A Visitor Oyster Card for the children, so they can get the Young Visitor discount. The parents can pay contactless.
Bank card with foreign fees
Visitor Oyster Card. The card fee soon pays for itself if every contactless journey would otherwise cost extra.
Tour group of ten or more
Group Day Travelcard, as long as everyone travels together all day.
Travelling with children
Children under 11 travel free on buses and trams. On the Tube and trains they also travel free when accompanied by a paying adult, up to four children per adult.
For children aged 11 to 15 there is the Young Visitor Discount: half the adult fare for up to 14 days. It is loaded onto a Visitor Oyster Card at many Tube stations, and the child must be present. There is no such discount when paying contactless with a bank card.
The sightseeing passes have their own age limits. At Go City, children aged 5 to 15 pay the child price, and under 5s do not need a pass. More on the London with kids page.
From the airport into town
From Heathrow, the Elizabeth line and the Piccadilly line run to the centre. You pay for both contactless or with Oyster. The Heathrow Express is faster, but it is not covered by the daily cap and costs extra.
London Pass and public transport questions
Is an Oyster Card included in the London Pass?
No. The London Pass covers entry to attractions, plus a hop-on hop-off bus tour and the Thames boats. An Oyster Card or journeys on the Tube and regular buses are not included. The same goes for the Explorer Pass, Turbopass, Headout Pass and the Merlin combo tickets.
Is there a London Pass with public transport?
Not any more. The earlier version with a Travelcard has been discontinued. Today you pay for public transport separately, contactless or with a Visitor Oyster Card.
Oyster Card or contactless: which is cheaper?
The fares and the daily cap are the same. Paying contactless saves you the £10.50 card fee. The Oyster Card is worth it if your bank charges fees abroad or you have children aged 11 to 15 with you.
How much does public transport in London cost per day?
In zones 1 and 2 no more than £8.90 if you pay contactless or with Oyster (as of 2026). Bus and tram only: no more than £5.25, with a single journey costing £1.75. A Day Travelcard for zones 1 to 4 costs £16.60.
Do children travel free in London?
Under 11, yes; on the Tube and trains when travelling with a paying adult. Children aged 11 to 15 pay half fare for up to 14 days with the Young Visitor Discount on the Visitor Oyster Card.
Does the hop-on hop-off bus in the London Pass replace the Tube?
No. The buses run a fixed route between the sights. To get to your hotel, the station or the airport you need public transport.
Entry with a pass, travel contactless
For most trips this is the cheapest split: a pass for the expensive admissions, and the journeys in between contactless or with Oyster.
The London Pass®
5% off with code LONDONCP05LP
- 1 to 10 days, with the hop-on hop-off bus and Thames boats
- from £105.00
London Explorer Pass
5% off with code LONDONCP05
- 2 to 7 attractions, 30 days to use them
- from £65.00
Is the London Pass worth it? London Pass or Explorer Pass Tips for your pass
LONDONCP05LP