London & Partners

05.00-00.00 and Sun 07.00-23.30 on most routes.OYSTER CARDS/TRAVELCARDSTravelcards are valid forone, three or seven days, aswell as monthly or seasonalperiods. An Oyster card (anelectronic smartcard) canbe bought in increments ofone week or more (plus a £3deposit). It can also carry acash value for pay-as-you-gojourneys and offers muchcheaper fares. The system isdivided into nine zones, withZone 1 being the centralLondon area. Travelcardsand Oyster cards are valid onUnderground, Overground,bus, all National Rail serviceswithin London, DLR and tramjourneys, and offer discountson river services. Visitors canbuy Travelcards and Oystercards from Tourist InformationCentres, any TfL outlets orin advance at Visit Britain’sonline store at visitbritainshop.comFor more information, go to visitlondon.com/travelRIVER SERVICES tfl.gov.uk/river ThamesClippers 08707 815 049. thamesclippers.comLuxury high-speedcatamarans leave majorpiers every 20 mins. Servicesbetween Waterloo Pier andThe O 2 (QEII Pier) and onto Royal Arsenal WoolwichPier have scheduledstops every 20 mins atEmbankment, Bankside,Tower Pier, London Bridge,Canary Wharf, Greenwich,etc. Snacks available. Adultsingle £5.50 (from £3.70with an Oyster card), or buya River Roamer which allowsunlimited hop-on, hop-offtravel from £12.60 per adult.See River Thames box(p. 38) for more info.TAXISHail one of London’s famousblack cabs (which come ina range of colours). Whenthe yellow ‘For Hire’ signis lit they can take youanywhere within GreaterLondon. Please note thatfares increase after 20.00.Private hire or minicabs mustbe booked in advance. Weadvise against using anyvehicle that approaches youin the street. See tfl.gov.uk/pco for details of locallicensed services.CAR HIREPlease make sure your drivinglicence is valid for the UK.Avis 08445 810 147. avis.co.ukEuropcar 08713 849847. europcar.co.ukEasy Car easycar.comHertz 08708 448 844. hertz.co.ukKendall Cars Ltd. 0208542 0403. kendallcars.com Enterprise Rent-A-Car 0800 800 227.CONGESTION CHARGEThere is an £10 congestioncharge to drive into centralLondon, Mon-Fri 07.00-18.00.This must be paid in advanceor on the day of travel. PayNext Day allows drivers topay the charge the next day,but the fee rises to £12. 08459 001 234 (UKonly)/020 7649 9122,or visit cclondon.comSIGHTSEEING PASSESSave money on entry fees.The London Pass offersfree entry into 55 attractions,plus special offers and more.Adult from £44, child from£29. londonpass.comVisitBritain offers variouscards including the ThreePalace Pass, £35( visitbritainshop.com).EMBASSIESAND CONSULATESFor emergencies (that areno fault of your own, andwhere local help has beenexhausted), your embassymay be able to assist you.Australia 020 73794334. Canada 020 72586600. China 020 72994049. France 020 70731000. Germany 0207824 1300. India 0207836 8484. Ireland 0207235 2171. New Zealand 020 7930 8422. SouthAfrica 020 7451 7299.Spain 020 7589 8989.US 020 7499 9000.ACCOMMODATION ESSENTIALS & TRAVELFebruary 2012|LONDON PLANNER|visitlondon.com | 95