Last updated September 8, 2026 · Editorial policy
Common itinerary mistakes and smarter routing
Most wasted money in London comes from one fare habit: forgetting to tap out. On the Tube, Elizabeth line, DLR, Overground and National Rail you must tap in and out, and a missed tap-out charges the maximum incomplete-journey fare of roughly GBP 8. Use the same card or phone for every tap so your daily cap actually builds up; switching between an Oyster and a contactless card splits the total and you lose the cap. Oyster and contactless cost exactly the same per journey and hit the same cap, so contactless is usually the simpler choice.
Nearly every major sight sits in Zones 1 to 2, where the daily cap is GBP 8.90. One catch on contactless: the weekly cap runs Monday to Sunday only, so a trip starting midweek resets that Sunday night.
For sequencing, skip the 90-minute scrum at the Changing of the Guard unless it is a personal must. Trade it for a half day in Greenwich, where the Royal Observatory, the Meridian line and the Cutty Sark cluster within easy walking distance and the crowds thin out.
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Updated 2026. Some links on Packzup are affiliate links.
