London By Train

Railpasses covering specific regions are sometimes available from local train stations and may include bus and ferry travel. Prices and schedules often change; find up-to-date information from National Rail Inquiries (☎08457 484 950) or online at Railtrack (www.railtrack.co.uk).

Britrail Passes. If you plan to travel a great deal on trains within Britain, the BritRail Pass can be a good buy. Eurail passes are not valid in Britain, but there is often a discount on BritRail passes if you purchase the two simultaneously. BritRail passes are only available outside Britain; you must buy them before traveling to Britain. They allow unlimited train travel in England, Wales, and Scotland, regardless of which company is operating the trains, but they do not work in Northern Ireland or on Eurostar. Travelers under 26 should ask for a youth pass for a 25% discount on standard and first classes; seniors (over 60) should ask for a 15% discount on first class only. Children 5-15 can travel free with each adult pass as long as you ask for the Family Pass (free). All children under the age of 5 travel free. The Party Discount gets the 3rd through 9th travelers in a party a 50% discount on their railpasses. Check with BritRail (US ☎866-BRITRAIL/274-8724; www.britrail.net) or one of the distributors for details on other passes.

Britrail Distributors. The distributors listed below will either sell you passes directly or tell you where to buy passes. Also ask at travel agencies.

Australia: Rail Plus, Level 4, 10-16 Queen Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia (☎61 03 9642 8644; www.railplus.com.au). Concorde International Travel (Rail Tickets), 403 George St., Sydney, NSW 2000 (☎61 02 9244 2222; www.concorde.com.au).
Ireland: usit NOW, 19-21 Aston Quay, O’Connell Bridge, Dublin 2 (☎353 01 602 1600).
New Zealand: Holiday Shoppe, Gullivers Holiday Rep: Holiday Shoppe, 5th fl. 66 Wyndham St., Auckland (☎64 800 80 84 80; www.holidayshoppe.co.nz), with locations throughout New Zealand.
US and Canada: Rail Europe, 44 South Broadway, White Plains, NY 10601 (US ☎877-257-2887, Canada 800-361-7245; www.raileurope.com), is the North American distributor for BritRail. Or try Rail Pass Express (☎800-RAILPASS/724-5727; www.railpass.com/new).

Rail Discount Cards. Unlike BritRail passes, these can be purchased in the UK. Passes are valid for one year and generally offer 30% off standard fares (ages 16-25 and over 60, full-time students and families £20; people with disabilities £14). Visit the Railcards website (www.railcard.co.uk) for details.