Welcome Information for new students

Travelling in London

There is a very good transport system in London. Avalon School is located in the centre next to Leicester Square tube station and Tottenham Court Road tube station. You can get here by bus, tube or overground train (Charing Cross Station).

The last tube and overground trains leave at around midnight. After this time, people  use night buses, which continue until the morning.

Buying an Oyster Card

We use one travel card for buses, tubes and overground trains in London. It is called an Oyster Card. New students should buy a one-week travel card from a tube station. You don’t need to complete any forms or give photos for a one  week card.

Discount Student Oyster Cards

You can save 30% on travel if you are a student studying for 14 weeks+ and 15 hours per week+

Our receptionist will help you apply for your card on your first day. It is an online application and takes just 5 minutes. You need a bank debit or credit card to pay £10 for the card. It arrives by post within 7 working days, but usually faster.

Travel Information

This is a really good website for finding bus maps and planning your journey.

www.tfl.gov.uk

Using your mobile phone in the UK

If you would like to use your own mobile phone in the UK, make sure that it is unlocked before you travel. You can get a free SIM card from Avalon reception and use it in your unlocked phone to make calls in the UK. There is already £5 of credit on this free SIM card. The call and text rates are cheaper than standard SIM cards from the high street. For calls abroad we recommend using Skype or a special SIM card from Lyca Mobile or Lebara Mobile – both available in shops close to school.

Airports

There are a few airports in and around London.

• Heathrow is connected to central London by tube and is therefore very accessible.
• Gatwick is connected to central London by overground train (final stop Victoria).
• Stansted and Luton are also connected to London by overground train and are a little further (around 50 minutes). Trains from Stansted arrive at London’s Liverpool Street station.

You can buy train tickets when you arrive at the airport. Bring some £ sterling currency or a bank debit card to purchase your tickets.

Avalon School can pre-arrange airport transfers, which are cheaper than taking a taxi from the airport.