Afternoon and Evening in London

There are numerous ways to get from Heatrow into London and numerous train stations. How you go really depends on where you want to go in London.

Where are you staying at the airport? Any ideas where you want to go?

If you arrive at noon, you could easily be at your hotel by two, drop your bags, and then head into London. At most an hour depending on where you want to go. You could easily walk around any area before dinner.

Spend a little time thinking about what you might want to see and then we can recommend how to get into London and a pub or two.

When? This week? In a month? And what rail station are you referring to?

Since you’ve not been to London am I to assume you’d like to see Parliament Square ( Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey) and the Palace?

Not sure that I want to see anything specifically, we aren’t very interested in classic tourist sites. We are elderly, would like to visit an area that has a uniquely British feel. We don’t want a lot of train transfers, or long trips. A market, a garden, interesting architecture, a great meal and a fairly direct trip back. We are staying at the Sofitel in September. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

After dropping your bags at the Sofitel, I'd suggest taking the Piccadilly underground line into London. It starts at Heathrow so you'll certainly get seats. It takes awhile to get into the center of London, but the advantage is that it makes numerous stops in the city so you'll have a wide choice of destinations. Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are very busy urban areas, full of pubs and restaurants and tourists. You might find a little quieter atmosphere at Gloucester Road or Russell Square. You could also change to the Circle Line and get off at Westminster for the iconic view of the Thames and Houses of Parliament.

Your time is limited and probably also your energy, but London is a great walking city and there are many neighborhoods where a stroll before or after dinner would be pleasant and interesting. I don't have specific recommendations but others might.

There are already some wonderful suggestions, and here is another possibility (my usual circuit for first-timers to London):

Take the Piccadilly tube from Heathrow and get off at Green Park station. Walk through Green Park towards The Mall, see Buckingham Palace. You should be able to see some lovely architecture from the park too. If you are done with walking, head towards St. James Square - there are many pubs in the area. I have found that once you are away from the main streets, it is a lot quieter. After dinner, depending on the location of the pub you chose, head back to the airport on the Piccadilly line either from Green Park corner, or Piccadilly Circus, whichever is closer.

If, after seeing Buckingham Palace, you still have energy and are okay with crowds, instead of heading towards St. James Square, continue through St. James Park and/or Birdcage walk towards Westminster Abbey and Palace of Westminster/"Big Ben", before heading back towards St. James Square.

If after seeing Palace of Westminster you still want to keep walking, head up Whitehall, passing Downing St towards Trafalgar Square, and to Piccadilly Circus from Trafalgar Square. Again, many pubs in the area, but I don't have any particular recommendations.

If you are open to the idea of afternoon tea for dinner, there are multiple options for that too - Fortnum & Mason, Brown's, the Ritz and the Wolseley.

Have a wonderful evening in London!

Thank you very much for the ideas!

I'm not sure which of the sites I want to see, but the walks and suggestions look great.

One thing I'm wondering is given the quickness of the Express would that be an alternative to these areas (if I booked it early enough for a deep discount)? Could I then take a taxi/bus/subway from Paddington to the areas you are suggesting?

The Heathrow Express will get you to somewhere not in the centre of London fairly quickly for a lot of money. The new Elizabeth line takes the same route to Paddington as the HEX a few minutes slower for half the price and then carries on across central London. A better choice if you want to go there.

But I think for you if you don’t want a long walk but would like an iconic sight or two the advice to take the tube to Westminster as above is the best. You come our of Westminster tube and the Houses of Parliament are right in front of you. If you walk across the Thames over Westminster Bridge (right there) on to the South Bank you can walk east along the path by the river as far as you like and there are plenty of eating and drinking options right there.

And the deep discounted tickets on Heathrow Express no longer exist, no matter how early you book.
Even on the Elizabeth line, by the time you have changed lines wherever to get to Westminster it is only a few minutes faster, if at all than tube all the way.

Great information thank you, the tube it is!!

You were all so very helpful!