Day trips near Heathrow airport-up to 2 days post RS London tour ?.

Heathrow isn’t really a great place to base yourself for day trips. There won’t be any organised trips available and wherever you want to get to by public transport will be harder from there than from a central London location. For me the only reason to spend a night at Heathrow is if you have an early flight departure.

Windsor is the only major sight close to Heathrow but I think you will see that on your RS tour? Anywhere else is almost certainly easier to access from central London.

You might look at both Oxford and Richmond - both offer more than enough to fill a weekend, and both have relatively easy access to LHR.

I think there are buses that run from Heathrow <-> Oxford that take about 90 minutes.

Bath would be another possibility, or Stonehenge, but both are a bit farther afield.

I think you can perhaps find a reasonably priced hotel that is decent in the vicinity
of Paddington; that would give you access to many trains as well as easy return trip
to LHR for flight home. Depending on where you stay around the airport, it could
take more time than you think to get back to the Central Bus Terminal, and with the
free bus no longer existing, your overall cost advantage is less than you think (Hotel
Hoppa is 12 GBP roundtrip).

Nothing happens on the last day of the tour except you eat breakfast on your schedule. Why not stay the two full extra days in London. Your tour will not cover everything and there is so much to still see.

Alan, with so many things to see and do in London itself, and easy transportation options I agree with others who suggest you rethink your idea of staying those extra days out near Heathrow. Stay in London and you can easily get out to LHR by 9 AM for your noon flight on Monday - by tube, taxi or Uber. Or if you decide to do a daytrip outside of London on Sunday, you'll have easy access to transportation. If you choose to stay at a town outside of the city look at the National Express bus service schedules for direct routes to LHR on Monday morning. As mentioned by another forum member, Richmond is a lovely town, with a pleasant Thames River waterfront, easily walkable and attractive city center, Kew Gardens with its Chihuly glass sculptures, Ham House and Gardens ( a National Trust property) and Richmond is also fairly close to Hampton Court Palace. Another town that I liked very much for a daytrip, catching the train at Waterloo station, is Canterbury. The historic city center is compact, flat, picturesque and the cathedral is expansive. Easy town for walking.

Thanks for all your posts and suggestions. I am in London at the Strand (near Trafalgar) for 2 days pre tour. Looking to see a bit more than the city, but I'm open for considerations.

Hi Alan,
Quite a few of us here on the forum have stayed within walking or bus distance of Paddington Station with easy Heathrow Express access on the morning of the flight. I’m typically returning to the East Coast on a 12 noonish United or BA flight, and I still have time to eat the hotel breakfast or grab a coffee & croissant on the way to the station. Look at hotels around Bayswater Road & Lancaster Gate, for instance, near Hyde Park. From Paddington, you can take a day trip to Bath or other destinations served from that station. I agree with others; you don’t have to base near Heathrow. Have a great tour & trip!

Long time visitor to London. First stay 1972. Last stay November/December 2024.

You’ve mentioned you are a walker…IMHO it’s the best way to explore London….

Day trips I’ve taken over the years have included Oxford, Alexandra Palace, Chiswick House and Gardens, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court, Bletchley Park, Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park, Hampstead Heath and discovering places by strolling along the lengthy Thames Path.

Last year enjoyed a quiet meander about the Walthamstow Wetlands. Also a sojourn on the Parkland Walk (flat and well signed ) from Finsbury Park to Crouch End.

In the Trip Report section you’ll find mine for my 6 week stay last year. Maybe some intel from it would be beneficial.

We’ve done the popular day trips too, but not from Heathrow; Cambridge, York, Bath, and Hampton Court Palace. On our current trip we’ve gone to Oxford and Hampstead Heath.

think there are buses that run from Heathrow <-> Oxford that take about 90 minutes.

The Airline bus makes it extremely easy to get to Oxford from Heathrow. You board at the airport and it will take you directly to Oxford city center for £25. It leaves around every 30 minutes, and takes 90 minutes to get there. You pay the driver with a credit card (or make a digital payment) when you board, although you can buy tickets in advance. Here is a link: https://www.theairlineoxford.co.uk/

Oxford itself is wonderful and I highly recommend a visit there. You could easily spend the whole day there. There are so many quaint and historic pubs to choose from and just walking around and looking at the interesting and gorgeous architecture is fun.

Another idea is Hampton Court Palace. You could head there from London on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, they don't have any left luggage storage at the palace except for smaller items, but the nearby town of Kingston has some luggage storage you could use. It's about a 10-minute walk from the Hampton train station. Then after touring Hampton Court Palace, just take public transport to Heathrow. It's a little over an hour.

But I would definitely save Sunday for Oxford as you will want a lot of time to see the city. Have lunch and dinner there, and then make your way back to your hotel at Heathrow after dinner. The Airline bus travels well into the night.

I vote for 2 more nights in London. You'll be changing hotels if you move out to Heathrow anyway so changing from the tour hotel (I think you mentioned in a prior post it is the Mayfair?) wouldn't be a deal breaker.

Do you have an interest in WWII? Upthead someone mentioned a day trip to Bletchley Park. I've done that and it's fantastic. I also love Hampton Court for a day trip since your tour includes Windsor Castle.

I'm not a fan of Stonehenge for a day trip but if you wanted to see it, it can be managed by public transit if you get an early start on Saturday. I would not take one of the packaged tours that does Windsor (a repeat for you), Stonehenge and Bath in one day.

In your other thread I think you mentioned wanting to see the Courtauld so you might be interested in the Wallace Collection in London and/or the V&A Museum. There are also many smaller museums (Sir John Soane's, British Library public collection, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_London ) that you will not have seen on tour.

You might enjoy some London Walks as well. www.londonwalks.com

For your final days in London I agree that you should stay more "in town" and not at the airport. On your last tour day, you can leave your luggage with the tour hotel desk staff, go on a day trip or do some activities in the city, return in the late afternoon to fetch your luggage and move to your next hotel spot. Depending on what choices you make for your day trips would determine the most efficient location for your second hotel. As you know from researching your pre-trip hotel, there are hundreds of options. I'm sure folks in the forum would be glad to suggest affordable properties once you land on your post-tour itinerary and desired transport hub.

FWIW I also really liked Sir John Soane's museum (so quirky!), and as Pam noted some of the London Walks might suit you too, especially if they have a day trip walk (check the schedule walks.com).

Ordinarily I would agree that heading back to London for those two nights would be nice. But if you head to Oxford (and I would strongly suggest that you do if you like history, art, and culture) then staying at Heathrow can't be beat. It sounds like that's what you really want to do: stay at Heathrow Airport.

It's very easy to get to Oxford from Heathrow using the Airline bus, and it's a nice relaxing ride with your luggage stored safely underneath. You will have Saturday and all day Sunday to see the wonderful city of Oxford, and then you can take the bus to Heathrow early Sunday morning so you don't have to change hotels. If you're leaving at noon, you'll need to be at the airport by 9am so you can take one of the earlier buses that leave around 6-7am.