Getting from Heathrow to Winchester

LV,

Congratulations and may you have many more years together. In your post you wrote "What is the easiest way to get from Heathrow to Winchester..." and "...we'd like to rely on public transportation to get there". I'm not sure those two go hand in hand. The most convenient and easiest way is a private car service. You will have endured a long flight, be sleepy, possibly jet lagged, and in a strange new world. Under those conditions having a private driver meet you inside the terminal and take you straight to Wichester will, in my opinion, be well worth any extra cost. After all, it is your anniversary. And with two of you it's possible it will not cost that much more than other options. If you decide to start your trip in Bath we can give you the contact information for a Bath based car service that was very good.

Alternatives:

Coach: National Express roughly every other hour from the Central Coach Station
Coach-Rail: Coach to Woking thence rail to Winchester. Hourly

Pretty thin service really. I'm sure the coach to Woking used to be more frequent.

Thank you, TC. We thought about a private car service as well, but with an approx. 2-hour drive, I assumed the price would be prohibitive. However, we did use a private car in Rome and found it well worth the price. Please share the company you recommend so I can look further into this option.

Everywhere in southern England will have a local company which regularly takes people to and from Heathrow and Gatwick airport. There are usually several companies in competition, so prices will be comparable. They all have websites, so all you have to do is google, for example, "Winchester airport cars". Check through your search results for the sort of car you think you want, and contact the company concerned. The price I saw quoted was £73, which will be door to door and the driver will know where to go in Winchester. I doubt if any alternative is much cheaper, when all costs and conveniences are taken into account.

I would guestimate the fare at £70-90 depending on what type of car you want. If you are arriving at Terminal 4 or 5 it might be a bit cheaper than 2 and 3 as they are heading in the right direction a bit.

The National Express bus to Winchester is just fine and there is a decent waiting room and snack bar at the Heathrow bus station.if you need to wait a while. I have taken the coach to Winchester at least a dozen times and sometimes had a little nap. You will be let off at King Alfred’s statue where taxis usually are to be found. We always walked to our relative’s home. If you plan to stay at the Warwick Arms you can walk there.

"Under those conditions having a private driver meet you inside the terminal and take you straight to Windsor will, in my opinion, be well worth any extra cost."

They are not going to Windsor.

Ooops!! Thanks harleydonske for catching my typo. Have corrected original answer.

LV
The Bath based car service (should you decide to go there first) has a web site and it is chauffertravel.co.uk. The email address to get a quote is enquiries@chauffertravel.co.uk. We were very pleased and will not hesitate to use them again. Should you go to Winchester (sorry about the earlier typo) first, just do a google search for "Winchester England Car Hire" or some variation and see what pops up. Our experience with car services is that using one that is based in the destination city works really well as they always seem to know the "best way home".

Sort of an unusual suggestion, but why not go to Salisbury instead for the first night? Enjoy the lovely cathedral, rent your car there, then drive over to Winchester the next day. The drive is only thirty miles and it is an enjoyable drive through some pretty little villages. And it's fun to compare the two cathedrals.

We always rent our car at LHR, but google maps shows there is direct service from LHR to Salisbury and the ride is only 2:18.

Cynthia, Winchester wins over Salisbury because it's the resting place of Jane Austen. :) Thanks for the suggestion though ... it sounds easier to get to!

Bus link Heathrow to Woking and then train to Winchester is probably your best bet.

When done with Winchester, it is possible to take a local bus to Romsey station to catch a train to Salisbury - where you may like to stay for 1 night. Anyway, from Salisbury, a shuttle bus operates up to Stonehenge.

Please note that there is a frequent train service from Salisbury to Bath. (Having a car in Bath can be problematic due to parking issues). A car would be useful for the Cotswolds.
Trains > www.nationalrail.co.uk
Buses > www.traveline.info