Heathrow Airport travel

I haven't of the hotel or the street. Is that Waterloo, like adjacent to the railway station with the same name? Or by the airport somewhere?

yhgriffin, do you mean H10 London Waterloo, 284-302 Waterloo Rd?

The OP may be referring to a hotel on Waterloo Road at Westminster Bridge Road called H10 London Waterloo. Looks like the closest Tube station is Lambeth North.

Is your hotel "H10"? If so, here is the link to the homepage. Scroll down for "Location" Click the link and you will see the closest Tube stops. https://www.h10hotels.com/en/london-hotels/h10-london-waterloo

You can practice getting yourself around while still in the US. Many learn the (very good, easy to use) London tube system by looking at maps and playing with apps such as Google Maps and City Mapper. There are also London specific travel apps that you can search.

Probably someone kindly soul will suggest a route from Heathrow to your hotel. You will be ahead of the game if you learn to use the system yourself. Signage is good at Heathrow. You didn't say which terminal you land in.

In addition to Oyster, you can use a tap and go (contactless) US credit card or Apple Pay. I find that more convenient, but some prefer the old Oyster card system.

Edit - lots of cross posts.

It sounds like you are staying at the H10 Hotel on Waterloo Road (not street). Their website indicates that Waterloo is the closest tube station.

There are multiple ways to get there. Here are just two of the options.

1) Take the Piccadilly line to Green Park. At Green Park, transfer to the Jubilee line and travel to Waterloo. While you can transfer at other locations, you can avoid steps at Green Park. This will be the least expensive way and will take about an hour.

2) Take the Elizabeth line (train) to Tottenham Court Road. Transfer to the Northern line and travel to Waterloo.

Note that while the Lambeth North station looks equally close to the hotel, there are steps at that station.

Easiest way is Piccadilly line from Heathrow to Piccadilly circus, switch to the Bakerloo Line running towards Elephant and Castle, getting off at North Lambeth (penultimate stop), and then it's 1/4 mile walk along Westminster Bridge Road right out of the station to the hotel.
Any options using the more expensive Elizabeth Line of Heathrow Express will still leave you having to get on the Bakerloo line. I believe the tube options for going to Waterloo would leave you a longer walk, not counting the slaking in Waterloo, which is a huge and busy strain station.

I wish you would have checked here first, it was not necessary to pay extra for the visitor Oyster card as everything is tap and pay with your credit or debit card with the same rates and caps, but without the up-front purchase.

If you want the “easiest way” and since you are not familiar with London’s public transports, I would ask your hotel for their recommendation for an airport pick up car. Not everyone is adventurous enough to try and tackle the London Underground especially if they are coming off an international flight and never done it before.

On YouTube you can search for "Heathrow to London" and find numerous videos that will take you through the process of getting to central London from the airport. There will also be videos showing you how to ride the tube and buses.

The "tube" is the nickname for the Underground. The Underground is what Americans call a "subway train." (Subway to the British is an underground passage or a sandwich shoppe.) The system may look confusing but you will get the hang of it.

How much luggage will you have? Can you manage it by yourself on public transportation?

Do you know in which terminal you will arrive? There are four of them.

Thank you all very much for your replying. All were very helpful. One care on bag. Not sure which terminal I will land at. Again, thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Don't forget to tap into the station and tap out exiting. This is important. Buses don't tap out.

I do not understand what you mean by tapping in and out of station an buses don't.

Buses are a flat fare for any distance, so no need to tap out because the computer doesn't need to know how far you travelled. You tap out on the train/tube to let the system know how far you travelled, to work out the right fare.

Great information!!!! Thank you very much.😊

I would strongly advise reading up on the transit system in London. If nothing else, you will sleep like a baby part way into it. There are many ways of getting around fairly cheaply if you are aware enough.