Heathrow to Victoria Station

It's pretty easy to get to the Heathrow National Express coach station at Heathrow. It's pretty well signed. IF you are wanting to get to Victoria Station or the Coach Station then the National Express coach is really easy - driver puts your bag under the bus and gets it off in London. No stops in between.

You can also take the Tube - Piccadilly line to Hammersmith, change to the District line and take it to Victoria. There is a lot more futzing around with luggage on this route including wrestling it upstairs at Victoria Station.

An hourly bus departure runs from Terminal 5, but all the other multiple departures per hour run from the Central Bus Station between Terminals 2 and 3. The one from T5 also calls at the Central Bus Station. There are up to 8 departures per hour so you will never be waiting for long. Unless something unusual is happening the bus is also faster than the tube, and much the same price.

IF you are wanting to get to Victoria Station or the Coach Station then the National Express coach is really easy - driver puts your bag under the bus and gets it off in London. No stops in between.

Pam, just to clarify, it's my understanding that if you want to go to Victoria Station using National Express, you have to change buses at Victoria Coach Station. Is that correct? Victoria Station is closer to my hotel than the Coach Station, but I figure it will be faster to walk there rather than change buses.

Thank you, all. This is super helpful!

National express is so easy and minimal luggage handling.

Victoria Rail Station is literally a two stop ride (depending on the exact hotel location at Victoria) on a red London bus from Victoria Coach Station- a two minute ride- maybe 3 or 4 minutes if going round to Bressenden Place/Victoria Palace Theatre. Unless it is throwing it down with rain it isn't really worth the extra bus ride.
Given that the NE buses set down in the arrivals hall on Eccleston Street (next to Eccleston Yards) rather than the actual Coach Station taking the London bus down the street has even less obvious point to it.

Mardee, It’s literally 1 long block from the arrivals coach station to the back entryway to Victoria Station. I’ve always been routed out the front door of the arrivals station onto Elizabeth Street. The cab rank is on Eccleston. I’ll PM you because I think you are at the Premier Inn?

Mardee, there is no need for you to go into Victoria Station to get to your hotel.

When you exit the Coach Station, take Buckingham Palace Road north to Palace Road. (You'll be walking on the west side of the train station.) At Palace Road, turn right and the hotel will be at the end of the block.

The walk is 12-15 minutes depending on how fast you walk with luggage. There is no bus on the last half of the walk to the hotel.

Considering where you're staying, I'd recommend the coach. No stairs, no hopping on and off trains. And with two kids in tow, they will enjoy looking out the window after a long flight.

When you exit the Coach Station, take Buckingham Palace Road north to Palace Road. (You'll be walking on the west side of the train station.) At Palace Road, turn right and the hotel will be at the end of the block.

I know where I'm going but those instructions to the Premier Inn confused even me, not least because none of the 8 Palace Roads in London are anywhere near Victoria.

You can either take what I call the side door out of the arrivals hall onto Elizabeth Street, turn left straight over the junction, past the Green Line Bus Station entrance (where Rabbies Tours leave from), over the railway tracks then second right onto Eccleston Square and it's at the end of the block

Or out the front door onto Eccleston Place, turn left, then right onto Eccleston Street, straight across Buckingham Palace Road, past Victoria Place Shopping Centre on your left and the exit to the Green Line Bus Station on your right, over the railway tracks and the hotel is second left on Gillingham Street, on your right.

In time terms much of a muchness.

If you were coming out of Victoria Main Line station you would use the little used exit to Hudson's Place beside the Orient Express office.

Depending on traffic there are at least three Nat Ex routes (to my knowledge) in from Heathrow to Victoria- whichever is the fastest. The most common in my experience inbound concludes by passing the National Army Museum and the front of the Royal Hospital Chelsea then swing through the Green Line Bus Station to access Eccleston Place.
Outbound the most common route seems to be by starting along Chelsea Embankment past the back of the Royal Hospital.

I believe Mardee is staying at the Resident Victoria and not the Premier Inn.

But yes, she would turn right onto Palace Place and not Palace Road.

Thanks, Frank, Pam and Stuart! Yes, Frank is correct (I probably confused Pam with all my changes, as originally I was thinking about the PI Victoria). I am staying at The Resident Victoria on Palace Pl, and using Google, have calculated that it's about a half mile away from the bus station. With luggage and the kids' gawking, I figure 20 miles should get us there so thanks for confirming that, Frank!

I am planning to take the bus, mainly because I like not having to deal with luggage, and also because (like Frank said), the kids will enjoy looking out the window at all the sights. We'll have plenty of opportunities to take the Tube. Thanks for everyone's advice!