Kings Cross v. Paddington hotels

Neither but will wait for the locals to chime in. We have stayed in both. The area around Kings Cross was more interesting but it kind of on the NE corner of the touristy area not overly convenient to anything. The British museum is close by. There is mostly hotels around Paddington and a pretty quiet neighborhood.

You can easily stay around Victoria Station and that puts you in walking distance of a lot of central London. And you can take the tube to the airport for about third the cost of the H Express and only 30 minutes longer. We like the VS station areas for restaurants and pubs BUT we have stayed in that area a half dozen times or more so it is more familiar to us and comfortable.

Agree on all points with Emma.

Don't want to pile on, but agree with all of Emma's points - beaten to it.

The Kings Cross of today is so different to the Kings Cross of 10 years ago - Paddington doesn't do much for me.

The tube and bus connections at Kings Cross are superior.

How early is your flight out?

I guess it depends upon what you are planning to do in London. I recently stayed near Victoria and I was not all that happy with the location. It was close to the Tate Britain but otherwise it wasn’t convenient for what we wanted to do. I prefer staying near King’s Cross (towards the British Museum). Many restaurant choices within walking distance towards Leicester Square.

Nigel, our flight out is at 11 a.m. So I think we can comfortably get to Heathrow by 9 a.m. from Kings Cross. We will have 2 pieces of luggage each, so I'm trying to determine the least stressful way to get from the hotel to the airport. I've never been on the tube, would it be difficult to maneuver 2 suitcases/person for the ride to Heathrow?

Depends on size of suitcases. If both, rolling carry-on size, then it is pretty easy. But even if large it is just the issue of getting to the platform and an elevator should be available. Once in the train you will be OK, might be a bit crowded at first.

Tammy, doesn’t your airline tell you THREE hours, not two? If you have coach check-in, you NEED three hours. And the airline has to electronically report your confirmed data to DHS more than six hours before arrival.

I agree with Tim. You'll want to be at Heathrow by 0800, not 0900.

Another vote for the Kings Cross area! I’m also a fan of the Tube for travel to Heathrow. But you did ask for stress free to Heathrow. Since there are two of you and four pieces of luggage, one of the specialist airport car services might be worth a look.

I’ve used Blackberry Cars for a number of years now. Newish vehicles, reliable courteous drivers, great prices, and excellent customer service). A saloon car from Kings Cross area to Heathrow is showing £35 on their website. https://www.blackberrycars.com/kings-cross-airport/taxi-kings-cross-heathrow-airport/
. The price they quote is the price you pay, no extras.

Kings Cross and tube to Heathrow.

If you only have carry on bags and can print your boarding passes before leaving for the airport, no need to get there three hours ahead of time. I have flown out of Heathrow numerous times domestically, short haul Europe and transoceanic and never more than two hours. I still had plenty of time to kill.

YMMV.

I’m going to be the contrarian here. I’m also going to send you a PM.

Until recently I’ve always stayed in the Paddington area because:

1.) of the place I’ve been staying at for years. Quiet, safe and a very good price for London.
2.) I enjoy walking in Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens early in the morning watching people with their dogs, runners, the swimmers at the Lido and all the waterfowl on the Serpentine.
3.) I book my Heathrow Express tickets months ahead of my arrival date thus saving money. When I arrive at LHR having flown from LAX the last thing I want to do is spend another 45 minutes getting into London. The 15 minute ride on the Express is my choice of travel.
4.) One of my favorite pubs is close by
5.) there’s a fantastic Malaysian restaurant that I enjoy
6.) for transport to see the sites getting on the tube at Lancaster Gate Station is a breeze.

That said the Granary Square Coal Drop Yards area by Kings Cross behind St Pancras is rather intriguing. A rather new development and not yet on the tourist radar. In the Kings Cross Area you are close to the British Library where the Treasure Room is located. Don’t miss seeing it. Kings Cross neighborhood is far more lively than Paddington.

If it’s quiet and a carefree 15 minute train ride out of London to LHR book the Heathrow Express and stay in the Paddington area.

Honestly with an Oyster card you are at “the must see” sites in minutes. As noted I’d used the tube from Lancaster Gate station because it was closer to my accommodation than the Paddington Underground Station. Lancaster Gate is on the Central line.

I am totally with Claudia on the Heathrow Express. The one time we used the Tube with luggage during morning rush hour it was such a miserable experience we swore to never do that again. Like Claudia, we buy our HEX tickets three months in advance to get the lowest price.

Generally it is only our last night in London before flying home that we spend near Paddington. But for Tammy, it makes sense to stay in one place all three nights. So I will vote for a hotel neat Paddington. There are some nice walks there; Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens as noted by Claudia, as well as the Regents Canal towpath through Little Venice to Camden Locks and Market. The District and Circle Lines offer good connections from Paddington to other areas of London.

Thanks to everyone for your helpful advice! It's so nice to hear from those who have experienced things first-hand. I believe I'm going to explore hotels near Paddington Station. Given that we will be at the tail-end of a 2-week excursion filled with new things we've never done before (travel internationally, drive on the left, navigate London's Tube, etc.) I think we will be ready for easy and stress-free travel to the airport. I do plan to buy my HEX tickets in advance to save a few dollars. That said, this vacation is costing thousands of dollars so a few more dollars for a convenient ride to the airport is worth it. We will have 4 pieces of luggage to contend with and be quite travel weary I imagine. I so value this forum and thank all of you for taking a few minutes from your day to share your insights!

Last year I stayed at the Caesar Hotel on Queen's Gardens, a 10 minute walk to Paddington--loved the Heathrow Express--and also close to other stations and generally a neighborhood I felt comfy walking around in at night (solo traveler here). I liked the whole experience so much that in 2 weeks I'm staying there again.

Hello from Wisconsin,
If you reserve well in advance the prices at the Premier Inn St. Pancras are quite good. The rooms we had were clean, quiet, and safe. There are Premier Inns all over. Rates vary by the day, the time of year, and how far in a advance you book. December wednesdays right now are $41/night, or maybe 41 pounds/night. Any way, cheap for London, and it is not a dive.

This Inn is near Kings Cross, but it is directly across the street from the British Library and closest to St. Pancras station. The free museum room they run is a don't miss. Beatle's manuscripts, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Jennings notes about leaving the dishout and the window open, an orginal copy of the Magna Charta.

wayne iNWI