London 1 Night - Area to stay with easy Access London, and LHR?

As someone who often flies into London and just spends one night before going on to someplace else because I can get better deal to London, I recommend the South Kensington area. Rick has several hotels listed in his book and the Earl’s court station on the Piccadilly line is steps free so you can take an elevator (not 100% sure about the Gloucester Road station)

But that area has good connections. It’s on the Piccadilly line so just get on and ride to LHR There’s decent food options and it’s easy to get around. There are double-decker buses running down Cromwell Road that will take you right to all kinds of fun places and you’re within within a very quick walking distance or a couple of subway stops to the Victoria and Albert, etc. For me it’s a great

Either South Kensington (as above) or the King’s Cross St Pancras area - and nearby Bloomsbury.

Trains from Scotland come into London at Kings Cross, which is also on the Piccadilly tube line - a straight shot to Heathrow.

Given that you won't need to be at Heathrow until 12 for your flight home, you could stay anywhere with a good connection to LHR. South Kensington meets that brief but you would end up going there from King's Cross and then coming back if you want to see some of the iconic sights. You could stay at a hotel around King's Cross itself - no need to trail your luggage across town, a wide choice of accommodation at all levels and very connected to get round the city.

South Kensington would work very well if you want to visit the museums there - the Natural History, the Science and the Victoria & Albert. But I'm guessing that's not what you mean by getting a quick overview. That's more likely to be seeing the House of Parliament, St Pauls, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London.

Another option to consider is staying near Paddington, which makes it very easy to get to Heathrow either on the Heathrow Express (which takes 15 mins but is very expensive) or the Elizabeth line (which takes 23 mins and is significantly cheaper, and is my preference). Paddington is close to Hyde Park and Regent's Park and on the Bakerloo line which takes you right through central London down to Charing Cross (where Trafalgar Square is). It's also very easy to get to from Kings Cross, which is where the train from Edinburgh will come into- you just take the Circle or Hammersmith and City line five stops west.

Now that we have the Elizabeth line, in general my personal preference is not to use the Piccadilly line to Heathrow. Tho it is a bit cheaper it takes longer and there isn't really dedicated space for luggage. This can be ok if you're travelling light and/or at less busy times but if you have a lot of luggage during rush hour it's not the most pleasant way to travel. The Elizabeth line has much bigger carriages and more space for luggage- tho I note it does also get busy at rush hour.

Thank you! some great suggestions!

Glenn

I haven't done this yet, looking forward to it in March, but something that might be fun for your group is the tea bus. I understand the food is very nice, and your wife will get to see a lot of the major sights.
https://b-bakery.com/london/bus-tours/afternoon-tea-bus-london

London also has Bustronome, which I really enjoyed in Paris.
https://bustronome.com/london/

What about near Tottenham Court Rd? I have a group going and we booked our hotel there the location is great for just about everything. 12-15 minute walk to Leicester SQ and Picadilly. Easy access to Elizabeth line to get to Heathrow. Pretty easy to Kings Cross (which someone mentioned trains from Scotland come in from). Can get to Waterloo for London Eye or Hyde Park without even changing underground. And British Museum is a very short walk away as well.

I agree with the suggestions to stay at a hotel near Kings Cross. That's where your train will arrive, and you won't lose a lot of touring time just getting to your hotel to drop your bags. Plus Kings Cross has 6 different Undrground lines to get you just about anywhere in London in a short time. And the Picadilly line will take you to LHR the next day.

We're now huge fans of Locke at Broken Wharf, which is located on the banks of the Thames and is handy to the Blackfriars tube station. I regard Kings Cross as somewhat remote, though it's undeniably trendy with many good restaurants and activities. Honestly, Kings Cross area feels a lot to me like a wealthy US suburb: say, Dublin OH or Montrose District in Houston. But transit to LHR will certainly be easy.