London to LHR

From where in London?

There are numerous ways. It will make it easier if we knew where you are staying in London, how much luggage you wll have (check in/carry on only), what time do you need to be at the airport?

Best is subjective? Do you mean easiest? Fastest? Cheapest? Least amount of walking?

There are many options which is why if we have the information above we can give you our "best" answers.

the questions above are important. I'm happy to pipe up with my thoughts once we know the answers

Just booked hotel so now have specifics. We are staying in South Kensington in between Earl’s Court and Gloucester Tube stations. Arriving LHR Friday, March 4, 6:30am then traveling from LHR to Bath directly. We will then travel back to London Monday, March 7. If anyone has input for that as well as our trip from South Kensington to LHR Saturday March 12, I welcome your input! Thank you!

https://tfl.gov.uk/
That stands for Transport for London, the government's tool for planning transit journeys. There are several Underground stations in the neighbourhood. What you want is a connection to the Piccadilly line which goes to Heathrow. You can enter your hotel address and the terminal number to see the alternatives.

PS:
https://www.herefordarms.co.uk/

This is one of my favourite pubs, a few blocks south of the Gloucester Road Tube station. It is very popular for Sunday lunch, the main meal of that day, with huge portions -- make a reservation. Lots of pubs between there and Earl's Court and Kensington High Street; cheers!

From Earl’s Court/Gloucester tube area, just get on the Piccadilly line to the airport. That’s the quickest from that area and will take 40-45 minutes. If going to terminal 5 ensure you get on the T5 Train otherwise you’ll need to get off and wait for the correct train. You do need to check the TFL site to see what time the trains start running.

For weekend of 12 March, I would take the Circle line from South Kensington to Paddington, then the Heathrow Express, to the airport.
Looks like there are Piccadilly line track closures weekend of 12 March and no Piccadilly line trains stopping at South Kensington due to ongoing escalator replacement.

Where you are staying is my neighborhood in London. I have traveled back and forth to Heathrow more times than I can think.

Normally, I would say get on the Piccadilly line at either Gloucester Road or Earls Court and take it directly to Heathrow. A no brainer. But....as has been noted-----your weekend causes problem.

You have a few choices:

1) Circle Line to Paddington to Heathrow Express (buy tickets in advance for best prices.) The Circle line does not stop at Earls Court station. Only from Gloucester Road. (No need to backtrack to the South Kensington station.)

2) There will be a replacement bus service for the parts of the Piccadilly Line not operating but this could take forever.

3) Arrange for a private car service to take you from your hotel to Heathrow. Depending on how many people in your party and what the price is for the Heathrow Express for all, this may be a reasonable option. Traffic shouldn't be too bad early Saturday morning.

By the way, which hotel?

It isn't any fiddling little closure either. All the way from Hammersmith to Northfields which is on the last stretch towards Heathrow.

The official word:

PICCADILLY LINE: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 March, no service between
Hammersmith and Northfields / Uxbridge. Please use Metropolitan line
between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge. Replacement buses operate.

Replacement buses operatePL-1: Northfields – South Ealing (eastbound
only) – Ealing Broadway (for Central Line) – Ealing Common – Acton
Town – Gunnersbury – Chiswick Park – Turnham Green – Stamford Brook –
Ravenscourt Park – Hammersmith (for Circle and Hammersmith & City
Lines).

There is projected to be a good service on the Circle Line and the Heathrow Express, but there is the usual weekend overnight strike on the Central Line which may affect others.

If your flight is at 9:30, that means up at silly o'clock to be at the airport by 6:30.

On a normal day you could get one of the first Piccadilly trains, but you know what I would do? I'd take a taxi or arrange a minicab which will get you there in a flash early on a Saturday morning, even with the M4 roadworks. I never ever take a taxi that I have to pay for (well I did once 20 years ago but that proves the rule) but I would most certainly do so in this case...

Unfortunately you’ve missed the window for the cheaper advance purchase Heathrow express tickets. Checking the website now shows tickets are £25 per person. If there are 2 or more traveling I would look into the minicab services for getting to the airport.

The services often mentioned here are (in no particular order.

• Justairports.com
• Simplyairports.co.uk
• Blackberrycars.com

I have no personal experience with any but they are frequently mentioned on the forum. I have used Uber and it worked fine.

Have a fun trip and don’t forget to get tested prior to your return flight.

Thank you all for your very informative and thoughtful responses!

If you can't get cheaper Heathrow Express tickets, then private car transfer is the way to go. For two it will be about the same price as the train and there is no lugging of luggage onto the tube or the train. It's door to door.

Your hotel can arrange this for you or you can do it yourself.