Long layover at LHR

That's nice of the airline.

Are you arriving in London from overseas - outside the EU? I see the Ohio - is that where you are coming from or going to?

Assuming (yes, I know - because we get questions here from all over the world, including European residents) that you are arriving from overseas, plan on a couple of hours from when your plane lands until you are free to leave the airport. You will have queues, Immigration, queues and/or wait for baggage reclaim, and then the walk through Customs. And maybe a toilet stop or a meal. That means before you can set off on your visit to London it will be around 8pm. Tube will take around an hour, Heathrow Express (less frequent but faster) takes a quarter of an hour but only gets you as far as Paddington Station from whence you will need a taxi or tube or bus to reach what you want to see.

But where will you spend the night? London? The airport? You don't say where the flight at 12.15 is going to. I hope that is 12.15 noon, not 12.15 midnight. If it is noon and international - beyond Europe - you will need 3 hours before departure to check in and go through all the fun, so you need to be back to the airport at 9 in the morning. Rush hour tube or stay at the airport. Or if it is a "domestic" EU flight 90-120 minutes should do depending on bag check, and destination and airline.

Does that sound like a plan? Or does getting out of the airport on arrival and staying at a nearby hotel (you don't say which terminal you are arriving at or departing from and that makes a difference) and then a leisurely breakfast the next morning before checking in could be an alternate plan.

I would suggest going into Windsor, it’s a lovely town, and only a 15 minute taxi ride from the airport. You can book a room there. You could tour Windsor Castle, walk to Windsor Great Park, it’s a 5 minute walk. You could also walk over the bridge to Eton which only a 7 minute walk. You would need to be back to the airport by 9:15 am.

Edited: to correct typo

I think Robin Z means Eton College. Enron is a bit further.

As Nigel correctly points out, this is not exactly ideal.

(Note to those shopping for flights: pay attention to details like inconvenient connections - maybe that's your best choice or your only option, but don't be so obsessed with chasing the absolute cheapest ticket that you end up either miserable or spending more on a place to sleep, or both).

Your timing is quite inconvenient. Yes, you could get outta the airport, go into the city and...well, you won't get to central London until what, 8 or 9 pm. You could walk around, look at things for a bit, then...go get some sleep? Assuming you're coming in on a redeye from the USA, you will probably be more in the mood to just get some sleep. If it were me, I'd just grab a hotel close to the airport and get some rest. If your time there in London was during the day, I might pop in for a bit, but given the timing...I'd skip that and just get some rest.

Where is your hotel?

What terminal are you flying from? If T5 (and even if it wasn't) I'd book a room at the Sofitel at T5, book a table at La Belle Epoque and enjoy a very good meal at a leisurely pace over a bottle of wine (or go for the tasting menu with wine pairing http://www.la-belle-epoque.co/menu/Tasting), retire to bed early (the jet lag will help) and wake up refreshed, have a leisurely breakfast and then stroll into the airport to check in for your flight.

You just don't have time to do anything meaningful, going into London or anywhere else just adds a layer of stress that is not welcome.

Assuming you chose this overnight connection in order to save money, I wouldn't want to blow a lot of the savings on an expensive hotel, so I'd strongly consider the relatively new Premier Inn that's a 15-minute walk from Terminal 4, through an enclosed walkway. The current rate for the night of October 22 is £41.50 non-refundable or £61 cancelable up until 1 PM on day of arrival.

I've stayed at that hotel twice and found it quite comfortable as long as you don't need a large room. I'd consider the rates at this hotel unbelievable if I hadn't stayed there myself.

Sure hope you saved a boatload of $$, to make up for a really miserable connection.

I think the idea to get a hotel room at/close to LHR, have dinner and hit the pillow, is the better choice, vs going into/out London.

My $0.02

Your flight arrives a couple of hours earlier than my overseas flight does. I arrive to and leave the next day from Terminal 5. I love to stay at the Sofitel just outside the terminal and relax. Have room service. There is really insufficient time to make the running around worth what little you will see in London, IMO. Relax and enjoy the hotel. I make this splurge part of my transportation costs as it makes the travel portion enjoyable. So that is also my recommendation to you.

OP has never seen London or England so if the timing allows it why shouldn’t they try to see a bit of England by taking the cab ride to Windsor. Even if it was too late to tour the castle at least they could say they saw it. They could also enjoy a pleasant pub meal in Windsor then spend the night at the Sofitel or Premiere Inn

I agree with Wray (above poster)

I lived this 2 years ago. After traveling around Europe with friends, we arrived at healthrow around 4pm and flew out the next morning at 10 am. we thought it would be fun to head into London as none of us had ever been there.

by the time we left the airport checked into the hotel, tube into London, it was almost 8pm. We walked around the South Bank a little, tried to find a place to eat, which was difficult as we didn't plan well. It was not sufficient time to enjoy London. It was actually quite overwhelming as we were tired.
Stay in a hotel and relax.
I am happy to say that we are leaving in 3 weeks for another trip and will be in London for a week!

For one of the first times in history I will respectfully disagree with my good friend from the City of the Angels.

On 22nd October sunset at Heathrow and Windsor will be at 8 minutes before 6pm, just about the time cjschafer's plane is touching down if it is on time. It will have been completely dark for nearly 2 hours before they can get into a cab towards Windsor. At best they will see a lit-up castle, at worst see not much. 8 o'clock is a bit late to start a dinner, IMO.

The next morning sunrise is at 20 to 8. We still don't know if the next flight is long or short haul, but there won't be much time to see much after the sun is up before checking in.

This will actually be on our return to the US from Germany (not sure which terminal) so will have an 8 hr 45 min flight starting at 12:15 noon after this. (Then in Chicago we only have 1 hr 45 min until our flight home leaves CRAZY) We didn't have a real choice in the flight as I had enough miles and my husband didn't and trying to coordinate was a miniature nightmare. American has changed our flights 4 times and on several we weren't even together this was the best they could do so they said.

We will only have a carry on and backpack so at least we won't have to collect bags.
Appreciate all the suggestions, I wasn't sure how far Windsor was from the airport would at least like to see this and surrounding area.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated also.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated also...

We didn't have a real choice in the flight as I had enough miles and my husband didn't and trying to coordinate was a miniature nightmare. American has changed our flights 4 times and on several we weren't even together this was the best they could do so they said...

A lesson for next time: When the airline changes your flight after you've booked, this is not a bad thing. This is an opportunity for you to get a better flight - without the crazy/miserable kind of layovers that you accepted. After a schedule change, you have a lot of leverage - you do not need to accept what they throw at you. Do your homework and find something that YOU like, and ask them to switch your flight to that. They usually will (within limits).

If it were me, I would be to head into London. I’d choose a hotel along the Piccadilly line, probably near Earls Court or Gloucester Road. Check the Premier Inn London Kensington (Earl’s Court) on Knaresborough Place as they often have good rates. I’d drop off my bag and then take the tube to Embankment. Cross the river using the pedestrian bridge (Golden Jubilee bridge) and get a view of night skyline. I’d take a leisurely walk along the path along the Thames or head back and walk around the area near Covent Garden. I’d make a late dining reservation and enjoy a light meal and a glass of wine before heading back to the hotel. I’d leave the hotel near Earl’s Court at about 8:45 am to head by tube (about 40 minutes) back to LHR.

This would would work for me because I rarely go to sleep before midnight and I would hate to spend an evening at an airport hotel knowing that I could be having a great dinner in London.

If you would like a suggestion for a late night dining spot, let us know your food preferences and if you have any budget constraints.

By the way, on my last trip to London, my plane landed at 8:09 pm. I was checked into my hotel (Nadler Earls Court) by 9:45 pm. The immigration queue was quite short but I had to wait a good 15 minutes for my checked bag. Everyone always tells you the worst case for the queue so that your expectations are realistic. You might be lucky and arrive at a time when there are few non EU flights and get through the queue quickly. You still won’t have a lot of time.

For future reference, if you want to see London, if you are flying from somewhere else to London on your way home, see if you can leave that country early in the morning so you can get to London and have the rest of the day to sightsee. This cheat got us a nice day in Cambridge last year. We took an early morning flight from Madrid, went to Cambridge on arrival in London, spent one night in either London or Heathrow, and flew home the next day.

This would would work for me because I rarely go to sleep before midnight and I would hate to spend an evening at an airport hotel knowing that I could be having a great dinner in London.

With jetlag?

Besides, dinner at La Belle Epoque is very nice.

JC, The OP is flying from Germany. It is a one hour time difference. Jetlag won’t be an issue.