I will depart LHR for the US in late January; the flight is scheduled for mid-afternoon. Since we (a couple) will be coming from Rome, on a separate ticket, the plan is to arrive in the London area one day early. I had thought Windsor/Eton would be a good plan but discovered Windsor Castle is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays--which turns out to be the days we would be there! So, I am looking for other suggestions. The flight from Rome is not yet booked, so Heathrow isn't the only airport we could fly into. BUT we will want to be at LHR by noon on our North American departure day. Also, I'd prefer not having to spend too much of our limited time in the London area on transportation to and from the airport. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Posted by
Portland
3644 posts
Very wise to give yourselves that margin for “whatever” to happen.
As I recall from a very long time ago, Hampton Court Palace isn’t too far from Windsor. Maybe it’s open the days you’ll be there.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
3014 posts
There's a Premier Inn near terminal 4 that we use on our own trips. Nice place. Cheap. Good breakfast, and it's a short free train ride over to terminal 5 for your departing flight.
We've started using their mini-cabs for door to door service with luggage - costs about 15 pounds as I recall. The hotel will book it for you - very convenient on getaway day.
Posted by
Land of La
9265 posts
Book transport on the Heathrow Express into and back from London. Book now to save $’s. Its a pleasant 15 minute ride LHR to Paddington station. Same with return to LHR. Clean and comfortable means of transport. Not cheap and thus my encouragement to book your tickets NOW as it the easiest and quickest way to and from LHR. Also the most expensive.
Numerous hotels around Paddington. IMHO you cant go wrong with the locale and price of 63 Bayswater. Have stayed there many times over my years of travel to London. Breakfast is included in the price.
63 is across the road from the Hyde Park Lancaster Gate entrance. If weather is good its a pleasant walk from there to the Round Pound and Kensington Palace.
From the Lancaster Gate tube station (half a block from 63) you can board a Central line Underground train to Bond street. Exit and take a Jubilee Underground train to Westminster. 20-25 minute ride. Exit at Westminster to see Parliament, Elizabeth’s Tower with the Big Ben Clock and Westminster Abbey. You can also follow Birdcage Walk through St James Park up to Buckingham Palace.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
No surprise, Claudia has excellent ideas about a city she knows very well. All l'd add is that early purchase of Heathrow Express tickets doesn't commit you to a specific time, only the specific day. So no worries if your inbound flight is late or passport control takes longer than you'd expected. Given the savings from early purchase and the speed, the Heathrow Express is a no-brainer for your purposes.
The Paddington-Bayswater area has lots of hotels for any budget. I stayed at the Delmere on Sussex Gardens, clean but basic with very small rooms. At the other extreme, there's a Hilton right at the station. Paddington also has three tube lines so you can get anywhere quickly, a help when your time is so constrained.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver, WA
523 posts
Claudia, thank you for the detailed plan! Having never visited London before, we thought we would be better off staying near LHR and saving London "proper" for a trip when we can devote more time to the city. With your well-explained plan it sounds like it will be fairly easy to arrange transportation and get a "taste" of London. I appreciate the walking tips, as that will be perfect for the day before flying home. I checked on Heathrow Express tickets and will finalize that purchase tonight. (Currently, return tickets are about the same cost as a round-trip taxi would have been in Windsor.) I am looking forward to spending the last night of this trip seeing new sights...and probably getting inspiration for planning a future trip:). Again, thanks!
Posted by
Freedonia
16421 posts
You could also take the tube into London and stay at a more central hotel. The cost is a lot less and you will only save time if you stay near Paddington.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7055 posts
Howabout Oxford? There are frequent buses between Heathrow and Oxford, although at 80-90 minutes one way might be more than you want to spend on transportation? But is great place to spend a night, especially as it allows you to see what it looks like when all the day trippers have left the town.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
Transport for London's website will help you get around the city all through your visit (but not rail services further afield). Google Maps serves the same sort of function if you want to cross-check, although with less price info.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17564 posts
I am with Claudia—-the Heathrow Express takes only 15 minutes and is a whole lot more pleasant than the long ride on the Tube. It is also faster than staying in Windsor, which we did once.
And there are plenty of hotels from which to choose right near Paddington. No, it is not “central London,” but for a short overnight stop it is perfect. They plan to return and visit London another time in any case.
We like to walk in Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens, or take the Regents Canal towpath walk past Little Venice and beyond to Camden Market (in summer when daylight hours are longer). The museums like Victoria and Albert, Science Museum, and Natural History Museum are all within easy reach across the park (and free); take the Tube back to Paddington if you like, as it may be dark for the return walk.