One evening in London

The time of year might affect people's suggestions.

If your flight lands at 5, you may not be out of the airport and checked into your hotel until 7 or later. This still gives you a bit of a window of time to hop on the tube to London & back, but not much.

As the other comment mentions, time of year will make a difference.

yes, I realize we would are talking 7:00 and after and we will be there in mid March. thanks!

It's just not enough time to go into London. Just grab a bite to eat, and head for bed.

I'd take a walk along the South Bank. Take the tube to Embankment, cross the Jubilee Bridge, and walk along the Thames.

Do this.

Take the tube into London via the Piccadilly Line. (Dark Blue). Get off at Leicester Square.

Exit, Mind the Gap and turn left out of the station onto Charing Cross Road. Start Walking toward Trafalgar Square.

From Trafalgar Square head towards Big Ben.

The Red Lion just before you get to Parliament Square (Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey) is a perfect spot for a pint and dinner.

Or see if the Crypt Cafe at St Martins of the Field is serving dinner.

This sojourn s just under a mile and you'll get a great POV of all that is London.

Suspect you'll get back by 11pm. A long evening but if adventurous worth the time and effort.

I have not been to London in a while but if it was me and you have one night only. Why don't you research it and see what pubs are near each other and do a little pub crawl on your own. This way you have dinner at a nice pub, go for a drink before hand at a different pub and then after dinner make it to one more pub after dinner and then back to your hotel. This way you see two or three really great pubs and have an enjoyable last night. This way if your tired, you spend a nice evening having dinner and a drink and see some pubs and walk around. Covent Garden may be the perfect area to explore. You get to see Covent Garden and take in a few pubs along the way.

Take the tube to Westminster Station. The view of Parliament as you exit will be superb. Walk down to Westminster Abby. Take to tube or walk to Trafalgar Square. Oogle the lions. Imagine hoards of people celebrating V Day. Back on the tube to Tower Station. View The Tower of London at night. Cross Tower Bridge. Walk along the river. Cross The Millennium Bridge to Saint Paul's viewing it from the bridge. Dinner and bed.

I second @Claudia's itinerary. It's exactly what I would have suggested!

Various good suggestions above, my input would be yes, go into the city and walk around, have dinner somewhere. Where you go, what you do, and how long you stay will depend on weather and how early next morning you fly. But don't just sit in an airport hotel if you have the chance to experience a bit of London for the first time.

Mrs. EB is right that the Heathrow Express will get you into London much faster, and that advance tickets (for a particular day, not a particular train) can save you a lot of money vs. the walk-up fare. But the Express will put you at Paddington Station, which is hardly the best jump-off point for the heart of London. You'd have to take another tube to the area Claudia and Jen describe, which I agree would be your best place to emerge from underground. So the Piccadilly Line to Leicester Square would be the simplest way to get there, though perhaps slower.

It will be dark, so just take a walk and find a pub for dinner and maybe a pint. You'll have lots of choices. Get a map, either a free simple one from a kiosk or an inexpensive good one like Benson's. You won't see everything, but you'll get a feel for this great city and start thinking about returning for a real visit. One key warning for pedestrians -- remember that they drive on the left, so LOOK RIGHT before you step off the curb. Requires constant alertness on a short visit.

If it is a nice evening, the walk from Leicester Square tube stop to Westminster Bridge would be lovely. Simply head south on Charing Cross Road, passing Trafalgar Square on the east side. Take Northumberland Avenue which heads ESE right to Hungerford Bridge, which has dedicated pedestrian spans. Cross the bridge and take steps down to the pedestrian path along the South Bank. Head south---towards the London Eye---and past that you will come to Westminster Bridge, with iconic views across the river of Big Ben and the Parliament buildings. You will know you are really in London! There are lots of casual restaurants along here, or you could cross the bridge and head to the pub Claudia recommended.

You could facilitate your return to your Heathrow hotel by taking the Circle Line (yellow) from Westminster station to Paddington, and catching the Heathrow Express there. Do buy your HEx tix 90+ days in advance for the best price---as low as £5.50 on weekends and holidays.

Do check the hours of operation for Tube and train so you don't miss the last one back.

If it is raining and youndo not wish to walk, an alternate suggestion would be to take a ride on a London bus, sitting upstairs in front for great views. Maybe someone can suggest a good one from Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus past some great sights.

I don't think 18:30 - 19:00 is too late to head into the city. After all, I doesn't sound like you'll have to deal with jet lag...

I second the suggestion of the Red Lion - the selection of meat pies is pretty good and if you don't fancy the Ale for some reason, they have good Cider on tap.

If you don't want to take the slow tube all the way from Heathrow, you take the Heathrow Express and be at Paddington in about 15 minutes. Or, you can take the Heathrow Connect for a bit less money and get to Paddington in about 30 minutes.

Another option is to take the bus to Windsor. You won't be able to tour the castle but it's a really charming village.

Unless you're morning flight is really early, you might even consider changing your hotel plans and stay in the city.

Good Luck.

It's so helpful to see these suggestions - thank you! Our family is facing a similar opportunity in July 2017 when we spend one night in London on our way home from 3 weeks in Portugal and Spain. We arrive at LGW a bit earlier (land at 10:10a) and leave LHR a little later (depart the next day at 3:30p), so we have a bit more time to explore. We'll have our teenage daughter (17) and son (14) with us. It's their first time in London and only my 2nd visit after a similarly brief overnight there about 20 years ago. We plan to take the train downtown, drop off our backpacks at our hotel, and then hop an open-top tour bus in downtown London for a cheesy but effective viewing of all the classic sights. Would love any other suggestions for family-friendly options. And any favorite family-friendly, budget-friendly inns in London. Thank you and happy holidays from Seattle!

Deborah, you will get more responses if you start a new thread and re-post your question. People tend to not notice a new question when it's tacked onto the end of an older thread like this.

Thank you for all of your suggestions, they are fantastic. I appreciate your help! Although a later evening, I can't imagine sitting in a hotel room while in London!