Our flight arrives (Heathrow 2) at 12:40PM from Dublin. We plan to take the National Express bus to Victoria Station Coach.
Should we book in advance, not knowing how long it will take for us to arrive at the bus station?
It appears that buses depart about once an hour.
You shouldn't need to, geovagriffith. Just jump on, tap-and-pay and you should be at the station in a little over an hour. Your luggage will go in the storage area so no need to deal with that.
that's a perfectly legit use of that coach (it is much nicer than a bus) and I see it advocated here on the Helpline a lot but I must say that every time I see it mentioned I do a double take.
It is like using a 747 to go between Dallas and Fort Worth. Or San Francisco and Oakland.
It is an inter city service using an inter city highway coach. Just catches me by surprise.
that's a perfectly legit use of that coach (it is much nicer than a bus) and I see it advocated here on the Helpline a lot but I must say that every time I see it mentioned I do a double take.
Nigel, I think that people like it because you don't have to deal with your luggage on the trip and there are no changes. And you do get some nice views of London as you come in.
I thought about it when I went, but ultimately decided the tube would be quicker and easier, and it was. But we packed very light, so it was easy for us to maneuver luggage.
There are at least 4 an hour, sometimes 8, from Central Bus Station. I don't think you are meant to pay the driver, rather buy on line while waiting or use the machines. On line is cheaper.
The buses empty out on arrival from all parts of the UK, so capacity is never a problem. None start from Heathrow- they might have come from Glasgow, Penzance or far west wales as examples.
On a good day it's 35 to 40 minutes - the drivers use GPS to optimise their route against the traffic.
Always cheaper than the Elizabeth line.
Remember, when flying into London from Dublin there is no immigration to worry about.
From T2 its an easy walk to the Central Bus Station. Just take the lift down to bus station level. The signs are plentiful. I passed by them yesterday.
I don't think you are meant to pay the driver, rather buy on line while waiting or use the machines. On line is cheaper.
Stuart is correct, geovagriffith; sorry for the misinformation.
I would download the app ahead of time, get your account set up with payment and details, and then once your flight reaches London and you're at Heathrow, just go into the app, and book your tickets as you are heading to Central Bus Station.
You can even buy a National Express trip from Victoria Rail station to Victoria Coach station, although there can't be (m)any that do for the 3 minute journey..
No immigration from Dublin to London?? We are from the USA and had to spend hours getting our ETA UK approved!
Our phones don't work overseas, so we won't be downloading an ap. We will buy a bit of GBP at Heathrow and of course have our credit cards.
The National Express bus station is near terminals 2 and 3. Our flight come into #2, so it shouldn't be much of a walk to the bus?
1 Dublin to London is a Common Travel Area (essentially domestic) so no immigration. But check in will ask to see your passport and detect whether there is an ETA. Without one you may well be denied boarding.
And Manifests go to Border Control, who could always do an intelligence led random stop.
2. Can you not even get free wifi, such as at Heathrow?
If not buy your tickets at the machines at the bus station. You will be charged a £2 transaction fee per ticket- cards only.
When you enter Ireland, you will also get approval to enter the UK. How Irish immigration is handling the ETA is something you can report back about.
No immigration from Ireland to the UK but there is immigration, for Americans and other non-British or Irish subjects going from the UK to Ireland.
The Central Bus station is closer to T2 than T3. (I was there yesterday and many times before that.) As you exit the terminal, you will see numerous banks of elevators (lifts) some with big markings saying "Central Bus Station." That's where you want to go. It's a five minute walk if that.
