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taxi or Heathrow Express from St Pancras to LHR T3

My wife and I (early 70s but still healthy and mobile) will need to travel from the St Pancras area to Heathrow T3 this spring. We'll have more than the RS preferred super light backpack option ... those days are past for us :)

Heathrow Express option includes tube transfers, HE train, and walking unknown distance once we arrive at Heathrow. Although we can do all those things, I'd probably prefer to simply be picked up at our hotel and dropped at T2. Your feedback on cost difference for two people? If it's not material, we'll do the taxi, hired car, or uber option. Thanks.

Posted by
6172 posts

The tube or the Elizabeth line are also good options. Heathrow Express seems to be popular on this forum, but the problem with the Heathrow Express is that it only goes to/from Paddington.

Posted by
2699 posts

If you’d prefer a door to door experience, not having to manage your luggage on public transportation, then do it. I’m not sure what “material” means in the context of the cost of a European vacation. Of course it will cost more. You can pre-book airport transfers on line, there are many sites. Allow more time for traffic. We’ve done both but since we entered our 70’s public transportation for airport transfers is out.

Posted by
1814 posts

We used the Heathrow Express, June 2022, heading into London but I assume it works the same way heading to LHR. We are in your age range It is a REALLY LONG walk from the HEX station to terminal 3 or 5, especially if you are schlepping larger suitcases. (Not sure about T2, but probably the same. Ask on Trip Advisor if you need specifics.) A cab will cost you about $100, but you can get a more specific quote using Google. Try to avoid taking that cab during rush hour - the meter/ fare will be running even higher. Yes the cab costs more than the tube or HEX but the cost is still a very small part of the overall cost of a vacation and worth it to save your energy.
Next trip to London we will definitely revert to our usual choice of a cab. Long walks with suitcases are the pits.

Posted by
14801 posts

No need to pay for an expensive cab. Book a car service. They meet you at the front door of your hotel and drop you in front of the terminal. Very little walking. It's a set price so traffic is not a worry. It will be less than a taxi.

Two companies that get lots of mention here on the forum are:

Blackberry Cars

and

Just Airports

Posted by
36 posts

What Frank and Alan said. We paid 65 pounds in June 2022 for an uber from Covent Garden to T2. If your preference is to be picked up at the hotel and deposited at the terminal, the cost is not much more than same-day HEX tickets for two plus the cost of getting to Paddington.

Posted by
2337 posts

I also suggest a car service.
Last June, JustAirports was £55 from the Soho area to Heathrow. I used public transportation on previous trips, but this was so easy/pleasant.

Posted by
73 posts

It also depends on the time of day that you will be going to the airport.

During high traffic times, I would choose the Picadilly Line (approx. 70 minutes from St. Pancras area to Heathrow). This is also your cheapest option.

During low traffic times or at night, I would choose a pre-booked airport transfer or Uber. Sometime this fall, LHR implemented a parking fee or something, so most taxis/car services/Uber will add an extra 5-7GBP to your fare.So, in low traffic times you are looking at an approx. difference of GBP60 between Uber/taxi/car and tube. I found Uber slightly cheaper than pre-booked car service, which is cheaper than the London cabs.

Also, be aware of industrial action/strikes during your trip and you may have to pivot accordingly.

Have a wonderful trip!!

Posted by
1156 posts

Private car service or the HEX. We have done both. A cab gave us great anxiety as we watched the meter tick away while stuck in horrible traffic. We did not find the walk from the airport station to the terminal all that challenging.

Posted by
16024 posts

I admit we are outliers here, but we always use the Heathrow Express to and from Heathrow.

We are in our late 70’s, fully mobile, but I detest the Tube, especially with luggage. We tried that once, just to get from our apartment on the South Bank to Paddington for the HEX. and it did not go well—-the mornings trains were too crowded to board with luggage, and we had to let 2 go by before we realized we had to walk to the farthest car, which is supposed to be less crowded, and then just grit our teeth and force our way on. After that 2016 experience, we said No More Tube with luggage.

We buy our tickets for the HEx 90+days in advance so they only cost £5.50 each. If we are not staying near Paddington (which we rarely do) we walk outside from the HEx platforms (which are at street level) to the taxi stand and take a black cab from there to our hotel. Total cost from airport to hotel door is usually right around £30 for the two of us.

I do not understand the comment above about what a long walk it is from Terminal 5 to the “Heathrow Express Station”, because the platform for the HEx trains is right IN Terminal 5, on a lower level accessed by large elevators. According to the Heathrow Terminal 5 interactive map, it is a 2-minute walk from the arrivals area (just after baggage claim and exiting past customs) to the elevator down to Level -3, and a one-minute walk from there to the platform. Total distance 164 m.

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/visitor-information/heathrow-airport-information/terminal-maps/terminal-5#/

The OP needs to get to T3 but I assume there is a similar arrangement (tho we’ve never doe it from there). The Heathrow website will answer the question if they are curious.

On our most recent trip,this past September, we flew into Heathrow from Venice on Sept. 19 (the day of the Queen’s funeral) and the HEx and Elizabeth Lines were not running because of a fire in the overhead wires somewhere. So we had to take the Tube, or pay some unknown price for a taxi from the ranks. We chose the Tube, despite our earlier vow, because by this time, near the end of our trip, we had already incurred so many unexpected extra expenses due to various cancellations and last-minute bookings that we just wanted the cheaper option. It was a miserable journey.

The Piccadilly Line originates at Heathrow, so one boarding there faces no huge crowds already on the train, and has a chance of getting a seat. We did, but by the time the train had gone 3 stops it was so full, and the aisles so packed, that people trying to get off had trouble getting to the exit door in time. We knew we had to change trains at Earl’s Court to reach Paddington, so we started moving toward the exit doors two stops early to make sure we could succeed. But then we realized we were blocking others so we just got off at Hammersmith, thinking we could just take the Circle Line or H&C to Paddington, but for some reason that did not work—the line was out of service or something. So we got back on the next Piccadilly Line train ( slightly less crowded) and rode that to Earl’s Court to change to the District Line to Paddington. And finally arrived there an hour and fifteen. Minutes after leaving Heathrow.

I am not trying to talk the OP into taking the HEx, just saying that Piccadilly line is not a good option for them. But if they are still interested in the Heathrow Express,I suggest they (a) buy the tickets online well in advance for the best price, and (b) take a cab from their hotel door to Paddington.

Posted by
209 posts

I am the Original Poster. This is such great information from everyone ... thank you! Still some more research to do, but this info is all great.

Posted by
14801 posts

Yes, the Heathrow Express at Terminal 5 is just below the terminal. However, it is at one end of the Terminal. If you need to go to the other end--for say business class--it is a hike.

The tube/HEX station for Terminal 2 & 3 is situated between the terminals. It is a hike. Especially with check in size bags.

If you can afford it, and want the least hassle, book a car service or take a chance with Uber. Heathrow does have a 5 GBP drop off charge but that will be included in your rate.

There are people here who feel they must defend their taking of the HEX even when it doesn't make sense. I take the tube and have never had a problem. I've lost count how many times I've used it. But in your case, I don't suggest it.

Posted by
16024 posts

If you have never had a problem taking the Tube to/from Heathrow I’d say that you are lucky. Or maybe we are just very unlucky (2 for 2 on problems with the Tube).

Note that the long trek to Zone G for Club World check-in at Terminal 5 applies no matter how one arrives at the airport. According to the Heathrow interactive map, it adds an extra 160 meters of walking. And then, after security, one must go way out of the way to reach the Galleries Lounge.

Ah, the heavy burden of Business Class travel . . . .