We are staying in London, near Charing Cross, then renting a car and heading to the Cotswolds. Would you recommend:
1) taxi or tube to Paddington Station> train to LHR> shuttle? to rental car place
Or
2) taxi or tube to Paddington Station> train to Oxford> taxi to rental car place, car would be returned to LHR
Or
3) any other suggestions
Thanks
I'd recommend option 2 (and taking the tube will be faster than a taxi). You could instead take the tube to Marylebone and train to Oxford from there. It makes sense to get the train closer and then hire a car. If you're departing from Heathrow you can return the car there, although you'll pay more to return it to a different rental location from where you rented it.
Personal preference. I rent at Heathrow. Getting to the Cotswolds from the airport will take 2-2.5 hours depending on where in the Cotswolds you’re heading.
Another vote for renting at Heathrow.
On a UK trip I rented at Heathrow. Hertz ( shuttle to rental office & lot ) Got car and then drove to Lyme Regis.
I’d look at the route via Google Birds Eye view. Made note of where I’d stop for petrol and snacks. Had a paper map because I wasn’t paying extra for GPS. Traffic slowed me up in a section of the route. Took 4 hours.
Gotta say getting to drop car off and board a shuttle bus to Terminal was great!
I have taken a train to Bath and rented a car from there to go to the Cotswolds. I recommend option 2. You might consider returning the car to Oxford or some other place outside London and taking a train to LHR. Avoid London driving altogether.
A vote for plan 2. We were just there in May.
How many days will you be in the Cotwolds? If your are staying in Oxford or Bath, head there, and pick up a car when you are ready to move on. Where will you be staying? We had a different scenario, we picked up the car in Oxford, kept it throughout the Cotwolds, and turned it in at Bath, and took the train into London to finish our trip there. We used Enterprise, because they had Sunday hours, which was necessary for our schedule.
We then took the the train to Heathrow the night before to have a stress free morning. I know you would be returning your car at Heathrow, but again, I would do it the night before. Enjoy!
