Where to stay when arriving by car but leaving by Eurostar?

St Pancras is not in the north side of London. It is in central London on the north side of the river. It is well located for visiting the sites of London by tube, bus or walking. Lots of hotels in the area as well depending on your wallet. Just like a plane you have to be at the station well before departure, so the nearer the hotel the better. The Renaissance is part of the station complex but could be expensive. There is a Premier Inn close by. If you Google “St Pancras” there is a lot of information about the station, hotels etc. in the area.

Stay in the St Pancras/Kings Cross area and you can walk to the station,

I would definitely return the car back at Heathrow and not attempt to drive in central London- it will take you forever. St Pancras is very centrally located as others have said (e.g. walking distance to the British Museum, next door to the British Library, and even closer to some of the less frequently visited sites like the Postal Museum, the Foundling Museum, and the Charles Dickens Museum). For other further away sites you are easily connected by several different tube lines from Kings Cross/St Pancras station. The easiest way to get from Heathrow to St Pancras is to get the Elizabeth line to Farringdon and then change and go one stop on the Circle, Hammersmith and City, or Metropolitan lines (or even walk if you don't have a lot of luggage). The most convenient place to stay for St Pancras is the hotel right at the station (St Pancras Renaissance Hotel)- it's a really nice hotel in a historic building, but it is relatively expensive as others have mentioned. But there are many hotels (with laundry services) and apartment rentals in the area due to proximity to three major railway stations (St Pancras, Kings Cross, and Euston). Hope that is helpful!

The Renaissance is definitely the nicest hotel near St. Pancras.

However, if you are trying to save some money, I can recommend the Premiere Inn St. Pancras. I've stayed there a couple of times when I had early morning Eurostar reservations. It's about a five minute walk to the station.

Remember, with Eurostar you have to check in no later than 75 minutes prior to departure.

Reaching the area from Heathrow is easy. Piccadilly line direct to Kings Cross/St Pancras. The tube station is at Kings Cross which is across the street from St. Pancras.

The British Library is directly across the street from the Premier Inn.

You don't mention where you're going with the car, but it might be a good idea to start by taking the train or bus to where you are going and rent the car there. And after a few days, return the car and take the train to London.

Agree with Badger. Train from London to Oxford. Spend the night. Pick up car the next day, tour, return car to Oxford, train back to London.

I once landed at LHR, bussed to Hertz rental office, picked up vehicle and drove to Lyme Regis fighting sundown as I didn’t want to drive in the dark. Made it but it was a challenge that I didn’t enjoy.

Thank you all very much. My plan is to spend our first night in Windsor then drive to the Gloucester area for a few days where we want to have a car for exploring. Then to Blenheim Palace and to London. I’ve been looking at apartment rentals so we can do some laundry but hadn’t thought of hotels with laundry service. That would work too.

In that case, rent a car in Gloucester if that is where you have use for it. Take the bus from Heathrow to Windsor (or a taxi). Then the train to Gloucester and use the car there. Return the car there and take a bus or train (unsure about the best option) to Oxford and stay there and visit Blenheim palace. Then take the train to London. Or drive from Gloucester to Oxford via Blenheim and return the car in Oxford.

Thanks again for all the input. I’ve decided to rent the car in Windsor then return it in Oxford. We want to be able to meander some while going to and from Gloucester. I think we’ll also take the advice of staying near the St. Pancras station. It’s wonderful to have the help from this forum.