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Windsor, Hampton Court and The Theatre

Hi, My partner and I are spending a few days in Windsor before heading to Hampshire to visit family. I have a some questions and hope the good folks on this forum can advise me.

We will arrive at Heathrow on a Friday. I know we can get a Flightline 703 bus from Terminal 5 to Windsor, but we arrive at Terminal 3 and that journey doesn't look as straightforward from Terminal 3 .
Should we just take airport transit to Terminal 5 and catch the bus from there, or is there a simpler way?

That evening we will explore Windsor and looks like we'll have plenty of choice of good pubs and restaurants.
Any recommendations, especially for seafood or pies?

The next day (Saturday) we'll take the train from Windsor & Eton Riverside station to Waterloo before spending the day in London.
My understanding is there's no need to buy advance tickets - the price is the same the day of, am I right?

After the spending the day at the London Transport Museum we're going to see an evening performance of The Mousetrap.
Any recommendations for good pub grub in the area (somewhere between the museum and the West End)?

On Sunday we're heading to Hampton Court. Again, it looks like we can get a direct train from Windsor & Eton Riverside to Hampton Wick.
No advance purchase necessary, correct?

Monday we'll head visit Windsor Castle.
Any tips or recommendations?

Tuesday we will check out and head to Heathrow to pick up our rental car.
I think Uber is the easiest way, although maybe there are local Windsor taxis?

After a week in Hampshire my partner has to fly back a couple of days before I do.
As I understand it, I can drive her to Heathrow and drop her off in long-term parking and she can get a shuttle to the Terminal from there. Has anyone done that, or is there a simpler option?

One additional question: I see that long train journeys, e.g. Waterloo to Southampton offer significantly discounted advance fares, but local journeys have fixed peak and off-peak pricing.
Is there a rule of thumb, or an advanced algorithm, that determines when it's advantageous to buy ticket in advance?

Many thanks in advance.
-Charles

Posted by
10697 posts

Q1- I think I'm the only person on this forum who would take the £3 bus 703 (or 8) from Heathrow to Windsor- both of which leave from T5 (so the free rail transfer is the easy way to do it). It is ingrained on here that the only way to make that trip is by taxi, which of course leaves from T3- so simpler.
Q3- The price from Windsor Riverside to Waterloo is the same on day off as in advance- and you can pay by contactless (no price difference, to Paddington from Central contactless is cheaper).
Or, in one direction, take the £3 #702 bus to Victoria to see different scenery.
If I was going to the London Transport Museum I might think about the bus back to Heathrow, then the Piccadilly line direct.
Q5- No the train from Windsor to Hampton Wick is not direct- change at Twickenham or Richmond or onto red London bus #216 at Staines- calls at Hampton Court and Hampton Wick.
In any event no advance purchase of tickets needed.
Q7-Plenty of taxis in Windsor, so taxi or Uber.
Q8- Yes that's easiest, but the key is to stay outside the Heathrow drop zone where you pay a fee to drop off.
Q9- a bit complicated. Basically my advanced algorithm is that anywhere within London Zones 1 to 9 basically is fixed pricing. Anywhere beyond that up to around 30 to 40 miles out of London has fixed pricing, but also super off peak Pricing (called Evening Day out on SWR, anytime after 12 noon, walk up fare) is cheaper still. Beyond that is advance fares. It's more subtle than that, but a very good rule of thumb.

As an example in 3 weeks time I expect to go from Salisbury to Guildford on a day trip. Outbound is local bus. But the way back is by train. The way the fares work it is cheaper for me to go on from Guildford to Heathrow (or even Gatwick) then back on Advance Fares rather than straight back from Guildford to Salisbury. It just takes longer. In practice the easiest solution (and cheaper still, and most fun) appears to be to drop down to Portsmouth for the train to Salisbury. None of which makes much sense but is how the system works.
And at any time it is cheaper if booked in advance to go from London to Salisbury than it is to go from London to Basingstoke (closer to London, on the same line).

Posted by
788 posts

Regarding food near St Martin's Theatre, if you're looking for a pub I think I would go for Lamb and Flag (Rose Street). I also like Fuller's pubs for food so you can see which are near you: https://www.fullers.co.uk/pubs/pub-finder/london

I know you said pub food, but the theatre is also very close to Dishoom if you're interested in Indian food. They do take reservations for pre theatre.

Posted by
440 posts

Hi isn31c! I would! Have done so! It’s such a great “hack.” :-)

Must echo Cat VH about Dishoom: the food is wonderful! Try the house black dal. It’s insane: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/sep/07/four-classic-indian-recipes-dishoom-chaat-dal-salad-jackfruit-biyani-chicken-makhani-curry

Pubs in Windsor: we like the Waterman’s Arms and the Two Brewers. Do avoid the King and Castle pub on the high street - it’s immense and touristy (it’s a ‘Spoons) - but if you dart into the Duchess of Cambridge, that’s quite a nice place for a pint.

We like Côte in Eton for a meal. It’s a chain, but good quality, and good selection. Also recommended (by friends of ours - we haven’t visited yet) is Meat at the Parish. It’s a steakhouse, so not sure it fits your brief, but it gets excellent reviews: https://www.meatattheparish.com/

Posted by
35892 posts

using Stuart's most excellent numbering system -

Q9 - I use an APP. That's Advance Phalange Percussion. (typing)

I check the price at the time and date I want to travel and then I check the price same time today or tomorrow. Pretty much foolproof.

Q5 - Unless you want a scenic but quite long walk through the Home Park before you get around to the entrance in front of the Palace near the river using Hampton Wick, conventional wisdom is train to Hampton Court, just over the Thames bridge form the entrance. Change at Surbiton, I think.

Q3 - To go all the way into the Big Smoke I don't think I'd do it on service bus, I'd use the little shuttle from Windsor & Eton [EDIT -left off the word "Central"] to Slough and then Elizabeth Line to Tottenham Court Road and Northern Line to Leicester Square and then an easy stroll to Covent Garden.

Posted by
1197 posts

I’ll add a third recommendation for Dishoom. And I agree about the black dal.

Posted by
38 posts

This is great information and advice, and I really appreciate the recommendations. Thank you!