Have a 23-hour layover in London before flying back to the USA. Should we stay near LHR (for the convenience of catching a morning flight the next day) or stay in London?
Itinerary:
🛬 Arrive LHR at 9:45 am on 12/24, Christmas Eve.
🛫Depart LHR (Terminal 3) at 8:40 am on 12/25, Christmas Day.
Thanks for your advice.
Public transit starts to shut down earlier on Christmas Eve and is pretty much nonexistent on Christmas Day. You have an early flight which pretty much seals the deal for me and dictates staying at Heathrow. Depending on your budget and airline there are some hotels walking distance to the terminals. At T5 there’s a nice Sofitel. Forum members have reported enjoying the restaurant. T2 has a Hilton Garden Inn. You can walk from there to T3 too. Please do check what inter terminal transportation is available on Christmas morning if needed. FYI I’ve stayed at both hotels and the Sofitel is nicer. There’s also a premier inn at T4 which is a budget friendly option too.
Depending on when transit shuts down on Christmas Eve you may be able to get into town for a few hours.
Yes, really stay at Heathrow. Due to rail engineering work there is no Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express on Christmas Eve.
The last tube back from central.London is just before 2330.
On Christmas Day your only option is Nationall Express buses from London Victoria at 0330, 0415, 0500 then half hourly at the special Christmas Day fare of £17.50.
You would want one of those first 3 buses.
I would definitely stay at Heathrow, but it would be easy to store your bags at your hotel there and go into London for a few hours, perhaps have a good lunch and wander around Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Piccadilly or one of the parks. I would make sure to get back to the hotel by the late afternoon or early evening on the Piccadilly line, and not leave it to the last tube of the night. Perhaps look at the Transport for London (TfL) website for the times of the last few Picc tubes out to your terminal so that you know the situation. Transport really does start shutting down from about the late afternoon on Christmas Eve, and the tubes and buses can be very crowded.
The last Pic line trains from Pic Circus are at 2312, 2316 and 2334.
These are from the TfL journey planner. There is a perception of early close down (as on National Rail which mainly closes at around 1900) but the TfL information page does not state that, any more than the planners do. This is just a slightly earlier close than normal., with no later night buses.
In my experience of travelling seriously late on Christmas Eve around the country, due to work requirements, by early evening most transport is pretty quiet, as most people get home by mid afternoon.
I would also choose to stay at Heathrow. Sofitel, LHR5. An alternative to London on Christmas Eve day may be Windsor. Take a cab? If you choose to have a quiet but festive evening in your hotel, well, there is a Marks & Spencer food store right across from the Sofitel that could meet food and drink needs. I wonder if any of the airport hotels/restaurants will put on special meals or events?
I have not stayed in a hotel at Terminal 3, but my experience is that staying overnight at the airport makes for a less hectic morning and early flight.
On Christmas Day Heathrow inter terminal transfers will be provided by National Express buses every 30 minutes for a £4.40 fare but note that the first T5 to T2/3 journey is at 0615, whereas in the other direction the first is at 0420, otherwise it is a cab, if you elect to stay anywhere other than at the adjoining T2 or T3
It will be interesting whether they do anything special for Christmas Day on your flight.
