We are looking for a recommendation. We are 4 adults arriving at Heathrow, and staying in Marylebone. We will be in London for 3 days; 1 day we want to go out to Windsor Castle, the other days we plan to visit the London Eye, take a boat cruise on the Thames to see the barrier (not on the speed boat!) and possibly see a show. Would like cost effective travel alternatives for 1) getting to Marylebone from Heathrow. 2) getting to and from Windsor, and 3) getting around London for the other sites. We have seen a variety of solutions among tube, taxi, and train and would love to have some input as to most efficient and most cost effective methods. We've studied all the info and still can't make a decision! Thanks for any help!!! Liz and Ron
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23548 posts
With four people often the most economical way is the taxi.
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
The Transport for London website has estimates of taxi fares for various distances and times of the day: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/taxisandminicabs/taxis/1140.aspx For comparison, here are the pay-as-you-go rates with an Oyster card: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx The maximum you can spend on Oyster if you are in Zone 1 and 2 is £7 per day (off-peak), no matter how many bus or Tube journeys you make, so that's approximately the equivalent of 6 miles worth of taxi fares split 4 ways. You can buy Oyster cards on arrival at Heathrow or any Tube station and any cash left on them can be refunded when you leave. Heathrow to Marylebone. There are dozens of threads about this on the forum, so you can see a range of opinions if you search. If there are 4 of you then the consensus would probably be that a private car shuttle service would be a reasonable balance between cost and convenience. Cheapest is the Tube - Piccadilly Line to Oxford Circus then Bakerloo to Marylebone. It should take just over an hour, but isn't a great option if you land in the early morning and find yourself with luggage trying to change Tube lines in central London when half a million people are trying to get to work... For Windsor you need the Southwest Trains service from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside. Use the journey planner on www.nationalrail.co.uk but note it is a fixed fare, so there is no need to buy in advance.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5427 posts
If you are near Marylebone station, then you are also likely to be near Baker Street station too, which gives you a lot more journey opportunity - Marylebone station is limited. You have the option for Windsor of going out of Paddington to Windsor & Eton Central changing at Slough. Bit cheaper and a bit quicker than from Waterloo off-peak.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
One highly-rated private car service is Just Airports. Marylebone is in postal code NW1. The cash fare from Heathrow to anywhere in NW1 is £38 for an Estate (station wagon) and £48 for a MPV (minivan). You'll probably need a MPV. With four of you traveling together, you could buy one-day paper travelcards at a National Rail station (not an Underground station) and take advantage of some very good 2-for-1 offers. They're good on all forms of public transportation within the zones covered. You must provide a passport-sized photo. For more information and to print vouchers for the sights you are interested in seeing, go to the Days Out Guide site.