We will be staying in the Covent Gardens area on a Friday night before leaving for Switzerland on a British Air flight that leaves Heathrow at 8:20 am Saturday morning.
1. What is the best way to get to Heathrow that early in the morning? (4/4:30 am - ugh). Leicester Square subway? Taxi? Uber?
Thanks for your help!
Being a Friday night/Saturday morning you've got the Night Tube from whichever of Covent Garden or Leicester Square is the most convenient to you, straight to Heathrow every 10 minutes.
Whether you feel a taxi/uber suits you better is your choice, but the tube option is there.
Probably 5 am departure on Piccadilly will get you there by 6 am, should be adequate.
You could use: Google maps, or Rome2Rio, but the Transport for London website will likely be the most reliable. The 'Transport for London' site might not include the Heathrow Express (non-stop) service (different company?). I took a similar service, Heathrow Connect, several years ago. It was much more comfortable than the Piccadilly Line.
I would also consider a less stressful option, staying at a hotel near Heathrow, rather than central London for Friday night.
Have a plan B in case the overnight tubes don't run. Every now and then the overnight Piccadilly line to Heathrow is partially suspended due to engineering works.
Sign up for email updates at:
https://cloud.email.tfl.gov.uk/emailsignupstep1
Every thursday you will get an email with information on any disruptions that weekend.
You can also go to the TFL status page for status updates:
https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/?lue=
I went through Heathrow last month early for a 7:30 flight. Terminal 3. Security was empty. Took 5 minutes.
By the way Transport for London website does have Heathrow Express, greenline coaches and all other methods of transport- not just TfL services. In fact often it tries to put you on HEX (unless you untick that box) because of it's speed.
It is likely to be far superior and more up to date than rome to rio, although like all travel planning software, sometimes is a bit too clever and offers you routes which are ones you may not have thought of. Not a criticism, just that some of it's results are interesting, and can be good for being unusual and different to the norm (ones you may not have thought of for yourself). It will always give the right fares as well.
at that time of the night I'd want a car which took me direct and quickly to the airport, not an hour on a Night Tube. Traffic should be negligible and a quick and easy ride.
Is this a flight home to the US or a flight to another European destination?
I've answered my own question - your post says Switzerland which I missed first time. So 90 minutes ahead? A 6am tube from Covent Garden would get you there around 7, so a little tight. I might still want a car.
nice article on the new Elizabeth Line - A Journey Across London on the Elizabeth Line
I understand the convenience of hiring a car, but what is the downside of public transportation? Random delays and stoppages?
I would say that the downsides are often perceived, by those unused to taking public transportation and over-thinking the issues.
Ideally in this case the OP would really stay the night at the airport to avoid getting up in the wee small hours.
The fact is that you would know weeks before (not the Thursday e-mail) if there was a planned stoppage- TfL engineering calendar is now up until November. The Thursday e-mail is just a confirmation. If the OP was me they would have a clutch of alternatives in their back pocket- which is possible from anywhere in Zone 1 at 4am even on a non night tube night.
It is not my job to enumerate those here, as it will just be ridiculed or I be told that I am spoon feeding people.
If there was a stoppage TfL don't just close the line and say "sorry, closed, tough"- they provide alternative transportation (yes, shock horror, that might be a bus) but it will incur the minimum possible of delays.
It all depends on your expectations and what you are used to. I would never have to resort to a taxi (and it's expense) to get to Heathrow, even at 2am, let alone 4am- but then taxis are not part and parcel of my general transport armoury.
As I said above, for a 8:20 Switzerland flight a 7am or just before check in should be fine. So a 6am tube train should also be fine... but maybe, unlike some very patient people, OP doesn't want to stop and go for 22 stops on the - granted very convenient Piccadilly Line. In which case there is nothing wrong with a minicab. Certainly not, as was suggested, a black cab.
FYI--the Thursday email is not just confirmation of pre-planned work. Occasionally, last minute work has to get done.
Yes, there is replacement bus service but that will throw your schedule out of whack.
At 4 AM, do you really want to start hassling with the tube? Walking to the station? Possibly dealing with a bunch of drunks returning home from a night of partying?
Arrange for a car service, they pick you up at your hotel and drop you off in front of the terminal. It's cheaper than a taxi.
Or you could take a chance with Uber. Also probably cheaper than a taxi.
I have taken early flights out of Heathrow. I stay at an airport hotel the night before just to make my life easier. And get an extra hour of sleep. But you may not have that option.
Nigel posted as I was writing this. I agree with him. And this from someone who always take the tube to Heathrow--although not that early in the morning.
Thank you to all for your help with this. I will certainly check out the website that was mentioned. And yes, the problem I was concerned with was possible drunks with not very many other people there to help out. Still not quite sure what we will do. It IS helpful to know that we probably don't need to get to the airport by 5:20 am.
