We're U.S. citizens flying Frankfurt-Heathrow in July, then catching a train to Edinburgh; I'm trying to estimate our travel time from LHR to Edinburgh. I know that the train from Heathrow to Paddington is relatively short, but what can we expect re: time from gate (Terminal 5) to the Heathrow to Paddington train? Do we go through customs; other possible delays...? Also: i know trains depart from Paddington and King's Cross to Scotland--are they the best choices?
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
No trains from Paddington to Scotland. The options are Kings Cross (better for Edinburgh) or Euston (better for Glasgow).
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1265 posts
Dale - When in July are you traveling? What is your scheduled arrival time into LHR? How many people are in your party? Once you clear customs your best bet would be to take the tube to King's Cross station. Travel time on the tube is about 1:15. Cost for the tube will be about £5. Train from London - Edinburgh is anywhere from 4:15 - 4:40. If your dates are firm you could purchase your tickets ahead of time and save a little money. Go to eastcoast.co.uk to look at ticket prices. I picked July 18th as a travel day. Fares are as low as £25.35 person on this day..
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16765 posts
The main delays at Heathrow are at immigration, not customs, which is a non-event. You will be entering the UK so you will go through immigration. We did that 2 days ago, arriving at T3 on a plane from Madrid. It took an hour to get through immigration; the lines were long because other planes had just arrived as well. You may get lucky and have shorter lines. I hope so!
Posted by
OP
Franklin, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
3 posts
Thanks--that's helpful! We may adjust our plans a bit...
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
While I prefer trains to planes, in this case since you'll already be at Heathrow I suggest that you consider flying BMI from Heathrow to Edinburgh. Booked well in advance, you can get tickets for under $100 US.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2783 posts
Trains leave from London's King's Cross to Edinburgh...if you want to take an over night train it leaves from Euston Station. Trains from Paddington do not go to Scotland....the go to South Wales, the West Country, Reading, Oxford, etc.
Posted by
Houten, Utrecht, Netherlands
73 posts
Why don't you fly straight into Edinburgh from Frankfurt?
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2219 posts
Something to consider, because my husband still hasn't forgiven me for this...2nd class seat from London (King's Cross) to Edinburgh are rather tight. He's 6'2", 230 with bad knees and he was squashed the whole trip. It was mid-week, May and late afternoon and the train was packed. It didn't help that we had just flown in from the west coast of the U.S. This maybe something to keep in mind.
Posted by
aberdeen, scotland & london, uk
241 posts
Take an internal flight. If you're arriving at T5 you must be on a BA flight??? Stay at T5 and fly LHR to Edinburgh via BA. Only BA uses T5. If you use BMI you'll need to change terminal (a long .... way .... huge airport). Edinburgh's a little airport - and not near the centre of Edinburgh.
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