Flying into Heathrow arriving 10:45pm and leaving Heathrow on connecting flight to Milan at 6:15pm the next night...so just under 24 hours on the ground. What to do? Spending that amount of time just waiting at the airport would be torture. Thinking of getting a hotel near airport and then finding somewhere close by to visit. Is there somewhere near Heathrow that we could spend a few hours? We would have from about 9am to 2:30 or 3:00pm. We've been to London but could definitely go back into the city but wondered if any other options were available.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
We took the regular bus to Windsor from Heathrow. It departs right outside T5. Takes about 45 minutes but cost very little compared to a cab.
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
Posted by
Land of La
9217 posts
Windsor.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
Windsor Castle is about 9 miles from the airport. If you haven't been, that might be an option. It's absolutely lovely. I haven't visited Windsor directly from Heathrow - I've taken the train from London - but I wonder if there isn't a way to grab a cab from an airport hotel? You could tour the castle, grab a bite of lunch, then even take a stroll into Eton and do some sightseeing. The walk is super-picturesque and is only about a mile. That would be do-able in the time you have and you'd be close enough to the airport that you wouldn't have to be freaking out about time and getting back.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
HAH! :-) Claudia and I were posting at the exact same time, it seems! Good to have my idea ratified!
Posted by
Land of La
9217 posts
Great minds think alike.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Lola, what did you do with your bags while you went to Windsor?
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
I'm not aware of any baggage storage in Windsor but it seems logical to get a place to stay there which solved the baggage issue. The airport cabs will charge a premium over calling a local Windsor cab. At midnight or so, that might be preferable to waiting and wondering about your Windsor cab. Being that late also makes the typical B&B not practical. I'm not sure what hotels are handy but that's what TripAdvisor is for. I think the castle opens at 10 am but please confirm this. It could be earlier. You can castle yourself out in about 4 hours. Other than wandering around the town and Eton, the castle is the main attraction unless you have kids along for legoland (never visited).
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
We spent the night in Windsor so took our bags along. We loved our B&B but as Ken suggests a small B&B woulld not be a good option for late night arrival. However, there are several business-type hotels in Windsor, including a Mercure ( right across from the castle) and a HolidaynInn Express. They should have no problem with late check in if advised in advance. At that hour they would need a cab, but could average the cost down by taking the bus back to Heathrow the next day.