Good ways to kill time when stuck at Heathrow?

If you are there overnight, you should know that almost all of the restaurants and shops close up for the night by about 9:00 PM. A bar here and there might stay open later (I slept near one that was open until midnight), but don't plan on doing any shopping. There are areas where you can access the internet (for a fee). During the day there is loads to do -- every kind of shopping you could want, etc.

When are these hours? If daytime, maybe catch a bus and visit Windsor/Eton. If nighttime, maybe rent a nearby hotel room and sleep.

Our flight from Paris arrives at 8 am on a Sunday. Our onward flight leaves at 6:30 pm that evening.

I had originally considered going into London for a few hours of sightseeing, but that's not an option. Because of visa requirements, we will be unable to leave the airport (my wife is not an EU or US citizen, and the UK wants about $150 and fingerprints and a slew of other biometric information before they'll give her a visa, and without a visa, she can't leave the airport, so it's not gonna happen for a quick trip to the city between planes).

So we're stuck in the airport. Probably won't even be able to leave the secure area, which I'm sure will limit our options for killing time.

Hi David,
If you go to www.BAA.com, you'll find lots of information about Heathrow. I suppose if you can't leave the airport that you'll have to stay 'airside', possibley in one terminal, which is a bit restrictive, but hopefully you'll find something to do. Good luck!

Heathrow has lots of shopping and eating options airside. On baa.com, there's even an interactive map of the terminals.

Since you haven't told us where you're going, we can't tell if you have to change terminals or not.

But my suggestion is this....when you get to LHR, talk to the airline taking you to your next destination and see if they'll put you on a an earlier flight. If they have seats, there's no reason they won't. (If you are checking luggage, this may be a problem.)

First leg is on Air France from CDG to LHW. Then the
long flight is a non-stop on Northwest from LHW to SEA.

Hmmmm ...... that's interesting.

If you don't know, your Air France flight arrives at Terminal 2, your NW flight leaves from Terminal 4.

I assume they are going to put you on an airside shuttle bus.

The facilities at T4 are much nicer than T2 so I'd head over there as quick as you can.

For all that there's not much to do in T4. Have a hearty breakfast, do any last minute shopping, find a comfy seat ( I know - at Heathrow that is a contradiction in terms ) and read that book you've always meant to read.

There is a "newly opened terminal 5? Maybe you can take the shuttle and see what's there. It is huge! Get on line and do a virtual tour. I'm sure it would take at least 2-3 or more hours of your 10 hours. Take a game so you can pass your time. We take cribbage.

If you would like a little quiet time, you might check out the cost to use the airport lounge in T4.

Otherwise, I recommend a book on tape ( on an mp3 or ipod). It is a great way to tune out the noise and pass the time.

Go ahead and splurge...Cavier House & Prunier Seafood Bars in several terminals (2, 4 and 5)...