1- There's a remarkable price difference between the express and connect train tickets from Heathrow into London (Paddington, right?)-- $27 vs. $7 each way. How much slower, and inconvenient, is the Connect, vs. the Express? 2- We're only going to be in London for 2 days (on our way home to the U.S. from Italy). Would the Oyster card or a travel card be most appropriate (zones 1/2 only)?
Posted by
Freedonia
16278 posts
Connect and Express run the same route. Express is nonstop between Heathrow and Paddington. Connect makes a few stops adding ten minutes on to the travel time. Express takes 15 minutes. Connect takes 25 minutes.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Note that neither Oystercards or Travelcards are valid on Heathrow Express OR Connect. You have to buy a specific train ticket. Six-zone Travelcards and Oyster prepay can be used on the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow but that's much slower.
Posted by
Burbank, CA, USA
86 posts
We used Heathrow Connect last November and again just this past April -- clean, quick, and efficient. We wouldn't go any other way.
Happy Travels!
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
780 posts
I have taken the Heathrow connect to the airport on my first trip, and the second time I took the piccadilly line. The Heathrow connect had plenty of room for me and my luggage at 8:30 am, whereas my luggage and I could barely fit in the rush hour crowd on the tube. I ended up standing in the end of the car with my luggage leaning up against my legs for about 30 of the 40 minute trip. So moral of this story is, if you are going to be travelling to or from the airport at Rush Hour (approx 7-9:30am, 4-5:30pm), you're much better off using the HC than the tube. Rush Hour on the tube is the only miserable thing I encountered during my London trips so far. We arent even talking being packed like sardines. Its more like your nose is in some guys armpit and some other guys briefcase is almost up your bum. All while your arm is falling asleep holding onto the pole (if youre lucky to get the pole, otherwise you will be stumbling like a drunken frat boy to keep yourbalance).
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
We've only used the Express. But we had BritRail passes that were good on that. It only takes about 12-15 min. from Paddington to Heathrow. Very nice and clean, not crowded. I understand that the Connect is very good, too, just a bit slower.
Posted by
Newcastle, WA, USA
643 posts
We took the Heathrow Express in and out of London on our trip to London last fall as we had London Plus Pass tickets which included vouchers for the Express train. We arrived in the afternoon on a Monday at Heathrow and we took a nearly empty Express train to Paddington around 4pm. Going home on a Wednesday, we took a 9am train from Paddington and it was packed! We could not sit together. All in all it was a very easy and painless way to get to and from the airport and we would use it again.