Leaving Kings Cross Station

How much luggage do you have?

I just checked it out on Google Maps and in the middle of the night it's 32 minutes. They have you walking to Westminster and taking the Circle Line. Which makes sense from a luggage perspective as you don't have to change lines. You could always wake up at 2 AM to see what the time estimate is at 8 AM BST. I think if it were me, I'd plan on leaving at 7:30 and have breakfast at KingsCross. ; ) Pam

We'll only have 1 carry on a piece on wheels.

Exactly my thoughts, Kathy! Those steps and escalators are not easy with luggage. We're taking a cab!

The best way to estimate the time for a journey in London is to use the Transport for London journey planner at www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/. It suggests taking the District/Circle line to Victoria and then the Victoria Line to Kings Cross, with a journey time of about 17 minutes. This is to arrive at Kings Cross by 09.00. The trains are likely to be crowded, and travelling with luggage may be difficult, but the timing of the journey will always be about the same.

Taking the taxi will be much slower than the tube at that time of day.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I know it will be very busy with commuters that time of morning. I would almost sacrifice the added time a taxi would take for the convenience of not having to do all that walking with our luggage (even thought not that much) through the tube stations, especially if we have to make a change.

I agree with Bob, the easiest and fastest would be to take the District Line westbound to Victoria Station then take the Victoria Line northbound to King's Cross..it's a 17 minute trip.

My mom and I were staying just behind the British Museum, and since we had luggage decided to take a cab to Kings Cross to go to York. We were so glad we did, even though it was the beginning of rush hour on a Friday, because we did not want the hassle of schlepping our luggage up and down stairs on the Tube (don't forget that most stops do not have escalators nor elevators).

Smart move taking the cab. Check with your hotel about making sure the cab is there when you need it. If the hotel is large enough, cabs may queue there waiting for customers. Seating at Kings Cross is minimal. Get there early enough to figure out how the place is paid out and where the gates are located. When a train is available for boarding, it's posted on the big board at the station and an announcement is made. It looks like you're on the East Coast line. If you sit on the right side of the train, you get a better view of the coastline about an hour or so from Edinburgh.

Here is a guide to Kings Cross station including a station map. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/KGX.html

Thank you Linda! This will be a great help.