London: Does Location Really Matter in Terms of Flights?

What time is your flight out of Heathrow?

Must you take either the Heathrow Express or Connection out of Paddington?

What about the tube, bus, shuttle?

The flight leaves at 8:00am. Not so bad, but we have to be at the airport for 6:00 for international, or so I am told.

We are flying Continental and out of terminal 4.

I am very open as to taking other forms of transport to the airport, but thought that the Express would be the fastest and easiest. I am trying to avoid transfers if at all possible.

For a fun overnight, you might consider staying at the Yotel. www.yotel.com It's actually in Terminal 4. The room is about the size of a queen-sized bed plus the WC area. They rent by the hour or day.

The Piccadilly Line goes to Heathrow. The Piccadilly line goes to Earls Court and South Kensington tube stations, getting on at either one of these stations you could take the tube straight to Heathrow without changing.

One more question about location. The hotel that I am leaning toward is on the Central line at the Tottenham Court Road stop. In studying the map it appears that it would be very easy to access all other areas of London from here. Since this is my first time to London, I don't want to assume anything. Can anyone offer opinions on this locations versus the Earls Court location on the District and Picadilly line? Thanks, again!

Thank you Robin for that information. I am guessing that to take the tube would be much more economical than the Express anyway.

We may look into the Yotel for the last night. It could be very convenient to just wake up in the airport! :)

The yotel is in Terminal 4 at Heathrow.....

The Piccadilly line to Heathrow doesn't run as early as you need it. None of the tube lines running at that hour go through Paddington..

Staying near Tottenham Court Station is a much busier area than Earls Court.

I normally stay in the South Kensington/Earls Court area because it is a much more residential area and only 15 minutes by tube to central london. It's also much quieter.

It really depends on you and what you like. I wouldn't judge my entire stay in London by just what is most convenient on your last day. However, there is no way the tube can get you from London to Heathrow by 6 AM.

Heathrow Connect (From Paddington) will cost 6.90 GBP. The two best trains for your to T4 at Heathrow leave at 5:13 and 5:33 and arrive at 5:41 and 6:10 respectively.

Heathrow Express (from Paddington) will cost 16.5 GBP. The two best trains are about 5:25 and 5:44 arriving at 5:40 and 6:06 respectively. You will have to change trains at the T1-3 station to get to T4.

You hotel can help arrange for a cab the night before you leave.

Frank, thank you so much for your help on this.

Can you tell me the difference between the Heathrow Connect and the Heathrow Express? And when you say take a taxi, I assume you mean from the hotel to Paddington and not to the airport. I have heard that taxi fares are very high from London to Heathrow.

Also, based on your response, I have decided to stay in the Earl's Court/Kensington area - I enjoy quiet also. I assume it will still be convenient to come home late from theater and such.

These are the hotels that I am considering. Any input would be appreciated.

Ashburn Hotel, Base2Stay, Sumner Hotel,
KK Hotel George, Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt

Also, what time do you suggest leaving the hotel by taxi from the EC area to get to Paddington, and then onto Heathrow?

Heathrow Express is much faster than Heathrow Connect but costs 10 GBP more. Plus, with the Express, you have to change trains at the first Heathrow stop to get to Terminal 4. Heathrow Connect goes direct.

Yes, I meant a taxi to Paddington, not Heathrow.

I've stayed at the Vanderbilt back in 1993. It's right on Cromwell Rd ( a major thoroughfare) so if noise is a problem, try to get a room in the back (but they did have big metal shutters that helped to keep the noise out.) It's across the street from the Gloucster Rd. tube station. Great area for pubs, food shopping, little restaurants, etc. (My favorite street.)

I've heard great things about Base2Stay and plan to try it later this year when I'm in London. It's only a few blocks from EArl's Court station.

The Sumner is not in that area. It's near Marble Arch--near the NE corner of Hyde Park.

The Ashburn is a couple of block from the Vanderbilt. I've never stayed there but have passed it many times.

I'm not familiar with The George but it's a few block from Earls Court station as well.

Traveling back to this area after the theater is no problem. I do it all the time.

As to what time to leave, check with the hotel and the taxi company. They would know best.

Hi Darlen,

It's easy to get a taxi at 5:00AM, just have the hotel arrange one for you. Getting over to Paddington via taxi that time of day shouldn't be too bad. (I wouldn't leave late. lol) With the airport trains, it's just all about speed and convenience. The one nice thing about the Heathrow Express, is it tends to be less crowded in my experience, since it's more expensive. Hope that helps! chris

Frank, Chris,

Thanks so much for the feedback. It's really been helpful. I am leaning toward the KK George as a nice breakfast is included, but I am very impressed with what I see with Base2Stay as well. It really isn't that breakfast is that big of a deal, but it is nice not to have to worry about going out to eat every day. With it provided, you can eat, go back to the room if you need to, and then head out for the day.

This is a bit off topic, but Frank, you seem to be checking this thread regularly, so I will ask rather than creating another.

I am so confused as to the difference between Travelcards, Oyster cards and Rail passess.

It seems that the Tcard would be best because of the two for one offers. Those seem to good to be true - is there a catch? Also, if you have a Tcard that is for a period of time rather than a day, can you still use the 2 for 1 offers as long as the attraction you are going to is on a day that falls in the time period of your card?

I am very confused as to how it all works, and I have poured over the websites. I think I have deducted correctly that the TCards are good on the buses and the undergrounds and some of the ferrys. What is unclear is what role, if any, they play in the trains/rails that you would use to, say, take a day trip to Oxford.

There are better people to answer this in detail but I'll help a little.

The travelcards and oyster are good for public transportation within the London Transport are of London and its suburbs. These have been split into 6 zones and you pay more the more zones you go to. (Most of the central sites of London are in zone 1.) They are not good for any journey outside of London...say to Oxford.

I prefer the oyster card because it will automatically figure out your cheapest fare for the day and never go over. The travelcards do offer the 2 for 1 stuff but I'm sure others can help you with that as I've never used it.

So, for traveling around London and it's suburbs, it's either individual tickets, a travelcard or the oyster card.

For traveling to other cities by train, you can either buy individual tickets or get a railpass.

When we are departing HRos we always stay in the Paddington Station area. There are a dozen, modest hotels within a block or two of the station. It is not a real interesting area but safe and convenient. If more than one of you, a private car at that time would be fairly quick and not a great additional marginal cost.

Thank you all. The information you have all provided has been very helpful with the process of sorting all of this out.

The cut off for checkin time at Heathrow (at least with UA) is 45 minutes before departure and I've even done flights when I got to the airport just 40 mins before departure for Chicago. If you are used to traveling, there is no need to get to the airport 2 hours ahead. 90 minutes should be ample though I confess it has been a couple of years since my last London trip so will defer to others who have been through LHR recently.

You may want to check with your airline what the latest time is to check in - though most US airlines I assume allow you to do this on the internet the previous day. Something to consider so that you aren't hustling early in the morning.

Hey Darlene, I rarely recommend tacky tourist things, but the hop-on, hop-off tours in London can be quite excellent. There's an incredible number of stops, and it makes good use your dollar as a city tour, and your transportation for 24hrs. Often in includes the 7 stop Thames hop-off boat tour, and discounted attraction entry. I've found it worth the cash for one day, when crunching the numbers, and it's fun. Just an FYI! :) Chris

Arnold, I have been told by Continental that my bags must be checked 1 hr. before flight time,and that for International, I should plan on 2 hours before to be safe. I am an experienced flyer, but only domestic, and I never get to the airport at the suggested time to just hurry up and wait. I was a bit more concerned about an International Flight, not really knowing what to expect in terms of Customs, etc. I think I will use the extra 30 minutes to get some sleep and arrive 90 min. early instead. Thanks for the tip on that one!

Chris, those hop on hop offs sounded like a good thing - if nothing more than to get oriented. I tend to avoid things like that as well - never been on the tour bus in NYC! However, based on your recommendation and other postive things I have read, I think we will do it! Thank you.

Darlene- Heathrow is a very crowded airport. I'd not risk the 30min of extra sleep. Get to the airport and do not risk running into extra long lines at just the wrong time!

Thank you, Toni! I'm glad toknow that, and you're right - 30 minutes of extra zzzs is not worthmissing your flight over! Glad to know about Heathrow being such a zoo.

Taking a taxi to LHR can be expensive if you're talking about one of the "black cabs". Every hotel has the number of a gypsy ( ment in the nicest way possible) cab. To me, being able to walk out of my hotel and get straight into a taxi that will drop me off at T4 is well worth the price. Just as an FYI, if you decide to do this, ask if they charge extra for your bags.