Hello, What's the best way to get from Heathrow to Victoria Station area? My partner and I arrive in London at 7 a.m. on Sunday, 7/28. We only have a couple of days in London before heading up to Edinburgh, so we hope to hit the ground running, with a quick bag drop at our hotel before we head out to sightsee. We are staying near Victoria station/Belgrave area. It looks like the National Express coach might be the most convenient way to get from Heathrow to our hotel, and is priced around 18GBP for the two of us. But if the Tube will get us there much quicker, for only marginally less convenience, perhaps we should opt for that and save the time. What do you think? What has your experience been with either/both of these transportation options? FWIW, we will have one suitcase and backpack between the two of us, and are physically prepared for walking/hauling, etc. Just thought the coach would be straightforward and a good way to get oriented above-ground, and minimize the post-flight hassle. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
If you're going to Victoria you can take the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Hammersmith and then cross the platform to a District Line train to Victoria, with no stairs involved. If you're travelling on a Sunday the road traffic shouldn't be too bad and neither should the crowds on the Underground. According to the Transport for London website there's no engineering work on either line that weekend.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The fare for a National Express coach from Heathrow to Victoria Coach Station is £6.00. Philip has given you the best route from Heathrow to Victoria on the Underground. If you buy Oyster cards at Heathrow and load them with pay-as-you-go pounds, you can take the Tube to Victoria and take unlimited rides in London the rest of the day for a total of £8.50, €0.40 less than an off-peak one-day, zone 1-6 travelcard. According to the timetables on the Transport for London site and the National Express site, your travel time will be virtually the same. What you'll gain by taking a coach is an above ground introduction to London. What you'll gain by taking the Tube is a better price for the entire day.
Posted by
S.F. Bay Area, CA, United States
1878 posts
We stayed right near Victoria Station on our recent trip (April-May 2013) and took the tube to the airport from there - worked great and took about an hour including one change of train. I think the bus would be perfectly fine as well. I doubt whether either would be more that twenty minutes quicker than the other. After such a long flight, the difference will not be significant.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16178 posts
We are in the minority here but like to stay above ground, so we don't use the Tube. The one time we stayed near Victoria Station, we used the National Express bus from Heathrow and it was great. It was a double-decker bus and we sat upstairs at the front. We had a commanding view and I followed our progress on a map to identify what we were seeing. On some of the turns I felt like I could almost reach out and touch the buildings. It was a great way to get into London and well worth the few pound additional cost over the Tube.