Only 1 1/2 days in London

I'll try to answer some of your questions. First, definitely stay in London and not out by the airport.
There is so much to see and do in London and with just 1 night, I think there is enough there to keep you occupied. Save Windsor and a country village for your next trip. Get Rick's London guidebook, plenty ideas for sights there. On how long to get to the Westminster area, using the tube, close to an hour. Take the Piccadilly line out of Heathrow ( the only line out of the airport) get off at Hammersmith, switch to the District or Circle line and get off at Westminster.

Thank you so much for your quick reply. The only issue about staying in the central part of London is the morning traffic... Our flight leaves at 10:30 a.m. and we have to be there 2 or more hours early... and I read that traffic can take from 1 -2 hours (or more) I might be a nervous wreck. Perhaps stay one night in London town and the last night at the airport??? Tory

Tory- Either stay at a hotel along the Picadilly Line (such as the Earl's Court area, or Paddington). You will NOT want to spend money on a taxi into and out of central London!!! You Will need to get back to Heathrow around 7:30 am for your flight out. Easy enough to do via the tube- just be on the tube heading back to the airport by 6:00-6:30ish and you'll have plenty of time- it's about a 45 min. trip from Central London to Heathrow. You'll probably be getting into London around 2:00 ish so you'll have a few hours to explore. The Hop on/off buses might be a good option for you to use on your full day.
The other choice would be to go to Windsor and spend your whole time there. It is a lovely town and there's the castle and it's gardens, Eaton and plenty of shops. You can catch a bus or use a taxi, but most people recommend ordering a "hire car" ahead of time as the most effcient and cost effective thing (takes about 15min. from the airport). But if you've never been to London, I think I'd encourage you to head into the city.

Make a choice. London or Windsor. Given your time frame I'd focus only on one to explore and enjoy. Traffic IS horrific in London but I'd encourage you to take one of the public transportation options into London. I also encourage you to buy Rick's book on London. EASY read and VERY helpful. Would answer many of your questions, complete with maps and logistical guidance. Most of the major "must see" sights are within walking distance of one another. RU staying in the Westminster area? Great location. Take a moment and use Google Maps. Type in Big Ben, London, United Kingdom in the search box. When the map appears click on the satellite image. (Box on the right side of the screen) When the satellite POV appears click on the + below the little person on the left side of the screen to zoom in. Use the arrows in the circle to move right, left, up down. IN the image you'll see Big Ben, the Thames Parliament (Palace of Westminster), Westminster Abbey, The Eye and if you click on the left point arrow you'll pass St James Park right up to Buckingham Palace. As far as transport from Heathrow into London your options are: the London Underground. The tube, Piccadilly Line, takes an hour and is the cheapest transport. It goes to Paddington Station. From there you'll need to take the tube, a black cab or bus to Westminster. Would depend on your luggage situation. Secondly, either the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect which are trains, travel into London. The Express takes 15 minutes and is the most expensive. The Connect about 1/2 hour. Not as expensive as the Express but not as cheap as the tube. You could also take a bus (coach) into London and would arrive at Victoria Station and would then need to get to your hotel from there. Heathrow is about 20 miles outside London.

Tory, you asked,"Perhaps stay one night in London town and the last night at the airport?" Yes. You also asked,"In Central London by the London Eye?" Yes. Rec. Premier Inn London County Hall: http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONCOU/london-county-hall At Heathrow, rec. Hilton linked to Terminal 4, ten minutes to get to Terminal 5: http://www.hilton.co.uk/heathrow You are right to be concerned about the stress of getting to the airport on time on the morning of departure.

Thanks Rebecca... We are flying (I think) out of Terminal 3.. with American Airlines ..Is 4 with 3? or do we have to transfer from the hotel? Is there a shuttle? I will check on the Hilton. Would you recommend the day we get in having a private tour to Windsor from the airport and then having them drop us off at the Premier Inn? Tory

With on;ly one and a half days, it doesnt make sense to try and see Windsor. Stay in Central London (along Piccadilly Line if you can) and hit the main sights- Westminster, Buckingham palace, Big Ben, Horse guards, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square. Youcould also squeexe in walking past the Tower of London, Tower bridge; St Pauls. There is so much to see in London of such significance

I also suggest that you stay in London for your stay, and take the Tube back and forth from Heathrow. For a 10am flight, you can catch the train at 6am and be at Heathrow by 7am and on to your terminal. It's relatively simple. Find a Tube map in any guidebook (read Rick Steves' before going) and get familiar with it. Find a hotel along the Piccadilly line so you don't have to transfer. You can do it! You will not have time for the extras, such as Windsor and country villages. Save that for your next trip.
Skip the private guide and get a good guidebook and follow along with its London in a day plan while adding any of your must sees in. Again, buy Rick Steves' or check it out at the library. It will be of great help to you. You could do London Walks (a tour). Just Google it. They have lots of different interesting walks/tours.

I think that Toni summarized it really well, as did Claudia. In your case I might lean towards the Paddington area and go with the Heathrow Connect or Express. By the time you have looked for and hopped on (and circled around the airport and other hotels) the Hoppabus from the Heathrow hotel to the terminal you could get from a nearby hotel in Paddington all the way to the terminal by Heathrow Express. That train isn't affected much by the rush hour either. If you do use the Piccadilly Line from Earls Court or nearby it doesn't take a lot longer, there will be rush hour traffic, but you will be going the opposite direction from the majority of commuters. My only confusion is you said a day and a half to include the next full day and evening yet you say your flight is at 10am?

Tory, You will be flying back to the U.S. from T3 if you are on American Airlines. If you choose to stay at the Hilton, there is a walkway from the hotel to to T4. From there, you take the Heathrow Connect / Heathrow Express (free between terminals) to Terminal 3. Or you can take the Hoppa Bus from your hotel to T3, but there is a fee for that. http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/travel-between-terminals#Terminal1or3toTerminal4 Use the Heathrow Connect rail shuttle for a convenient transfer between terminals. Trains run approximately every 30 minutes and the journey takes about six minutes. Be sure you board the correct train, as Heathrow Express services also serve Terminal 5 and London Paddington. Heathrow Central is between Terminals 1 and 3, which are a few minutes' walk away via underground walkways and signposted from the platforms. The Terminal 4 rail station is in the basement of the terminal and linked to check-in and arrivals by lifts and escalators. Alternatively, the 555 bus runs every 19 minutes between the terminals. The transfer is free and buses stop close to the terminals.

"Would you recommend the day we get in having a private tour to Windsor from the airport and then having them drop us off at the Premier Inn?" A private tour would be very expensive, and not necessarily worth it. If Windsor was important to you, you could take a bus from Heathrow to Windsor, do the regular castle tour, and then take a train into London. Keep in mind that you will have all your luggage with you at that point. Not a problem if you pack lightly. I take only one carry on bag, but that's another subject. Listen to what Nigel, Brian, Toni, and Claudia have told you. You may not have enough time to do Windsor and a good part of London, too. You must choose. It depends upon whether seeing Windsor is a high priority for you. If you want to include Windsor and drop some London sights, that's up to you. You said, "We would like to see all we can as we have never been to London." You will have so much to see in London, you may want to save Windsor for when you come back on your second trip. It's up to you. "Is it worth a private guide?" In my opinion, no. Just read Rick Steves' London guide book before you go, and make a list of of your very own personal "must see" sights. You can guide yourself around if you read his book. A Hop On Hop Off bus tour is a great way to get oriented around the city if you wish to do that.