trains or bus to Bath

Karen, have never taken the bus, but we did take the train from Heathrow to Bath in June. It was really easy, comfortable and pretty quick. Our customs experience was easy - no lines. Yours may be different, especially if you are going over during the Olympic madness. Take the Heathrow Express to Paddington, which does have departures every 15 minutes. Once at Paddington, the trains run every 30 minutes or so to Bath. We just showed up and bought a ticket that day. These are likely not the cheapest ways to Bath, but I would prefer it to paying less and sitting on a bus for several hours. If you get in at 7am, you should have no problem getting to Bath by 1 pm, even if you get some delays at customs. Good luck and have fun!

Long distance buses in Britain are usually called "coaches", and you can check times and prices for coaches between Heathrow and Bath at www.nationalexpress.com. It is easiest if you select "Heathrow T1 and T3" as your departure point, and only consider the coaches that do not involve a change. Journey time is about 2 hours 30 minutes and cost is about £19.60, but this could vary according to the day of the week. You could probably get the coach at 09.00, but the best approach is to make a firm booking for the next coach at 10.15 (arrival in Bath 12.50). If you are at the coach station by 09.00 and there are seats available, then the driver will probably take you on the earlier journey. Overall, the journey times by train or by coach are similar. Train is more frequent, but more expensive, while coach is simpler and requires no changes. Personally, I would choose coach over train for this particular journey.

Karen, allow for an hour to get through passport control at Heathrow and on your way. It could be less, it might be more. Many arrivals come in at early morning, so the lines will be long. The Olympics are a wild card, but they won't make things any faster. The Heathrow Express to Paddington takes 15-20 minutes. It costs 2-3 times the Tube but the Tube takes an hour or so and is considerably less comfortable and offers no place for your luggage. Taxi will take close to an hour. If your 7am arrival is on time, you should have time to get into Paddington via the Express to catch the 10:37 back out to Bath. Heathrow is about 30 miles closer to Bath than Paddington. If the bus out of Heathrow gets you to Bath in time for that 1pm checkin, why not just take it and keep thing simpler? However you get to Bath, you will be tired after the night flight and the trip out from London. Plan on grabbing a cab to your accommodations.

Our bus trip from Heathrow to Bath was something of... let's go with "adventure" so I find it hard to recommend the bus but compared to going into London to come back out on the train it is still a decent option. One bus tip - there are buses from Terminal 5 but they were all much more expensive and longer - with a stop - versus the buses from Terminals 1-3. Check the schedule carefully if you come into 5 it may be worth the trip to Terminals 1,2,3. Agree about the cab - grab a cab from the train station when you get into town. I thought I was ready and being tired in the dark and with the construction around the station I gave up and took the only cab of a three week trip.

Have done both strongly recommend the train. either from paddington or you can get a bus from the airport to reading and catch the train from there. (Paddington is a whole lot easier). The trains are quick and comfortable. Coaches will remind you of the plane, not as much room as the train, and you cant get up and move around journey you have just survived. Our most recent trips by coach (London to bath) found heavy motorway traffic and delays

ok if we do the train from Paddington using the Heathrow express--do i need to buy our tickets in advance, or just get them when we get there-- we will be going at the end of Sept so we won't have the Olympic crush to worry about. I don't mind buying them in advance--but if we are delayed or arrive earlier-- I don't want to have the wrong ticket time already purchased--
what has worked for you?

Karen, the advantages of purchasing in advance are that the fares are much cheaper than purchasing on the day of travel and that you don't have to deal with lines to purchase tickets at the station. You do have to commit to a departure time, though, so you would want to book a train that leaves late enough to allow for delays at the airport. You can book a departure as late as 11:00 a.m. and still make your 1:00 p.m. check in time. It just depends on whether you would rather save on the fare or get to Bath as early as possible. I hope you enjoy Bath - it's a wonderful city.

You could also take the Heathrow Connect to Paddington. Half the price and only about 10 minutes slower. See http://goo.gl/dTUrH

We have done both. The Heathrow bus is more convenient and it didn't seem like there was much difference in time between the two. It seems like it was a little more than 2 hours either way, not taking into account that if you take the train you need to get to Paddington first. Sorry I don't remember how long customs took at Heathrow. It does seem like you walk forever in that airport though.

If you are visting Bath anytime between Sept 14-22, the Jane Austen Festival will be underway. Hundreds of people in Regency dress walking around. My wife was one of them a couple of years ago.

oh we will just miss this event--!! darn!

We've been living in Bristol, England (next train stop from Bath) for the last 3 summers, including this one. Natives would take the National Express Coach (you can Google it): 1. Faster. Heathrow is on the West side, i.e. Bath side of London. Paddington is the wrong way. You would likely be in Bath far quicker by direct coach than train. 2. Much more convenient. The station is right in front of Terminal 5. 3. Much more convenient with luggage. The driver loads and unloads. Trains can be a nightmare with luggage, even a simple roller bag. 4. Cheaper. You can get tickets in advance, online, and pick them up at the desk, or from one of the ticket machines. NOTE. My US debit card works fine for purchasing tickets from the machines and avoiding the queue. Further. The buses are clean and perfectly comfortable, as much as the trains, unless perhaps you always travel first class (and don't mind the expense and extra time...). The Heathrow Express is way over priced and really only convenient if you are staying in London near Paddington.
Have a nice trip!

I might have to eat my words. Bath may not have direct coach service. If not, then it can be a longer trip than the train. I'm in Bristol and we have a major coach station that is very convenient. Look into it. Bon Voyager!