Heathrow to Victoria - Advice?

[michigal]

Hello,

Our United Airlines flight arrives at Heathrow at 6:00 a.m. on a Tuesday (I’m not sure which terminal), and we need transportation to the Doubletree Hilton, Victoria. We (two of us) will each have a checked bag and a carry-on (all are wheeled luggage), so I’m trying to select an option that minimizes the need for going up and down stairs, and that provides some assistance with luggage handling.

 

After researching our options with regard to balancing cost and ease/efficiency, it appears a motor coach is our best bet. I’m hoping you seasoned travelers can pass along some advice and answer a couple of questions!

 

Should we purchase our tickets ahead of time instead of when we reach the airport?

 

Does the motor coach (such as National Express) drop us off at our hotel, or at Victoria Station? On the map, it appears that the hotel is within walking distance of Victoria Station, but we will have our luggage to content with. A short walk is OK.

 

On Thursday, we will leave our hotel and fly from Gatwick to Venice (cruising out on Saturday). I assume we can arrange for similar transportation from our hotel to Gatwick.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Globaliser]

Does the motor coach (such as National Express) drop us off at our hotel, or at Victoria Station? On the map, it appears that the hotel is within walking distance of Victoria Station, but we will have our luggage to content with. A short walk is OK.

I'm pretty sure it'll be at Victoria Coach Station (which is not the same as the railway station).

On Thursday, we will leave our hotel and fly from Gatwick to Venice (cruising out on Saturday). I assume we can arrange for similar transportation from our hotel to Gatwick.

Probably better to walk into the railway station (you can enter through the shopping centre at "your" end - ie Ecclestone Bridge - of the station) and get a train to Gatwick. You'd basically have a choice between the Gatwick Express (which is designed for air passengers with luggage) or a Southern Railway service (which is cheaper but is a commuter train).

[sddsddean]

To help you out, have a look at this map.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=51.493134,-0.148632&daddr=Victoria+Station,+Victoria+Street,+London+SW1E+5ND&hl=en&ll=51.494664,-0.145805&spn=0.007962,0.018861&sll=51.493271,-0.147747&sspn=0.001991,0.004715&geocode=%3BCY8iHxzGEMGdFSrBEQMd5s39_ylN3OuqIQV2SDEV_WwINk82XQ&t=h&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=18&z=16

 

The green A is Victoria Coach station (arrivals) [departures go from the building the other side of Elizabeth St]. This is where the NE coach will go. The green B is Victoria Railway station. You can see the big concourse on the NE side where buses stop outside(not the NE buses, just London red buses). This is the main entrance, but as G says, you can go in off Eccleston St (A3213) if this is more convienient. You can zoom in to try and find your hotel to decide whether its walkable or if you need a cab.

 

Best way to LGW is train from Victoria. LGW station is in the airport.

 

Simon

[phabric]

We took http://www.justairports.com - private hire car service from Heathrow airport to our hotel in the Victoria area. To get a quote use your hotel's postal code (ours was SW1). The cost is per car not per person. It was nice to have someone meet you outside the baggage area after a long flight and drive you directly to the hotel.

 

If you go to Heathrow airport website it will tell you which terminal you will use.

[JanineM]

Another vote for Just Airports. We used them on our trip this week & were very happy with the service. Clean cars, reliable, reasonable price. Fare was £35 for a sedan from N1 to Heathrow. Was higher for the trip from LHR when we came in because we had two pick ups - one at Terminal 4 and one at Terminal 2.

Edited October 29, 2014 by JanineM

[scottbee]

Another vote for train from Victoria Station to Gatwick here.

[bconley351]

We have used National Express several times, and have always pre-bought our tickets. This last August our flight was almost an hour late for various reasons, and passport control had a huge line. We missed our coach by about 10 minutes. We theoretically should have had to pay a 5£ fee to change to the next coach, but were not charged. We had the money ready, but maybe it was because we were so frazzled she took pity on us.

We walked from the Victoria Coach Station to our hotel. The hotel gave us walking directions that indicated which door to exit and which streets to turn on. We (4 adults) each did this with roller suitcases and carry-ons.

[michigal]

Thank you so much for the advice, links, and sharing your experiences. It will make our planning so much easier now!

[Talisker92]

I'm pretty sure it'll be at Victoria Coach Station (which is not the same as the railway station).Probably better to walk into the railway station (you can enter through the shopping centre at "your" end - ie Ecclestone Bridge - of the station) and get a train to Gatwick. You'd basically have a choice between the Gatwick Express (which is designed for air passengers with luggage) or a Southern Railway service (which is cheaper but is a commuter train).

I am sorry, but why in heaven's name would you be talking about Gatwick when the OP said they were landing at Heathrow??

[Twickenham]

I am sorry, but why in heaven's name would you be talking about Gatwick when the OP said they were landing at Heathrow??

 

Because the OP said:

 

On Thursday, we will leave our hotel and fly from Gatwick to Venice (cruising out on Saturday).