Heathrow to Central London

[emarismom]

I have read several threads but am still a bit confused about the best way to get from Heathrow to my hotel (St. Georges Inn) next June.  There will be three of us arriving at 10:25 am.  Several threads say to prebook train or bus tickets, but what time should I reserve them for?  How long should I allow for picking up my luggage, going through customs and getting to the pick up locations?  

 

Also if I take the train, what station should I get off at?  Will I need to change trains and will it be complicated with luggage after an overnight flight?  

 

Thanks in advance for an help!!

 

[John Bull]

If this is St George's Inn in Belgrave Road, Victoria, a simple and economical way is by direct bus to Victoria coach station. 

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

If your flight is to terminals 2 or 3 you have a well-signed 10-minute walk to Heathrow central bus station.

If your flight is to T4 or T5 there's a Nat Express bus stop on the concourse at the exit of both terminals.

 

Allow 90 minutes from your scheduled landing time for the formalities.

But Nat Express know that planes  & formalities get delayed, and you can switch to an earlier or later bus. Driver loads your luggage

 

Alternatively you have the option of taking "the tube", London's metro.

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

Fairly simple - take any tube train from Heathrow, they're all on the Piccadilly Line (navy blue), they call at all terminals, and they run every 5 - 10 minutes.

Heathrow is the terminus, so no problem getting seats, with you luggage around you.

But you have to change tube trains at Baron's Court -  a simple cross-platform change to a tube train on the District Line (dark green) for Victoria. Not so easy with luggage, but folk do it.

 

From either Victoria coach station or tube station it's a ten-minute walk to your hotel,. Or with luggage hail a London cab for this short distance.

 

Alternatively a pre-booked private transfer from airport to hotel will cost about £40 - £45.

Sorry, no suggestions - perhaps Londoners can recommend, or just google. But check reviews, and terms for add-ons like waiting time, airport parking, etc so that you're comparing like-for-like.

 

The train, the Heathrow Express, (not the same as the tube) goes to Paddington Station only - from there it's a Circle Line (yellow) tube to Victoria. I don't know how difficult with luggage - again you need a Londoner's advice.

If you choose this, buy your Heathrow Express ticket months ahead - for three people it's more expensive than a private transfer if you  buy on-the-day or even close to the day 

 

Don't just take a taxi from the rank at the airport, way too expensive for this 16-mile journey.

 

JB 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by John Bull

[Bob++]

The tube map that JB linked to covers the whole network. Here is a more useful interactive map. Heathrow is in the bottom left-hand corner and Victoria is in the middle, beside the river.

 

https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube

 

Transport for London also have a website where you can enter the start and end points you want and it shows you the best route; very handy for when you are actually in London as you can get it on your smart phone.

 

https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

[Joanne G.]

We used the Heathrow Express that John Bull mentioned.  We bought tickets in advance.  I can't remember the exact cost, but it was very reasonable.   Of course the cost is per person, unlike a taxi, so that needs to be factored in.  We did not need to choose a certain time.  If I recall correctly, if you buy far enough in advance, the tickets are good for any time of the day.   The trains run frequently, like every 20 minutes or so, since they are also used for transportation between terminals.

 

Heathrow is a massive airport, but we found our way to the train without difficulty by following signs.  My friend has two artificial knees and has some difficulty with steps, especially burdened with luggage, but there were elevators where needed.   Getting on and off was easy to manage with luggage, and there were luggage racks for big bags, as is typical for airport shuttles.    It was a short trip with no intermediate stops (other than at the different terminals) into Paddington Station.  From there, we followed the signs to the taxi stand and took a taxi to our hotel.   My friend, who had been to London previously and had taken the tube into the city, said the Heathrow Express was faster and more convenient.

[phabric]

I have used www.justairports.com, a car service from LHR to/from our London hotel many times.  Use your hotel’s postal code to get a quote per car.  After an overnight flight it is nice to be met at the exit area and be driven direct to the hotel.

[scottbee]

"The Tube"

As JB explained Piccadilly Line (Blue) to Baron's Court, same platform change to district Line (Green).  Get out at Victoria, 3 block walk

 

Other options I wouldn't do:

Bus - takes you to London Victoria Coach Station, which is a bit further from your hotel

Heathrow Express - takes you to London Paddington Station, which is a couple of miles from your hotel. By the time you deal with getting from Paddington, the tube won't have taken much longer.

 

[princeton123211]

23 hours ago, John Bull said:

Don't just take a taxi from the rank at the airport, way too expensive for this 16-mile journey.

While I wholeheartedly agree with this, you also make some pretty dumb decisions at 7am after an overnight flight with no sleep. I've been known to just hop into one on occasion when delirium is taking over. 

 

That being said, arranging for a less expensive car to pick you up ahead of time isn't a bad idea. Public transit is fine but if you are extremely tired after an overnight flight there is nothing nicer than just putting your luggage in a car and getting dropped off right at your hotel. 

[Alaskanb]

15 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

While I wholeheartedly agree with this, you also make some pretty dumb decisions at 7am after an overnight flight with no sleep. I've been known to just hop into one on occasion when delirium is taking over. 

 

That being said, arranging for a less expensive car to pick you up ahead of time isn't a bad idea. Public transit is fine but if you are extremely tired after an overnight flight there is nothing nicer than just putting your luggage in a car and getting dropped off right at your hotel. 

So agree! We now factor in the cost of a car service when we do an overnight flight. 

[geoherb]

We've always taken the Tube. It's one way I can get DH to pack a little bit less.