barminski

We are staying at the Alhambra Hotel close to Kings Cross and will travel by underground to Heathrow Airport on a Sunday. Can someone give me directions on "how" to get from Kings Cross to
Europcar Car Hire at Heathrow using the Tube.

I thought about purchasing an Oyster Card but not sure it is worth it since we will only travel by train to and from airport, plus I read you cannot buy an Oyster Card at Heathrow Airport. Any idea of the cost for riding the train from Heathrow to Kings Cross?

I would suspect that Sunday morning would not be as busy for the travel. I hear one should wait until after 9:30 a.m. to use the train on weekdays but is that applicable to Sunday? How long would this trip take us to get out to Heathrow? I told Europcar that I would pick the car up at 10:00 a.m. so any
suggestions on departure time from our hotel would be appreciated.
Thank you!

janisj

>>"how" to get from Kings Cross to
Europcar Car Hire at Heathrow using the Tube. <<

You take the tube to LHR and then the rental car shuttle to the off-airport agency.

>>we will only travel by train to and from airport,<<

You mean the Tube/Underground ('trains' don't go from LHR to Kings Cross). Are you sure you are only using the tube from/to the airport. Are you not taking any public transport IN London? How long are you in London?

>>plus I read you cannot buy an Oyster Card at Heathrow Airport.<<

I don't think you read that anywhere. Yes, you can't buy an Oyster at LHR. You cannot buy <u>paper</u> travelcards at LHR. But yes, you can but oyster cards there.

There is no issue using the tube at that time on Sunday morning.

BigRuss

<<I don't think you read that anywhere. Yes, you can't buy an Oyster at LHR. You cannot buy paper travelcards at LHR. But yes, you can but oyster cards there.>>

Thinking Janis meant "I don't think you read that anywhere. <strike>Yes, you can't buy an Oyster at LHR.</strike> You cannot buy paper travelcards at LHR. But yes, you can <strike>but</strike> buy oyster cards there."

Uh, you take the Piccadilly line to the Airport. Will take the better part of an hour.

But if you're going to be IN London, how do you plan to get around without using the Tube or buses? Taxis are expensive and subject to the same congested streets buses have to suffer through.

janisj

Geeze louise!!! -- I changed that post 3 times before submitting and screwed it up entirely . . . Meant, Yes, you <B><red>CAN</B></red> buy an Oyster at LHR

barminski

Ok, I did mean the tube/underground not train, sorry. We will be in London 3 days and I guess the Oyster card would be a good value. I think we can walk to many places from our hotel but will use public transportation too.
Any idea where we purchase Oyster Card at LHR. We will fly in United
Terminal 2. Then take the underground to hotel by Kings Cross. I assume it would be the same line going into London, Piccadilly line. We are traveling light so no big suitcases for any crowded transportation system. Fly in on a Thursday and get into LHR around 6:30 a.m. I imagine the Tube into the city may be busy by 8:30 a.m. when we want to take it.

janisj

>>I guess the Oyster card would be a good value. <<

It isn' 'value' really -- it just 'is'. It is how you pay for/use public transport in London.

>>any idea where we purchase Oyster Card at LHR.<<

You buy Oysters in the tube station at LHR. You walk right by the machines on your way from arrivals.

>> I assume it would be the same line going into London, Piccadilly line.<<

There is only one tube line at LHR so it cannot be easier. You follow the signs from Arrivals to the Underground, buy your Oysters, go through the turnstiles, get on the next train and get off at Kings Cross.

The tube will not be crowded when you get on since it is the first station on the line. It will get busy once you are in town - but not to worry since you got seats when you boarded.

jent103

This is very easy - no need to worry about it! Everything is very well marked (I just flew through Terminal 2 a couple of weeks ago); just make sure to follow signs to the underground, not for any other "trains" (like the Heathrow Express; that is not what you want). It'll take some time to walk to the underground station and buy your card, but once you get on the train, you just stay on till King's Cross, done. And your hotel is basically a 5-minute walk from the station.

There are several lines available at King's Cross/St Pancras, so when you go back, you'll need to pay attention to which line you want (Piccadilly/dark blue); you'll also want to make sure you're on a Piccadilly train that goes to Heathrow (some of them go to a different branch toward the end - there are signs on the platform that will tell you where the next train is going). But coming into the city is easy, since LHR is only on one line and all the trains will stop at King's Cross.

And definitely get an Oyster. You'll use the Tube (and possibly buses) all the time in the city.

bilboburgler

part of your confusion is the word "trains", which are mechanical devices pulling carriages.

But in the UK the Underground (tube) is physically a train but is not called a "train". "Trains" are the things that run on the National Rail tracks. The "underground" is part of Tramsport For London (tfl).

While on words;
"subway" in London is a type of gross sandwich shop AND the route in tunnels under roads. It is nothing to do with public transport.
"Metro" is a newspaper not a public transport system in London.

hope that helps

PatrickLondon

Just a couple of footnotes to jent103's point:

In general, to get around on the underground[tube], you just need to know which line you want (they're all colour-coded as well as named) and which general direction you need, north, south, east or west, as laid out on the map. So at Heathrow, you'd be on the Piccadilly Line northbound (not that you have a choice, since it's at the end of the line), and in the other direction, Piccadilly Line westbound.

As jent103 says, at Heathrow the routes loop round the terminals, so make sure you know which terminal you're aiming for. But don't worry too much, there are recorded announcements to remind you where the train is going, and on this route, a reminder at Hatton Cross to change to the other destination if you need to.

barminski

Thanks for the British word meanings, appreciate it.

flanneruk

Why do you need an Oyster?

Surely everyone's got a contactless payment card in their wallet somewhere these days?

The persistent obsession on forums like this about buying Oysters made sense back in 2015 - and there's still a case for some people (like many Brits) faffing about with these otherwise quaint relics of the past decade.

But I'd have thought that, for most foreign visitors, acquiring Oysters these days is more trouble than they're worth.

Just pull out any contactless card, swipe at the tube entrance, and swipe out when leaving. If your local supplier's still in the steam age, you won't be let through, so you can go and buy an Oyster.

janisj

>>If your local supplier's still in the steam age, you won't be let through, so you can go and buy an Oyster.<<

Bingo! Relatively few American use contactless payments and many aren't even aware they have the capability. This article is from late last summer

http://www.thepaymentsreview.com/wil...-united-states

northie

Great article - janisj. I pay for most things from a coffee to my butchers bill by pay wave as its called here in Australia. As do my 40 year old children . Must admit Not a lot of older people i.e. Over 70 use it. It is the way the young ones go though .

Mimar

I (an American) just went through my wallet, where I have 4 credit cards and 2 debit cards. Only one of the credit cards has a contactlesspay logo. And it's my Costco card, not a card I use traveling. My android smartphone is evidently too dumb and too old to do contactless pay. And I'd rather use a card; the phone is a bit bulky to get out for a quick pass by the terminal and then replace in a secure location. (Though if it's so old maybe nobody wants to steal it.)

Between chips without pins and now contactless-less credit cards, American banks are falling behind the rest of the world.

yestravel

Enjoyed the article. I have been figuring this question out & I had come to the conclusion that once again the US is not up to date. However you can use Apple Pay (if you have it) that is linked to your US credit card and that should work.

jent103

^^ Yup. I only just set up my Apple Pay when I was in London a few weeks ago, since it seemed (and was) much easier than having to sign for my chip-but-no-pin card every time. There are some places in the US that take it, but it's definitely less pervasive here.

Plus I still think the Oyster is easier than using my phone at busy Tube stations. It takes less than five minutes to get one/top up.

janisj

>>Plus I still think the Oyster is easier than using my phone at busy Tube stations. It takes less than five minutes to get one/top up.<<

I totally agree -- just because something is 'new/improved/the latest thing' doesn't mean it actually works better IRL. An Oyster is flat easy -- and topping up really takes less than a minute (no matter what sort of card you use)

PatrickLondon

>>However you can use Apple Pay (if you have it) that is linked to your US credit card and that should work.<<

But what about foreign exchange charges? Do you have to pay a basic foreign exchange charge per transaction (in which case, it would be more cost-effective to pay a single larger sum for an Oyster, rather than a succession of smaller individual payments).

yestravel

Patrick -- You are correct, that would really mount up. My credit cards don't have foreign exchange charges per transaction. I have to say I have never spent so much time understanding and figuring out the best transportation option for a city.

jent -- you used Apple pay at stores and restaurants? I agree around here Apple pay is only taken in few places.

janis - For me getting to my phone is easier and quicker than pulling out a card that I keep in my wallet or bag. My phone is very handy & accessible all the time since I use it so much when traveling for a variety of things. In Australia I also managed to lose one OPAL card. If it turns out that Apple pay is an issue, I will get an oyster card. Always nice to have options!

janisj

My Oyster is never in my handbag if I am out in London. It is in my front pocket and it is just so easy and I never have to dig it out of anywhere -- easier than always having my phone out and on. Whereas my phone which is much more valuable than an Oyster is in an inside slip pocket in my cross body.

>>I have to say I have never spent so much time understanding and figuring out the best transportation option for a city.<<

It isn't at all complicated (except for the paper travel cards/2for1 issue - but that isn't what we are talking about here).

I know my phone's battery life wouldn't allow me to leave it on for the 12+ hours I'm typically out and about and on public transport. YRMV