Lambie123

We've just booked our first trip to London. We'll be staying at the Plaza on the River. Any suggestions for the best way to get from Heathrow to the hotel? Also, we'd like to visit Stonehenge, does anyone have any experience with a good day tour for that trip? Any other advice for the wide-eyed newbie appreciated!

janisj

it will be a slog by public transport - it is south of the river and the only nearby tube station is Vauxhall on the Victoria Line.

So your best bet is a car service like justairports or London Transfers.

Lambie123

Thank you!

Cholmondley_Warner

There are umpteen tour companies offering trips to Stonehenge - often with a trip to Bath or Salisbury included. It is doable independendently - but it's a bit of a faff. The ancients built it deliberately away from anything - and that's still the case 5,000 years later. If you want to do it - train to Amesbury and bus from there.

There will be leaflets in your hotel or google.co.uk will bring them up.

As for heathrow to your hotel - it's a bit of a trek by tube - Picadilly line and Victoria lines will take you to Vauxhall and it's a bit of a yomp from there. I wouldn't fancy doing it with a load of luggage.

jamikins

We always send our guests on the stonehenge/salisbury tour with London Walks.

http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Stoneh...t/default.aspx

Its 12 GBP per person plus 37 GBP per person for transit and entrance fees. You get the train from Waterloo then a coach picks you up at Salisbury. The guide will talk on teh way to Stonehenge about the area (Old Sarum etc). Then you get a guided walk around the stones. Then back on the bus, free time for lunch in Salisbury and then a guided walk of a bit of Salisbury and the cathedral (where a copy of the Magna Carta is).

Its great value, I've done it twice and always send my guests on it.

Enjoy!

BobbyPam

Hi Lambie123 -

I would recommend taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then taxing a taxi to your hotel.

janisj

BobbyPam: "<i>I would recommend taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then taxing a taxi to your hotel.</i>"

Sorry to be blunt - but that is a nutty idea.

The HEX fares will cost as much as a car service - which would take them all the way to the hotel. When one adds the expensive Taxi fare from Paddington to Vauxhall your plan would cost nearly twice as much as a car service from LHR.

Lambie123

Thanks to all who replied. I think we will get a car service, that way no worries about getting disoriented after a long flight.

Appreciate the link to London Walks, looks just right.

Another question - I've been looking at http://www.walkit.com/ which was recommended in another thread. It appears several places we want to go are within a half hour walk or so - slow, medium & fast walking times are listed. Does anyone have personal experience with this site? Is the range of times fairly accurate?

BobbyPam

JanisJ, it's not necessary to post any rude comments to me, or anyone else for that matter! If you think that you have better advice than someone else to give about a topic, simply say, "My advice is that you should ...". It's called common courtesy, try it!

janisj

BobbyPam: I wasn't rude - I was saying that taking the HEX to Paddington to get to a hotel south of the river is a nutty idea. It is. Do you have any idea where the OP's hotel is? It would easily cost twice as much to take your recommendation. One size does not fit all situations -- and the HEX simply does not fit this scenario.

Lambie123: Can't really say if walkit is accurate for you since there are so many variables - but in general you can rely on walkit.