rhoffman524

Hey everyone!

My boyfiend and I are arriving in London 8:35 p.m. on Sunday, October 14th with a 12 hour layover, flying out at 7:55 a.m. the morning of October 15.

This is not the most ideal time to be arriving and touring London, but as this is my boyfriend's first time to London I would love to atleast show him some of the beautiful sites the city offers. I studied abroad for three weeks in college at University of London so I am somewhat familiar with the area. However, I am unsure of:

1. Quickest way to downtown London from Heathrow (London Express Train?)
2. The time the tube closes on Sunday and reopens?
3. The average price of a taxi from central london to Heathrow
4. What to do - are there pubs open on Sunday nights?
5. Will the weather be fine to do some walking on our own?
6. Anyone heard of the Yotel at Heathrow?
7. Any other information will be very helpful!!

Thanks!

MmePerdu

Do you plan to sleep or are you planning to wander with your bags until your flight in the morning? I suggest you get a hotel near the airport and sleep for a few hours. Your layover is more like 8 hours from when you get out of the airport until you need to be back. One less if you go to a hotel to leave your bags.

rhoffman524

I was hoping that we will check most of our bags and just carry a book bag with us on the airplane. Since this is a layover, doesn’t the airline just keep your checked bags for your next flight?

I was thinking of wandering into London for a few hours, most likely take a pricey cab back to the airport, look into the Yotel (the hotel by the hour in the airport) or sleep in the terminal. I am not sure if that’s the best idea or I am just conjuring up a unrealistic trip. I know it is not the most inexpensive way to see London, but I would hate to miss out on seeing London when it so close!

Any information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

MmePerdu

That's not what I'd call "seeing" London and I'd consider it a waste of money and effort. I'm not trying to be unnecessarily negative but spend your money on a good bed and save London for another time when you have a realistic amount of time in the daylight.

But maybe someone else has ideas for you that I haven't thought about. Like a nice pub near a nice airport hotel.

janisj

You won't be out of the airport until probably 10PM and possibly to someplace interesting in London by 11-ish.

You need to be back at LHR by 5:00-5:30. There is no tube at that time and if you catch a cab it would have to be by 04:30 (few cabs are out and about then)

There is no way to see anything much and also get any sleep. Plus the bldgs/sites are not illuminated all night long so lots will just be dark.

Whether you can check your bags through partly depends on whether it is one booking or two.

Just get a room at the airport and forget about trying to see anything. Your arrival/departure times just don't work for an excursion into the city.

(The expensive Express train only takes 15 minutes -- but that is deceiving because it only gets you to Paddington, so getting to anyplace interesting would take just as long as the tube all the way in from LHR)

flanneruk

Only you know what time you need to be at the gate on the way home.

The last tube on your Sunday leaves Piccadilly Circus at 2338, arriving T1/3 at 0025. There are roughly half-hourly buses throughout the night, taking about 70 mins (journey planner at www.tfl.gov.uk)

The first train for Heathrow leaves Paddington at 0442, getting to T1/3 at 0504, T4 at 0510, and a connection for T5 arriving 0533. There are hundreds of taxis on the streets of London throughout the night (the last train to Heathrow is at 2325) - though few Fodors posters have any knowledge at all of London after the time they take their cocoa to bed. Typically about £60 each way.

Central London is perfectly safe to walk around at night. In practice, the best option for you is likely to be abandoning the idea of a hotel altogether, see London (what you call "seeing" London is up to you), and catch up on sleep during the long flight home. The time spent getting between terminals, or from an off-airport hotel to a terminal, will often be longer than the Heathrow Express (first departure 0510, arr T1/3 0525) takes from the centre. The only on-airport hotel is the Yotel at T4, miles from the other terminals

No-one can possibly predict weather six days ahead, never mind six hours. The temps will certainly be both warm and cool enough for walking, unless you're one of those wimpy Americans who starts whining the moment it gets below 10 Centigrade (or one of those Brits who regards anything over 25 as to hot to walk). There's absolutely no way of knowing whether it'll be dry: even checking when you arrive is no real guide to how wet it'll be six hours later 25 miles away.

No-one's ever drowned during our (usually) light showers: just pick up an umbrella.

Pubs generally close at 2300. Clubs (see Time Out) operate till fiveish and are the conventional way young people - of all ages - keep indoors and entertained overnight till the first early train to the suburbs.

janisj

I have had to catch cabs in the wee small hours and a lot depends on exactly where you are. In some areas you will see no cabs and even at the train stations there aren't any/many because there are no trains arriving/departing. But in soho and some areas you will see cabs. Starting around 4:30/5:00-ish more cabs are circulating.

What does your airline say about when you need to be at LHR?

indy_dad

My experience with overnight layovers (2) is that they do not keep your bags even if the flights are part of a single ticket. YMMV.

rhoffman524

Thank you for this helpful information. I will share this with my boyfriend and we will mutually decide what to do. We are up for everything, but if this is not really practial we might just stay around. And a plan a fabulous London trip very soon!!! I haven't checked on when we needed to be back by LHR in the AM. That would be not cool if they give back all us baggage (which would be going back through customs?) But I am sure we will deal with it if so.

Does anyone know what the closest hotel is to T1? Are all the hotels out near T4? I am going to try to do a price comparison between the Yotel or just getting a regular hotel room (I do not think sleeping in the terminal would be much fun).

Thanks again!

rhoffman524

Also, I had a friend mention renting a car for the night? Recommendations?

MmePerdu

There's an Easyhotel near Heathrow, ultra budget if you book early. Have a look at easyhotel.com.

Renting a car for what reason?

pgriffin

A taxi from London city centre to Heathrow will set you back somewhere between £60 - £80.

KayF

If you check on the Heathrow Airport website they have a list of accommodation. We've stayed at a Yotel (at Gatwick) and it was fine, very convenient, smallish room where luggage goes under the bed, clean and fresh.

We also stayed at the Jurys Inn at Hatton Cross. It was about 5 min (?) walk from the nearest tube station. You could ask them about getting a hotel shuttle or taxi back in the morning, if you are too early for the tube.

I thought of Windsor for you, which is close to Heathrow, just to give your partner a taste of the UK, but the timing is all wrong. You couldn't change your flight?

Kay

geetika

We stayed at the Jury's Inn last month, a few minutes walk to Hatton Cross tube station, on the Piccadilly line. It was a long way into town but very convenient for our early morning flight, we took the first shuttle at 4.40am. But Jury's Inn is near T4, not sure how far away from T1. Yotel is in T4 itself.

rhoffman524

From all this very very helpful information we have decided just to get a hotel at Hilton Terminal 5 and take the bus/shuttle over to the terminal in the AM. I am glad that this was thought over thoroughly before I took him into downtown London with no way of getting back!

Thanks again!!