aknards

In November, my husband and I will have a 12 hour layover at Heathrow airport. Is it possible to do or see anything of London in such a short time? In reality, we'll probably only have nine hours since we'll need to be back early to catch our next international flight. Any suggestions/recommendations? Thanks!

tripplanner001

Have you been to London before? What are your interests? Will you be checking bags through to your final destination? I've gone into London between flights from Heathrow several times, but I always give myself plenty of time to get back to the airport from central London, security, and time to spare.

janisj

Which 12 hours? Arrival and departure times make ALL the difference in the world.

>>In reality, we'll probably only have nine hours since we'll need to be back early to catch our next international flight.<<

And very likely less depending on immigration queues on arrival. But if you are flying business or first that isn't much of a problem because you'd get expedited immigration (and expedited security on departure) - . . .

So . . . where are you flyng in from, what time do you land, what time is your flight out, and are you in the front of the plane?

With those answers we can give better advice.

aknards

Thanks for the response! I've never been to London, my husband went 40 years ago! I love photography, museums, food, architecture, not a huge shopper. I was hoping to get a "flavor" of London, walk some of the more interesting streets/areas; get lunch; etc. We land at Heathrow 9:00 a.m. and fly out to Johannesburg at 9:10 pm. We're carrying backpacks but hoping to store them in an airport locker if possible. Thanks, again!

aknards

Thanks for the response! We are flying no frills, back of the bus... We land at Heathrow 9:00 a.m. and fly out to Johannesburg at 9:10 pm. We're carrying backpacks but hope to store them in an airport locker if possible. We were hoping to get a nice lunch and see a few sights if possible. Thanks, again!

tripplanner001

Here is the information on storage baggage at Heathrow: https://www.heathrow.com/airport-gui...s/left-baggage

From the airport into central London, you could hop on the Tube, which takes about an hour. You could also take the Heathrow Express, which takes less time but a bit more expensive; you can book in advance to save a bit on costs.

Assuming you're out of the airport by 10 and are back by 6 (leave plenty of time for unforeseen delays), this gives you about 6-8 hours in the city, depending on where you go. To get a good overview of the city, you could take a double-decker tour of the city center, which takes a couple of hours. Complement it with a 45-minute cruise on the Thames between the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey (both accessible by double-decker bus or Tube). This still leaves time for a good lunch at a British pub, or perhaps you want to take high tea instead. Time permitting, there are plenty of places you could pop into, but probably more than one. You could do a quick tour of the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, or Westminister Abbey. There's also the fine National Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar Square.

Something like this will give you a taste and leave you wanting to come back for more.

KTtravel

Yes, I think you can enjoy some time in London.

janisj

>>hoping to store them in an airport locker if possible.<,

There are no lockers at LHR but tere is a staffed Left Luggage in each terminal. The problem with that is one has to sometimes queue both to drop off and to retrieve your bags.

>>Assuming you're out of the airport by 10<<

Not that likely. Count on 10:30 or 11AM by the time you walk the long distance to arrivals, clear immigration, and drop your packs, and walk the long distance to the tube station.

>>To get a good overview of the city, you could take a double-decker tour of the city center, which takes a couple of hours<<

Not a great idea IMO -- first of all they take longer than 2 hours, are mostly stuck in traffic - ESPECIALLY in the middle of the day and they are expensive (and there is no guarantee there would be space upstairs and downstairs they are just slow expensive buses really..

SO . . . what I might do is take the tube to Covent Garden (direct Piccadilly line from the airport) Wander around and see if there are any street performers but even if not by then it will be near lunch time and Covent Garden is FULL of restaurants. Then walk the short distance to Trafalgar Square. See the Lions/fountains/National Gallery/St Martins in the Fields (There is a restaurant in the undercroft of St Martin's in the Field which is another option). Then walk up the Mall through St James's Park, see The Palace and Victoria Memorial, walk up Birdcage Walk and see Westminster Abbey and Parliament and the river and the Eye - unfortunately Big Ben is under scaffolding. You will want to be back on the tube by about 5:00-ish. Westminster station District line west to Hammersmith, exit train and walk a few feet across the sma platform to the next Piccadilly line train - get off at which ever terminal and retrieve your packs.


OR . . . Skip going in to London and take a local bus from LHR to Windsor instead, visit the Castle, have a late lunch and take a cab back to the airport -- it is about 7 miles and will take 20-30 minutes.

tripplanner001

Janisj, good point about the traffic as it's unpredictable. I should have specified about the double-decker buses. Sure the tour buses are available and offer commentary, but I was also thinking that it's just as easy to catch one of the public lines (e.g. #9 from Kensington to Trafalgar Square, #23 from Paddington to St. Paul's).

janisj

>>but I was also thinking that it's just as easy to catch one of the public lines (e.g. #9 from Kensington to Trafalgar Square, #23 from Paddington to St. Paul's).<<

And still be stuck in traffic. One recent trip I was trying to get from near Trafalgar Sq to near Bank - should have been a straight shot up the Strand/Fleet Street/etc . . . I was in a time crunch and had to abandon the bus near The Royal Courts of Justice because just nothing was moving. Ended up hoofing the final 1.5 miles. Not a nice start to a posh Lunch.

aknards

Again, thank you all for taking the time to help! The information about luggage storage is great to know. And, the suggestion about Windsor Castle is brilliant! We will be taking numerous flights and many hours of traveling before we reach our final destination. The idea of strolling the castle, rather than racing through the city trying to see a lot, really appeals to us. We'll feel like we saw a little of London without stressing too much. Well done, Fodors Friends!

Odin

You could visit Hampton Court Palace, take bus 111 from Heathrow Central, takes about an hour in each direction. You could have lunch locally in any number of places including a great pub serving British dishes inc a pretty good fish & chips, opposite the main gates. You’ll miss rush hour on the way there but make sure you leave at 4 or 4.30pm to not get stuck in traffic in the way back. Bus service is frequent, every 15-20mins or so.
Kew Gardens & nearby Richmond is another option, Richmond by the riverside is lovely.