We have a 6 hour layover in Heathrow - with 2 kids 6 and 4 in tow - any ideas on how to fill the time?

Oh god. That is such a hectic place. I wonder if you can grab the underground and take a trip to Kensington or Knightbridge or another stop for shopping and a nice lunch? You should have the time.

Do you mean that you arrive at (for example) 8:00am and leave at 2:00pm? Or have I insulted you and you have already accounted for time getting through customs and immigrations on the arrival end and early checkin on the departure end?

I'd go along with richardab, get on the underground and go somewhere . . . if only for an hour or so. Up until about 4 years ago, I travelled to Copenhagen via London 4 times a year and had a 7 hour layover each time. I'd head for a burger place called "The Great American Disaster" on Beauchamp Street near Harrods, grab a burger, take a quick stroll through Harrods, and then head back for the airport.

When I travelled internationally with my kids and had long layovers, we'd play the "who can find the most bizarre thing" game in the airport. My wife and I would end up walking quite a bit and the kids would have a blast.

I would definitely NOT recommend the tube for this trip - it takes over 45 minutes to get into the center of London - and nearly an hour if you decide to go somewhere where you'd have to transfer off of the Piccadilly line.

If you want to try a quick trip into London - take the Paddington Express train - 15 minutes each way.

But another (easier) idea is a quick trip over to Windsor. It would be a 10 minute cab ride or about 20-25 minutes by bus. You could wander around the town, visit the Castle, get a bite to eat, and then be back to LHR in a few minutes.

What time do you arrive - many Transatlantic flights land very early in the morning - long before anything in London or Windsor is open. If so - you could still go either place and just walk around for a while.

But be back to LHR PLENTY early for your on-going flight. Some airlines require a 3 hour check-in, but most say 2 hours, to allow for security, etc.

Hopefully your luggage will be checked through to the next leg of your journey.The subway (Underground) is available at the airport and it will take approximately 35 minutes on the Piccadilly Line to get to South Kensington where a ten minute walk will take you to two of the finest museums in the world. The Victoria and Albert and especially kid friendly,The Science Musem. Stay five minutes longer on the Underground and you arrive at Knightsbridge where Harvey Nichols and Harrods department stores are a minute or two from the station surrounded by some of the best shopping London has to offer. Five more minutes on the Underground and you arrive at Hyde Park Corner. A twelve minute walk or very short cab ride will take you to Buckingham Palace surrounded by lovely parkland for you to enjoy. If it's a nice day you could picnic with sandwiches purchased from one of the numerous outlets at the airport. (The Harrods outlet have some excellent ones). You can view a London Underground map easily by going to http://www.thetube.com/content/tubem...rint_map03.gif

Hope this helps and that you'll have a great trip!

If there is enough time (and you don't land very early) I would take the kids to Harrods; have a meal in Planet Harrods (right in the toy department; they would enjoy that!). The suggestion about Windsor is good too. All depends on what time you arrive.

Yep, trevorstreet seems to know what he's talking about. I'd follow his advice. Although, the V and A museum nearly bored me to death . . .

hehehe..it does really depend what their star exhibition is at any given time.

Isn't there a hotel at Heathrow?

Personally if I was arriving from overseas, jetlagged out, with two kids in tow ... running around London for a couple hours with the thought of missing my connecting flight hanging over my head is the LAST thing I'd want to do.

I'm sure it is expensive but I would much rather relax, shower, nap, eat a decent meal, and gather my wits to start my trip refreshed.

Is the 6/7 hours total actual free time? Or do you/we need to subtract your arrival, deplane, then check-in and reboarding time??

Go to Windsor Castle - it is much closer than going into central London, and it's wonderful.

4totravel . . . you've never clarified whether you REALLY have (a) 6 hours to kill or (b) 6 hours between arrival time and departure time.

Just a thought . . . janis as a local fails to understand the attraction of the "tube" to someone who has never been to London or never ridden on a subway. To me, the tube STILL is more than just a form of transportation; it's part of the site-seeing experience.

Oh, and suze . . . you don't have kids do you?

Well, better make that TWO hotel rooms at the airport, Suze..one for you and one for the kids! I think the Windsor castle idea is interesting if there were an easy way to get to it and the kids would probably love it...agree also with Snoopy about the Tube being part of the whole travel experience...but as we've seen on this board many times, the idea of taking public transport (due to the woeful lack of it here in the US) seems akin to asking some folkls to go to the moon...

Nope not a Mom. I stand corrected. Will have to take your word that small kids would enjoy shopping & lunch! I *would* still be worried getting too far afield with a connecting international flight to catch though.

You're a good sport, suze. Just imagine seat-belting a 6 and 4 year-old for several hours while crossing the Atlantic . . . they will likely be bouncing off the walls . . . kinda like letting an energetic dog out of a kennel or unleashing a caged lion. My kids always slept soundly on the plane and were like monkeys with tails afire when we got off the plane . . .

Windsor seems like the best bet. My husband grew up in Windsor and Heathrow is so close that he'd sit out in his yard reading the lettering on the planes flying over (eventually went into the aeronautics industry so I guess it served some purpose).

We took our kids to Windsor when they were 4 and 6, and they enjoyed walking by the water and feeding the ducks. They enjoyed seeing a real live castle (their words). There are plenty of shops and restaurants so you can all sightsee and take breaks for the younger ones.