sanibel7

We (family of 5) are arriving at Heathrow at 10:00 a.m. in June and want to catch the Eurostar to Paris leaving from Waterloo station.
How much time should we allow to get to the train station (this includes going through customs and getting our luggage)
Also, what is the best mode of transportation to get to Waterloo train station?
Thanks for your help.

bbib

The easiest way would be a large taxi, it will be quite expensive, although I wouldn't like to guess a figure. However, as there are 5 of you, the expense is relative to taking the alternative - the train - and paying 5 seperate train fares.

If you want to take the train, you could get the heathrow express to paddington, it takes 15 mins. From Paddington you can get the tube direct to Waterloo on the Bakerloo line. About 30mins including transfer from Paddington.

However, the tube is not much fun with lots of luggage or young children.

You can also take the tube from heathrow to Green Park,(Piccadilly line) where you would need to change lines to connect to Waterloo (Jubilee line). This is the cheapest but the longest way to go.

I am not sure about shuttle buses to waterloo.

m_kingdom2

I'll echo that advice, but just out of curiousity, why did you not fly to Paris from Heathrow and avoid Waterloo all together - this would've been much quicker, and possibly more economical too?

guillaum

Taxi is definitely the best solution - would cost I guess around £ 40 to £ 50 and last for 45 mn. Black cabs (at the aiport) can accomodate 5 but I am not sure where you will stuff you luggage if you have a lot. Other possibility is to book a car from, for instance, Sovereign Chauffeurs on +44 20 7987 2007 and ask for a people carrier. They are reliable (I use them a lot on a corporate basis), pick up your flight number so wait for you at the exit of the gate even if the flight is late, and would advise you when you book on time needed to go to Waterloo. Also you would be able to confirm the price in advance.

From landing, if you account 45mn for custom and luggage, plus 45mn for the drive, plus you need to show up 30 mn in advance for the Eurostar, plus some extra (flight late, etc), that lead you to say a minimum minimum of 2.5/3 hours between time of landing and time of departure. I would personally leave a good 4 hours to be on the safe side (flights tend to be late sometimes!...).

If you take the tube, you can pay only a few pounds a head but as you are five, you may end up paying 12-15 £ overall. It will be much longer involving a few changes - say maybe 1h30mn altogether for the tube only. Note that the tube is not 100% reliable in London...

Heathrow Express (train) to Paddington is quick (15mn) but expensive (£ 11 per adult + whatever kid price so maybe 30£ overall) plus the cost of the tube from Paddington to Waterloo (say 10&pound so you are not that far from the cost of a cab, with inconvenience on the top...

AAFrequentFlyer

Unless you are a train buff and want to experience the Eurostar, you should consider flying from Heathrow to Paris. BA will get you to Paris for about $120 R/T per person. Eurostar will be little less but if you add the cost and the trouble of transfers, it will probably come out to about the same.

If you are still set on Eurostar, hire a private transfer. It will cost less than any other option and it will be door-to-door transfer.

To get an idea of what it will cost, look here,

<b>www.londontown.com</b>

As far as time needed? I would not book any train earlier than 2pm or maybe even 3pm.

TimS

I like trains so traveling by Eurostar is a pleasure. However, since you're flying into Heathrow, your cheapest way to Paris from there would be to fly BMI to CDG. Web fares start at 11 GBP (after adding fees, etc. the lowest total price comes to around 32 GBP). If you decide to go that route, buy your tickets ASAP.

For a family of five, I'd suggest a private car service from Heathrow to Waterloo. In recent months many Fodorites have recommended www.justairports.com for good service and reasonable prices. An estate (station wagon) For five people with luggagean estate may be too small so you'd probably need to book an MPV. For your route if you pay cash, the cost is 41 GBP (61 GBP if you use a credit card). The advantage of a car service over a taxi is that you pay a set price. If the traffic is heavy between Heathrow and Waterloo, a taxi meter just keeps on ticking.

sanibel7

I never knew that flights were that inexpensive. How do I book flights? Is there a web site I should look for?

Andre

www.flybmi.com

Hope this helps,
Andre

AAFrequentFlyer

BMI - <b>www.flybmi.com</b>

British Airways - <b>http://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_gb</b>

or <b>www.expedia.com</b> will price out both, but BA seems to be cheaper. Expedia will charge you $5 per ticket extra, so buying directly from the airline sites will save few $.

Bruins

If you arrange for Justairports to take you to your hotel, how do you meet up with them? Are they waiting for you as you come thru customs or do you find them outside?

hawaiimom

Are there any new suggestions on getting from Heathrow to Waterloo? This thread is from a year ago and I wanted to know if anyone has an update.

tracys2cents

Caution...the discount BMI flights have very restrictive baggage conditions...something like 15lbs/ 7 kilos per carry-on and 22kilos/44lbs total per person checked baggage. They will charge you 5 bucks PER lb over the limits, so you can end up adding $50 to $100 to your ticket price.


British Airways has flights that are almost as low-priced as BMI for many dates, without the baggage limit.

tracys2cents

Apparently my last post is incorrect, BA also has strict luggage limits. Well, with a family of 5, I guess you can distribute your luggage so that even the youngest has a 44 lb bag.

PalQ

Back to original question - how to go between Heathrow and Waterloo - you can take the Airbus from Heathrow terminals to nearby Feltham station, which is in sight of Heathrow Terminal 4, which has twice hourly direct trains to Waterloo station - may be the less painless/expensive; taxi to Feltham even less painful.