travlertom

Greetings. Could someone tell me approximately how much lag time is required between Heathrow and boarding the chunnell? We are trying to plan accordingly and purchase our rail tix in advance. Thanks much!

janisj

well the "chunnel" if you want to use that term is the tunnel - not really relevant.

Since you probably mean time to board the train - you should have approx 3+ to 4 hours between landing at LHR and boarding the Eurostar. Don't cut it short because there is no fast nor direct way to get to Waterloo from LHR.

Robespierre

The enroute time from Heathrow to Waterloo on the Tube in about an hour. The usual fare is £4.

Go to thetube.com &quot;Journey Planner&quot; and enter <u>Heathrow Terminals 1-2-3</u> and <u>Waterloo</u> as your from and to criteria. You will see several routes, each changing Tube lines at different stations.

Some of the Londoners among us can tell you which connection is easiest - Transport for London is continually changing the maze.

If you're <i>really</i> short for time, you can ride the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station, then the Bakerloo line to Waterloo. The total time is in the 30 minute range, depending on how much you have to wait for the two trains.

janisj

yes the tube take approx an hour - but you need to add taxi time for the plane at LHR, a looooong walk to arrivals, immigration queue, retrieving luggage, and a fairly long walk to the tube station. Give yourselves 3+ - 4 hours.

There are other routes besides the tube (bus to Feltham and train to Waterloo for instance) but all take time and transfers.

Robespierre

Unless you drive to Heathrow from Bath, of course.

Unless you fly into Heathrow from Scotland, of course.

Unless you are staying near Heathrow, of course.

travlertom

Got it. Thanks again Robespierre!

alanRow

Assuming of course you really mean the Eurostar and aren't hiring a car at Heathrow to use Eurotunnel to get to France.

BUT if you mean the Eurostar WHY are you considering it? You are at Heathrow and it would make more sense in cost, time &amp; stress levels to fly from Heathrow to wherever you want to go doubly so if your destination isn't a Eurostar stop

Dukey

Apparently the most direct route from Heathrow to Waterloo...a taxi...isn't an option.

alanRow

Taxi is an option - just that it's likely to take longer than public transport and the cost would be higher than the Eurostar fare. Which brings me back to &quot;why don't you fly from Heathrow&quot;?

walkinaround

i agree with flying. many people who live outside of london fly to paris, etc rather than taking the eurostar (to avoid hassles of getting into central london). since you are already at the airport, it's a no-brainer...unless i'm missing some details.

travlertom

We are flying into Heathrow and then going directly to Paris for five nights before returning to London for an additional five nights. We happen to be flying on points and Paris was not an option in terms of availability.
We have been told that the chunnell is a neat experience, however, if it is too much hassle we would be open to flying.

PalenQ

I did it recently, Heathrow to 'Chunnel' train by the bus from Heathrow terminals 1,2,3 combined bus stand to Feltham and then direct to Waterloo. To me the most seemless way in besides taxi -especially with bags and probably the cheapest as well.

by tube i believe you must change. And Heathrow Express to Paddington another change to tube (or taxi from Paddington may be the fastests easiest way)

but as to how much time? planes can be late - there can be long waits at Customs and baggage retrieval - i'd put at least five hours between touch down and Chunnel train departure and hopefully have time to relax at Waterloo station's plethora of restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc. Or, even if you're mobile stroll over to the nearby Thames.

alanRow

&lt;&lt;&lt; i'd put at least five hours between touch down and Chunnel train departure &gt;&gt;&gt;

plus 3h30m for the trip itself, so that's a whole day just getting from Heathrow to Paris - if you flew you'd be in Paris before the train had left Waterloo

dfr4848

FWIW I think the Eurostar is definitely worth the experience, especially if you haven't done it before. It's an amazing trip. Of course, everyone is correct that flying would be quicker in your situation, but zipping along at 300+ km (186 mi)/hr while sipping wine looking at the French countryside is much more pleasant IMO than doing it at 30,000 ft. You sure as heck aren't going to find anything like it in the States. We've taken it several times and consider it a nice part of our travel experience. Everyone has their preferences. If you decide to take the train, above posters have given you some good advice on how best to do it.

PalenQ

and what is the cost of a Heathrow-Paris flight?

janisj

W/ your itinerary - really the only route that makes sense is fly to LHR, fly to CGD, then Eurostar from Paris to London, fly home.

The train is wonderful and the best way to get from <u>city center to city center</u>. But it is NOT an efficient way to get from the airport in one city to the center of the other city.

So fly to Paris, and take the train back to London. That way you can have the experience of the train w/o the hassle of crossing all of London from LHR to Waterloo

Robespierre

Doing some math: Time from Heathrow to Gare du Nord

by land
1 hour to Waterloo
.5 hour check-in (.1 for First Class)
3 hours Eurostar
= 4.1-4.5 hours.

by air
.5 hour check-in
.5 security
2 hours flight time
.25 hour exit plane
.5 hour immigration
.25 hour recover luggage
1 hour train or taxi to city
= 5 hours

Comparative stress factors

land
one Tube change
queue at Eurostar

air
queue at check-in
queue at security
queue at boarding
cramming into a seat
baggage limitations
queue at egress from plane
queue at immigration
queue at taxi stand or RER window

The basic choice is between spending most of your time queueing or sitting with a glass in your hand watching the landscape slide past the window.

PalenQ

robespeter: sounds like a no-brainer to me and Eurostar time will decline in Nov about .5 hr when Chunnel Tunnel Rail Link opens

Margo_Chester

We did exactly what you are planning last fall. Flying on a great airfare sale ruled out the option of an open jaw ticket for us too so we used the Eurostar for London to Paris. We took the tube from LHR to Waterloo (changed at Paddington) arrived Paris late afternoon) and took it again for Paris to London (arrived in London in time for lunch). I thought it was very easy to do and would do it again under the same circumstances. I booked early and the Eurostar tickets were reasonable.

If time is of the essence I would fly, but don't discount the train option because it seems like a hassle or intimidating - it really isn't. Have fun and enjoy your trip!

Dukey

Except that theflight time LHR to CDG is more like 1 hr and 5 minutes rather than 2 hours.