Because of the blizzard of the century, we now have to get to London from a different airport and the airport to hotel transportation is now up to us. Never having been to London, we are not sure where our hotel is in relation to all of the places mentioned on the previous threads. We will be going to the Holiday Inn in Kensington and arriving hopefully about 7:30AM. There will be two of us with moderate luggage. Any suggestions?

When you arrive in London, call the hotel and ask which tube stop is nearby. The cheapest route is to go through some pedestrian tunnels to the underground station (clearly marked) at Heathrow and take the tube. However, if you have too much luggage to haul around---it is a long hike---you might just want to take a taxi. Cost will probably be in the $40 to $50 range. With a lot of luggage, I think the taxi is probably worth the one-time cost.

Damama, which London aiport will you be arriving into? If it is Gatwick or Heathrow, then you can take the appropriate Express to London ( into Victoria Station from Gatwick or into Paddington from Heathrow )and then can get a taxi from the train station to your hotel.

XXX Sorry, in my panic I forgot the airport! Any idea what that would cost and how far is the Express stop from the terminals? Also, are taxis easily available from Paddington?

There will be a line for taxis once you arrive at Paddington because it will be rush hour on a week day...but I still think that is the best ( read that as the least stressful) route for you to go. The Heathrow Express station is right at the airport..signage will get you there or just ask anyone. The trip from the airport to Paddington Station only takes 15 minutes.. the fare is about £11 pounds.. you can use your credit card to buy tickets from machines or you can buy tickets on the train.

Lots of disagreement about this topic. I would take the Heathrow Express train which leaves right from the terminal and avoids the traffic into downtown. There will be a taxi line at Paddington but I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes. (Not much different than Penn Station in NYC.)

I remember catching a tube to Heathrow from Green Park - is there perhaps a tube other than the Heathrow express that stops en route at some stations? Isn't there an airbus that goes from Heathrow to various hotels? If you contact Holiday Inn in US or on website they will probably be able to assist you. HAve a great time.

I vote with the Heathrow Express. You will be able to use a trolley to haul your baggage - it is a short walk through the terminal and well marked. The trains are comfortable and fast. There will, indeed, be a demand for taxis, but they line up and there is someone putting people in cabs as quickly and efficiently as the the hosts at a Walt Disney World ride..You wont wait but a couple of minutes. After getting off an overnight flight, this way is preferable to finding your way on a crowded tube (which could take up to one hour) You will be exhausted, spring for the taxi at Paddington.

First of all, check the website of the Holiday Inn Kensington. It has all the appropriate info which looks pretty straight forward to me. From LHR take the Picadilly line to Gloucester Road tube. Get off, walk to your hotel. From Gatwick, take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station, then Picadilly line to Gloucester Road tube (2 stops).<BR><BR>The least stress route is a cab directly from which ever airport you're arriving into. The website says the fare is approx 35 GBP from LHR and 60 GBP from Gatwick. <BR><BR>Heathrow Express makes no sense at all. By the time you spend 22 GBP to get to Paddington and then cab fare to your hotel, you will have probably spent more than a taxi directly from the airport!<BR><BR>Don't panic!

I have to agree with obxgirl about the use of the Heathrow Express; I think it isn't either faster or more economical. With more luggage than you can comfortably carry (or roll) a long way, take a taxi. It is really the most sensible alternative.

Another thought - you could book a minicab which is a fixed price taxi type service which will be waiting for you and take you to the hotel. Usually around 35 pounds a car so it may not work out much less than the Heathrow express and a taxi if there are two of you. I have used a minicab in the past tel no 071 4351964. You must book ahead of time and give your flight time etc. To call from US it is 011 4420 7 4351964. Check out the Heathrow website and it has all transport details there and you can work out time and cost etc.

Thanks everyone. I had thought about a car service but at this point we don't know if or when we will get there. We are scheduled to leave tonight from Dulles but I am not holding out too much hope. Just think, last week terrorism was the biggest issue!

As long as you have a flight number you should be fine with any good car company.<BR><BR>They are used to delays etc and check arrivals information regularly.<BR><BR>I hope everything works out OK for you.

It has been over a year since I visited London, but I was lucky enough to choose British Air and take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station. Why? While waiting for my daughter in Paddington Station, I discovered that BA has an airport check-in there. On my trip home, I taxied to Paddington station, breezed through check-in where they took my luggage, hopped aboard the train which dropped me at airport Duty Free shopping, and picked up some missed items before heading to my flight home. Check it out!

If you are going to one of the Holiday Inns on Cromwell Road, then head to Gloucester Road tube station.<BR><BR>When you exit the station, turn left and walk to the next street (10 metres). Look over the road and to your left you will see one of the Holiday Inns (100 Gloucester Road), further down on the left, is the other one. <BR><BR>I recently stayed at 100 Gloucester Rd hotel.

There are two Holiday Inns in Kennsington, just about across the street from each other. The Hotellink bus line serves them from Heathrow. Picadilly Line from Heathrow to Gloucester Road Tube Station, just around the corner from the hotels, will also work, but there are a good number of stairs from the tube platform to the elevator that takes you to the surface. It will also be extremely crowded at that hour of the morning. (And if the fire brigade is still striking, the Picadilly Line will be closed.)<BR><BR>For comfort, take the Heathrow express to Paddington and a cab from the railroad station to your hotel, or just a black cab from Heathrow.

damama: You have gotten all kinds of conflicting suggestions here.<BR><BR>The Paddington Express will not be very convenient for you - arriving at Paddington during the height of rush hour will mean likely much longer than 10 minutes wait for a cab.<BR><BR>The tube is probably not your best choice after all the stress and uncertainty of your flight, etc. The tube is not much fun during rush hour - especially now that the London congestion charge is in effect and even more people will be on public transport.<BR><BR>I don't usually recommend HotelLink - but in your case it is the best choice (since it may be too late to get a car service). Its main negative is that you have no control over how long the journey takes (which order they stop at which hotels). But the main positives are you get a seat, the luggage is stowed, you can see something enroute, and it drops you right at your hotel.